Ensnaring his Dark Moon-Chapter 239: Can I...?

"I don’t want to talk to you,’’ Esme distanced herself from the man as they walked out of the castle.

’’But I very much want to,’’ Aleister casually said, following the woman as she led him to the sea.

’’If you want to see the sea, then you can go ahead by yourself. There,’’ Esme pointed her finger towards the sea.

The argument in the courtroom was still unresolved. And something else that demanded her attention was the lost look on her friend’s face in the courtroom earlier.

Luciana looked somewhat sad and Esme did not know why but she was going to make sure to know about it before she went to sleep.

Luciana took a reluctant Leo with herself and here she was, following the King’s order to show his guest around.

If Esme believed in silly things like fate, then she might have claimed that Aleister and her were fated given how their paths kept intertwining with each other.

But she was better than that.

’’I want you to show me,’’ Aleister sighed. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

There went his persistence to cling to her.

Show him the sea? She might as well push him into it.

’’I don’t want to be around you,’’ Esme said straightforwardly as she started to walk away from him.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to stand in front of him, ’’Why? Do you hate me that much?"

’’Yes. Now let me go,’’ Esme glanced at his strong hand encircling her wrist.

’’And you did not think about me? During all these days, did you not think about me even once?’’ Aleister asked softly, almost sadly.

Esme stiffened when she heard his words. Did she think about him even once? If she said yes, she would be lying because she thought about him more than once.

’’You have no words now?" Aleister chuckled.

’’No,’’ Esme stubbornly avoided his gaze.

He curled his index finger under her chin and lifted her head, ’’You did well. Now, look into my eyes and say it again,’’ his lips curved up in a challenging smirk.

Esme narrowed her eyes, ’’Are you trying to use your eyes to lure me in now?"

’’Is it working, my dear moon?" Aleister smiled wider, ’’Are you being lured?"

’’No, it is not,’’ Esme emphasized, ’’I am not.’’

’’No?"

"No,’’ she pursed her lips but as his grip on her chin tightened, she looked into his eyes. And before she realized it, her mouth was on its own sweet journey, ’’How is it wrong if I thought of you? I did it. Not once. I did it more than I would have liked but it is your fault. You are just hateful to that extent. I have never met a man who had the audacity to come to me and act like he owned me...’’

’’You own me.’’

Esme ignored his flirtatious words and continued speaking, ’’...You are so full of yourself and that makes you unforgettable so I don’t see how is it wrong if I thought about you a few times...’’

And just like that, he loosened his hold on her and stepped back from her, ’’Unforgettable, huh? Yet you forgot me...’’ he mumbled under his breath.

But she heard it.

Esme heard it loud and clear.

As their eyes met, she could see it on his face. She heard his words and he knew she heard them, ’’You know me, don’t you?"

’’Do you see a reason why I would hover around you like a bee if I didn’t know you?" sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Esme frowned, ’’Not like that...’’

Aleister lowered his body and leaned closer to her till their foreheads touched, ’’Like what then? I am happy to know that you thought of me. Will you smile at me if I tell you that you made my day?"

Esme stepped back from him immediately, feeling like her forehead was scalded, "You are impossible to talk to,’’ she whispered, her lips forming a pout unconsciously.

’’Here you are, still talking to me. That makes the two of us.’’

Esme ignored the man and walked towards the sea. She started climbing the boulder and from the corner of her eyes, she noticed the man standing there idly but his gaze remained fixated on her footing.

His stance told her that if she were to fall, he would hold her.

Her instinct told her that and most of the time, she believed her instinct no matter how annoying it got.

Sighing, she continued climbing.

Once she climbed up to the boulder, she sat on it, looking down at the bottomless sea.

It did not surprise her when Aleister followed her and came to sit beside her.

She just glared at him quietly.

He shrugged and unabashedly inched closer to her.

The sun was close to setting and Esme kept her gaze on the sky, feeling his gaze on her.

’’Can we stop fighting?" Aleister asked.

’’I am not fighting with you,’’ Esme mumbled.

’’Can you not hate me?"

Esme sighed, ’’I don’t hate you,’’ Even though she said that earlier but she did not hate him. She just hated the effect he had on her.

When he was away, he made her think of him, and when he was in front of her... Esme sighed again.

’’Then, can you stop talking to me like I stole your food and destroyed your shelter? Hurts my heart."

Esme could not help but chuckle, ’’I can,’’ And before she realized it, she could not stop laughing at all.

"Can you smile more often?" he asked.

She stopped laughing but the corner of her eyes crinkled slightly, ’’I can.’’

’’Can I kiss you, my dear moon?"

’’You can—’’ Esme trailed off when his words started sinking in her mind.

’’Hmm?" Aleister raised his hand, playing with the strands of her unruly tresses, ’’Do I get to taste you again? You left without looking back at me. And not being able to see you... was not easy,’’ He had braced himself to live without her for so long but the moment he saw her, he knew that it was going to be a nightmare if she left again.

Esme’s breath hitched.

She pushed herself to her feet, ’’Why me?" she asked, her eyes roaming to him, desiring all his honesty.