———————- Mirrors———-
Caelum stood alone in the dim light of his study. The room was silent except for the faint tick of a grandfather clock and the subtle hum of the city beyond the windows. Mirrors lined the walls, and he liked it that way. In the reflection of every surface; floor, wall, even the edge of his desk. He could watch himself. Study himself. Judge himself. His eyes locked on his own in the largest mirror, the one behind the desk. He saw the sharp angles of his jaw, the darkness in his gaze, and the tension in his shoulders.
"Am I really any different from him?"
The thought arrived unbidden, unwelcome, but undeniable. His father's venom—the cruelty, the cold manipulation, the way he instilled fear, lived in him more than he wanted to admit. And worse: he understood it. He understood the satisfaction it gave him to control, to anticipate, to dominate outcomes.
And her… he thought, the name unspoken, curling in the shadows of his mind. Aeris. He knew, with an almost painful certainty, how the story between them would end. He knew the ache she would feel. The frustration, the longing, the betrayal of expectation. He could see the pattern clearly, as if carved into the lines of his hands. And he hated that he couldn't stop it. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, forcing the tension down. He allowed himself a single thought: the promise he had made the day Geneya died. A secret promise. One he had never spoken aloud. One he could never break. It pressed on him now, like iron chains he had willingly wrapped around himself. The weight of it was suffocating, yet familiar. Protective. Necessary. Never breaking it… never.
His eyes snapped open. Mirrors surrounded him, multiplying his reflection, multiplying his darkness, multiplying the inevitability of what he had become.
Footsteps interrupted the quiet.
"Sir?"
Sugar stepped into the study, the clipboard in his hand. His voice carried just enough curiosity to make him flinch slightly from his reflection.
"Sugar," he acknowledged curtly without turning.
"You've been in here a while," he said lightly. "Just checking if…"
"Everything is fine," he cut in, his tone clipped.
He paused, hesitating at the doorway. "…Of course. Fine," he said, reading the tension like it was written on his body.
His gaze flicked to the mirrors, where his reflection was multiplied, layered over itself like a warning. He didn't comment, only shifted slightly and glanced down at the papers in her hands.
"You have a call from the office," he said instead, voice softening. "And… someone left a message. You might want to see it."
Caelum didn't move. The name wasn't mentioned, but he already knew. "Very well," he murmured, almost to himself.
Sugar hesitated, sensing the weight behind his words. "Do you… want me to take a message, sir?"
He finally turned, his reflection fracturing across multiple surfaces, catching the light in ways that made him look more intimidating than he intended. "…No. I'll handle it myself."
Sugar nodded, stepping back. "…As you wish, sir."
The study fell silent again. Caelum returned to his mirror, gaze hardening, mind spinning. The call. The message. The woman he had barely met but already haunted his thoughts. He let the darkness stretch around him like a cloak, letting it settle, letting it wait. And in that moment, with mirrors on every surface reflecting his own unrelenting intensity, he realized: no matter what he tried, no matter what promise he had made… he could not escape himself.
Caelum let his fingers hover over his phone for a moment longer than necessary, the mirror still behind him catching the faint glow of his office lights. He took a deep breath, the way he always did before crossing a line he couldn't take back. Then he dialed. The line rang twice, and then—
"…Hello?"
Aeris' voice came through, soft, cautious, almost immediately recognizable. Her tone shifted mid-syllable, betraying a mixture of surprise, happiness, and just the faintest hesitation.
"Good evening," he said smoothly, leaning against the desk, mirror reflections multiplying him like shadows around a flame.
"Oh…" she murmured. "…Good evening."
A pause.
"I received your message," he said evenly, though there was a faint undercurrent of amusement. "The one you asked Sugar to pass along."
Aeris blinked. "…Oh. That… yes."
"Thank you," she added quickly, a little too rushed. "…I just wanted to—well, thank you for Nyra's gift."
"And the wristwatch," he added deliberately.
Her cheeks warmed. "…Yes. And for that as well."
Silence hung for a heartbeat. Then, as if the tension cracked slightly, Aeris started talking.
"Oh, work has been… you know," she blurted out. Something you used as a coping mechanism when she felt akward "…photography, editing, office stuff… it's so quiet, though. I mean, really quiet. Hardly anyone talks. And my house… it's lonely. Too quiet, I mean. I keep thinking I should call Nyra again…she's been traveling, the honeymoon, of course…"
Her words poured out, tripping over each other as she rambled. She admitted more than she normally would: the boredom, the quiet, the way she missed human connection, the small absurdities of her everyday life. He listened. Silently. Patiently. Calculating. Then she sighed. "…And tonight I have to cook dinner, because I… I don't want to eat cereal again, I guess." The words barely left her lips before he spoke, deliberate, calm, almost teasing:
"Then don't."
Aeris froze. "…Excuse me?"
"Don't cook," he repeated. "Come with me for dinner."
