Fated reborn - Chapter 253: Chapter 253
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Trini's pov.
The bath was warm, water still a bit steamy and smelling faintly of lavender from whatever soap Lunawyn had snuck in here last time. I sank down slow, letting it soak in, and for a moment, I just sat there, eyes shut and breath coming out all slow and shivery. It helped, a bit, washing away the worst of that jittery feeling still twisting up my insides, but not all the way. I could still hear them talking down the hall, voices low and steady and half-muffled by the walls, and my chest did that stupid fluttery thing again, nerves all raw and buzzing under my skin.
I scrubbed at my hair, fingers tangling in the wet strands, and tried to breathe through it, tried to focus on anything else—the warmth of the water, the soft creak of the house settling, the way the sunlight slanted in through the little window. It worked, kinda, enough to ease that tight, twisty feeling a bit.
By the time I pulled myself out, towel wrapped tight and hair dripping down my back, I felt a bit less like I was gonna vibrate out of my skin, at least. I fumbled around for clean clothes, cheeks warming up when the fabric stuck to damp skin and the mirror caught my flustered reflection, but I managed, somehow. Lunawyn was still perched on the bed when I stepped out, fingers tracing little patterns over the blanket, and she smiled soft and sweet when she saw me, eyes warm and crinkling at the corners.
“Ready?” she asked, voice all light and teasing, and I huffed out a breath, cheeks going warm again as I nodded.
She grinned, slipping off the bed with that same easy grace she always had, and her arm brushed mine when we made our way down the hall, warmth bleeding through my sleeve. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling too much, fingers twisting together.
The voices got louder as we neared the sitting room, Luciano’s low and smooth, Marcus’s a bit rougher, and Victor’s with that lazy drawl like he already knew something the rest of us didn’t. I hesitated for half a second in the doorway, fingers curling tight around the frame, but then Dorian’s eyes flicked up, warm and steady when they met mine, and some of that tightness melted away just a bit.
“There you are,” he said, lips twitching with a little half-smile that did something stupid to my heart, and he held out a hand without a second thought, palm open and waiting.
I bit down on my lip, cheeks warming up, but my feet moved before I really thought about it, carrying me across the room till my fingers slipped into his. His hand was warm, callused and solid, and the way his fingers curled around mine, careful and sure, made something flutter all stupid and light in my chest.
Luciano’s eyes flickered over to us, something amused and knowing in them, but he didn’t comment, just leaned back a bit in his chair, arm slung casual over the backrest. Lunawyn ducked past me with a little laugh, sliding over to him, and his expression softened the second she was close enough to touch, lips curving into something warm and real.
His hand found hers almost automatically, fingers tangling together, and the way they smiled at each other, all soft and stupidly sweet, was enough to make my chest ache a bit, in that kinda way that was both warm and sad at the same time.
Victor made a sound halfway between a scoff and a laugh, eyebrows raising as he leaned back against the dining table, one foot propped up on the edge. “Really feels like I’m the odd one out here,” he drawled, smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Is everyone in this damn house in love except me?”
Lunawyn giggled, cheeks going a bit pink, and Luciano’s lips twitched like he was trying real hard not to smile too wide. “Maybe you’re just too busy barking orders to notice,” Marcus grunted, smirk all lazy and crooked, and Victor snorted, eyes rolling.
“Maybe I’m just pickier than the rest of you,” Victor shot back, but there wasn’t any bite to it, just that same lazy amusement, and Marcus chuckled, low and rough.
I huffed out a breath, cheeks still warm, and Dorian’s thumb brushed over my knuckles, all slow and absent, like he wasn’t even really thinking about it. It did something stupid to my pulse, made my breath hitch up in a way that was probably embarrassing if anyone else noticed. I ducked my head a bit, letting my hair fall forward to hide the worst of the blush, and tried not to think too hard about the way my heart was doing that fluttery, stupid thing again.
The sun slanted in through the window, all warm and golden, and we just—talked, for a while. Nothing too serious, just easy little things, Marcus grumbling about patrols and Victor snarking back, Luciano’s hand still curled around Lunawyn’s and Dorian’s thumb tracing slow circles over mine. It was nice, in a way that made my chest ache a bit, something warm and soft and kinda perfect, even with the way my nerves were still buzzing under my skin.
Eventually, though, the sun dipped lower, shadows stretching long and dark, and Luciano shifted, eyes flicking over to Marcus with that same calm steadiness he always had. “Are we leaving tonight, then?” he asked, voice low and even, and Marcus snorted, shaking his head slow.
“Not unless you wanna get torn to pieces by those bastards on the east side,” Marcus grunted, rolling his shoulders. “We head out now, we’ll hit the woods by nightfall. Easier to stay put, head out at dawn.”
Luciano hummed, lips twitching like he wasn’t surprised, and Lunawyn’s hand squeezed his, fingers lacing tighter. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, something warm and relieved easing that tightness in my chest, and Dorian’s fingers squeezed mine, all reassuring and steady.
Victor groaned, head tipping back like he was praying for patience. “Great,” he muttered, smirk tugging at his mouth. “Guess I get to babysit you lot for another night.”
“Like you had any better plans,” Marcus shot back, and Victor scoffed, eyes rolling.
But he was smiling, all soft and crooked, and the way his eyes flicked to the rest of us, warm and a bit fond, was enough to make that tight, jittery feeling settle a bit more.
We stayed there for a while, just talking and laughing and bickering, sunlight melting to dusk outside the window, and even though that tight, nervous twist in my chest never fully went away, Dorian’s hand was warm and steady in mine, and the way he smiled at me, soft and real, was enough to make the ache a bit less sharp.
And for a little while, at least, it was enough.
