Chapter 22 : Celia ' Home before sunset'

Adrian and I had already set the table for dinner and taken our seats 

For a second, neither of us spoke.

Then Grandmother's cheerful voice floated down the hallway.

"If the two of you are finished staring at each other..."

"...my dinner is getting cold!"

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

Adrian cleared his throat.

"We should..."

"Yes."

"We should."

Dinner was louder than usual.

Mostly because Grandmother refused to let silence settle.

"Celia."

"Yes?"

"This bread is wonderful."

"Thank you."

She turned to Adrian.

"And you?"

He swallowed another bite before answering.

"It's good."

Grandmother frowned.

"'Good'?"

He looked confused.

"Very good."

She folded her arms.

"Still not enough."

He sighed almost imperceptibly.

"It's excellent."

"There."

She smiled victoriously.

"That wasn't difficult."

I lowered my head, hiding a smile behind my glass of water.

Across the table, Adrian caught me smiling.

One corner of his mouth lifted.

The smallest smile.

Harold noticed.

He quietly looked from Adrian, 

To me, 

Then returned to his newspaper without saying a word.

As always. 

Yet I could have sworn...

He looked satisfied.

After dinner, the servants immediately moved forward.

"We'll clean up."

Adrian surprised everyone.

"No."

The head maid blinked.

"Sir?"

"We'll do it."

"We?"

He looked at me.

"If you don't mind."

For a heartbeat

I forgot how to breathe.

"I don't mind."

The servants exchanged bewildered glances before quietly leaving the dining room.

Within minutes

Only the two of us remained in the kitchen.

He rolled up his sleeves.

"I'll wash."

"And I'll dry."

He nodded.

"Fair."

Warm water flowed into the sink.

The comfortable silence returned.

"You know..."

I glanced at him.

"I didn't expect you to actually help."

"I didn't either."

I laughed softly.

"So why are you?"

He rinsed another plate before answering.

"When I was leaving the office today..."

"...I realized I was looking forward to coming home."

The plate almost slipped from my hands.

Not the mansion.

Home.

"I haven't felt that in a long time."

His voice was quiet.

"So I didn't want the evening to end too quickly."

I couldn't speak.

Because I understood exactly what he meant.

Without realizing it

Somewhere between shared meals, 

Rain-soaked nights, 

And quiet conversations.

This house had begun to feel different.

Lonely no longer.

Not because the mansion had changed.

Because we had.

Just then, the lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then...

Darkness.

The entire kitchen was swallowed by blackness.

"Oh!"

Instinctively, I reached forward.

At the same moment

So did Adrian.

My fingers brushed against his hand.

Neither of us moved.

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance.

Inside the darkened kitchen, 

His hand slowly closed around mine.

"I'm here."

Those two simple words

Made my heart beat harder than ever before.

And neither of us let go.

His hand was warm, 

Firm, 

Steady.

It wasn't the kind of grip meant to possess.

It was the kind that reassured.

"I'm here."

The words settled softly between us, almost swallowed by the rain tapping against the windows.

For a heartbeat

Neither of us moved.

I became painfully aware of how close we were standing.

Close enough to hear his breathing.

Close enough to smell the faint scent of cedarwood on his shirt.

Close enough that my pulse betrayed me completely.

Then, somewhere deeper inside the mansion, the emergency generator hummed to life.

The lights flickered once.

A soft glow returned to the kitchen.

Only then did I realize

We were still holding hands.

I looked down.

His fingers were wrapped around mine as naturally as though they had always belonged there.

My face burned.

"I..."

I gently tried to pull away.

Instead of releasing me immediately, Adrian looked down at our joined hands as if he, too, had only just noticed.

For the briefest moment...

Something unreadable crossed his face.

Then he slowly loosened his grip.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was quiet.

"You don't have to apologize."

"I startled you."

"No.", I smiled nervously.

"I was startled by the darkness, not by you. "

Those last words remained trapped in my heart.

He studied me for a second before nodding once.

"I'm glad."

"So am I."

Silence settled between us again.

Not awkward.

Just...

Different.

As though something invisible had shifted between us.

Neither of us knew what to call it.

"You two certainly took your time."

