Mirabelle stands in the corridor, staring at the large double doors that lead into the very room she was wary of all day. The assistant who had been deliberately ignoring her all day out of guilt stands beside her, staring at the door as well.
"Just stay at the far end of the bed," the assistant says as she fixes her glasses to her nose and turns to face Mirabelle, who only pouts at her in annoyance. "You said he hasn't done anything inappropriate lately. So you should be fine."
Mirabelle sighs and looks back at the door, gripping the robe that was supposed to be Serena's.
Yes, she hadn't told the assistant about what had happened between them in the garden, how could she? Where should she start?
It was embarrassing for her to even think about it. She just never expected him to be that bold and act so uncalled for.
But then again... she understood him, he was a depraved man who's wanted to make love to Serena...
She admires how strong-willed he is to wait until the wedding day, not to even kiss her more often than he would have loved.
... And yet somehow all the pressure is falling on her.
"Ok." She sighs and runs her sweaty hands along her thighs before glancing up at the assistant who is watching her closely. "You'll take accountability for everything if I end up hitting him from self-defense."
"Just leaving is an option too." She chuckles softly. "He's our boss by the end of the day. Hitting him would be... hard to walk around."
Mirabelle presses her lips tight and shakes her head. "That's not assuring." She says as she opens the door with such careful and unwilling devotion. "Ok... Goodnight then."
"Goodnight," the assistant smiles and turns before stopping. "Oh, and you as Serena will not be home tomorrow. She's attending a gala at her cousins' so we need the facts to check out. So be sure to put on your perfume so that he doesn't mistake you."
Mirabelle's eyes widen with relief and she nods vigorously as she grins. "Thank goodness, a break."
"And I'm sure Derek won't be happy to hear it." The assistant smiles and walks away, leaving Mirabelle alone.
Mirabelle takes careful steps into the room. Even though he's been blind most of his life, Mirabelle could tell everything in there was placed according to his preference. Either it reflected his personality with how neatly everything was placed according to size and interestingly colour, It could better yet just be for his sake of knowing where everything was.
After all, that was what they did in the hospital to make him less stressed and agitated.
Unlike his lovey dovey self whenever he thinks he's with Serena, Derrek can get unrealistically hot tempered if a pen he frequently used was placed a small distance from where he prefers it to be.
"Took you long enough." Mirabelle almost flinched when she heard his voice before looking around to see him emerge from the door leading to what seemed to be the bathroom. He is thankfully wearing a robe, even though it seems deliberately opened wide to reveal his still sculpted torso.
She had to look away.
It was temptation at it's finest.
"You know, I'm getting better at differentiating your presence from others. Could be because we spend a lot of time together theses days." He says as he makes it to the bed and before Mirabelle could step in to stop him from hitting the bed, he eventually stops right in the nick of time.
Almost as though he could see it.
"You're also familiar with your surroundings, I see." Mirabelle's can't help but light up at the sight. "It's like you can almost see."
"I took the bandages off. I can't see that well, but I can make up a few shapes." He said as his eyes travelled towards her almost instantly and a part of her wanted to flee.
The fear of him seeing even just a little is enough to strike fear to the bravest of soldiers.
But how much could he... really see?
"... To what degree..?" She asks, her voice nearly cracking as she looks at him like a mouse frozen from fear.
"Just the shape." He clarifies as he continues to look at her. "You only look like a shadow. I can't see your face... Just the colours forming someone. I could see that much, ever since the failed surgery. I didn't want to tell you at first, because I wasn't ready to admit this was my limit for now. After all these years. After all this time you've waited. This wasn't what I wanted."
It is the closest thing he's ever gotten to seeing her. And it still leaves a gnawing feeling in his chest. A pain that can't be soothed.
"It's worse in the sunlight." He says as he sits down onto the bed and looks at his laps with a heavy deep breath. "I see better at night. That's why I wanted you here. To see at least the shape of you."
She is nothing like the model-bodied Serena. The tall beauty with petite but desirable curves that made her fit the aesthetics of a spoiled queen. The perfect fit for a rich man like Derek. Mirabelle on the other hand is shorter, more round in her curves with a well rounded face compared to Serena's diamond shape.
should I start dieting...? Mirabelle wonders as she stands where she's been standing since she walked in.
"Would you leave me if this was all I could ever see?" He asks, his voice sounding frail, almost non-existent for a deep voice. "Just a blurred image of you?"
Mirabelle doesn't know if she should answer or not. Knowing full well the real Serena had already called it quits.
"No." She lies, even though to herself it feels honest. If she was the one he'd chosen, not as Serena, but herself... She would have settled for it.
A blurred image is enough for her.
"It's not your fault. Anyway." She says as she walks over to the bed and sits down next to him, she reaches for his hand. "The surgery in this case was successful, even though it didn't reach your expectations. It's given you a chance to see, right? Even by a little bit."
Derrek stays silent for a while, feeling her touch on his skin and something in his stomach swirls. Something about this Serena feels different.
"You really aren't the same woman as before." He chuckles and takes her hand on his, bringing it to his lips as she sits there taken aback by the comment. "But I like the woman you are now. The woman I can't help wanting to love without restraint..."
His voice lowers to a sultry whisper as he kisses his way up her hand to her shoulder, then skips straight to her ear, not kissing there yet, just lightly brushing his lips against her earlobe.
"I want to make love to you tonight... If you'll let me..."