Now I’m roaming around the area I’ve come to fall in love with. There are a few cafés and restaurants here, big parks, andsome residential complexes. Thanks to the air filters installed throughout this whole area, the air is not as bad as the rest of New York. I guess I’ll miss my evening walks along this road.
And then I see him. Leaning against a tree on the footpath, arms crossed over his chest, clad in a long black coat over his formal attire, hair perfectly combed, he looks exactly like what he is: a prince. The prince of the underworld, the Satan who walks among mortals to rule them.
He’s watching me with that handsome smile. I don’t know why he smiles, because I’m certain no one would mistake him for a safe and sweet man just because of his smiles. Doesn’t everyone know how much evil he carries?
And just to prove me wrong, the universe sends an old lady near him. She talks with him, pats his cheek lovingly, and then walks off in the direction he points. No one knows he is evil, my own parents are so charmed by his carefully crafted kind and innocent persona that they refuse to believe even their own daughter.
He comes toward me. I stopped walking the instant I saw him. I’ve been avoiding him successfully for the past five days, or rather, he has been letting me avoid him. What does he want today?
He stops in front of me and extends his hand.
“Give me your hand, Angel.”
I place my hand in his palm, and he slides a ring onto my finger. A simple but beautiful gold band, with no diamond on top. I stare at the exquisite piece of jewelry, feeling a jolt of emotion I can’t control.
“You said you don’t like diamonds, so this is for you to wear every day. On our wedding, I’ll have to give you a big-ass diamond ring, you know, show off is important, or people will question how important you are to me.”
I had mentioned that I don’t like diamonds many years ago. We were attending a wedding of his father and my father’s common friend’s daughter. We were sitting close together. Back then, I used to find excuses to be near him for a few minutes, and that day I got the luxury of sitting close to him. I talked a lot that day, spilling unnecessary details, and one of them was that I don’t like diamonds. With the way he was sitting, watching me without any expression or interest, I was sure he hadn’t listened to any of my babbling.
I pull my hand back from his and look at the ring. “I didn’t know you were listening,” I mutter.
“Why wouldn’t I? I had to trick Zo and Kaz so I could sit near you. It would have been a waste of effort if I hadn’t listened.”
I look at his face in surprise. My heart drops before leaping again, and now it doesn’t know how to calm down.
“Why?”
He looks away and sighs. “I don’t know… it just felt good.” He glances back at me, his expression serious. “Watching your smile, the flush on your cheeks, the shine in your eyes… it felt good.” Sadness flickers across his features, but only for a moment before he masks it with one of his smiles. I realize this smile is meant to hide what he’s truly feeling.
“Why do you smile so much?”
His smile shifts, and this time it’s real, reaching his eyes. “Smiles keep people guessing. I like it when people are confused around me, when they don’t know if I’m serious or not, or if I’m their friend or enemy. Sometimes I smile because people are stupidly entertaining. Sometimes to hide the real emotion,” he adds, bending down slightly, his eyes roaming over my face. “And even fewer times… when I find something truly adorable.”
I clear my throat and look away. He straightens, and we resume walking toward his apartment. He walks very close to me, but not close enough to touch.
“When do you want to get married?” he asks.
“Like my opinion matters,” I scoff.
He sighs. “How about March? It’s neither too cold nor too hot.”
“You’ll regret marrying me,” I warn.
He chuckles. “We’ll see.”
I glance at him. “I’m going to hate you forever.”
He meets my eyes. “Forever is a long time.”
I roll my eyes at his smug confidence. What is it about him that makes him so sure of everything?
Silence falls between us—thick, tense, and utterly uncomfortable.
As we near the building gate, he stops. I halt too and look up at him.
“I have to leave for DC tonight. I had planned to go with you to Vald, but something unavoidable came up.”
“You don’t have to explain, and honestly, I’m happier traveling alone,” I reply.
