Chapter 128: The Distance Between Us
When morning arrived, Ivan, who had passed out on the sofa by the window, stirred awake as the first rays of sunlight brushed across his face. Blinking his hazy eyes, he looked around and realised that he was still in his room and that Eve wasn’t there.
He got up lazily from the sofa and went to get ready for the day. After some time, dressed in his usual impeccable suit, he stepped out and walked towards Evelyn’s room. But just as he was about to knock, he paused, his frown deepening when he couldn’t hear her heartbeat inside. The realisation that she must have left early this morning settled uneasily in his chest.
Hearing footsteps, Ivan looked to his right and found Damien walking towards him with an amused look on his face, one that soon broke into a sly grin. "She’s not there, brother...but you already know that."
"And you know that because?" Ivan narrowed his eyes at him.
Damien chuckled, "That’s because Cece informed me that they were heading for breakfast early today."
"Eve went to Cece early in the morning?" Ivan asked.
"Oh...you didn’t know?" Damien tilted his head in a mock surprise, "That’s strange...I thought her beloved prince would be the first to know." He gave Ivan a light pat on the shoulder, "It’s alright...I’ll accompany you, someone has to make sure you don’t burn down the academy with that mood of yours."
Ivan ignored him and started walking towards the dining hall. Damien caught up easily, falling into step beside him.
As they walked, several women couldn’t help but pause to gawk at two strikingly handsome vampires bathed in morning sunlight.
On the way to the dining hall, Damien fixed his sharp, curious eyes on Ivan and asked, "So, brother....care to explain your actions yesterday? Or have you decided to kiss Evelyn goodbye?"
Ivan abruptly stopped walking and snapped his head towards Damien, giving him an annoyed look, "Did you fall flat on your head while getting out of bed this morning, Damien?"
Damien grinned, "I didn’t, but I think someone else surely did. You do look like a man in dire need of some guidance, bother."
Ivan, already irritated from not finding Eve in her room, asked impatiently, "What are you trying to say?"
"I meant, " Damien drawled, "who in their right mind would go accepting an open invitation from their girlfriend’s father to set her up with someone else for marriage."
Ivan studied Damien and asked in a low voice, "Did Eve tell you that?"
"Well, she did, just not in exact words, of course." Damien let out a dramatic sigh, glancing at Ivan, who still looked utterly clueless and muttered, "And here I was, playing mascot, cheering for both of you...Then you go and do this." With that, Damien started walking again.
Ivan pressed his lips together and then walked beside him, "I have my reasons for doing that, but it’s not like how you’re putting it," he replied flatly.
"Well...I’m not the one you need to explain that to, brother." Damien didn’t want to get too involved in their relationship, but he knew one thing for certain...if Ivan messed up the good thing he had with Evelyn, he’d be miserable. So, he decided to drop a few hints, hoping his sharp brother would catch on quickly.
"I’m sure she’ll understand. I don’t think it’s a big deal as you’re making it out to be," Ivan replied confidently.
That made Damien’s eye twitch with disbelief, "You’re really clueless when it comes to women, aren’t you?"
"Why? What do you know?" Ivan asked, unimpressed.
"I know nothing, but I know more women than you do in this area. And let you tell you, they operate differently." He muttered under his breath, "I guess you’ll learn eventually."
Ivan scoffed, "You’ll see."
When they reached the dining hall, Ivan swiftly scanned the room with his molten-red eyes but didn’t find who he’d been looking for. Damien, unfazed by his brother’s darkened expression, simply went to take his usual seat.
Since it was the weekend, there were no classes. So there was no telling where Evelyn might be. After searching the entire campus, still not finding her, Ivan finally summoned his Ignis Blades elites and ordered them to locate her.
While Ivan was busy searching for Eve, she sat in an exclusive coffee shop in Crimson Hollow overlooking the sea. Having barely slept a wink the previous night, she’d gotten ready early that morning to avoid running into Ivan. She rushed to Cece’s room, asking if they could grab a quick breakfast and then visit the market for a change of scenery. Cece, still groggy from being woken up so early on a weekend, quickly agreed, especially since it was the very first time Evelyn had ever asked for something.
