His Innocent Sera

Her shift had ended, but before heading home, she went up to the terrace to

spend some time alone. The golden hues of the sunset held her gaze when, a few minutes later, Giovanni arrived.

"So are you coming to the excursion?" Giovanni asked, tilting his head. The curiosity in his eyes suggested he truly cared for the answer.

"I am not sure," she replied, her voice quiet. A distant look was in her eyes as she stared far off.

"You should come if you ask me. The old folks here specifically asked for your name on the list. They're really eager for you to join," he revealed, looking down at her with a gentle smile. She looked over at him.

"And how do you know that?" she questioned, her eye narrowing slightly in doubt. She was convinced he was lying. Her presence and absence didn't matter to anyone. No matter how hard she tried, she was always the one left in the background.

"I made the list. Your name was the first one they asked me to add," he answered, shrugging. She was surprised to hear it.

"Are you coming too?" she asked, a moment later.

"Of course. Turns out I am the only one who is going. The rest volunteers have backed out including you," he disclosed, his brows slightly raised.

"I haven't backed out yet," she clarified.

"So you are coming," he said, his smile playful.

"I'll have to take permission first," she murmured to herself but he heard.

"I don't think your parents would stop you," Giovanni opined, seeing no issue. She looked away from him. She wasn't worried about her parents, they had no interest in what she did. Her main concern was him. Nate would, most probably, refuse. But she really wanted to go.

"Sera," a staff worker called, interrupting their discussion.

"Someone's here to pick you up," the older woman told her. Confusion flickered across her face.

"Okay," she nodded at the woman anyway before glancing at Giovanni and saying, "See you later. She left after that.

The girl climbed down the stairs to find her tormentor waiting in the quiet hall. Her steps faltered as the sight of him sent a ripple of unease through her. Why was he here? His eyes were fixed on a magazine, but at the sound of her footsteps, he looked up. Their eyes mét- filling them with opposite emotions. For her, his gaze was a deadly strike of lightning, paralyzing her to her spot. Yet for him, hers was the tenderest caress of the season's softest bloom.

Putting the magazine aside, he rose to his feet, giving her his full attention. She walked up to him in quiet steps, her eyes held a mix of dread and confusion.noveldrama

"What..what are you doing here?" she asked, timidly. In response, he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, causing her eyes to grow wide.

"This is how I expect you to greet me," he whispered against her mouth before inching away, a playful spark in her eyes. She glanced around, blush creeping up her cheeks as she wondered if someone had caught them.

"Eyes on me," he seized her chin in a gentle grip, forcing her to meet his eyes. She swallowed hard.

"I came to pick you up," he answered, his fingers wrapping around hers. Her brows furrowed together in obvious suspicion but he made no effort to reassure her.

He began leading her towards the door while her eyes darted around, hoping no one would see them. It was awkward and embarrassing. She ducked her head the moment she saw another volunteer, Gina, coming, hoping she wouldn't recognize her. She was a gossipmonger.

"Sera," she called in confusion,

making them halt. Sera looked up to find Gina's eyes moving from their joined hands to Nate. Her eyes.

widened. She staredanêt

shamelessly, momentarily struck by his ridiculous level of

handsomeness. Then hepwide eyes trailed to Sera, holding admiration and sheer disbelief. Admiration for Nate and disbelief as to how Sera managed to bag this Greek God.

"Leaving?" Gina asked, feeling subdued by his commanding aura.

"Yeah," Sera answered, making another attempt to free her hand but his grip remained unrelenting. Nate continued walking, leading her along while Gina stared after them, still reeling from his lethal charm. Heaving a dreamy sigh, she skipped her way into the building to spread the gossip.

She looked at him in confusion as he pulled into the parking.

"I am starving," he answered her unasked question while killing the engine. Then

he turned towards her leaning closer. Mischief twinkled in his eyes as he murmured in a low voice, "Unless you want to be my next meal.." his gaze flickered between her eyes and mouth as he continued, ".. .we better grab something to eat."

She leaned away, having understood his insinuation.

He had taken her to Harvest Moon- the most expensive restaurant in the city. She stared at the building which looked more like a Golden palace. She, then, glanced down at her dress, feeling terribly underdressed. Why had he brought her here?

Placing a hand on the small of her back he guided her towards the main door.

"I..I don't want to go inside," she confessed, feeling the sting of people's judgment

gaze like sharp needles.

"But I do," he replied, disregarding

her reluctance and guiding her

forward. They stepped inside and Sera wished the ground would

open

up and swallow her whole. Everyone inside was God and Goddess dressed to nine, brimming with grace, dripping with money. She felt her nerves trembling every time one of them glanced in their direction. She felt so small amongst them. The girl stole a glance at him, wondering if he really was this impervious to people's judgment. She could sense the silent question in the onlookers' eyes-Why is he with a girl like her?