Grandmother Eleanor's teasing voice echoed from the doorway.

I jumped slightly.

She stood there with an amused smile, leaning lightly on her cane.

"I was beginning to think the dishes had declared war."

I laughed awkwardly.

"We're finished."

"I can see that."

Her eyes lingered on Adrian for a second.

Then on me.

Something twinkled in her gaze.

"Well?"

Adrian frowned.

"Well... what?"

"You finally look like husband and wife."

I nearly dropped the dish towel.

"Grandmother!"

"What?"

She looked delightfully innocent.

"I've been waiting nearly a year."

Adrian rubbed the back of his neck.

"We only washed dishes."

"Mmm."

"And held hands," she added with a smile.

Neither of us answered, 

Because neither of us could.

Grandmother laughed softly.

"Don't worry."

"My lips are sealed."

As she slowly walked away, I heard her mumble to herself,

"About time."

I buried my face in my hands.

"I don't think I'll ever recover from that."

Beside me, Adrian chuckled.

Actually...Chuckled.

It wasn't loud or polished.

It was real.

I turned to look at him.

"You laugh."

"I do."

"I've never heard it so clearly before."

He looked almost embarrassed.

"I suppose you haven't."

"It's nice."

The compliment caught him off guard.

His ears turned slightly red.

"I should probably..."

He gestured vaguely toward the hallway.

"...finish some work."

"Of course."

He nodded once before leaving the kitchen.

Halfway to the door, he stopped.

Without turning around, he asked quietly,

"Will you be awake later?"

I blinked.

"I usually read before bed."

"...Why?"

He hesitated.

"I have something I'd like to show you."

My curiosity was immediately piqued.

"What is it?"

"You'll see."

Before I could ask another question, he disappeared down the hallway.

Nearly an hour later, I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

"Celia?"

It was Adrian.

I opened the door.

He had changed into a simple navy sweater and dark trousers, looking far younger than he usually did in tailored suits.

In his hand was a small wooden box.

"You said you wanted to show me something."

"I did."

He held out the box. 

"For you."

My eyes widened.

"I can't accept gifts."

"It isn't expensive."

Carefully, I lifted the lid.

Inside lay a tiny silver music box.

Its surface was old, scratched in places, with delicate floral carvings worn smooth by time.

"It's beautiful."

"It doesn't work."

I looked up.

"It belonged to my grandmother."

"She asked me to throw it away years ago."

"But..."

He smiled faintly.

"...I remembered someone once telling me that broken things shouldn't be discarded."

My heart skipped.

"You remembered that?"

"I remember most of what you say."

I looked back at the music box, suddenly unable to speak.

"I was wondering..."

He cleared his throat.

"...if you'd repair it."

I traced my fingertips across the worn silver lid. 

"I'd love to."

His shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

"As long as you don't mind."

"I don't."

I smiled up at him.

"Thank you... for trusting me with something important."

"It already is."

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

He looked almost surprised by his own answer.

Then he smiled, a little sheepishly this time.

"Goodnight, Celia."

"Goodnight, Adrian."

After he left, I closed the door gently and leaned against it, the music box clutched carefully in my hands.

A foolish smile found its way onto my face.

For the first time in my life...

Someone had entrusted me with something precious.

Not because they had to.

But because they believed I would take care of it.

I looked out through my bedroom window.

Across the courtyard, the light in Adrian's study was still on.

A few seconds later, 

The curtain shifted.

A familiar silhouette stood by the window.

He wasn't reading, 

He wasn't working, 

He was looking in my direction.

The moment he realized I'd noticed him, he stepped back from the window.

I laughed softly to myself.

Then, cradling the broken music box against my chest, I whispered,

"You're making this so difficult, Adrian."

"Because I think..."

"I'm falling in love with you."

Outside, unseen by either of them, a sleek black car slowed to a stop beyond the Lancaster gates.

Sienna Rowan lowered the tinted window just enough to see the warm glow coming from the mansion.

Her gaze settled on the two bedroom windows that still held light.

One belonged to Adrian.

The other to Celia.

A cold smile curved her lips.

"So..."

She murmured.

"You're finally looking at her."

She rolled the window back up.

"Let's see how long that lasts"