5 - Ashton And The Rain

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

. . .

Olivia Woods

The rain fell loudly, students were exiting the building with their coats and jackets over their heads.

Idiots. I shook my head, unfolding my transparent umbrella. I always checked the weather forecast before starting my day.

I stepped into the rain with my vintage mailbag bouncing on my hip. I let the umbrella's shaft rest on my shoulder as I dug into the pocket of my black pants to grab my phone. Today had been exhausting, Professor Daniver, with another professor, had picked a few sophomores to display their art in the upcoming exhibit happening in the institute of fine arts.

I was not picked.

I didn't let it get to my heart, even though I had worked hard.

In my bag was my canvas, it was small but I had spent hours on it. I guess it was too basic. They needed new ideas.

But...

I sighed. You win some, you lose some. I texted Georgia.

Are you free, Georgi? Nope. I'll ttyl, yeah?

I frowned.

Okay.

It had been so long since she was free. Georgia worked a lot, I knew. At some shady bar, where she could work because she was twenty-one, and at some diner which was bad, too. I wondered why she did not ask Cassandra for the job, it was a nice job. But I doubted Cassandra would have hired her.

She didn't like Georgia much.

But, in her defense, she didn't like anyone much.

Deciding to go to a library, I speed walked to the library as the rain got worse.

I ran inside the library, thankful that I had packed the canvas in a plastic bag before putting it in the mailbag. I wiped some of the water off the shoulders of my shirt, avoiding the eyes of the librarian who glared at me. It was raining. If she didn't want people to enter like this, she could close the library.

I walked around with my bag on my shoulder leaving my umbrella in the holder outside.

When I reached the astronomy part of the large library, my eyes fell on him.

He was sitting at a table, his eyes on his book, his glasses on his nose, and his body covered in a white shirt which the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, legs covered with black trousers and hair a mess. There was a window right beside him, the rain falling on glass harshly.

I met his brother yesterday, today he was here. I tried to slip away undetected.

"Little one." Damnit.

I turned around, my hair flipping over my shoulder, and I met his gaze.

He leaned back in his chair, a dazzling smile on his face. "Come here." Command, a command. Creeds seemed to be used to people doing what they wanted to.

Rightfully, so. Anyone would be an idiot to defy them.

I walked towards him. He nodded towards the chair beside him. I sat down, nervousness fluttering in my stomach.

His eyes did a scan of my body. "We match." We did. White shirts, black pants.

He looked at his book. "Do you like astronomy?"

I bit my lip. "I-I've never really tried paying attention to it."

He opened the first page of his book, I could faintly hear the rain outside. It felt calm and deadly at the same time, sitting here with him.

Ashton Creed felt like a sea bed, a deep, dangerous place filled with mysteries.

Zavier Creed felt like the violent waves of the sea, the waves which turned the largest ships over.

Xerxes creed felt like the shore, the flutter of wonder and nervousness you feel when you stand there, looking at the sea which stretches for miles and miles.

They were so different, yet made me feel the same.

"Go get any book you want to read," he said, a smile coming on his lips as he glanced at me. "We can read together...if you are okay with it?" He raised an eyebrow.

I should have said no. I knew they were bad news. I knew he was bad news.

Still, I found myself picking a random book out from the large shelves of the library and reading it, sitting beside one of the most dangerous men I had ever met.

. . .

I walked out of the library with him by my side. It was still raining heavily. I grabbed my umbrella and opened it above my head.

Ashton looked at me just as a limousine stopped in front of me. "Let us drop you."

I bit my lip. "I can get a taxi."

He looked around. "There are not many taxies here, Olivia. Just come with us."

I looked around, too. The road was almost empty with some cars passing by. This library was in a quiet place.

I didn't want to risk walking. So, I nodded.

He smiled and took my umbrella, closing it and folding it, making it a small rectangle. I put the umbrella in its cover in my mailbag as he opened the door of the limousine. I slid inside and that was when I registered the two other men inside.

Xerxes and Zavier looked at me. "Hello, Olivia," Zavier murmured.

"Hi," I whispered, looking at him and then at Xerxes who had a glass in his hand, filled with brown drink.

He smiled at me, taking a sip of his drink. "You look beautiful."

I ignored the flutter in my stomach and smiled, thanking him. Ashton slid into the seat beside me and closed the door. The limousine started and I looked out of the window, clutching my vintage mailbag to my chest as I watched the buildings pass by. I could feel their eyes on me.

"What's in the bag?" Xerxes broke the silence.

"A painting," I answered, proud that I didn't stutter this time. "Can we see?" Zavier asked, eyes falling on my bag.

"It's not good," I said because my professors had rejected it.

"Just show us," Ashton said, in his hand, too, was a drink now. They had not offered me one. I could use one.

Letting out a small sigh, I opened my bag and took the canvas which was in a plastic bag out. I took it out of the plastic bag and turned it around so that they could see what I had made.

"What is it?" Zavier asked as he took the canvas from my hands. "H-Hades and Persophone," I muttered, not happy with the canvas.

"Hades is wearing a...flower crown?" Xerxes raised an eyebrow at me. "And Persophone is wearing his helmet."

I treated my fingers together over my bag. "I-I've seen artworks in which artists show how Hades changed her, made her the Queen of Underworld. They show his influence on her but not her influence on him. I mean, if they are romanticizing her abduction and saying that they are in love, shouldn't Persophone have some kind of influence, too?" I bit my lip. "Does that make sense?" I asked quietly because it didn't to my professors.

Ashton nodded at once, taking the canvas from Xerxes's hands and looking at it. It was of Persophone sitting on a dark throne with Hades sitting on the armrest, wearing a flower crown and his dark clothes. Persophone had his helmet on her head, her blond hair spilling on her body which was covered in a pink dress. I had tried to make it as good as I could.

"It does make sense," Zavier said to me, dark eyes focused on me. I remembered how close he had come to kiss me in the grocery store. How close I had come to let him. "If you fall for someone, they change you." He leaned closer to me, making my breath hitched. "Not even the King of Underworld could resist the charm of her innocence," he murmured, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger.

The limousine stopped right in front of my apartment building.

I got out, sharing quick bye and thank you to them. When I entered my apartment, I realized I forget to take my painting from them.

And that I didn't mind them having it.

. . .