A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 253: Do You Want Me To...Hold You?

Chapter 253: Do You Want Me To...Hold You?

Draven took a seat beside Avelina on the couch. He crossed his legs and supported his chin with his balled fist, tilting his head to the side to stare at Avelina. "Open it and see."

Avelina raised her brow at him and gradually opened the box, inwardly wondering what might be inside of it. Slowly, she blinked her eyes, unable to look away from the glistening necklace that was inside the box.

"This..." She glanced at Draven, a look of perplexity apparent on her face. "Why...?"

"What do you think?" Draven asked.

"Do you like it? I thought you would."

Avelina frantically fluttered her eyes. She took a glance at the silver bracelet clasped around her wrist and looked at the necklaces. She had just realized that the necklace was two and not even one as she thought.

Why? Was her question.

She took them out of the box and examined the sunshine pendant as well as the moon pendant.

She spoke, her words almost a whisper. "They are...beautiful." Indeed, they were. They were like something she had never seen before. She had seen many, but this was...different.

The two pendants looked like they were meant for each other. They were two separate necklaces, but putting them together surprised her at how fast they magnetized and locked to each other.

She shifted her attention to Draven, her hazel orbs twinkling. "Which one is mine?"

"Hm?" Draven playfully flicked her forehead. "They are both yours, Avelina."

"Mine? Both...?" Avelina glimpsed the necklaces.

"But...they are two. How can—"

Draven interrupted her, saying, "I got both of them for you. I thought of you when I saw the sunshine."

"I love the way you smile, Avelina. It always reminds me of sunshine, so when I see one or anything like it, I think of you. Your smile is warm, lovely, and big. Big enough for me, perhaps." He lowered his head, cackling softly to himself. "The way I could see little bits of your gums when you smile is very... pretty."

He cleared his throat, looking away to the other side, unaware that his ears had turned a light shade of pink.

Avelina was silent, at a loss for words. She batted her eyes and the sudden tears that had built up without her knowing broke, falling onto her dress. She quickly bent her head and wiped them away.

She kept the box aside and gradually wrapped her arms around Draven from behind, hugging him and resting her head on his back.

Draven shook at the contact and broadened his eyes, having not expected such touch from her. He turned his head, wanting to look at Avelina, but he could barely see her.

"Avelina...?" He was wondering if she was okay. Something about the way she was currently embracing him felt different from the way she had done it in the past.

It felt very intimate—a way he had never felt before, not even when he held her in his arms. It felt like she could almost hide herself within him if that were possible.

Avelina tightened her hold on him, inhaling his scent. She was not responding to him, as she wanted to stay that way a bit longer. She was close to him, able to feel his body and smell his ever-pleasing scent. It was the quickest way to stop her from overthinking and calm her anxiety.

She shut her eyes and rummaged her hands from his abdomen to his chest. There, she stopped.

Draven blinked his eyes. He lowered his pupils and glanced at her hands, unable to tell what exactly she was doing. Did she feel much more comfortable touching him there and in such a way? He could not help but wonder.

He would have felt uncomfortable if someone else did it—his late wife was not an exception. He was not a lover of physical touch, but for reasons he could not fathom, he did not feel the least bit uncomfortable when Avelina touched him. In fact, he loved her touch.

He liked it when she held his hand. Her hands, although small due to her petite stature, were very soft, just like her cheeks.

Perhaps he simply loved her soft touch. He could not figure it out.

"Avelina." Draven cupped her hands with his and turned around to look at her. "Do you want me to...hold you?"

Avelina squinted her eyes open. She stared at him for a few moments before slowly nodding her head.

Draven took his shoes off and lifted his legs onto the couch. He crossed his legs and gently slipped the curly strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Come." He grabbed her by the waist, lifting her and pulling her into his comfort.

Avelina melted in his arms, curling herself into a ball. Draven smiled, finding it sort of adorable, but he could also notice the weight she had lost in the past few days. He wrapped his arms around her and gently began to caress her hair.

A soft sigh suddenly fled from Avelina.

"Draven." She spoke.

"Hm?" Draven answered.

Avelina took a second before saying, "I am confused about something, and it’s been eating me up."

Draven furrowed his brows. "What are you confused about? Do I have the ability to solve it?"

Avelina shook her head, chuckling.

"Not at all. You wouldn’t understand. It is something about the heart." She playfully poked his chest.

Draven nodded his head, agreeing with her.

"The heart..." he mumbled before taking a breath. "You are right. I do not think I would understand. You know much more than I do, so if you are confused, then I would be as well."

Avelina lifted her eyes, glimpsing him. She smiled and reached out her hand to palm his cheek. "Can you stay here with me, just for tonight? I’d like to figure something out."

"Are you sure?" Draven inquired.

Avelina nodded at him. "I think I may understand tomorrow, hopefully. I do not want to be bewildered any longer."

"I see..." Draven ran his fingers through her hair and rested his chin atop her head, hugging her. "May I ask you a question, Avelina?"