Smolder Chapter 7

To distract herself, she walked over to the window and twisted the blinds open, letting the soft, fading light of the setting sun flood the room. After taking a breath she wandered over to his desk, her fingers brushing over the items scattered across it. A framed photo caught her eye, so she picked it up studying the faces inside.
The picture was of Aiden and his family and three other boys surrounded him, along with a girl. They were all smiling, carefree and happy. Jade stared at it, thinking about how he had volunteered to leave all of this behind—his family, friends, maybe even a girlfriend to move to Georgia and watch over her, waiting for the day she’d finally return here. She’d never really appreciated just how much he’d sacrificed for her.
With a soft sigh, she set the picture back down and opened one of the old books on his desk. The pages were filled with notes about the Seraphina, their history, battles, and the famous leaders who’d shaped their world. She flipped through it, feeling a surge of curiosity. I’ll have to read more when I have time, she thought, closing the book.
A muffled ringing from her purse interrupted her thoughts. She rushed over to the bed and dug through her bag, fishing out her phone.
“Hello?” she answered, her brow furrowing as she noticed the unfamiliar number.
“Hey,” Benjamin’s deep, comforting voice rumbled through the receiver.
Jade smiled involuntarily, sinking onto the bed and curling her legs up. “Benjamin!” she breathed, her heart lifting. It had been less than a day since she’d seen him, but it already felt too long.
“Where are you?” she asked, leaning back against the pillow. The room’s glow-in-the-dark stars, stuck to the ceiling, seemed to twinkle in the dim light.
“Still in Georgia,” he sighed, and Jade could hear the weariness in his voice. “Do you remember when I told you about Myron, my maker?”
Jade frowned slightly, remembering that day by the river. Benjamin rarely talked about Myron, when he did, it was always painful. “Yes, I remember,” she said softly.
“I think Skye is messing with me, not you,” he continued. “I followed her back to the mansion where we all lived. She knows how much it hurts me to go back there. The only reason she’d go is to screw with my head.”
Jade’s heart ached for him. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, wishing she could be there, to hold him and ease the pain in his voice. “Did you find anyone there?”
“No,” he said, his voice laced with frustration. “She was gone by the time I arrived but she’s heading west. I’ll find her eventually.”
The resolve in his tone was clear, but Jade didn’t want him to dwell on it. “Enough about that,” she said gently, wanting to change the subject. “Thank you for telling my parents where I went. How did they take it? My mom seemed upset when I talked to her.”
His chuckle echoed through the line. “Your mom loves me. All I had to do was flash her a smile and hug her. She even invited me over for dinner later this week.”
She laughed, picturing it perfectly. “Too bad you don’t eat,” she teased. “And my dad?”
“Yeah, your dad still doesn’t like me,” he admitted, but there was humor in his voice.
She smirked, remembering the infamous story he had told her before. After Jade had nearly died saving Aiden’s life, Benjamin had been the one to rush her to the hospital. When her father showed up, he found Benjamin standing shirtless, covered in blood, at her bedside. That hadn’t exactly set the best tone for their relationship.
“I remembered to change this time,” he joked, breaking into her thoughts.
She chuckled, imagining the scene. “Good call. I don’t think my dad could handle another surprise like that.”
“So,” he said, his tone suddenly lighter, “did you see it yet?”
“See what?” she asked confused but starting to feel excited by the shift in his voice.
“Did you open your suitcase?”
Her eyes widened. Oh, no. She had completely forgotten that he had packed everything for her. Who knew what kind of things he’d thrown in there? “Uh… not yet,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“Well, go on,” he urged, and she could practically hear the grin in his voice.
Grinning, she sat up and unzipped the rest of her suitcase. On top of her clothes was the drawing he had been working on the one of the two of them together. She carefully pulled it out, her heart swelling as she looked at it.
“You finished it!” she exclaimed, setting the drawing on the nightstand so she could admire it. His smile in the picture was so genuinely real, and his eyes seemed to stare across the page at her.
“Not that,” he said, chuckling. “Keep looking.”
She closed her eyes for a second, imagining his excitement. She could see it so clearly in her mind, the way his eyes would light up, his wide smile showing all of his teeth. He was usually reserved, only giving half-smiles, but when he was truly happy and forgot what he was those smiles would slip out. She loved those moments.
“Did you find it?” he asked, impatience creeping into his voice.
“Hold on!” she laughed, digging through the suitcase until her fingers brushed against something hard. She pulled it out, realizing it was a frame. She flipped it over and gasped, her heart leaping to her throat.
“You didn’t,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
“I did,” he replied, clearly pleased with himself. “Consider it an early birthday present, since I won’t be able to see you on the actual day.”
Her lips trembled as she bit back a smile, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. The frame held a blown-up version of the photo from her locket, the only picture she had of her parents. He had recreated it perfectly, down to the tiniest details. Her baby self, with wild curls, was laughing at her mother, while her father gazed at them both with a love so pure it seemed to glow and her mother, with that secret smile Jade had seen earlier on her grandmother’s face, looked like she was watching over them all.
Engraved at the bottom of the frame the words “Love Will Prevail” in delicate cursive like on the wedding ring she wore around her neck.
She clutched the frame to her chest, feeling an overwhelming mix of gratitude, love, and sadness. “I met my grandparents today,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She hadn’t realized she’d been silent for a few minutes.
He exhaled slowly, the sound thoughtful and steady. “Are you alright? How’d it happen?” he asked gently, sensing the weight of her emotions.