(@Sel_Murf this is for you girl. Thank you for daily support which keeps me writing.)

Xiran’s POV

~Thump, Thump~

My heart went wild like a crazy bull, time ceased to exist and my breath was stolen by her. I was embedded where I stood, unable to move. A slight current surged through my body and jolted my core. My eyes were glued to where she stood.

Was I seeing a ghost?

How could it be?

Was I dreaming?

Like a delicate celestial fairy, bathed in the silvery streaks of the humongous orb above, she stood underneath it in a white flimsy gown with silvery crystals and stones covering its entirety. The liquid gold in her hair shimmered under the cascading rays, her hair had braids, ribbons and beads in them.

A white and silver mask hid more than half of her face and ears but it left open those puckered lips, the shade of a wild rose. Those nimble hands were covered with chiffon gloves and one of them was outstretched, trying to catch the silvery rays of the moon.

She had no scent. But I knew in my bones that she was my Leia.

Beautiful. Elegant. Magnificent. Magical.

There were not enough words in my dictionary to describe her. She was still oblivious to my presence as her focus was on the beautiful garden. I wanted to call out her name.

To make her know that I was here. To take her in my arms and press her against my chest. To dance with her under the same moonlight. To hold her delicately by her waist and kiss those smooth lips of hers.

I could hear the steady beating of her heart from where I stood, it was calm but it made mine even more frantic and I took an involuntary step towards her.

My presence became known to her in that very instant for her head instantly turned and our eyes connected. The turquoise hues melded into my graphite ones, and I could sense some confusion in them. They widened and her irises enlarged, making her mouth slightly open but no sound came out.

We held each other’s gaze standing at least twelve feet away, her heartbeat had frenzied, creating a melody of its own. She completely turned and faced me and I took in the entirety of her from head to toe.

The dress cascaded and covered her like a waterfall, accentuating her slim figure, and hugging her in all the right places. The crystals in her dress created rainbow-like patterns giving an aura of magic and charm around her.

Her breasts, although covered, slowly rose and fell under her sheer gown, unsettling me to a whole new level. It took all the willpower I possessed to not take another step towards her.

So I just stood there like a stalker, gawking at her, until her lips began to stretch in a thin line and confusion marred her features. She never averted her gaze from me, which held this little yearning and bafflement as if trying to figure me out.

A mere stranger to her now. It had been a year, a tormented year where I had made that decision which toppled her life.

And then maybe out of curiosity or whatever reason she took a wavering step towards me, closing the distance between us by another foot. There was this turmoil in her turquoise hues now, and a fast melody of the dangerous stranger was being hummed by her heart.

For I could sense she wanted to be near me, that bond was pulling her and her willpower was dwindling. The dilemmas were so evidently etched in her eyes, which never left mine. My hands itched to just reach out and graze some part of her.

But I knew my actions will have consequences, she wasn’t drunk today and I didn’t want to take any more memories from her and mess with her brain than I already had.

Who knew how much damage I had already caused her?

Her lips finally quivered and formed words:

"Who are you?" she asked softly yet firmly. I didn’t answer. But it hit me like a boulder, crushing me under it.

What could I possibly say?

’Your boyfriend. Who took away your memories and left you with others because he is so pathetic and weak that he can’t even protect you.’

’Or a random stranger, who was mesmerised by her beauty and just wanted to stare at her for an eternity.’

Her eyes narrowed when her question was met with my silence and she removed another foot of distance between us, now only nine feet remained.

"Do I know you?" she posted another question, hoping I would answer her this time. And then my lips moved without my wanting to.

"Maybe!" I cryptically answered, trying to act all mysterious. She tilted her head a bit and I sensed her observing my hair.

A flood of questions flew through her eyes and she took another step, her breathing was not stable anymore and I could see a blue vein popping in her slender neck. The vein I had punctured innumerable times and sated my hunger from.

A diamond necklace adorned it, today and the silver tattoo was illuminated under the celestial light and stood proudly there, a reminder of me she carried every day with her. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She was as affected by me as I was by her for I could sense she was no longer in control of her emotions because Aselia I knew would never approach a stranger.

I fisted my hands and hid them behind my back to lessen the urge to just reach out and touch her face, she was almost in my arm’s reach now.

"Leia! There you are. I was looking for you, and the maid told me you came here to see the gardens."

A sharp male voice popped the magical bubble that had us surrounded and she stopped in her tracks. A disappointed sigh left her lips as she turned around and faced the man in a black tuxedo, a black and orange mask shaped like a jaguar, covered his face.

The name only I was supposed to call her, was on someone else’s lips, this charred me to the bones.

His scrutinized eyes fell on me and I could sense the hostility in them.

Who the hell was he?

And then he slid his hand around her waist and tugged her near his body. As a result, a painful growl birthed inside me, resonating ferociously in the veranda the three of us stood in.