The Royal Contract

He watched as the shadow in her eyes slowly faded until it completely disappeared, finally revealing what she had truly felt for him.

He saw it in her eyes. There was no more denying it. Now, he just had to convince her to take a chance with him.

"Wait!" She suddenly slipped away from him, stepping back, lifting her hands in front of her body as if to ward him off from coming closer.

He was not sure what happened to her. But her eyes told him everything he wanted to hear. Did he read the situation wrong? Had he lost her again?

But how could he lose something that was not his in the first place? And as far as he could remember, Serena was never his and never was.

"What..." Adam could feel the disappointment in his voice, but more than that, he could feel the pain twisting in his heart.

"I don't think I am ready." She interrupted him, preventing him from ending his question.

Then, she stared at him with those soulful eyes that told him so much emotion. However, she also walked past him, leaving him alone, standing on the balcony floor.

Frankly, he was afraid to turn and look at her, knowing she was leaving. And the sound of the door opening and closing only confirmed his fear.

And when he heard the final click of the lock, he knew she was gone. Maybe this time, it was final. It would be good for her and him. They could finally move on with their lives.

"Serena." He could not help but call her name, even for the last time.

He knew saying goodbye was pointless, but it did not mean he was not hoping he never had to say the word. If it had been his choice, they would be together forever.

But sadly, he could only accept her decision and respect it. He had done all he could, said all the right words, and expressed his feeling. He believed if those were not enough, then nothing would ever be.

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"Just move on." He gave himself his last piece of advice regarding this situation. There was nothing else he could do.

But as he slumped his shoulder and released a deep sigh, he heard a faint sound on the other side of the room. He hardly noticed it.

At first, he ignored it, thinking it must be coming from the other rooms or somewhere else. But as the sound intensified, he realized it was a knock coming from his room door.

Who could it be now? He remembered giving explicit instructions about not accepting visitors. But why was there someone knocking again at his door?

"No..." He muttered under his breath. He did not want to keep his hope up. "It can't be her again." He told himself.

He doubted that she returned to see him. It just did not make sense. His mind reprimanded him for even thinking about her, but his heart could not stop beating, anxious to see her again.

He knew it was stupid to hope, but what could he do when his heart would not give up on her? But then again, who else would be knocking on his door?

"Wait!" He finally shouted when the knock came for the third time.

Eventually, he opened the door and saw the person behind it. He was surprised to see her standing there. At the same time, he was somewhat expecting her.

He had no words to say as he stared at her. It seemed she also lost the ability to speak as she played with her fingers behind her back. Silence enveloped the hallway for a few seconds as they remained immobile in their spot.

Then, she finally took a deep breath and looked at him. Her eyes never blinked as she looked intensely into his eyes. Finally, she said something that stopped his heart for a fraction of a second.

"I am ready now." She said those simple words that meant the whole world to him. "I hope I am not too late."

It only took him a second to process her words as he automatically pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tight, assuring himself that she was real. Then, he guided her inside before closing and locking the door.

He just wanted to ensure it would be hard for her to leave. Was it a crime to want her glued to his side? He guessed they could charge him with kidnapping because, at that moment, he had no intention of letting her go.

"No, you are just in time." As he had said, she could break his heart repeatedly, but he would always be ready to welcome her back again. "Does this mean..." He wanted to ask the question but was afraid to hear the answer.

"It means I want to risk my heart with you if you are also willing to risk yours with me." She explained to him what she was doing back in his life.

Without another word, he answered her by pulling her closer and leaning down to claim her lips. He believed it would better explain everything that they both could not say.

They were both proficient in their profession, arguing his way to court while she delivered her lines fluidly. But when expressing their feelings, they seemed both lost for words.

"Uuuhhhmmm!" A sound that barely made a coherent word but meant so much more to both of them than anything they ever said to each other.

He felt her surrender as her hands wrapped around his shoulder, crawling up to his neck and down his back.

With the same enthusiasm, his hands also cradled her body, keeping her upright while his lips coerced a reaction that would seal their fate.

"Serena..." He had never said her name in that way before. It sounded like it was full of life. Well, he had never been this happy before.

"Adam..." She responded by saying his name as they both filled their lungs with much-needed air.

He had never liked his name more than when it came from her lips. He had to admit. It sounded great coming from her.

Without another word, he lowered his face, aligning his lips with her luscious ones. But instead of kissing her, he just stared into her beautiful face.

If this was a dream, he did not want to wake up. It was already perfect, just like this. He did not want to move, afraid that this moment would suddenly disappear once he opened his eyes.

"I love you, Serena." If those were his last words, he wanted her to hear them before everything around him vanished.

"I love you, too, Adam." She hesitantly responded. "At least, I think I do." She added. "I have been in love so many times that all ended in heartache. I hope this time it will be different." She explained to him.

He supposed he understood her situation, being a witness to what she had gone through in her last relationship. It must not be easy to move on from a horrifying experience like that. And hoping this time, it would be better.

"I can't promise you unicorns, butterflies, and rainbows. But I can assure you we will work on this relationship together." He could not lie to her.

He had to be honest with her about the possibilities of what they would have to face if they pursued a romantic affair.

"I guess that will do. I think it is more than my past boyfriends ever promised me." She admitted, making him smile, satisfied to think they might be able to pull this through.

Without warning, this time, she initiated the sweetest kiss he had ever tasted. Her lips gently glided along his, tenderly demanding a response from him.

Of course, how could he ever deny her anything? On the contrary, he was ready to give her everything he could if that was the only way to have her.

"Uhhmm!" It was a soft moan that had his heart beating faster than he had ever experienced.

Within seconds, he had her back in his arms, lifting her fragile body like she weighed nothing. Then, he strode to the bed on the other side of the room.

But instead of laying her on the soft cushion, he let her slide along his body until she stood back on her feet. But his eyes had never left hers, so thus his lips.

When they finally gasped for air, they stood toe to toe, staring into each other's eyes. It was as if they were conversing, asking whether they were ready to take this to the next level.

"I want you." He could not tell if he was the first who said it or if it was her. But somehow, he heard her in his head while he said the exact words.

But when her hands moved to work on the button of his shirt, he knew who said it first did not matter. The important thing was that they both wanted to be together.

As if hypnotized by her expressive eyes, his hands automatically worked on her dress, pulling them off her body. In one swift move, she gave him access to see her body.

"Let me," He said when she had difficulty removing his pants.

He watched her move toward the bed while he worked on his clothes, slowly sliding on the soft white mattress.

He could not help but think how lucky he was.

She was perfection.

He believed despite her past. She was still the definition of an innocent seductress.