Saving the Villain

"I missed you so terribly bad I can kiss you all night." The second the last syllable of her sentiments escaped her lips, Cosette tilted her head and planted a kiss on his lips.

Maxen closed his eyes ever so slowly, basking in the sweetness and hotness of her lips conquering his. His heart was racing so fast, but the warmth of her body embracing him soothed all the tension in every fiber of his body. Her words were akin to a chord that struck a string in his heart, and he just couldn't stop himself from falling deeper and deeper.

When their lips parted, they were both panting for air. She rested her head on his forehead, still cupping his cheek, smiling subtly. Unlike their fervent and desperate primal need, their heart just felt full at the moment. It felt like they magically didn't need to go as far as to have sex just to express their hearts.

The contentment with each other's presence and warmth were already enough.

"Don't break me, Cozie," he whispered with his eyes closed, reopening them ever so tenderly. "Don't... break me."

Cosette pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded mildly. "I promise."

His eyes softened, drawing his head back to take a better look at her face. He cupped her cheek lovingly, brushing her cheek with his thumb. There were many things he wanted to tell her, but only those words he uttered successfully escaped the cage in his throat.

Don't break him... because if Cosette turned out to be just playing with him, it would kill him. Cosette was his salvation. She was his moon in the silent, cold night. He would do anything for her, and all he was asking in return was to not break him in the worse way possible.

"Just promise me one thing, Max." Cosette cleared her throat, taking her precious time to continue what she wanted to say. "Be good. Always."

Maxen didn't respond and simply looked at her in silence. Now that he thought about it, Cosette had always made him promise about this over and over. Not that he was a terrible human being, but deep in his heart, he didn't mind being the devil who would bring forth an inferno in this world if he were capable enough to do so.

Still, the intrigue remained.

"Why do you always ask me to be good?" he asked as he wanted clarity. "Do you perceive me as a terrible person capable of murder?"

"No." She shook her head, reaching for his hand and squeezing them mildly. As she did, Maxen furrowed his brow at the slight tremor in her hands.

"I just... do not want to lose you." Her smile didn't reach her eyes as she exhaled sharply. "I just want us to be normal, Max. We enjoy our youth and live without a care. If what the future holds isn't what we planned, then... at least, we enjoyed the present and might change our future."

"We might not be the lead of this story, but at least, we also get our happy ending," she added without a thought whether that may sound a bit random.

Fortunately, Maxen didn't react and just stared at her in silence. Cosette allowed him to take his time to absorb her vague explanation. While waiting for his promise, she stared at him and, for some reason, her heart tightened. The feeling in her heart felt familiar, but at the same time, it felt alien.

It was as though she had these feelings all along, but she only realized them now. It wasn't something that made her feel in love. The feeling leaned more on regret, sadness, and longing. And because of that, she only realized tears had already pooled in her eyes when they stained her cheek.

"Oh..." Cosette touched her cheek, checking her hand to see clear liquid on them. It took her by surprise. She didn't know why she was crying at this moment, but she couldn't also stop her tears.

"Why are you crying?" he asked worriedly, wiping her tears with his thumb. "I'll be good. You don't need to cry."

"Haha... no, it's not that." She chuckled, feeling a bit silly at the tears she was shedding.

"Then what is it?" he queried once more, getting more worried as her tears wouldn't stop.

Cosette kept forcing a laugh while wiping her tears, but it wouldn't stop until she was hiccuping.

"I'm just..." she hiccupped, finding the right words to explain the tears. "I'm just... very happy and I can't stop my tears."

More like she was very happy and relieved at something she couldn't understand. Cosette was certain this wasn't about changing the villain's fate, but something else. Something that her heart sheltered, but she just couldn't remember what it was exactly.

"Me too..." Maxen carefully wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. "I am beyond happy, Cozie. I can't even find the right words for it."

Maxen rubbed her back while she cried in his embrace. Silence befell their shoulders as she cried until she was hiccuping, while he kept her in his embrace, consoling her. One way or another, Maxen somehow understood her tears. He was relieved to have met her, and grateful for her existence. She was the only good thing in this world and without her, this world was just grey.

Little did he know, her reason was entirely different, but also uncannily similar. Which Cosette hadn't figured out just yet, and it would take some time before she would understand why she had loved Maxen even before.

The two of them consoled each other until she recovered. Once Cosette stopped crying, they both decided to watch a film properly. This time, however, Cosette was watching with her head on his lap while he casually stroked her hair gently. The arousal they felt lingered in their heart, but they silently agreed to preserve this moment without doing something unholy anymore.

As the night fell deeper and they were in the third movie, Maxen gazed down. A chuckle escaped his mouth upon seeing she had nodded off. She cried a lot, so he couldn't blame her that she had fallen asleep.

Maxen continued to stroke her soft hair, reaching for the remote control with his other hand to lower the volume. He wanted to enjoy this moment, even though his hips were still in pain. But well, his heart felt like it would burst with all sorts of emotions.

"I..." he paused, watching her deep breaths. His eyes softened as the side of his lips curled up. "... love you."

Maxen had a promise that night two months ago. When Cosette told him she would tag along with Conrad, it was akin to a tight slap on his face. Cosette might just be there around him, but she was still out of his reach. She was well-born to boot, and her future was sealed.

Seeing her work hard the past two months made him realize Cosette would be busier once she took over the BLK Corporation. They were young now, and they didn't have other worries the adults usually faced. Although Maxen was no stranger to the cruel reality, he still had to acknowledge the fact his life greatly differed from hers.

In the future, Cosette would meet more people. She would meet capable and elite men, and as beautiful, smart, and rich as Cosette, men would line up for her. Luke might not be a threat now, but Asher Quinn was. It wasn't that Maxen was competing, but whether or not he wanted it, he had to.

Therefore, he attended tons of classes, not just for the betterment of his physical body and secured mental health, but for his future as well. He pledged to be better, to have a fighting chance despite his humble beginnings.

The life of the rich — the filthy rich — wasn't easy. Conrad had already proved that to Maxen, and her father's mentality had already shown an example of how powerful people could do. Although Conrad only gave him an example whenever he had time to spare with Maxen, Maxen wasn't stupid to understand that Conrad could be cunning and take advantage of people if he so pleased.

It was a scary world and in this world she lived in, he had to become the best of the best. She might not ask him to be the best of the best, but he still wanted to if he wanted to protect her and stand proudly beside her. After all, Maxen... had already set his future with Cosette in it.

It might be the future that she was his wife — as that was impossible for him to assume before what happened today — but just someone who would always be a part of his life. His life... he owed it to Cosette, and after what happened earlier, his ambition grew from a friend to have her as his wife.

Looking at her, who was sleeping soundlessly on his lap, he smiled. No matter how scary her world was, the sight of her eased all that fear. He loved her, and she was worth it.

"I'll marry you someday..." he whispered, bending over so she could hear his voice even in her dreams. "I promise… I'll make you my wife someday."