Since She Met Lucian

Chapter 68 Get Closer

"Nervous?" Lily walked over to Amelia, noticing the awkwardness that hovered around her. "You and Mr. Lucian are a couple. What are you nervous about?" she asked, her tone belying her confusion despite her friendly smile.

Amelia felt her cheeks warm with her words. Did Lily know? "Lily, you…" she stated nervously. "Even you know it?"

"You care about him. That much is clear to me. If I may be so bold to say this, I think that a little more honesty from the both of you would carry your feelings across to the other," Lily expressed her thoughts earnestly.

Amelia felt her shoulders relax. Lily was right, but it was one thing to know, and another to actually express it through actions. It would take her a lot of courage to take a step forward.

At this point, she remembered Jasper and the time they spent together. Five years was a long time. One would think that in this period, they would have already familiar to each other as breathing, like the way old couples finish each other's sentences. It should have been that way, but even with that length of time, it was as if there was hesitation in her that she could not place. The two of them had shared kisses, but it never seemed to go any further than that. Looking back now, she was not entirely sure she wanted that with him.

Half an hour later, Lucian came back home. Amelia thoughtfully took his bag and asked him if he had already eaten. If he hadn't yet, she would go straight to making dinner for him.

For a moment, Lucian was taken aback. Then, he replied, "There was a sudden meeting. It had been a hell of a day. I haven’t even realized that I haven't eaten yet until you asked. Dinner sounds nice, thank you."

Then, he went to the living room and sat down.

'So he was having a meeting...' Amelia thought. 'Thank god, he was not angry because of me.' She felt relieved now, glancing at his furrowed brows.

Just then, a thought occurred to her. Right. Dinner. She could try to at least relieve his stress with good food. With a newfound determination, she went to the kitchen and busied herself with cooking, all the while thinking of him.

Lucian had lied. He knew that Amelia had picked up on his sour mood. He had deliberately made up an excuse about a meeting so as not to make her feel guilty, but the truth was, he was brooding about something that was far from work.

The words that she said kept replaying themselves in his mind. 'We are not familiar with each other.' He threw a glance towards the direction of the kitchen where he heard the telltale sounds of cooking. The two of them had been living under the same roof for two months now, and they were a couple. Why did she say that they were not very familiar with each other?

Soon enough, dinner was ready and Amelia sat opposite Lucian as they ate together.

"You’re a wonderful cook," he praised. With a cheeky grin, she replied, "Why thank you, Mr. Lucian."

Meanwhile, Lily had quietly retreated to her own room to give the two of them their space. Their voices were the only sound that echoed in the spacious house.

When they had finished, Lucian offered to wash the dishes, but was quickly stopped by Amelia. She snatched the bowls from his hand and said, "We are rich, but I'd feel bad for the dishes if they break."

Lucian frowned. He knew what Amelia meant, and truthfully he knew that he had no comeback and that it was his loss this time. He didn't insist and leaned against the kitchen door instead, watching as she cleaned the plates and tableware.

Even with the knowledge that he was watching her, she was still doing things like no one else was there. Her attention was completely absorbed in her task. Lucian couldn't help but find her relaxed air somewhat charming.

Now he understood what people meant when they said that a woman was most attractive when she was serious. At this moment, Lucian strongly agreed. He could go on for hours just watching her like this.

"Mrs. Amelia, are we going to sleep in different rooms tonight?" Lucian asked when she was done. He was standing at the staircase, as if waiting for her to decide which direction he would go to next.

Amelia was dazed for a moment at his question. Suddenly, she remembered that he had changed her clothes last night and her face was immediately on fire. In a small voice, she answered, "Whatever is fine..."

Lucian could barely contain himself as he gazed at her flushed face and her downcast eyes. She said it as if she was letting him decide.

'This woman will be the death of me,' he thought to himself. He walked up to her and took her hands, waiting until she raised her eyes to meet his and said seriously, "Don't think too much about it. Feelings can be tended to so that they grow day by day."

Then, Lucian went into the bedroom.

Amelia stood motionless, mulling over Lucian's words. Then, she followed him into the bedroom.

The sound of water filled the room as she entered, and she knew that Lucian was washing up. Her heart pounded in her chest as the image of them sleeping on the same bed came to her mind.

The room instantly felt warmer. She was being strange. Why was she thinking of such things?

After some time, Lucian came out of the bathroom and almost stopped at the sight of Amelia. He had not expected her to come to his room. Gathering himself, he wiped his wet hair with a towel and asked calmly, "Why don't you come to bed?"

"Uh..."

Amelia uttered stupidly, standing in embarrassment. She couldn't move. It was nearly ten o'clock. If this was any other night, Amelia would have been reading a magazine on her bed until she felt sleepy, but this was not one of those evenings. Instead, she was with Lucian in his bedroom, trying very hard not to look at the muscles that were teasingly revealed to her from the gap of his bathrobe. She was at a loss of what to do next. From a brief moment, she was seized with a strong desire to run to her own room and bury herself under her own covers.

"Yes?" It was impossible for Lucian not to notice her awkwardness. He walked up to her and looked at her face, her cheeks almost burning crimson red.

