♦ CHAPTER ONE ♦
Home Again

She was deep asleep when the sun slipped its pale light in through the space between the blinds. After a long day at her fashion consultant job and event planner her mind had worn itself out and her body drained of energy. It was summer, a busy season for weddings and parties. Having been a model through high school and getting connections she'd already risen to a well known name in the fashion industry at 21. She was expected to launch her own designer brand by the end of December, and until then was busy planning runway shows and sccheduling events for her current modeling company. Stressful, but she would never have wanted to be any where else. The A/C was on, and she had her comforter wrapped up tight around her, cocooning her in a sweet warmth. 

And then came a hushed whisper of "Meili..." 
But she did not stir. She was having a dream too sweet to wake up from--a date at a coffee shop as it rained. Low lighting, her and her boyfriend from high school sitting across from each other, he working on his laptop and she with a book wide open on the table. But she felt soft, warm lips press slow kisses along her neck, and the feeling had her nerves catch fire and body shiver. Her eyes slowly fluttering open, body turning towards the direction of the contact only to havce those same sweet lips press against hers, waking her up, her eyes locking with deep brown ones that were all too familiar. 

He pulled away and a large smile graced his lips. Another one graced hers as well. 
"Good morning, princess." he spoke with a smile, his eyes brighter than usual, and it surprised her that he was awake earlier than her. 
"Good morning..." she spoke, biting back a yawn, covering her lips as she did so, and then pulling her hair over her shoulder as she sat up a bit straighter, leaning against the headboard, working the messed up curls into a loose braid, "when did you get home?" 

"Not too lon