Her words fluttered in his mind like a far away echo even when she was close enough for him to grab. Closer than what his sober self would have allowed. The pale glow from the bedside lamp was reflected on her green eyes, making it seem both mysterious and magical at the same time. It touched the smooth hair that framed her face and cascaded over her shoulder. The bare skin of her neck, her collar bone, her shoulder – she glowed like the moon reflecting the sun to bring light to darkness. 

Luke blinked slowly. The rational side of him convinced the rest of his self that it was wrong to look at the farmer the way he looked at her that night. That the thoughts starting to form in his drug-muddled brain were nothing but hallucinations. Rhiane was beautiful. Rhiane was stubborn. Rhiane was patient. Rhiane was careless. Rhiane was… She was making it difficult to find answers to the questions which he could have easily responded to a few days back. 

“Don’t.” He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pushing himself off the bed just as she did. The edges of the sedative were apparent through the uncontrolled force he exerted on her wrist and in getting up. Though he was content lying down and eventually succumbing to sleep, he did promise to stay with her that night. The sheet fell to his waist. His dirty shirt was stripped off him and in its place was nothing but a transparent brace around his midsection that supported the fractured ribs without making it more difficult for the wearer to breathe. 

Gravity seemed to have strengthened its pull ever since he woke up. It made his head feel heavy so that he had no other choice but lean his forehead on her shoulder. “At this rate, we could be in the middle of a battlefield and I would still sleep better. Don’t go.” He was done with being left behind with a heart that was no longer whole. “I picked you, didn’t I?” The beautiful sunset view from his secret island came to mind, but he failed to elaborate. It was difficult to recall in his state if he already told her that she was the first person he brought there. She could argue that it was only because of the device implanted on the two of them, and that would be true, except that he had not told her that he would bring her with him again with or without the implant. Sophia was a city girl who loved the modern comforts of the concrete jungle. She would not appreciate the island. Luke doubted that Sophia would have the courage that Rhiane showed, or that Sophia would trust him – a total stranger – with her life.

“My mother did not choose my father,” he murmured, remembering how she drew her explanation of love from what she witnessed from her parents. “Even though he chose her every single day. My father told me that he loved mum from afar even before the contest was announced. He was a member of the royal guards and was assigned the security of then Princess Camilla. Much like Tobias is to you.”

Silence followed as Luke contemplated on the analogy he had drawn between his parents and his fiancee’s relation to Tobias. His hand let go of her wrist, but in its place was a movement from behind her. Luke wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind as he rested his cheek atop her head. “Do you feel for my cousin more than you do for me? Do you like him the same way you like me?” Because her smile was real when she was with him, her eyes were happy and not rolling out of frustration. She was more at ease, and it was easier for her to depend on Tobias than Luke. “If you say yes, then I am going to let you go.” His arms tightened, though not too tight to hurt her but just enough to make a point. If his cousin loved her the way his father loved the queen, then there was no point standing in their way.