Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Chapter 274: Time After Time (2)

"Hello?" Katherine answered.

Hearing her voice, Damien felt slightly better. "You picked up my call"

Confused, Katherine's brows knitted. "Oh Should I have not? I can put it down"

"No, don't!" His eyes grew wide so fast, startled by her statement. Realizing his panic, he chuckled at himself and shook his head. "That sounded so desperate and sad."

Katherine's voice softened when she heard him. "Just a little. I won't tell anyone."

Finally feeling comfortable, Damien laid down on his bed again, smiling because she was speaking to him. "Your housemates are asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so. We sort of celebrated today. They called it a night after one bottle."

"I see Have you had a lot to drink?"

"Just a little. I didn't really feel like drinking to celebrate," she answered. It was too early to celebrate something but she did that back there to boost their spirits and probably to get them to look forward to getting things done soon. It was just the beginning and they needed as much positivity in the team as they could.

"Hmmm What are you doing tomorrow evening?" Damien probed.

"Why?"

"I was just wondering if I can take you out to dinner?"

There was a long pause after his invitation. He was really pushing it and it made him nervous that she would turn him down. The longer that she didn't say anything, the more he felt uneasy.

"Damien" Katherine started. "This I have accepted your gifts I have replied to your messages... I almost didn't answer your phone call because honestly, I haven't made up my mind yet. So as you can see, I'm not really pushing you away but I just don't think us having dinner together is a good idea right now."

Although he knew it already, he still felt a slight prick in his heart. He had expected this refusal but it still stung. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't want to pressure you. I'm already grateful that you're talking to me now. Though I don't really mean anything else with my invitation. It's just a meal, Katherine. That's all Friends do go for meals together right?"

She found the term so odd. "Friends?"

"I I'm going out on a limb here, Katherine. We are at least friends, aren't we?" he cautiously probed.

Were they friends? They were in such a weird situation that she didn't know what to say to him. 

When Katherine didn't answer, he added, "You know what, forget about it. Just forget what I just said."

She bit her bottom lip, suddenly feeling uneasy at his words. "I'm sorry, Damien."

"Me too."

His response sounded low and dispirited. She didn't mean to cause him such dejection. This was why she wanted to avoid answering his phone call and possibly avoid running into him or meeting him somewhere. She didn't want to keep on refusing him. It wasn't easy for her to do so.

"Are you going to go sleep now?" he asked.

Thankful that he moved on from that, she answered honestly, "Yeah. I'm going to try that. Although I'm not sure how to do that now"

Damien thought about how he could help make her feel comfortable in her new home. After learning that she moved in tonight in the same building, he wondered how she was going to adjust to her new environment. He remembered the first night they moved to the house in Pearl Gardens she also had a hard time falling asleep right away.

An idea came to mind and he turned to face the tall window in his bedroom, "I can help you if you'll let me. Get the wireless earphones from the cellphone box and wear it."

"Okay?" Not knowing what he planned, she followed what he said anyway and took out the wireless earphones that came with the phone and wore it.

Damien heard some shuffling sound and probed, "Are you back in bed?"

"Yeah."

"Just put your phone on the nightstand and I'll try to help you fall asleep."

Katherine didn't know what he had in mind and she found it intriguing. "Are you going to count sheep for me?"

He snorted. "No, you weirdo. But I could tell you a story?"

"A bedtime story?"

"Unless you want me to count instead?"

Katherine couldn't help but chuckle at how weird the idea was. "This is silly."

"It was your idea. You're silly."

Damien then thought of a better way instead of telling her a story. "Come on, just try to find your most comfortable position. Grab your pillow."

She smiled at how he knew her so well. Grabbing a pillow, she hugged it as she laid on her side.

"Can you see the moon from your window?" he asked.

"Mhmm"

Damien smiled, knowing that they were looking at the moon from technically the same place. He swung his legs out of the bed and went to the living room. Since his penthouse was really huge, his fast walk from the bedroom to the living room took him almost half a minute.

"It's really beautiful tonight," he said and Katherine started to admire the moon like he did. The sky was indeed really wonderful that night.

When he finally reached the living room, he headed towards the corner where the grand piano was and sat on the chair, wearing his own pair of wireless earphones before setting his phone down. "I'm going to play something just try to relax and close your eyes."

Katherine thought that he was going to play some soothing music from a player but as soon as she heard him start the keys, her heart raced.

Damien's fingers began to gracefully dance on the piano, playing the classic song "Time After Time". His own version was really mellow and relaxing compared to the original version where it had an upbeat tune. 

This one, however, was smooth slow and really beautiful. 

Even though she couldn't see him, the way the music came through her earphones sounded like it was played live. And she didn't doubt her guess. She remembered him telling her he learned piano as a kid because he enjoyed it but she had never heard him play it before. But where was he now? There was no piano in Pearl Gardens or the penthouse in his office.

It was the first time that she heard him play tonight and her heart that was once beating wildly upon hearing him play the first few seconds was now slowly going back to its normal beating. 

Katherine's eyes involuntarily closed as she tried to imagine Damien sitting in front of a piano somewhere, his fingers skillfully and artfully slowly making magic happen.

The old song's melody was really beautiful and she couldn't help but think and feel that he sent his heart along with the music, hoping she would hear him. 

Before she knew it, she had succumbed to the drowsiness with the elegant music in her ears.

Damien played the same song several times after in a loop slow and relaxing. He wanted to make sure that the same rhythm was playing in order not to interrupt her attempt to go to sleep. 

When he finally ended the song, he carefully listened to the sound coming from the other end of the call. It was so quiet and he wondered if she had fallen asleep. It wasn't only until he closed his eyes to listen closely that he heard Katherine's soft breathing and he knew that she was already sleeping.

A small, satisfied smile appeared on his face as he got up and went back to his bedroom. Lying down on his bed, he closed his eyes and felt as if she was sleeping just right next to him.

"Goodnight, love," Damien whispered before drifting off to sleep while the call was still on. 

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