Poison Rose of Avalon

"Yes," Liora replied, feigning casualness, though her grip on the phone tightened. "It's our thing—we have nicknames for each other."

"And 'baby' is what you came up with?" Caspian's incredulity deepened, his tone darkening with every word.

"It was his suggestion," Liora explained, attempting to sound carefree, but her heart raced in her chest, puzzled by why Caspian was so upset over the word 'baby.'

"Why are you so hung up on the word 'baby'?"

The silence on the other end was oppressive, the kind that made her wish she hadn't asked. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold, cutting through the stillness like ice cracking underfoot.

"Liora." He dragged out her full name with a deliberate harshness that made her stomach twist. Caspian only ever used her full name when he was angry. "You've never called ME by a nickname, and yet you're out there calling that guy... baby? That bastard—'baby'? Really?"

'Is he jealous about nicknames?' Liora wondered.

Her lips twitched into a teasing smile, an attempt to lighten the mood. She lowered her gaze to her shoes, absently tracing the toe of one against the pavement. "Would you prefer me calling you honey instead?" Her voice softened with a hint of playfulness.

Caspian inhaled sharply as if trying to steady himself from outbursts without hearing Liora's words carefully.

"That's not the issue here, Liora," his voice rose before dropping again, quieter this time, laced with confusion. "Wait...What?"

"Should I call you honey?" she repeated, her tone dripping with a sweetness that made his earlier frustration falter. Her cheeks flushed at her own boldness, but she pressed on, relishing the power shift.

There was a pause, the kind of silence that felt like it could go either way. His voice was begrudging, softer, but still strained when he finally spoke. "I... prefer Caspian."

"Oh, but I think honey suits you," she countered, the mischief in her tone unmistakable now.

His breath hitched. "I prefer Caspian," he reiterated, though the hesitation in his voice betrayed him. The thought of her calling him honey had sent a surge of warmth to his cheeks, spreading down his neck.

"But I like it...Honey," she whispered, growing bolder with each passing second.

"If I end up in a hospital in heart failure, you know whom to blame, right?" he muttered, his frustration melting into something softer, something he wasn't ready to name.

Liora could hear the shift in his tone, and she smiled to herself. "Yes, honey. I know whom to blame." It reminded her of the times when her father would call her mother 'Honey' to smooth things over when she was upset.

Liora's unrestrained laughter rang out like the tinkling of crystal-clear streams rushing over smooth stones, refreshing and revitalising. Her laugh was contagious for Caspian. Caspian closed his eyes, his jaw clenching as he fought the warmth spreading through him. If it were up to him, that laughter would belong to him and him alone.

On the other end, Liora's smile lingered, her fingers brushing over the necklace Caspian had given her on her birthday. For a moment, it felt like the weight of his attention was more intoxicating than the nickname debate.

Caspian cleared his throat, "On a serious note, Ora," his voice lowered, growing more intense, "nicknames like that… you only use them with your boyfriend. Just don't call any bastard by them again. Understood?"

The command in his tone sent a shiver racing through her, and she nodded instinctively before realising he couldn't see her. "Got it, Caspian, Oops... I mean... got it, 'Honey,'" she said softly.