Sophia nearly melted when she heard him call her that.
“I will not,” she agreed.
“Promise me?”
“I promise.”
When he kissed the top of her head again, Sophia knew that she was sick.
Lovesick. And her only cure was Duncan. For him, she was willing to believe that she was not cursed, if only it gave her the opportunity to spend more time with him.
Good thing that they had the rest of their lives together.
Just then, Cecil ventured into where the two of them were.
“Oh,” Sophia muttered in surprise, “she must have heard my voice and came looking for me.”
“So that is the infamous Cecil,” Duncan looked in the cat’s direction. “The animal that is so precious to you that you could not bear to leave your family home without her.”
“I consider her to be my family,” Sophia smiled. “I think the both of you have not had a chance to interact yet.”
Cecil was circling curiously around where the Duke was now, sniffing him and purring as she rubbed herself against his legs.
“You must translate what her gestures mean,” Duncan remarked as both of them stared down at the cat. “I am not quite as fluent in cat-speak as you are.”
Sophia smiled, almost beaming now.
“I am pleased to tell that you this means that Cecil likes you.”
“Ah, so I am approved by the family cat after all then,” Duncan laughed.
“Indeed, you are.”
For Sophia, this felt like yet another sign that Duncan was the right person for her. Cecil was notoriously picky with whom she accorded affection to, and the fact that she was so easily getting along with the Duke meant something.
In her haze of love, Sophia finally began to shed away the cynicism that had clung onto her every thought like rust ever since her accident.
Could Sophia be lucky enough that she finally had a shot at a normal love story? No, there was nothing normal about their love story at all. It was the most extraordinary experience that Sophia had ever had.
“What are you thinking?” Duncan’s voice was soft, and he tucked away a strand of Sophia’s hair from her face. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not noticed that silence had filled up between them.
Except, it was not an uncomfortable silence. It was a silence that felt natural and held no pressure to say the perfect thing.
Sophia looked back at the Duke, the happiness she felt on the inside evident on her face.
“About you.”
“Me?” Duncan grinned, pleased by her response. “What do I owe that immense honour?”
“Well,” Sophia pursed her lips, “It is only natural, since you have quite the knack of occupying my thoughts.”
“Even when I am not around?”
“Especially when you are not around,” Sophia smiled.
They gazed into each other’s eyes in a sweet, tender moment. Only to be interrupted by Cecil meowing loudly.
“I suppose she’s hungry,” Sophia laughed at the comic timing of the interruption.
