The curator for the gallery, Mia stumbled, skipping a step before halting in front of Haziel. The lady's eyes widened at him. She regained composure and turned to me, who had my feet glued to the floor and my eyes fixed on the artist.
After looking at me for a second without coming up with something to say, her head made a 360 and focused on Haziel.
"I'm sorry, I forgot you said you would come over to discuss some details. I..." Mia started.
Long ago, I discovered this particular art curator to be forgetful and clumsy. She was a young cute lady with full cheeks when she smiled or pouted.
My mouth was sealed shut. Mia's expression seemed like something and suddenly clicked in her mind.
"Wait. Why am I so worried? She wouldn't know anyway," Mia thought out loud.
"Princess, I'll lead you to the storage first then come back and handle my meeting with him. It won't take long," she stated.
My mind was still in disarray. I dared not speak for fear that my voice may end up shaky.
I should decline and head out. I didn't need to see the art, I needed to be far away from my shame. Mustering up some courage I opened my mouth to speak, however, I was beaten to it.
"Princess?" The words rolled out of the previously silent individual's mouth freely, stopping my words in my throat. Immediately that word left his mouth, I felt I strange feeling on the hairs of my skin.
Right then a strange appreciation for his voice and its composure washed over me. The anxiety that plagued me lifted but was replaced by longing. Longing for him to utter that word again. No. Not just that word but maybe my name.
"Yes. This is Princess Fiona Rifien." Mia announced, my eyes tore away from Haziel's gaze. "Princess, this is someone I have a meeting with.... he is not really important."
I almost broke out into a laugh as Mia made attempts to dance around not mentioning Haziel's name nor business here.
"No need to be so nervous. I've actually been acquainted with the Princess." Haziel came to her rescue, noting my amused face.
"You two know each other?" the curator broke the melting ice between us. I responded with a nod.
"Yes. We met by accident some time ago," I replied curtly.
Mia looked suspicious and scurried over to Haziel. She went on her tiptoes even though she was already in heels and whispered something into his ear.
Haziel nodded.
"Wow!" she exclaimed, hitting her forehead with her left palm and moving back to standing in the middle of both Haziel and me. "Well then, I don't have to run in circles or do introductions. I'll take the Princess to the storage now." Mia said before getting a phone call and excusing herself to answer it.
I move to stop her but she hurried off leaving both Haziel and me together, locked in a stalemate.
"I.." I started before shutting my mouth. Haziel rose his eyebrow to me. Silence filled the air as I tugged the purse in my hand nervously and looked at my feet.
"I have to apologize." To my astonishment, he went first. What did he have to be sorry for?
"I shouldn't have left you in the hospital alone before your contact came. You must have been confused when you woke up," he explained, leaving me a bit puzzled.
I was a grown woman, he did not have to feel responsible for me.
"I had something very important to get to." He finalized.
"No. I should be the one apologizing. I made a fool of myself and caused you a lot of trouble. In fact, I would like to make it up to you," As I spoke a small hand brushed against my wrist. Mia came back and cut our conversation short unassumingly.
"Right, Princess right this way. I'll lead you there." The curator was brimming after the phone call. Suspicious I looked at Haziel who did the same thing, so, we locked gazes once again. Our eyes drifted away a millisecond afterward but the meaning lingered. It seemed like we both were thinking the same thing.
Why was she suddenly so happy?
"I've been around this gallery for a long time let me show to the storage. We also have somethings to discuss." Haziel inputted much to my surprise.
Mia's eyebrows scrunched downwards before she nodded in understanding and smiled cheekily.
What was going on in this girl's head? I wondered to myself.
"I don't want to bother you anymore. You came to discuss something with Mia didn't you?" I tried to interject. Upon hearing me, Mia looked up at Haziel with a questioning gaze.
Haziel shook his head, "It's not that important." He said, shrugging with a smile on his lips.
Mia agreed hesitantly and sent us on our way.
The storage was located on the underground floor of the gallery. The air inside was a bit stuffy although the air conditioning was on full force.
It was noticeably cold, goosebumps ran through my skin. Haziel had on a plain black short-sleeved tee, the material also did not appear thick. Yet, he appeared unfazed by the chilled room, while I shivered slightly.
The art was hung on the walls. These were all new pieces that had not even been reviewed yet. They were all drawn by different artists.
My eyes roamed around freely, the cold feeling being subsided by my excitement. I walked up to the brown walls with Haziel following beside me, all this while he said nothing, observing me silently.
I passed by different artworks. "So, you're a member of the royal families?" Haziel broke his silence.
I turned back to face him and nodded, the distance between us was less the two feet. " I wonder how that glossed over my head after all our meetings?" he pondered out loud.
I shrugged, "It's not a big deal, I didn't deem it worthy of a mention."
"Fair enough." He said seemingly ending that train of conversation. I sighed in relief. My birth title wasn't something I liked to parade with strangers or acquaintances.
We moved to the end of the wall at the corner, Haziel leaned against the wall, next to the painting I was viewing.
He let out a soft chuckle and folded his arms together. "If I had known you were a princess I would have jumped on your offer to be my sponsor." He said as a joke.
"I'm sorry about that," I replied feeling heat rush up to my face.
"It's no problem," he said casually, before going silent. "That reminds me, you said you would make my troubles from that night up to me? how?" he brought up once more.
Before I could make up a response, he said,
"There's not really much you can do to make it up to me, but, maybe a large donation to your favorite artist might sway my heart."
I was left speechless not because I hadn't thought of a way to make it up to him but because the man to my side was somewhat of a puzzle to me.
One moment his eyes were intense and filled with deliberation and mystery, in the next, they would light up at the prospects of earning money.
I looked at him with my side-eye, my eyes held a bewildered expression.
"Some times you are a noble artist, the next you a swindling conman?" I questioned him, earning an earnest nod from him.
"Versatility is the key to survival." He said still leaning against the wall.
I straighten my shoulders and moved to stand in front of him. "Is that why you offered to show me this place? In order to get be alone and force me out of my money?" as I spoke, I rose an eyebrow at him before letting out a scoff.
In response to my words, Haziel pushed his back from the wall to stand straight, narrowing the gap between us until there were only a few centimeters of space left between us.
I took a step back instinctively and almost lost balance. Just then, a strong and swift arm wrapped itself around my waist and pulled me towards the torso of the body it was attached it.
This arm fixed firmly on my waist and the heat that radiated from it penetrated my cotton dress amidst the cold air from the air conditioning. Another shiver ran through my spine from the sudden contact.
I held up my right hand on his chest as he lowered his head to me. My right hand was the only thing apart from our clothes separating us.
Haziel leaned in closer to me until our faces were a few inches apart. His eyes pierced through my mind locked my gaze in a prison cell to which he was the jailer.
My entire body was hot, I could feel the blood in my body rushed to my face.
He moved closer and brushed my cheek with his. His lips positioned themselves next to my ear, I could feel his hot breath next to it.
"Fiona, if I intended to con you out of money, I assure you I have much better techniques to do just that." His whisper sent another round of shivers through my skin.