Chapter 438: Chapter 438: A Better Date (3)

[Third Person Pov]

You know, you’re very confusing," Thalia said as she sat across from him on the Ferris wheel, her arms loosely crossed over her chest.

"What? Where did that come from?" Lucian asked, staring at her in genuine bewilderment, his eyebrows raised.

Thalia let out a short breath through her nose. "Literally not even that long ago we were talking about you grooming your church members so that when they died you could turn them into immortal slaves, just so they could keep serving you even after death. And now here you are, taking me to a carnival and being all sweet and considerate like none of that ever happened." She scoffed lightly, then stood up from her seat and walked the short distance over to him, lowering herself onto his lap without asking.

She draped one arm casually over his neck, her fingers brushing against the back of his head as she looked down at him. "Honestly, if I didn’t know you as well as I do, I would have assumed you were bipolar with how quickly you flip back and forth between moods." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Are you that put off by it?" Lucian asked, giving her an awkward grin that didn’t quite hide his amusement.

"And grooming just sounds terrible by the way," he added after a moment. "I think of it more like cultivating them."

"Call it whatever you like," Thalia said, rolling her eyes even as a small laugh escaped her. "It doesn’t change what you’re actually doing."

Her hand rested more deliberately over the side of his neck now, gently tilting his head upward so he had to meet her eyes. "And no, I’m not put off by it. I’ve known you for so long that I’m already used to the way you are, but that still doesn’t make it any less weird."

"What can I say?" Lucian replied with a shrug. "I’m just a man with many personalities." He then smirked and pulled her a little closer, raising his brows in an exaggerated, suggestive way. "Let me show you one of them."

Thalia immediately started slapping his shoulder in protest, her face scrunching up in visible cringe. "You are such a cornball. How can you say that with such a straight face?"

Lucian couldn’t hold it in anymore and started laughing, which only made Thalia chuckle along with him. She rested her forehead against his, still chuckling softly as she muttered, "You’re lucky you’re cute."

"Indeed I am lucky~" he said, flashing her that confident grin of his while eyeing her up and down.

Thalia felt her face grow slightly warm under his gaze. She reached up and brushed some of his hair away from his forehead, her fingers lingering for a moment before she leaned down and kissed him. She shifted her position until she was properly straddling his lap, both hands now cupping his face as the kiss deepened. Their breathing came slow but heavy, the air between them growing warmer. Lucian’s hands settled naturally on her hips, while Thalia kept her fingers threaded lightly in his hair, holding him in place. For a while, the two of them simply got lost in the taste and feel of each other.

When they finally parted, a thin string of saliva briefly connected their lips before it broke. Thalia was breathing heavily as she leaned forward, resting her weight against his chest. She whispered near his ear, "We’re going to miss the sunset..."

"The sun comes and goes," Lucian murmured, his hands sliding down to grip her thighs as he pulled her even closer. "But this view... This view is one I only get to enjoy once."

Thalia wrinkled her nose in that cute way she sometimes did, her cheeks flushing hotter. "I’m seriously starting to hate you and your way with words."

Lucian snickered softly. "No, you’re not."

"Maybe just a little," Thalia admitted, the corners of her mouth curving up as she brought her face closer again.

They resumed kissing, slower this time, more indulgent. Outside the cart, the sky was burning a bright orange that gradually deepened into richer tones of red and gold, the colors sweeping gently over them. Inside, the only sound that filled the small space was the soft, continuous meeting of their lips.

When the Ferris wheel cart finally came to a stop and the attendant opened the door, Lucian stepped out first, stumbling slightly over his own feet. He had a dazed, glassy-eyed look on his face like he had just come off a wild ride, or maybe had a few too many drinks.

"Wowzers~" he drawled, dragging the word out with a lazy grin.

Thalia’s ears immediately turned red. She smacked his shoulder repeatedly while shooting him a sharp glare. "Please behave yourself," she hissed under her breath. "People are going to get the wrong idea about what we did in there."

