Chapter eighty six

Dallas

I strolled to the center of the room and dragged my gaze around, my mouth wide open in awe.

It felt like I walked into a big closet of a celebrity. The whole room was covered with jewels, clothes, and shoes. I took a closer look and realized that basically everything I admired while we were shopping today were in this room, including the puffy ball gowns we tried on just for fun. I let out a small laugh when my eyes landed on that.

Every single thing I touched at the mall today was currently in this room. It felt like a small portion of the shopping mall.

“How?” I finally managed to ask.

He wasn't there with us. There is no way he could have gotten everything this accurately. He would have to get very close to us, but there's no way he would do that without any of us noticing him. Especially Heather. She has a sharp eyesight.

“Before you asked, I did not stalk you in a mall full of people like a creep.” I chuckled at his words.

“I simply asked one of the employees to pack every thing you touched.” He said simply.

Suddenly, I remembered a certain raven haired woman trailing us as we shopped. I had shrugged it off as she was just doing her job, despite how odd it was that she seem to be everywhere we were. But she did manage not to give us creepy vibes so I didn't feel the need to call the security.

“So you asked someone to stalk me instead?” I raised an eyebrow, but ended up melting into a smile.

“Well, it's not exactly stalking. She was merely doing her job. It was just an extra chore.” He paused, his eyes studying my every move.

“Do you like it? I couldn't figure out what to get you for you birthday, so I–”

“So you made me choose my own birthday presents. Very clever, Mr Kang.” The smile on my lips grew wider.

I took long strides – as long as I could in my high heels – towards him. I wrapped a arm around his neck and locked my eyes with his.

“I love them. All of them. Thank you.” I locked my lips with his, letting my lips whisper the rest of the words to him.

The kiss was gentle and sweet, so unlike many of our kisses. The gentle stroke of my tongue against his. The rhythm at which our lips moved. The kiss was slow and unhurried as if we were trying to savor the taste of each other. It was perfect. I could lose myself into this moment forever without a single care in the world.

I tugged him closer to me and deepened the kiss, but he pulled away. I winced slightly at the sudden loss of contact.

“As much as I want this, I can't lose myself. Not when you've not seen your second present.” He said, breathing heavily on my face.

My eyes flung opened and was immediately met with his blue ones.

“Second present?”

My brows shot up in confusion. These were already too much and he prepared a second one?

“Yes.”

“But these ones are already enough. I'm extremely grateful for them. You don’t have to present me with more.” I said.

He backed up a few steps, putting some distance between us.

“I've been preparing this particular gift for months. I was just looking for the right moment to give it to you. What other moment is better than your birthday?”

His smile was so wide, a part of me melted at the sight. It was a struggle to keep my feet rooted on the ground, the alcohol was certainly not helping.

“Allow me to give this to you. Please.” He took my hands in his and squeezed tightly. There was no way I could refuse him after that.

I gave him a simple nod. We made our way out of the guest room – turned walk in closet – towards Oliver's bedroom.

“The second present seem really familiar.” A corner of my lips tilted up in a smirk while he laughed.

“As much as I would like to act on your dirty thoughts, little monkey, what I had in mind is far from that. I hope you like it.” He said the last sentence a bit more seriously.

“I already love every single presents even those that I'm yet to see.” I flashed him a warm smile.

A flicker of something undecipherable flashed across his eyes.

“Talking about presents, when did you have all those things moved here? You weren't home at all today. And I didn't see anything when I got back.” I asked.

We were a few steps away from his bedroom door.

“I had them moved while you were at the spa. Tabitha saw to it that it got delivered.”

“I assume she wasn't very happy about it.”

Considering she doesn't like me very much. You would think knowing about what happened to me, while she was away, would bring out a little sympathy in her. She took one look at me when she came back from D.C and walked away in the opposite direction. It didn't hurt because I wasn't exactly fond of her either.

“She's my employee. I don't care about how she feels.”

He shoved the door to his bedroom open and motioned to me to step in. I did. The room was in the exact shape I saw it this morning.

“So where is it?” I asked.

“Here.”

He took a few steps towards the big painting that hid the pathway to his mini art studio. My breath hitched as the memory of when I accidentally wandered there ran into my mind. The gripping arts. The one he gifted to me.

I hadn't tried going there since that day. Not that sneaking around his room to check his arts against his permission was polite in anyway. The studio felt private to him. Intimate. And it was one part of his privacy I hadn't want to breach.

He motioned to me to walk inside and I did. I dragged my gaze around, the arts had the same effect they did, the first time I was here. Gore, yet beautiful in a unique way. It doesn't look like he had painted anything new for a while now.

My feet stopped out of instinct when I approached the last painting I didn't get to see the last time I was here. There was a single fabric covering it. I turned to see him, staring at me, casually leaning on the wall.

“Is this the present? A mini tour to the great mind of Oliver Kang? I'm truly honored.”

He got off the wall and trudged towards me.
“No, Red.” he pulled off the fabric covering the last painting and turn it so I could see it. “This is the present.”

My heart stopped as I stared at the painting, the rest of the world seem to slowly fade away. I held breath, afraid that if I released it, this would dissapear.

I was stunned. Too stunned to do anything. My legs moved on their own accord towards the most magnificent painting I've ever seen. It was…me. A painting of me with my eyes closed.

Everything was so detailed. It was like staring into a mirror, only that my reflection had her eyes closed. He captured everything perfectly. Even the tiny freckles on my nose. It was beautiful. And he had it made for me. A heavy but desirable feeling settled in my chest.

I brought my hand up to trail the strokes but dropped it. It felt wrong to touch something so perfect. I felt like I would ruin it.

“I can't accept this.” I said quietly, not taking my eyes off the painting.

I didn't have to face Oliver to realize the tension coming out of him. It filled the room.

“Why? You don't like it?” He asked.

I wanted to tell him that I loved it too much. And it's dangerous to feel something too much when what was between us wouldn't last.

I opened my mouth to give him an excuse but my voice cracked. A tear escaped my eyes and I broke into sobs. Maybe it's the alcohol in my system, or the game we just played, or Jenna, but I cried harder.

Oliver wrapped his arms around me and turned me to face him. He cupped my cheeks, his eyes laced with worry.

“I'll throw the painting out if you don't like it. I'll never paint again if you don't want me to. Just please, don't cry.”

I shook my head my head and sniffed back the tears.
“No, it's not that. I love the painting. It's beautiful.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“I don't know. It's stupid. But I can't stop thinking about it. You don't love me. You don't feel anything towards me beyond physical attraction. You're engaged to someone else and I'm still with you. Everything is wrong. It's just wrong. We shouldn't be doing this when you're meant to be with someone else. But I don't want you to leave me.” I sobbed.

He hugged me tight to himself and gently stroked my hair. I soak in the scent of him, feeling a strange sense of relief.

“I'm never leaving you, Dallas. And what I feel for you is so much more than physical attraction. It's only you, little monkey. It's always been you.” He kissed my forehead and continued stroking my hair.

I hugged him back so tight that there was no space between us. I coud feel the certainty in his words so I chose to believe him. For once, his words matched his actions. So I believe his words.