Chapter 60 - Nicklaus

Tiana stirred in her sleep. The light rays coming from the window hurt her eyes. Turning her head to the other side, her eyes fluttered open. After a few seconds she looked around the room and her heart sunk, there was no-one there.

Although she knew it wasn't real, it felt real; she had heard her mom's voice in her ears; she heard her speak to her; she had told her it was alright and she would never leave her again.

She didn't want to accept that it was all a dream; that she had just faked it all up in her head. She was still thinking about last night when suddenly her eyes widened,

Wait, a minute… she remembered falling asleep on the couch when the storm began.

How did she get here? Her brows creased as her thoughts wandered.

Did her mom really come to her? Did she really come to comfort her?

Tiana's eyes widened in surprise, but just when she was about to rejoice, she smelt a familiar scent around her, and her thoughts paused. She raised the pillow by her side to her nose and her eyes widened;

She knew that smell, there was only one person she had sensed it on before… NICKLAUS!!!

Her eyes widened in shock and she lifted her gown to her nose and instantly, she felt like sinking into the ground. Everything that happened the day before came back to her in a flash; and instead of her mother's feminine voice, she realized that she had heard Nicklaus' deep masculine voice!!

How did she mistake the two? There were not even alike at all…

She remembered jumping into his arms like her life depended on it and calling him Mommy…

Tiana mentally fainted.

How was her brain acting as though it lost some nuts? How was she going to face him now with everything that happened the previous day?

She clutched her hair with both hands and tried pulling them from the root, but quickly let it go when she felt pain surging from her scalp.

She would just kill herself and get it over with; she cannot face him, not after tabling her insecurities in front of him.

Tiana clutched the quilt frustratingly; how was she going to leave the room now? And she didn't have dinner the previous night, she was so hungry, a sad pout found its way to her lips as she rubbed her grumbling belly; at that moment, she wished she locked herself in her room when she saw the storm about to begin; how was she going to face him now?

Maybe she should just apologize and get it over with?

Tiana thought and quickly kicked against the idea; if she apologized, it would mean that she remembered what she did, and it would give him a reason to punish her again.

No, she would just pretend as though she didn't know what happened; even if he brought it up, she would feign ignorance.

Her face brightened as the thought entered her mind. She mentally congratulated herself for her wisdom. Heaving a sigh of relief; she closed her eyes to sleep a little more. Her mind wandered back to the events of the previous night once she shut her eyes.

She remembered him patting her and replying to her as her mom would do; and her brows creased.

Why would he do that? He could have woken her up, but he comforted her. Why would he do that?

Tiana's eyes opened again, as her head was thrown into confusion.

He was not kind in any way and he thought only about himself. Why would he care that she was crying over her mom?

Tiana wondered, but yet she couldn't come up with any reason for his actions. Pushing the thoughts aside, she closed her eyes to sleep.

...

Nicklaus sat on a couch in the living room, his tablet was on his hand as though he was busy with it, but his whole attention was on Tiana's room door. He had glanced at the door for the fiftieth time in ten minutes.

The day before, although he didn't want to leave, he knew that she would be scared if she woke up and saw him by her side, so he waited for her to sleep deeper, and then he quietly stood up from the bed.

His eyes remained on her body for a moment, the way she lay had raised up her gown and thus exposing her smooth legs and almost half of her thighs. Nicklaus felt his throat tighten again. He quickly lifted the quilt and covered her body with it, tucking her in properly before leaving the room before he would so something he might regret.

It was almost ten o'clock in the morning but she was still not out of her room; he felt that she remembered what transpired between them the previous day and was scared to leave the room. Nicklaus didn't like that she feared him. His heart squeezed whenever he saw her avoiding him like he was a disease.

Although he had been wicked to her, he vowed that he wouldn't hurt her anymore. Even though she might never want them to be friends because of what he had done to her, he would make effort to relax the tension between them. If they could have a normal conversation without her gaze wandering as though she was eager to leave his presence, then he was okay.

Just at that moment, he heard her door creak open slowly; he saw her stick out her head and glance towards his room, when she saw that it was closed, she stepped out and closed the door behind her. Turning towards the living room mindlessly, her gaze locked on Nicklaus' and she flinched in shock, her heart pounding against her chest.

She was not expecting to see him there at all! She had been practicing her pretending skills in the room for over thirty minutes, but she had given herself away at the first glance.

Tiana mentally slapped herself and quickly looked away from him, her cheeks deep red from embarrassment. As though luck was on her side, there was the beep of the doorbell and she thanked her stars. Quickly, she walked towards the door to accept the meal she had ordered a while ago.