[h1][color=red][center]FLASHBACK[/center][/color][/h1]

[color=lightgray][center][h2][color=D0B4EC]Lottie[/color] & [color=lightsteelblue]Cas[/color]

Part 2[/h2]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/3xLx2dH.png[/img]


[color=D0B4EC]Time:[/color] Sola 26

[color=lightsteelblue]Location:[/color] Vikena Estate 

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[color=D0B4EC][i]Do I trust him?[/i][/color] 

It was the kind of question that should have sent her heart plummeting, her gut screaming and mind recoiling with all the reasons she shouldn’t.  She could almost hear the voices of her friends protesting in her mind, their concerns, their warnings. Even her own logic chastised her, reminding her of Calbert and all the danger that loomed around him. It made no sense to be here, to let herself fall into this moment with him.

And yet, there was no hesitation in the way she reached for his hand. Her blue eyes locked with his, unwavering, as if daring the world to question her.  The warmth of his skin, solid and real, sent a ripple of something unshakable through her, grounding her in the certainty she shouldn’t have had.

[color=D0B4EC]“Yes.”[/color] 

The instant her fingers slipped into his, Cassius felt something deep in his chest tighten...not with apprehension, but with something far more intoxicating. [i]Certainty.[/i]

His grip was firm but gentle as he helped her up, his other hand resting briefly at her waist to steady her as she stepped into the carriage. The faint rustle of fabric, the warmth of her so close...it was enough to send a slow burn coursing through him. [color=lightsteelblue][i]Gods, this woman.[/i][/color]

As she settled inside, Cassius turned toward the driver, the smirk playing at his lips unmistakable as he gave the man a wink of gratitude. Then, he climbed in after her, shutting the door behind them.

The space inside the carriage was close, intimate, the air between them still charged from the moment that had just passed. Anticipation, possibility, and genuine excitement weaved their way through Cas as his eyes met hers with a little smile for accompaniment. Then, they were off. 

The wheels lurched into motion, and the soft hum of the city fell away behind them as they moved down Cherry Lane. Cassius leaned back against the plush seat, stretching out his legs slightly, his arm resting lazily along the back of the carriage. He let the momentary silence settle, glancing sidelong at her, taking in the way the lantern light flickered against the deep burgundy of her dress, casting warm highlights along her skin.

In all her innocence, something about Charlotte felt like sin and divinity all at once. [b]She was breathtaking.[/b] 

The thought came unbidden, and he exhaled slowly, forcing himself to focus elsewhere...on the rhythmic sway of the carriage, the distant sound of laughter from a passing tavern, the faint clatter of hooves against the cobblestone. Eventually, the carriage slowed, the distant whistle of a train cutting through the air.

Cassius grinned to himself. As the carriage came to a full stop, he wasted no time. Pushing the door open, he stepped out onto the platform, the cool evening air brushing against his skin. The soft glow of the station lamps illuminated the scene...a few scattered passengers, the faint hiss of steam rising from the waiting train.

Without missing a beat, Cassius strode around to the other side of the carriage, reaching up to unlatch the door. It swung open smoothly, and he extended a hand toward her once more, his grin equal parts wicked and charming.

[color=lightsteelblue]“Allow me, Lady Vikena.”[/color] His tone was sweet, but laced with playful mischief, as if he were toeing the line between a roguish tease and a gentleman’s sincerity.

Charlotte blinked as the door opened before her, revealing the world outside the carriage, her gaze flickering past him toward the waiting train. The cool night air that greeted her carried with it the distant hum of Sorian, but here, at the station, the world felt smaller, more intimate—just the two of them standing between the quiet anticipation of something unknown.

Her fingers twitched at her sides before she reached for his hand once more as she stepped gracefully down from the carriage. 

[color=D0B4EC]“A train?”[/color] she finally said, lifting her gaze to his with intrigue. [color=D0B4EC]“I do hope this isn’t some elaborate scheme to whisk me away into the night, never to be seen again.”[/color] 

Cas gave a playful tilt of his head at her words, those perfect eyes of his gleaming with mischief.

[color=lightsteelblue]”Now now, Lottie…”[/color] he drawled, stepping in just a touch closer, their hands still joined. [color=lightsteelblue]”If I were to steal you away, if you were ever to [i]truly experience[/i] the full benefits of what a night with me could entail, I’d bet all the gold in Sorian that you’d never wish to leave again.”[/color] 

His thumb brushed ever so slightly against her knuckles before he turned, leading her toward the train with a wink and his effortless confidence. 

