Chapter 12

Alexander Diadem locked his gaze with Heather Crown. There were no words or expressions other than his eyes which were staring straight at the marvelous woman standing in front of him.
On the other side, Heather did not know what to make of his look. She could not make sense of his blank expression. It was somewhat unnerving. She prayed she had not scared him away from her.
"I sincerely hope I didn't scare you. It is not my intention for you to fear me.” She uses a quiet voice to gently express her concerns in an effort to elicit a response from him.
“That… What I just saw… How?” Alexander struggled to make sense of what he had just seen.
It was not just Mystes which was filled with surprises and miracles, but also Heather Crown.
Heather, though, took a brief minute to respond before shrugging casually. “I am not quite sure how, but I think this is how it has always been. It was about two years back when I was still adjusting to new surroundings, attempting to make sense of my life, and accepting the notion that I would never recall anything from the past. But there is only so much one can handle, and emotions can get the better of us. It has the potential to overwhelm us to the point that we lose self-control. So one day, out of the blue, I was feeling furious about my situation. I could not figure out anything about my life, what exactly was wrong with me, or why I had lost all of my memories. I did not know who I was or who I was supposed to be. I was desperate for an answer, and I wanted to break the vicious circle of my identity crisis. My annoyance swiftly turned to wrath, and before I knew it, my crimson vision had smashed the vase into pieces. Unfortunately, it could not be regenerated like these trees. Although it terrified me, but when it happened again, I realized that whenever I felt furious or subconsciously wanted to hurt someone or destroy something, my red visions would get activated. There were many times when I could not control it, but with a greater understanding of how it is tied to my emotions and subconscious mind, I was able to control it better. Now, it just came naturally to me.”
“Intriguing,” Alexander mumbled, comprehending the words she stated.
“So, you are not terrified of me?” Heather queried, her face pensive.
Alexander's heart went out to her when he saw her. She appeared far too adorable and fragile. He could see she did not want to frighten him away because of her abilities, and she did not. Even if she tried, she could never make him fear her.
Heather Crown is a remarkable woman, and he has no reservations in admitting not only her but the entire cosmos.
Instead of words, her sheer glance made him want to kiss all her worries away, envelop her in his warmth, and never let her ever go away from him. Instinctively, his hand slid up her arms, bringing them up against her cheeks and lightly stroking them with his fingertips.
Heather Crown's eyes closed in response, eager to feel more of him. However, her wistful thoughts were broken by his remarks.
“Of course not. You could never scare me, Heather Crown. Instead, what you showed me made me feel better that you can easily protect yourself, but I will still insist that you learn other forms of physical defense. Just in case. You know, for added defense."
She could not help but let out a small chuckle at his words as he spoke to her. Even now, he believes in his defense strategy. The warmth of his remarks did more than just offend her—it made her heart flutter.
"Of course you do. But I will learn the other forms of defense art only if you help me master it."
His eyes were fixed on hers as he said, "That goes without saying," with a slight smile playing on his lips.
The air was chilly, and the wind was blowing. His thumb continued to stroke her while his hands lingered on her cheeks. Alexander tucked aside the few hairs that were sprouted on her cheeks owing to the powerful blow of air. He could not stop himself from touching her other cheek with his free hand when he removed the unsightly hair hiding her exquisite face. With each passing second, he simply drew closer to her, and she to him till their feet touched each other. He wished to kiss every inch of her face, but he held himself back. He would not cross the line until she gave him permission, even if it was one of the most difficult things he had ever done.
“Alexander Di…” Heather whispered his name, dragging him away from his not-so-prudent thoughts, but he could not help but interrupt her before she could even form a complete sentence, especially when she took his name with so much warmth and fondness. His name sounded exquisite from her mouth.
He could not help but voice his thoughts out aloud.
“Call me Alexander. It sounds incredible in your voice, Heather Cro….”
But it was Heather who intervened to prevent him from saying more. She did not want him to address her by her full name when speaking to her. They were past the formalities, and she wished for him to call her by her first name like he wanted her to.
“Heather. Just Heather.” She corrected him.
Her words brought a grin to his face. “Heather. What exactly are you doing to me?"
“The same thing you are doing to me, Alexander Di..” She said. She spoke naturally because she was accustomed to calling him by his full name, but Alexander promptly corrected her.
“Just Alexander. You don't have to ever use my full name, Heather. I like to believe, we are passed those formal greetings.” Alexander expressed his exact thoughts.
“Yes. I do believe that we are passed the formalities, Alexander.” Heather flashed a little smile as she tried out his name on her lips. It only made Alexander smile more at the development they had just made.
With the newfound acceptance of affection they have developed for each other, both of them could not help but bring both their faces closer until their nose was touching. They were both too caught up in the moment to notice how close they were to one another. There wasn't much room between them. Their lips were merely apart, and they could feel the breath on each other's faces.
Alexander wanted to claim her mouth, wished to softly press his lips to her, taste her sweet lips and make her his, but he was not sure whether he could. He knew she felt the same way because of what she had said before, but he refrained from acting right away. He couldn't break their relationship for his selfish enjoyment because Heather Crown was too special for him.
Even if all he wanted to do was kiss her, communicate his emotions through expressive action, and transmit them through the early stage of physical intimacy, he decided to hold off.
He gave her a rightful choice to walk away, turn away, or take any other move to reject his approaching action as he compassionately gazed at her before turning to look at her lips, but she chose not to step away from him. She did not move a single inch away from him. Instead, she held onto him and inched closer, if it was even possible. She was standing firmly on the ground, both her hands on his shoulder for support, as if waiting for him to make the first move.
Alexander did not need any more of a definitive answer than what Heather Crown communicated with him through her eyes. Just as he was about to press his lips to hers, a man's voice called out Heather's name.
“Heather! Heather! Where are you?”