Kiss Me Not

Cedric's eyes were gleaming with love and desire for the woman before him. He cupped her small face and whispered, "Did you overcome your phobia of kissing sweetheart? We should stop now or else I won't be able to control myself… I want you. I want to do more than kissing you but not like this. Not in your current state."

Instead of answering, Brione jumped into his chest and hugged him tightly. She buried her face into his chest inhaling his scent. She tried her best to control her tears but couldn't. She was still sober though she had a glass of whiskey to boost her courage to be aggressive.

She kissed him just like how she kissed Gavin. There was no hesitation nor any uneasy feeling that she would often experience with other men when she tried to kiss for a scene. She did not feel gross nor afraid. 

She kissed him wholeheartedly and for her, this was enough to prove that he was really Gavin. There has to be a missing piece somewhere and she would make sure to find it and complete the puzzle properly.

Cedric heaved a long sigh. He was not naive. He could tell that Brione was not giving up on her idea that he was Gavin. His pride did not mean anything to him since he decided not to care about her thinking he was Gavin.

Instead, he set himself a goal of making her see the real him and hoped she would eventually realize that he loved her with all his heart despite the pain of being Gavin's shadow. He knew he would need a lot of patience but he was in no hurry and he was determined to give his all.

"You should go to sleep now. Come, I will walk you back to your room," Cedric whispered as he gently stroked her hair while planting gentle kisses on her head.

"I want to sleep here," Brione whispered. Cedric did not turn her down because he was also worried about letting Brione sleep in her room all alone. It would be best if she slept near him where he could make sure that she would not do anything stupid given her current state.

Without wasting any more time, Cedric carried her into his arms, bridal style, then walked inside his bedroom. Brione bit her lips and snuggled more into Cedric's chest. Tonight she had the excuse of being drunk so she reassured herself that it was okay to ask to stay with him. 

He was Gavin… The man she longed and waited for the whole year… the man she loved with all her heart.

Her eyes started drooping while he carried her. It might be because of her crying or the alcohol or both but she slowly drifted into her sleep. When Cedric carefully and gently laid her down on the bed, she was already sleeping.

Cedric smiled and whispered, "Look at you. Sleeping like an adorable baby after acting like a wild cat a few minutes ago."

He sat beside the bed and stared at her while caressing her face and wiped the remaining tears on her cheeks.

He understood Brione. She was going through a tough time. She had hoped to see Gavin for a long time but then that hope crumpled when she came to know that he was not the man she was expecting him to be. And right now the same flicker of hope reignited and she was still holding on to that idea with all her heart.

"I will help you heal sweetheart. I will stay by your side and help you feel better" he whispered before he joined her to bed.

******

At Country D, Yu's Residence.

"The similarities are really quite… Ahhh… We should go there and see for ourselves!" Luo cried frustratingly as she glared at her husband's phone. It was a picture of her sister-in-law Brione with Gavin! But apparently, the guy was the Prince, soon to be King of Country B.

Noah shook his head feeling just as frustrated. The couple were already in bed preparing to sleep when Luo insisted on looking at his phone to see the photos Brione sent. The pictures were of Brione and Cedric which were taken in the forest of Perdu Island.

Luo looked at her husband Noah and asked, "What about the lineage of Gavin? Do we have any clues? If we don't then we must not stop until we find something. I still believe in Brione's gut feeling. We all know that she knew Gavin very well and if it's her heart that is recognizing him then…"

Luo sighed before continuing, "The heart never goes wrong baby."

Noah stared at Luo and said, "But we both know that sometimes the heart clouds rational thinking. I can't even mention Gavin's name in front of Uncle Damiel let alone find out about his lineage. Do you want him to have another heart attack? You were there when the doctor said that if he had a second attack it would be fatal to him and there's a high possibility that it would take his life."

"How about the hospital where Gavin was born? No clue at all?" Luo pondered because she was feeling anxious for her sister-in-law. She had personally witnessed how much Brione suffered when Gavin left, not to mention when she heard the news that he was declared dead though his body was not found.

Luo was a prosecutor before she decided to become a lawyer instead. She had a lot of experience with various things and was very good at connecting the missing dots.

She frowned as she started thinking very deeply. Noah stayed silent and just observed his wife, without knowing what was going through in that head of hers.

After a few minutes, Luo looked at him and said, "If we are unable to find a lead through Gavin then let's start searching from the root."

"Huh?" Noah breathed.

"I will personally handle this matter, baby. This involves the happiness of our sister so we must not take this lightly. I trust Brione's judgment. That girl can be clumsy and naive most of the time but trust me, a woman's hunch must not be taken lightly especially when it involves the man she loves." Luo stated firmly.