Divorced, But Queen - Chapter 449: Chapter 449

Owen tiptoed quietly, careful not to make a sound. As he passed the kitchen, he turned his head and caught his own reflection in the glass door.
His body was slightly hunched, his steps light—he looked for all the world like a furtive intruder. The thought made him chuckle inwardly.
He withdrew his gaze, walked up to Aria's bedroom door, and gently knocked with a curled finger.
"Come in," came a barely audible reply.
Hearing her, he gripped the doorknob and pushed the door open.
Instantly, a wave of moist air, laced with a subtle fragrance, enveloped him in a hazy cloud.
'Did she just shower?' he wondered.
"Just have a seat. I'll dry my hair and be right out," Aria called from the bathroom.
"Okay." Owen nodded.
Owen walked further inside, doing his best to keep his eyes averted from the bathroom. Still, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Aria.
She had gathered her hair to one side, holding a hairdryer in one hand, letting it blow on her hair for a while before barely moving her head to adjust. Even from her movements, one could tell how lazy she was.
The laziness was obvious in every gesture.
She had just finished showering. 'Why did she let me in? Is she really that trusting of me?' Owen wondered.
Somehow, as if pulled by an invisible force, Owen found himself turning and heading toward the bathroom.
Aria wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. It wasn't until she looked up by chance and met Owen's gaze in the mirror that her heart skipped a beat.
Owen turned on the faucet, washed his hands, then gently took the hairdryer from her. With his other hand, he softly smoothed her hair and said quietly, "Let me do it for you."
The hairdryer buzzed in the background. Aria vaguely heard those four words.
She lowered her right hand, and when she saw Owen's flushed ears in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile.
Owen kept his eyes fixed on her hair, not daring to let his gaze wander. If he looked down even a little, he'd see something he shouldn't.
If he'd known she'd just showered, he would have come later.
The weather was hot, and since it made applying her medicine easier, Aria was wearing a spaghetti-strap nightgown.
He dried her hair with careful attention, his eyes free of any improper thoughts.
Watching him, Aria felt her heart soften for reasons she couldn't explain.
She'd never imagined someone would do these things for her, or that she'd trust a man that much.
When he finished drying her hair, Owen looked up and met her eyes in the mirror, his gaze curving into a gentle smile. "Why are you looking at me?"
Aria smiled with sincere praise. "You're handsome."
Owen lowered his eyes, the heat that had just faded rising again. Spotting a bottle of hair serum on the counter, he reached for it and changed the subject. "Let's put on some hair serum."
She said, "It's fine. You don't have to."
He ran his fingers over the delicate bottle. "It's new. Haven't used it before?"
Aria nodded. "Yeah, Vanessa gave it to me. I haven't opened it yet."
Her vanity was spotless, though the bathroom shelves were lined with products that barely looked touched.
She just found it all a hassle.
Owen chuckled, opened the hair serum, and met her gaze in the mirror again. "From now on, I'll take care of it for you. It's no trouble."
Aria nodded without thinking. "Okay."
Under Owen's hands, her hair was smoothed out perfectly, without any tugging.
She asked, "You said you wanted to talk to me. What is it?"
Owen instinctively looked up, only to be met with her exposed skin. He hurriedly averted his gaze, looking elsewhere as he stammered, "I-it's just..."
"Didn't you say you wanted me to help you with something first?"
Through the mirror, Aria caught Owen's flustered look and glanced down.
Her neckline had slipped a bit.