THE PROMISES MADE TO BELLE LOVE #ONC2024

Chapter 5.

Gen woke up in a frenzy.

They hadn't set an alarm last night, and the sun was well and truly shining. She'd certainly missed breakfast at the Palace and probably her first class. She'd be lucky if nobody had noticed by now that she was missing – she had to get back before anyone did.

Gen sat bolt upright in Dante's bed and looked around for him. She immediately located him. He was curled up on the futon in his room, his face boyish and gentle in the morning light. Gen realised then that she'd only ever seen him at night. He was almost a different person in the golden glow of morning.

But she didn't have time to admire him. She scrambled to her feet and went to his side, and started to shake him.

"Dante," she hissed. He groaned and tried to shield his face. "I'm late for school."

"So?" he mumbled. "Just don't go."

She threw up her hands and let out a sound of disbelief. "Maybe you can do that, but not me! There'll be a room check soon! Or I'll miss an important exam! Or something!"

"Okay, okay, okay." His eyes cracked open and he peered up at her. The beginnings of a mocking smile toyed at his lips. "Just give me a minute. I'll drive you."

"This might be funny to you," she said, "but it's important."

To Dante's credit, he did get moving. Not for his own sake, but for hers. Somewhere between putting her to bed last night and this morning, he'd emptied her backpack of the bloodied shirt she'd brought over to him, and gotten the backpack dry. Her uniform from yesterday, as well.

"I hung them by the downstairs fireplace," he explained after fetching them for her.

She could have flung her arms around him then and kissed him in a thousand places, but instead all she said was, "Thank you so much."

"Do you want breakfast?" he asked, brushing his hair with his back to her while she changed.

She zipped up her skirt and shook her head, then remembered he couldn't see her. "No, it's okay. I'll just wait till lunch."

"That's a bad habit to get into."

"Well, it isn't a habit. It's just this once."

Gen would never say it, but she was glad for the rush of the morning. It didn't give her any time to think about last night, or to remember the weight on her shoulders. The magnitude of what she'd done.

Once they'd both finished getting ready – Dante had deigned to also attend school, in her honour – he led her back through the maze of his house, into the downstairs garage. There were a total of four cars lined up, all luxury, and the one that Dante unlocked was Gen's favourite; a sleek, white convertible with red leather seats.

"What if it rains again today?" she asked as she climbed into the passenger seat.

He adjusted the rearview mirror. "I'll buy a new car."

She had no idea if he was joking or not.

They didn't talk much on the drive, but Gen didn't mind. She enjoyed the cool winter breeze and the blue sky, clear for the first time in days. Sometimes she couldn't help but just watch Dante's hand as it guided the stick smoothly between gears, remembering the way it had felt against her thighs.

To nobody's surprise, when Dante pulled up to the Palace gates with Gen beside him, every girl who was crossing campus – which was all of them, because Dante and Gen had managed to arrive right between two periods – stopped in their tracks and gaped.