[color=D0B4EC]“Incorrugible.”[/color] She had muttered with flushed cheeks, glancing away as they walked forward.

As they approached, the rhythmic hiss of steam filled the night air, the station lamps casting long golden streaks across the platform. The train itself was sleek and elegant, its dark carriages promising the unknown. Cassius held up their tickets briefly, giving a nod to the attendant before turning back to Charlotte with something softer in his expression.

[color=lightsteelblue]“But in all seriousness, Lottie. You’ve trusted me this far, haven’t you?”[/color] His voice dipped lower, quieter, meant just for her. [color=lightsteelblue]“And I intend to be worthy of that trust. You have my word…I’ll be a [i]mostly perfect[/i] gentleman.”[/color]

Then, as if sensing the weight of his own words, his smirk returned in full. 

[color=lightsteelblue]“Besides, a little risk here and there only makes life more interesting. And, let’s be honest, if I [i]were[/i] kidnapping you, I’d hardly have gone through the trouble of buying train tickets, now would I?”[/color]

With that, he took a step back, gesturing toward the waiting train.

[color=lightsteelblue]“After you, Lady Vikena.”[/color]

Charlotte tilted her head ever so slightly, as if in deep contemplation—though, in truth, she hadn’t missed a beat. When she finally spoke, she seemed to be adding to her last statement, [color=D0B4EC]“And terribly optimistic.”[/color] Her eyes met his and a steady smile slowly crept on her face as she held his stormy gaze. 

Then she abruptly stepped into the train without breaking her stride, but rather than turning away, she twisted, walking backward down the aisle with deliberate slowness. 

[color=D0B4EC]“Has it never occurred to you, Cassius, that perhaps it could be the other way around?”[/color]

There was something about that ego of his, something insufferably infuriating yet strangely invigorating, that stirred something in her.  It did not make her want to change, no, but it reminded her of someone familiar, someone she had nearly forgotten. 

All the nerves that usually made her stutter and stumble her way through a conversation melted away, and instead her eyes narrowed, just as they had the first time they had met. 

She then lifted her chin, voice laced with playful challenge.[color=D0B4EC]“That it could be [i]you[/i] who finds yourself unable to leave?”[/color] 

Charlotte let her fingers trail lightly over the back of a velvet seat as she moved, her tone laced with something sultry, something just barely teasing the edge of seduction.[color=D0B4EC]“That every night when you close your eyes, it is my face that lingers, my voice that whispers in the quiet? That every moment apart from me feels like an ache—one you cannot explain, one you cannot rid yourself of?”[/color]

She paused just long enough for the idea to take root before finishing with a sweet smile, [color=D0B4EC]“And before you know it…you are the one crawling back to me.”[/color]

Charlotte subsequently spun on her heel and sauntered ahead merrily, [color=D0B4EC]“Do try to keep up, won’t you—I want to find our seats.”[/color]

Cassius let out a low, knowing chuckle at her words, shaking his head slightly in playful disbelief. 

[color=lightsteelblue]"Oh, if only you could be so lucky as to test your little theory, Lottie."[/color] His voice dipped just slightly, the silken edge of it weaving between playfulness and something far more deliberate. 

Despite his perfect demeanor, Cas faltered in his thoughts for the briefest of moments. He knew, unequivocally, that Charlotte had just been throwing the jest back his way…but…there was something about her words that sparked a hint of truth. Once more his thoughts traveled to how she, without even meaning to, had woven herself into his mind from the very night they met. The ponderance only lingered a fraction of a second, yet that fragment of a realization held weight.    

With that, he followed her down the narrow aisle, his stride unhurried, his presence a steady radiance at her back. Their seats weren’t far, and just as he moved to step past her...his intention to slide into his own seat first...an attendant’s cart rolled up beside them, forcing him to adjust.

[b]The space between them collapsed in an instant.[/b]

Less than an inch. That’s all the space that remained between their bodies. They were now close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her, the delicate rise and fall of her breath. Close enough that if either of them swayed even slightly, they’d brush.