The bath was warm, water still a bit steamy and smelling faintly of lavender from whatever soap Lunawyn had snuck in here last time. I sank down slow, letting it soak in, and for a moment, I just sat there, eyes shut and breath coming out all slow and shivery. It helped, a bit, washing away the worst of that jittery feeling still twisting up my insides, but not all the way. I could still hear them talking down the hall, voices low and steady and half-muffled by the walls, and my chest did that stupid fluttery thing again, nerves all raw and buzzing under my skin.
I scrubbed at my hair, fingers tangling in the wet strands, and tried to breathe through it, tried to focus on anything else—the warmth of the water, the soft creak of the house settling, the way the sunlight slanted in through the little window. It worked, kinda, enough to ease that tight, twisty feeling a bit.
By the time I pulled myself out, towel wrapped tight and hair dripping down my back, I felt a bit less like I was gonna vibrate out of my skin, at least. I fumbled around for clean clothes, cheeks warming up when the fabric stuck to damp skin and the mirror caught my flustered reflection, but I managed, somehow. Lunawyn was still perched on the bed when I stepped out, fingers tracing little patterns over the blanket, and she smiled soft and sweet when she saw me, eyes warm and crinkling at the corners.
“Ready?” she asked, voice all light and teasing, and I huffed out a breath, cheeks going warm again as I nodded.
She grinned, slipping off the bed with that same easy grace she always had, and her arm brushed mine when we made our way down the hall, warmth bleeding through my sleeve. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling too much, fingers twisting together.
The voices got louder as we neared the sitting room, Luciano’s low and smooth, Marcus’s a bit rougher, and Victor’s with that lazy drawl like he already knew something the rest of us didn’t. I hesitated for half a second in the doorway, fingers curling tight around the frame, but then Dorian’s eyes flicked up, warm and steady when they met mine, and some of that tightness melted away just a bit.
“There you are,” he said, lips twitching with a little half-smile that did something stupid to my heart, and he held out a hand without a second thought, palm open and waiting.
I bit down on my lip, cheeks warming up, but my feet moved before I really thought about it, carrying me across the room till my fingers slipped into his. His hand was warm, callused and solid, and the way his fingers curled around mine, careful and sure, made something flutter all stupid and light in my chest.
Luciano’s eyes flickered over to us, something amused and knowing in them, but he didn’t comment, just leaned back a bit in his chair, arm slung casual over the backrest. Lunawyn ducked past me with a little laugh, sliding over to him, and his expression softened the second she was close enough to touch, lips curving into something warm and real.
His hand found hers almost automatically, fingers tangling together, and the way they smiled at each other, all soft and stupidly sweet, was enough to make my chest ache a bit, in that kinda way that was both warm and sad at the same time.
Victor made a sound halfway between a scoff and a laugh, eyebrows raising as he leaned back against the dining table, one foot propped up on the edge. “Really feels like I’m the odd one out here,” he drawled, smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Is everyone in this damn house in love except me?”
Lunawyn giggled, cheeks going a bit pink, and Luciano’s lips twitched like he was trying real hard not to smile too wide. “Maybe you’re just too busy barking orders to notice,” Marcus grunted, smirk all lazy and crooked, and Victor snorted, eyes rolling.
“Maybe I’m just pickier than the rest of you,” Victor shot back, but there wasn’t any bite to it, just that same lazy amusement, and Marcus chuckled, low and rough.
I huffed out a breath, cheeks still warm, and Dorian’s thumb brushed over my knuckles, all slow and absent, like he wasn’t even really thinking about it. It did something stupid to my pulse, made my breath hitch up in a way that was probably embarrassing if anyone else noticed. I ducked my head a bit, letting my hair fall forward to hide the worst of the blush, and tried not to think too hard about the way my heart was doing that fluttery, stupid thing again.
The sun slanted in through the window, all warm and golden, and we just—talked, for a while. Nothing too serious, just easy little things, Marcus grumbling about patrols and Victor snarking back, Luciano’s hand still curled around Lunawyn’s and Dorian’s thumb tracing slow circles over mine. It was nice, in a way that made my chest ache a bit, something warm and soft and kinda perfect, even with the way my nerves were still buzzing under my skin.
Eventually, though, the sun dipped lower, shadows stretching long and dark, and Luciano shifted, eyes flicking over to Marcus with that same calm steadiness he always had. “Are we leaving tonight, then?” he asked, voice low and even, and Marcus snorted, shaking his head slow.
“Not unless you wanna get torn to pieces by those bastards on the east side,” Marcus grunted, rolling his shoulders. “We head out now, we’ll hit the woods by nightfall. Easier to stay put, head out at dawn.”
Luciano hummed, lips twitching like he wasn’t surprised, and Lunawyn’s hand squeezed his, fingers lacing tighter. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, something warm and relieved easing that tightness in my chest, and Dorian’s fingers squeezed mine, all reassuring and steady.
Victor groaned, head tipping back like he was praying for patience. “Great,” he muttered, smirk tugging at his mouth. “Guess I get to babysit you lot for another night.”
“Like you had any better plans,” Marcus shot back, and Victor scoffed, eyes rolling.
But he was smiling, all soft and crooked, and the way his eyes flicked to the rest of us, warm and a bit fond, was enough to make that tight, jittery feeling settle a bit more.
We stayed there for a while, just talking and laughing and bickering, sunlight melting to dusk outside the window, and even though that tight, nervous twist in my chest never fully went away, Dorian’s hand was warm and steady in mine, and the way he smiled at me, soft and real, was enough to make the ache a bit less sharp.
And for a little while, at least, it was enough.
End of Fated reborn Chapter 253. Continue reading Chapter 254 or return to Fated reborn book page.