Before leaving, they informed Damien of their plans so that someone at least knew of their whereabouts.
Now sitting on the private balcony of an exclusive high-end cafe, Cece sipped her blood tea and turned her dark red eyes from the sea to Evelyn. "So... how are you feeling today?" she asked.
Eve, lost in her thoughts, didn’t hear her. She sat there, absentmindedly stirring her tea, dressed in a beautiful white summer dress adorned with blue floral print. Her long hair cascaded freely down her back, which gently swayed in the pleasant sea breeze. She looked as enchanting as ever, but if anyone were to see her eyes, they could tell just how lost she really was.
"Evelyn?" Cece called again, gently placing a hand over hers to get her attention.
Eve blinked and looked up, startled, "I’m so sorry...did I miss something?" she asked apologetically.
Cece sighed softly, "Where are you lost, Evelyn?"
When Evelyn didn’t answer immediately, Cece asked carefully, "Are you thinking about Ivan?"
Eve’s heart skipped a beat at his name, and she looked down, setting her spoon gently on the saucer before clasping her hands together.
"I’m sorry, Cece," she said in a low voice. "I thought stepping out of the academy would take my mind off things, but it seems I’m still dwelling on it, aren’t I?"
"Don’t apologise, Evelyn. We all have our days." Cece said kindly. " And just so you know...I’m completely on your side. Having said that, Ivan’s actions are a mystery to us all sometimes. He makes it incredibly hard to figure out what’s going on in that complicated mind of his until we see the end results."
She leaned in a little, "You two are still new to this relationship, so I’ll tell you one thing...ask questions. Ivan is a man of very few words....and even fewer explanations. He makes people dance around riddles just to understand him. Communication is the key here, so instead of overthinking and running away from him, talk to him."
Eve opened her mouth to deny it, but she bit her tongue, because Cece was right. He did work in mysterious ways, but that didn’t lessen the sting of his indifference.
"It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him," Evelyn said quietly. "I just don’t know what to ask this time. Regardless of what his actions meant...it made me wonder if we’re moving too quickly. I like him, Cece...perhaps more than I should. He’s the only man I’ve ever been attracted to romantically and want to be with him. But that’s what scares me. If or when....we drift apart...I’m afraid I’ll be swept away like sand, while he’ll just move on as if nothing happened."
Cece opened her mouth to respond, but Evelyn pressed on, "I have to protect my heart, Cece. It’s not Ivan’s fault...this is my own undoing. So the responsibility lies solely with me."
Cece frowned slightly, "What are you planning to do?"
"I’m not sure...maybe a little distance-"
"Distance from whom exactly?"
The cold, deep voice cut through their conversation like a blade. Evelyn and Cece instantly turn their head towards the source.
He stood there, tall, regal, devastatingly handsome as ever, but it was his molten-red eyes that froze Evelyn in place. They burned into hers, sharp and unreadable, as if staring into her soul.
Surprised by his sudden appearance, Evelyn was momentarily speechless. She watched him walk towards her with slow, deliberate steps until he was only a breath away. Sitting as she was, she had to crane her neck to look up at him, her body tense, pulse quickening, yet she couldn’t bring herself to move.
Cece was also equally taken aback by his sudden arrival, set her cup down, and quickly rose from her seat. "I think I’ll give you two some space to talk," she said carefully.
Evelyn snapped out of her daze. "No! Stay!" she said quickly before turning to Ivan and replying firmly, "After all, this is our outing and His Highness is the one who appeared out of nowhere."
Ivan narrowed his eyes slightly at her choice of words and the way she was suddenly addressing him by his formal title. So he leaned over her seat, drawing the attention of all the other people present in the cafe. And spoke in a low, velvety voice, "Are you asking me to leave, Eve?"