Amelia raised her head. As their eyes met, she felt her heart double its pace.

"You… you asked if I wanted to sleep in another room," she stuttered. "We are a couple now. If we sleep in different bedrooms all the time, it might put distance between us..." ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

After saying that, she could no longer bear to look into his eyes and flicked her gaze away. She had run out of boldness for tonight. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she prayed that he didn't hear it.

Lucian smiled softy and raised her chin to make their eyes meet once more. "Look, Amelia. It's not as complicated as you think. I will always respect your decision whatever it will be."

There was no doubt in Amelia's mind that Lucian would never force her against her will.

"I understand." She nodded as she blushed a shade deeper. "I'm going to wash up."

Lucian followed her with his eyes, a complicated smile on his lips.

Amelia usually finished her shower half an hour, and today she stared at herself in the mirror for a long time after, so all in all it took up a whole hour before she slowly walked out of the bathroom.

Lucian was beginning to be afraid that the air in the bathroom might make her dizzy...

As he stood up, Amelia walked out in a cartoon fur pajama with water still dripping from the ends of her hair.

Lucian sighed and walked to her. Taking a dry towel, he led her to the dressed and said in a deep voice, "You have to dry your hair properly at night, or you'll have a headache in the morning."

Amelia was all too familiar with what Lucian was saying. She always washed her hair in the evening but ended up falling asleep without properly drying her hair off. In the morning, her head would feel heavy, but she never took it seriously. As Lucian gently tended to her, a warm feeling crept in her chest. She felt incredibly cherished.

His fingers were handling her so delicately as his eyes watched her, full of affection.

When her hair was completely dry, he pointed to the quilt on the bed and said, "I've brought two quilts."

"Okay," Amelia replied stiffly. Her cheeks were burning once again as she walked to the side of the bed and put the two quilts together. Then, she slipped into them as if no one was around.

"Are you cold? I'll raise the temperature if you want," Lucian said, looking confused.

Hearing this, Amelia was close to bursting. 'Lucian! I've gone farther than I ever have tonight. Why are you so stupid? You're supposed to be the smart one Mr. Top-Notch-Businessman!"

Amelia turned off the lights. In an instant, the room was pitch-black, but even the darkness was not enough to cover the awkward atmosphere in the room.

Under the covers, she cursed herself for her rash behavior. 'Great, Amelia. He's going to lose his temper now, stupid.' She clutched the quilt nervously as she felt a dip in her side. There was the smell of mint. Amelia closed her eyes, waiting…

But Lucian made no move at all.

"Have a good night," he said in a low and deep voice that seemed to be magnified by the darkness. It was all it took for Amelia to feel at ease and calm her worries.

"Good night. Have a nice dream," she answered, moving closer to him instinctively.

Lucian felt her come closer and thought that she wanted him to hold her in his arms. He reached out a hand and said softly, "Come here."

"Hmmm?" Amelia was confused, but moved towards Lucian obediently.

He wrapped his arm around and tucked her head in his chest. Amelia cuddled up against Lucian like a little cat that wanted attention.

She was nervous at first, but the rhythm of his heartbeat soon lulled her.

It was dawn when she woke up, still wrapped in Lucian's arms. She nuzzled him lazily and kept her eyes closed until she was fully awake.

"Good morning," Lucian murmured, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

"Good morning." She smiled as she returned his greeting shyly. As she was getting out of bed, Lucian's arms tightened around her.

She squirmed in his embrace, but her strength was no match for his. "Lucian, you have to let me go or you'll be late for work," she chastised him.

Lucian didn't even bother to move and instead just teased her, "You don't have really take long to get ready, Mrs. Amelia. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Was he laughing at her because she didn't usually doll herself up?

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Lucian. I didn't know you liked cosmetics. If you want them so much, I can give you a few large of boxes of them. Knock yourself out, but leave me out of it," she retorted.

Lucian was grinning now. He opened his eyes and kissed her on the forehead. "Mrs. Amelia, you're a natural beauty. You look beautiful even with no make-up at all."

"I didn't know you had such a way with words too," Amelia answered jokingly to cover up her embarrassment at his compliment.

"Do you want me to let you go?" Lucian hugged her tighter. Amelia could feel his faint breath.

"You're always on time. But now you are going to be late if you keep this up," she said.

The next moment, Lucian was leaning over and said shamelessly, "Kiss me, and I'll let you go."

"Why you!" Amelia protested.

"You wouldn't want me to lose face, would you? Now hurry it up. The seconds are running," Lucian smiled devilishly at her very offended expression.

Seeing that she had been cornered with no way out, Amelia gave Lucian a quick kiss on the face.

The next moment, she felt his hand at the back of her head as he deepened and prolonged the kiss.

"Don't worry. We can be a little late today." It was some time before Lucian raised his head.

"Why?" Amelia asked. She immediately got out of bed and looked for clothes in the wardrobe.

"I'm going to an opening ceremony today. You'll be going with me," Lucian replied as he got up to get dressed.

Amelia turned around but was met with Lucian's naked body. A scream came from her before she could stop it and she turned back around at once.

Seeing her reaction, Lucian raised his eyebrows. He finished dressing and said, "I'm your husband. Why are you so surprised?"