"You were the first to leave us anyway," Leah rolled her eyes. A mutual snort could be heard from Selah and Orion.
"You know that I can't leave my mother's side. Also," Axel walked towards Helle and leaned a bit lower so that she could see his face. "Congratulations on your engagement. I hope you take care of my grumpy little brother well." The radiant smile on his face was just as though news articles had mentioned the angelic brother, Axel Lennox.
"Thankyou"
Flustered by all the attention, Helle smiled awkwardly while pulling Orion's sleeves slightly.
"Aww," Axel glanced at Helle as though she were a small animal.
Sensing the tug, Orion took a peak at his fiancé. She had a glow on her face, but the unexplainable uneasiness on her face was apparent. Gently placing his hand on her shoulder, Orion stopped his siblings. "It's getting late. We shall return back for now," he announced.
"Eh?!" both Leah and Axel exclaimed, and even Selah had her eyes wide.
"It's too soon. Stay for-"
"We'll be visiting each other during Thanksgiving anyway. For now, we'll take our leave," Orion explained, and though Helle felt apologetic, her heart was relieved. She had no courage to ask for departure.
"See you then."
They also bid farewell to Grandpa Arthur and headed to the car park. Slipping to the back seat, Helle immediately leaned back and closed her eyes. The devastating wedding had finally ended, but her back had already begun to sore.
Orion too took a seat beside her. His back slightly leaned to the seat while he took out his phone. Liam had sent a message of congratulations as well as their first victory in court. The police officer Karl Kennel had been arrested as a suspect of murder, and in a short time, through evidence, he was charged guilty.
"You're still working?" Helle asked while her eyes closed. She had no idea of the world ahead of her; it was terrifying, but anything was better than being in that little town.
"Eh, not really. All the meetings are shifted for tomorrow," he replied. Out of habit, he took a slight glance at her, realizing that her eyes were closed and her face was relaxed. Orion too closed his eyes and, just for a while, tried to forget the work and deadlines.
In a matter of minutes, the couple had their heads on top of each other, sound asleep while the chauffeur drove them home.
~
"Um..." Orion groaned as he felt someone push his shoulder. Eh? His head felt lighter and clearer. Opening his eyes, he could feel something round beneath his head. Even his neck felt strained, and his shoulders felt heavy.
"Sir!" The worker slightly shook Orion's shoulder to wake him up after all; it had been more than fifteen minutes.
"Yes?" he murmured. This time the push felt harder, and since his awareness had woken, Orion grumpily straightened his back. His sleepy eyes started at the worker. "Where are we?" he asked. Still in a daze. It had been a while since he last had such a heavy nap.
"We are at the residence, sir," the chauffeur bowed and took a step back.
"You can go now. I'll return in a few minutes." He dismissed the chauffeur. It was surprising; just how could he sleep so defenselessly? Orion sighed, fixed his hair and shifted his necktie. Next to him, Helle slept peacefully without a care in the world.
"You should get up too." He slightly pinched the tip of her nose, which only resulted in her burying her face more.
"Ah," the sight escaped his lips. His eyes continue to carefully look at her. He had seen plenty of her expressions, from desperation to anxiousness and laughter. But it was the first, for peacefulness.
'You're being too quiet.' He poked her cheek for the last time. It was as soft as the rice mochi.
'Something is wrong with me,' he cursed at himself and refrained his hand from reaching for her. Instead, he amended his wrinkled suit and combed his hair to seem more presentable. Once done, Orion again glanced at Helle in case she'd be awakened, but no.
"Haa, you're hopeless," he whispered. Picking Helle up like a princess in his arms, they walked up inside the house where all the servants had been dismissed for the day and Martha and the Chef were playing ludo in the living room.
'Something has been very wrong ever since I've met you,' Orion monologued. He kicked open the main door and walked inside.
"Si-" As they were about to greet him, he pointed his index finger and signaled "Sh" while walking upstairs.
Helle's room was breezy and refreshing. The lemony scent in her room and the pastel aesthetic in her room were just like the owner of the room. Gently tucking her underneath the blankets, Orion closed the windows and checked his emails on the phone.
For some reason, he didn't have the heart to leave the room, and so he continued to watch her from afar.
~
"Um..." is it morning already?
Helle groaned. Feeling the pillow extra hard, she tried to turn around, but something grabbed her very tightly. Eh? Tingly air on her shoulder and nape
EH? Even her feet felt restricted, and her hands? WHERE DID HER HANDS GO? She could not feel it!
The bed was extra warm, and so, like thunder, she tried her hardest to wake up, but something kept pushing her down. Her feet were entangled, and something pressed down there? Eh?!!
"Um... so heavy!" Helle tried her hardest to push back the sturdy chest in front of her.
Suddenly an alarm rang at the table, and the hovering body slightly moved. Finally! Despite having a strained neck, Helle slightly turned it upward, and in front of her was the sleeping beauty. Orion Lennox.
His face resembled that of a hero in a movie, except she was the one being crushed!
"It's about time you wake up." Helle strained her voice while trying to push him once again. But he won't even budge!
So instead, until he woke up, Helle kept staring at his face. He had long eyelashes and almond-shaped eyes. Tall nose bridge and a perfect face shape. He had tanned skin, which emphasized his features even more.
"Good morning," Orion all of a sudden opened his eyes.