Lucian’s grin only grew wider and more mischievous as he looked down at her. "So what if they get the wrong idea, sis? All we did was kiss—"

Thalia’s eyes widened in panic. She quickly clamped her hand over his mouth, practically strangling him in the process as her face burned bright red. Right at that moment, a confused and startled "What?" came from a random passerby who had clearly overheard.

"Lucian, I’m going to fucking murder you," Thalia growled through gritted teeth, glaring at him with pure murderous intent while still keeping her palm firmly pressed against his mouth.

Lucian was cackling behind her hand, his shoulders shaking with laughter even as she continued to throttle him. They started walking away from the ride like that, with Thalia still half-strangling him. He leaned over teasingly, his voice muffled but still audible as he said, "Wait until they find out we’re actually cousins."

Thalia kept grumbling under her breath for a few more seconds, but eventually the ridiculousness of the whole situation got to her. She shook her head in pure exasperation, finally letting go of his face as a reluctant smile broke through.

They continued exploring the rest of the carnival together. Now that night had fully settled in, the entire place had taken on a completely different vibe. Bright colorful lights twinkled everywhere, the air smelled like popcorn and fried dough, and the distant sounds of laughter and carnival games filled the background.

"Hahaha!! Finally!" Thalia exclaimed triumphantly, holding up her completed and fully stamped pamphlet high in the air. "We can cash this in and finally call it a day."

"Lead the way," Lucian said with an easy smile, motioning for her to go ahead as he followed behind her toward the prize booth.

He watched her with quiet amusement as she practically bounced with excitement. It was nice seeing this side of her. Thalia rarely got to enjoy simple, carefree things like this when she was younger, so moments where her inner child came out always felt special to him.

At the booth, the pamphlet allowed her to pick one gift from a wide array of prizes. Thalia stood there for a moment, staring pensively at all the options spread out in front of her.

"Having trouble choosing?" Lucian asked, leaning against the counter beside her.

"Actually, not really," Thalia answered with a small, knowing smile. She placed her stamped sheet down confidently and pointed. "Give me the enormous black bear."

"Seriously?" Lucian asked, blinking as he stared at the giant stuffed bear. It was massive — taller than a full-grown adult — with thick black fur and shiny red bead eyes.

"Yeah..." Thalia said, suddenly scratching her cheek bashfully. "It reminded me of you, so I wanted to have it."

"Oh..." Lucian felt a flicker of genuine fluster at her words. He glanced down at his own skin color, then back up at the huge black bear and let out a short laugh. "Sure."

Thalia ended up walking away from the booth with a visible skip in her step, hoisting the giant bear high in the air while grinning from ear to ear. The bear was so big she had to hug it with both arms just to carry it properly, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

...

Later that night, back in her room, Thalia was dressed only in a simple tank top and underwear. She stood in front of her bed, staring at the enormous black bear now sitting upright against her pillows with a large, satisfied grin on her face.

She jumped onto the bed with a soft bounce and immediately snuggled up against the giant stuffed animal, wrapping her arms tightly around it. As she held it close, her mind started drifting back over the entire day they had spent together.

A happy, jubilant smile spread across her lips. She started kicking her feet excitedly against the mattress, thrashing around lightly in pure contentment. After a moment, she let out a long, dreamy sigh and stared blankly at the bear’s red bead eyes.

Her thoughts inevitably wandered back to the Ferris wheel. She remembered the taste of Lucian’s lips, the warmth of his mouth against hers, and the way his hands had gripped her thighs so possessively. The memory made her stomach tingle with something far stronger than simple butterflies.

Thalia brought a hand up to her own lips, gently touching them as if she could still feel him there. Then she slowly slid that same hand down, resting it against her stomach for a few pleasant seconds, savoring the fluttering feeling inside her.

She sighed once more, heavier this time, and let her hand drift even lower, slipping past the waistband of her underwear.

The soft light of the moon filtered through her window into the otherwise dark room. The only sounds that filled the quiet space were her increasingly heavy breathing and the subtle, fast movements of her hand beneath the fabric.

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