She blinked, caught off guard. She didn't decline. Not immediately. She only hesitated for a heartbeat before murmuring, "…Alright…"
He didn't push. He let her answer hang in the air, satisfied that she hadn't said no. The call ended moments later. Aeris lay back against her pillows, heart racing, mind buzzing. She fumbled for her phone, fingers moving almost on autopilot. Nyra had to know.
Aeris opened a new message and typed quickly, almost giddy:
"Sugar delivered my thanks… and now he called. He… invited me to dinner. 😳😝🥳"
She sent it immediately.
Within seconds, a reply buzzed back.
"WHAT?! 😭😭 Omg, you're ruining me. Dinner?! THIS IS IT. HE CALLED. HE. CALLED. YOU!!.😭😭🥳"
Aeris laughed softly, heart still fluttering. "…I knowwww" she whispered to herself, smiling. The night suddenly felt alive. The quiet of her apartment vanished. The thought of him, so deliberate, so intense, so in control was right there in her mind.
The car pulled up smoothly in front of the restaurant, its black finish gleaming under the city lights. Aeris hesitated for a moment before stepping out, smoothing her crop hoodie over her jeans. Definitely not what one wore to a fine dining establishment, she thought miserably, but there wasn't time to change. Inside, the foyer smelled of polished wood, fresh flowers, and subtle hints of expensive wine. A tall man in a tailored suit, presumably the maître d' or butler, stepped forward.
"You are?" he asked politely, arching an eyebrow.
"Aeris…?" she replied, uncertain. "I'm here with…"
The moment she spoke, the man's eyes widened slightly as recognition clicked. "Miss Aeris! Right this way, ma'am," he said smoothly, cutting her off, and led her down a corridor lined with soft golden lighting.
She entered the main dining room and froze. There he was. Caelum. Seated at the center table, dressed immaculately in black, posture perfect, eyes flicking toward her the moment she appeared. Every muscle in his body spoke control, discipline, and dominance. Every glance made her flush and shrink slightly. She was painfully aware that she was the only one underdressed in the room: jeans, a hoodie, sneakers. She tried to straighten her shoulders, but the contrast made her feel ridiculous. The table was set flawlessly: crystal glasses, polished silverware, folded napkins perfectly aligned. She shifted nervously in her seat. Barely before her jeans touched the chair, The waiter handed her a menu. She opened it… and froze. Foreign names, exotic ingredients, dishes she had no clue how to pronounce. Her eyes scanned the pages and finally rested on one word she recognized: Steak.
"Uh… I'll have the steak, please," she said quietly, cheeks heating.
Cealum chuckled, and ordered for just wine. He asked if she was comfortable, and she nodded profusely, like a toddler. Caelum's gaze flicked to her, sharp, assessing, and something cold passed through his eyes. Her casualness, her slouch, the way she fumbled…it offended him on a deep, almost instinctual level.
The food arrived almost immediately, steaming hot and looked quite expensive, as expected. She watched as he poured the wine with such precision a cup for her and one for him. She chugged the yummy wine down before she noticed that he only took sips— everyone did. This tickled something is Caelum's brain. Something awful… like the time he was at the table with Father, and chugged Orange juice like it wasn't a privilege. He remembered the beating mother got for it, and the scolding him and Geneya revived for not holding the glass in the appropriate manner. Aeris started eating, thank goodness she knew how to properly use her cutlery. But for some reason she kept talking. Holding a conversation while eating wasn't something they did in his house. It was an abomination.
"Youre not eating? You're shy," she muttered nervously, trying to make conversation as she chewed on a piece of meat. His jaw tightened. Shy. She didn't understand the etiquette here. She didn't know the silent rules of posture, of elegance, of control. And he hated it.
"Takeout," he said sharply, signaling a waiter. "For her. And… leave."
Aeris blinked, heart skipping. "Wait, what?"
"Ten minutes," he said, voice low and deliberate. "That is all the time needed."
Before she could protest further, the restaurant staff moved efficiently, packing her meal, clearing the table, and leaving. Caelum stood, pulling his coat over his shoulders.
"Come," he said, gesturing toward the car.
She followed silently, still stunned. The drive home was quiet. He didn't speak. She didn't speak. The city lights blurred past in a mix of excitement, confusion, and embarrassment. Finally, he stopped in front of her building. She stepped out.
"Thank you…?" she ventured softly, unsure of protocol.
He didn't respond. Without a word, he slipped back into the car and drove off, engine humming, leaving her standing there alone. Her legs felt weak as she ran up the stairs to her apartment. She threw the takeout onto her table, sat down heavily, and pulled her knees up to her chest. Her hands shook slightly as she grabbed her phone and typed to Nyra:
"He hates me… of course he does, I show up to his fancy dinner in Jeans, girl, Jeans! Matter of fact, I hate me too. I'm going to literally puke"
She hit send and slumped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, heart hammering. Confusion, embarrassment, and some strange, undeniable spark of intrigue filled her chest. What the hell had just happened?