HIS PRINCESS | K.TH

Failed Escape

AERI

I really had to quit.

Thin tendrils of smoke fill the dim air of the alley as I place the cigarette to my lips. I take another breath, letting the bittersweet taste of the smoke linger on my tongue as I lean against the cracked concrete walls.

It's twilight. I had left V to sleep.

I blow out the puff of smoke.

It had been hard— leaving him when he was looking that beautiful in his pale silence.

But years of smoking was more difficult than I had thought to get away from. The urge had just gotten more irresistible over time.

The twilight has dimmed by the time I drop the cigarette, letting the flame die away into the asphalt. A streak of ash stains my thumb.

And I'm about to drag my finger across the alley wall when I feel hands around my waist.

I freeze with surprise. There's a voice husky with sleep, against my ear.

"You smoke, still?"

I'm too taken aback to say anything as V breathes. Heat pools in my stomach when he begins to kiss the line of my shoulder, his lips like the tracks of a butterfly.

I stutter over words.

"How are you— you should be in bed!"

"I've been there for far too long," He whispers. And when he tilts my head to kiss my lips, I quickly turn my face away. The blush is heavy on my cheeks.

"You...can't."

"I just smoked," I murmur, closing my lips shut. "And I thought you quit, V. Plus it's not good for your recovery—"

He laughs.

"I can always quit again."

And without any warning, he connects his lips to mine. My hands instantly wrap around his shoulders— almost like instinct in the same way he forces me against the wall, fingers dragging through my hair.

My fingertips graze his cheek, leaving remnants of ash. A faint streak of black.

His eyes glint a low silver as he breaks away. I'm completely out of breath, struggling not to gasp as he gazes down at me. His lips are tinted red.

Without a word, he reaches down to press a last, brief kiss against my mouth. Then his hand shifts to my hand, his larger one enveloping mine.

"Come on."

"It's cold."

I'm still stunned as he pulls me towards the entrance of the alley, his expression tense with pain. I notice him limping, on the leg where he was shot.

A breath rushes out of my lips.

"V— V, wait."

I quickly drape his arm around my shoulders, shuffling closer to him. He gives me a look of amusement when I tug him towards me.

"Lean." I say, voice authoritative. He laughs.

"Is your back alright?"

"It's fine now," I murmur. "Come on. I don't have all day."

His warmth seeps into me when he leans against me, a sigh of relief leaving his lips. His hand tightens around the curve of my shoulder.

I shiver when he breathes, the heat running down from my bare neck to the scarred skin down my shirt.