His hand instinctively caught the back of her seat as he leaned in by the barest margin, his smirk never faltering. But his eyes...[i]those damned Cassius eyes[/i]...darkened, tracing her face in the dim light of the train car. A flicker of something unspoken, something heady, passed between them, electric in its restraint.

Charlotte barely had a moment to react before the space between them vanished. All of a sudden she was trapped between Cassius and the attendant’s cart.

Her breath hitched, her spine straightening sharply as his arm brushed against the seat behind her, caging her in without even trying. The warmth of him, the damnable way he loomed without effort, sent a rush of something equal parts irritation and something far more dangerous skittering down her spine.

Her gaze flickered up to meet his, only to find those beautiful eyes of his watching her—watching her with an intensity that set fire to her nerves.

Then came his voice as he tilted his head just enough to murmur, his breath ghosting against the air between them.

[color=lightsteelblue]"Here we are, love. Our seats are waiting for us."[/color]

And then, with a slow but deliberate ease, he slipped past her, settling into his seat as if the moment had never happened...except for the unmistakable glint in his gaze that said he’d felt [i]everything[/i]. And he was damn sure she had too.

[i]Oh.[/i] Oh, he was enjoying this. She could see it in the glint in his eyes and that smug, barely-there smirk playing at his lips! Certainly, that had been no accident. 

As he slid past her, settling into his seat, she inhaled and summoned every ounce of composure she had left.

And then—

[color=D0B4EC]“You do have an awful habit of invading one's personal space. Please try not to forget yourself, Cassius.”[/color] she commented, her voice light yet disinterested, as though it was just a simple observation. She gave a slow, sweet blink, then she slid gracefully into her seat across from him, primly smoothing her dress. And with that, she crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands in her lap.  Her expression remained serene, unbothered, [i]unmoved[/i]—save for the traitorous warmth that still lingered in her cheeks.

Cassius leaned back in his seat, one arm draped lazily over the backrest, watching her with open amusement as she settled herself with all the grace of a queen who hadn’t just been moments away from combusting. [b]Oh, she was good[/b]. Better than he had given her credit for at the least. That light, perfectly composed tone, the slow blink…every calculated movement meant to imply [i]unbothered[/i].

And yet he knew the truth…

[color=lightsteelblue]"Forget myself?"[/color] His voice was the picture of wounded innocence, though the gleam in his eyes suggested he was anything but. He tilted his head slightly, studying her with a smirk that bordered on too knowing. [color=lightsteelblue]"I do believe you're mistaken, love. If anything, I think I recall myself [i]far too well[/i]."[/color]

He let the words hang between them, letting them settle in the tension-draped air of the carriage as the train lurched forward and departed. Then, as if sensing just the faintest lingering embers in her cheeks, he exhaled a quiet, confident, chuckle and turned his gaze briefly to the passing scenery outside.

The interior of the train was nothing short of luxurious. Velvet seats, brass sconces along the walls, and tables with beautiful cloths. The surface of each table was adorned with a single crystal lamp and a small vase of flowers. It was rather quiet besides the backdrop of chatter for the first moment or so until the faint hum of the engine and the rhythmic clatter of wheels against the tracks filled the space.

Charlotte ran her fingers absentmindedly along the edge of the table. She had taken this train so many times before—especially as a young girl, nestled between her parents, peering eagerly out the window at the rolling countryside. A luminous moon hung low in the sky, painting the hills and tall silhouettes of trees in light. The memory stirred something warm within her, and before she realized it, she was smiling to herself.

When he glanced back, her fingers were absently tracing the edge of the table, her lips curved in a soft, almost private smile.

And that...that was different.

The playfulness in his gaze softened, if only slightly, and for a moment, he simply watched her. Not with teasing, not with mischief, but with something quieter. A curiosity. A quiet pull toward the way her expression had shifted...not for him, not for any game they were playing, but for something else entirely.

He tapped a single finger against the table, drawing her attention back to him. [color=lightsteelblue]"Penny for your thoughts, Lottie?"[/color] The smirk returned, but this time, there was something gentler behind it. [color=lightsteelblue]"Or shall I guess?"[/color]

[color=D0B4EC]“Hmmm… Indulge my curiosity then.[/color] Charlotte’s smile did not waver as she drawled out her words.  [color=D0B4EC]“Give me your best guess.”[/color]
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