CHAPTER 38: THE ROTATING DOOR.

There was a giant spider that looked exactly like Alastair hanging from the ceiling with its arms and legs spread out on the small space, holding him up.

Once she realized it was actually Alastair, Aaliyah burst into laughter and leaned on the wall, holding her chest so she wouldn’t overdo it. It was just very funny to her to see him trying so hard to hide from her, taking this so seriously.

She was happy to know that.

He dropped to the ground and dusted his hands. Aaliyah took note of how soft his landing had been, almost as soft as his walking steps. His legs made no noise, and it’s not like he landed on the tip of his foot.

Nevertheless, she quickly wrapped her arms around his back, "Found you!" She exclaimed.

"You wouldn’t have found me if I didn’t speak," He said to her.

"I would have. I so would have. Don’t underestimate my skills!"

"You have a skill?"

She pulled back and punched him on the shoulder. He didn’t even bulge or act like he had been hurt, "Tch," She rolled her eyes.

"I believe it’s your turn to hide," Alastair stated, and she smiled.

"Go to the ground floor and count,"

As he did, Aaliyah rummaged around the house looking for a perfect place to hide herself. She climbed all the way to the Fourth floor, hoping to find the perfect hiding spot that would challenge Alastair.

She spotted an old and large furniture to the walls that had space in between and thought about fitting herself in. She slipped herself behind it, just as she heard Alastair from downstairs about to reach a hundred. Giggling, she made sure the cupboard was covering her perfectly.

There were curtains covering what she thought to be a window, and she leaned on it only to discover that it was a wall.

And that wall had moved with her... like a rotating door.

Aaliyah let out a light yelp and stumbled into the other side of the wall. The rotating wall made no noise as she found herself inside a dark room. Since she could see in the dark, she could make out a bed, and everything a room had.

Aaliyah wondered if this was a secret room, and who stayed here. Alastair’s room was on the third floor, hers was on the second and Theo was staying on the ground floor.

Curiously, she moved without making a sound and started to check out the room. There was another room to her right. It was an actual normal door, and she moved toward it and gently turned the doorknob to peek outside of it.

Aaliyah was... dumbfounded.

Why was there a desert spread out in front of her? Was she seeing things now?

She quickly closed the door before she let some sand be blown in by the light wind, and pressed her back to the door. What the hell was that?! There’s no desert around here!

As she stared at the room again, something caught her attention. There was a book sitting on a chair, and it was voluminous, old, and scrappy... just like this mansion. It had a black cover that was still strong

She moved close to it and touched it to feel how solid it was. It must have been around for so long. Judging from the black pen that had been placed next to it, she guessed someone must have been writing inside.

She opened the first page of the book...and read. Soon, she got lost in everything she was reading and kept turning every page. It wasn’t just any note, it was a journal about someone’s empty life. There was no name mentioned in all the pages she had read, and she knew she ought to have dropped this book, but...

As soon as a hand touched the doorknob, Aaliyah closed the book like it hadn’t been touched and scurried back to the place where she had come from. She turned the revolving door and stepped back into her hiding place just as the knob turned and someone walked in.

The journal she had read had piqued her curiosity way more than it should, and she was dying to know who that person was. Possibly, the owner of the journal so she did not let the revolving walls close completely.

She left a tiny space open, and one eye peeked in and caught a man’s legs striding into the room. The person was dressed like one of those ancient people she had seen only in photos... and his dark hair was long, and covering his face.

Covering his...face?!

Oh God, it can’t be.

She watched him tie his hair back and finally saw his face.

The structure, the eyes, the movements...the feeling.

Alastair Hawthorne. It was...her husband.

But...how?!

.

.

.

As soon as Alastair arrived on the third floor, he knew she was hiding somewhere around there. One look to his left and he found her small legs peeking out of the curtains. Her toes were curled, and one could even see her shadow cast on the curtain itself from the sunlight streaking in through the window behind her.

He walked up to her, "Found you," And opened the curtains.

She smiled at him cheekily, "How did you find me so fast?! No fair!"

"You didn’t even try to hide well. I could see your Shadow," He replied.

"What the...! I did hide well!" She huffed and started to walk away from him. Her arms were folded against her chest, and she was walking up front. If she hadn’t folded her arms, he would have seen how badly her arms were trembling.

"Wanna play more?"

"Let’s go for the other games. I wanna achieve a lot before it gets dark," She replied as they walked down the stairs.

He picked her up and was helping her downstairs when suddenly, an alarm went off all over the house and sprinklers were activated. They had just gotten to the living room when that happened, only to find Kekoa holding a frying pan with the water raining all around, quenching the burst of flame that had risen from her bad cooking.

When did she even get here?!

As soon as she saw Alastair, she stiffened and was expecting something terrifying... but he maintained his regular uncaring gaze as the water fell on all of them.

"Hi," She waved at Aaliyah awkwardly, "I’ll be leaving now," She added immediately and slipped into one of the rooms. Wait...was she also living here now?!

"I have an idea," Aaliyah had thought of something.

"What’s that?"

"Do you know how to dance?" She curled her toes again, nervous.

"Dance?"

"Yeah. One of the books you read to me they danced in the rain and I just came up with this..." She stopped herself before saying more, feeling a bit stupid.

Alastair took her to the middle of the sitting room, setting her down with her flip-flops. The water had soaked them both completely and as she looked up into his eyes, it felt as if the whole went away and it was just the two of them.

His wet hair was all over his face, and the water dripped down that gorgeous face.

His finger came up to her hair and tucked in a bit of hair that was sticking to her face. Sparks pulsed through her, and she shivered lightly under his hot touch. He caressed her face as he went, leaving a trail of heat radiating from her skin and never breaking eye contact with her.

Taking her hand, he placed them on his shoulders and used his on her waist. The only music they needed was the sound of her heartbeat, and it was just perfect. Perfection at its peak. Aaliyah’s heart was ready to explode, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was this man.

This man that was shrouded in darkness and mystery.

This man that she was supposed to be scared of, but only felt strongly for him every time.

"Aaliyah," He breathed.

"Hm?" She stared at him dreamily.

"What are you doing to me?"

That was the question she was supposed to be asking him. When the danger signs about this man kept going off in her back, why was she still by his side and never wanting to let go? "What am I doing to you?" She asked, water running down their faces.

"Don’t worry," He shook his head.

"Are you doing this against your will? We can...stop it if you feel uncomfortable," Saying that made her throat itch.

His grip on her waist tightened, and he instantly pulled her closer till there was no space between their bodies. Heat exploded between them, and she gasped.

Her eyes were big, and she perfectly fit in his arms. Once again, it had Alastair wondering if this woman was real or if she had been sent to make him deviate from everything he stood for. He’s never seen her as anything special. A week ago, he would look at her and see nothing but waste.

But now...it was so different.

Ever since she returned from the Hollow Alive.

Was that when...it really started?

"This means nothing to me," He said out loud.

Aaliyah’s eyes danced with wonder, right before he leaned in and snatched her lips into a mouthwatering kiss!

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