'Little flower.' She gulped hard as her mind continued to replay the word over and over again. It sounded so soft and sweet. That was her? He was calling HER that? No one had ever called her anything that sounded so...….so....nice before.
"Little flower?" He repeated, his voice drowned out the sound of the music around them, yet it sounded so quiet, so calming. Like the world had disappeared and it was just him and her.
Her eyes fluttered as she swayed slightly. Was it the fact her knees were practically buckling underneath her, or was it the alcohol? She had no way of knowing.
A red hue painted her cheeks, coloring them like a beautiful rouge created from crushed rose petals.
Eilownia stared up at him as she examined his strong, sharp features. Her heart beat frantically in her chest and she could feel her face getting hotter by the second.
A smile spread across her face while she continued to stare. He was just her type.
His eyes darted down to her neck, noticing how her throat bobbed as she swallowed....he could just...…lean in and...…..have a taste...
His head lowered, crowding her space a bit and inhaled deeply. Eilownia gasped as his chest pressed against her harder.
"You smell of Lavender Rose Wine. I wonder how much you've had to drink?" His finger trailed along her jaw and gently lifted her chin up to meet his gaze, "Tell me, who allowed such a precious flower to be so....." The man leaned in closer, his voice dropped as he whispered in her ear, "….irresponsible?"
Eilownia felt a shiver run up her spine as the heat of his breath caressed her ear.
Her heart beat even faster and her lungs felt like they were starting to constrict.
"I-" Before she could say anything, his hands grabbed onto her waist, anchoring her.
His touch was like a fire burning up dry grass during the summer months; immediate consumption.
The callouses on his large hands were rough against her skin as he cupped her face. "Does this little flower have a name? Tell me, what shall I call you?"
'What? He wants to know my name? MY name?'
Escaping from the Evans Estate had been the best thing that had ever happened to her so far.
Viraaz Flower Festival, honey cake, lavender rose wine, dancing, and now this handsome attractive man has not only come up with an affectionate nickname, but was now asking for her name?
"Well?" He insisted.
"My name is Eilownia."
"Eileena. What a beautiful name. It suits you." His hand came up to brush a lock of her brown hair behind her ear.
"Not Eileena…..Eilownia. Eye-loan-EE-Uh. Eilownia."
The man leaned down, tilting his head so he could hear her better. His eyebrow ticked upward as he heard her correction.
"Eilownia?"
She nodded, confirming his pronunciation.
"That's much too difficult a name. Whoever named you, must've had a vendetta against you, Little Flower."
'Vendetta?' The word repeated in her head, her eyebrows furrowed ever-so-slightly.
"What does that mean?" Even though her mind reeled through everything she knew, and tried to piece together the context of this word, she just couldn't figure it out.
Vendetta against her? Was it some sort of board? Perhaps a cloth of some kind? What did that have to do with her name?
The man closed his eyes and let out a breath of amusement as he shook his head.
"Vendetta, grudge, animosity towards someone."
Eilownia thought for a moment and then shook her head. She grabbed onto his forearms and got up on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear.
"No one ever had an animal city against me."
He turned his head, tilting it back slightly as he chuckled.
"It means whoever gave you this name, doesn't like you."
Eilownia's head jerked backwards slightly as if she'd just been hit. The corners of her mouth downturned slightly.
Didn't like her?
Yes. She was aware her father didn't like her very much, but her name had always been hers. Something that he gave her, something she'd treasured.
"Is my name bad?" Her father couldn't even give her a good name?
The man nodded, "Don't worry Little Flower, it's not much better than mine."
A small smile came over her face. Was he trying to make her feel better.
"What is yours?"
"Marix."
"I like it. Marix." She repeated, the smile on her face growing a little larger.
"Well, I dislike yours. No, it doesn't suit you. I will call you Whin. Yes, Whin. I feel as though I've won the jackpot with you. That suits you much better. Whin....a well deserved name."
"I like that better too~" Her smile had grown and she was fully beaming at his nickname. She wasn't sure what winning a jackpot was, but it sounded positive and the way he was looking at her definitely made her feel like she had the right idea.
He leaned back and firmly grabbed onto her biceps, giving her a proper look over.
His eyes roamed over her. Flowers woven into her dress had started to droop, the color in their petals looked like it was draining away. Like most of the festival goers at this hour, it seemed the petals were feeling weary as well.
Despite that, he could still appreciate the attractive curves that were hidden underneath, and the beautiful face attached to the body.
His eyes trailed back up to meet her gaze before they slowly dragged over her facial features.
Round eyes, a small nose, soft and inviting jawline….
His eyes narrowed. Solan features.
For a quick moment, he glanced towards the boarder of the Kingdom of Sola before returning to her.
'A Solan? Here?' He gently grasped her chin, tilting it up and from side to side. A predatory smile spread across his lips that made her heart beat even faster.
'But...' Her skin tone was odd, her eye shape was slightly different than most Solans and those lips? A beautiful, plump shape he had yet to see anywhere else.
'Mixed? Where is the rest of you from, exotic beauty?'
Before he could say more, the festival fireworks began to go off.
They shot high into the sky and painted it with vibrant colors and designs.
Eilownia turned around and stared up at them in awe.
"What are those? They're so beautiful!"
She reached her hand into the air, towards the sky as if she could touch one with her fingertips.
"They're fireworks. Haven't you ever seen them before?" Marix asked, raising his eyebrow.
"No, I haven't."
"Well, you should experiencing dancing under the flowers of the sky, then."
Without waiting for her to agree or not, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the town square, where a new song had just begun.
He stopped in the very middle and slid his hand down to interlace his fingers with hers before sliding his free arm around her waist and yanking her closer to him.
"Let us have the last dance of the night."
She wiggled her fingers in his, pushing them closer together, before she grabbed on tighter to his hand.
As he took a step to the right, she twisted to the left.
Marix halted immediately and stared down at her.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm dancing."
'What an odd little thing she is. Who dances like this?' He thought to himself as he tightened his grip around her waist.
"No, follow my lead. Starting from the right, go in a square."
He guided her slowly, using his hands to gently press on her to signal where she should move.
"One, Two, Three, Four...One, Two, Three, Four...One….yes just like that."
She was catching on fairly quick, her feet moving in tandem with his.
The sky had darkened, and the square was lit up by twinkle lights. Petals fluttered down from above, floating around them as they danced.
'Is this really happening? The Viraaz Flower Festival is so much better than I ever could've dreamed it to be~' Her smile reached from ear to ear as they twirled in a square-like motion, feeling as though she were floating like the flower petals around them.
Finally, the music faded to a stop and all of the couples slowed their dances to a finish.
Eilownia looked around at everyone, reveling in the fact there were so many people around her that were enjoying themselves just like she was. She felt like she was one with all of them, even if they were strangers.
As she took in the sight around her, Marix gently grabbed her chin and tilted her head back towards him. Their eyes met, the petals continued to rain down, and electricity crackled between them.
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, pulling her even closer with his arm that was wrapped around her back. His other hand gently grasped the back of her head, keeping her in place, not that he really needed to.
She melted in his arms. Now her legs were really buckling.
"Tell me, Whin…..has this Little Flower ever been plucked before?" He whispered into her ear, nipping her ear as he did so.
"P-Plucked?"
His voice dropped to a lower whisper after her confusion, "No mind, it doesn't matter anyways."
Marix pulled away and grabbed her hand, leading her back towards the residential area.