Surrender -7 Deadly Sins Novel

-Chapter 5-

~Ashby~

Aaron and I walk along the halls, cold, drenched, leaving a trail of water behind us, in silence. Every few moments I catch him staring like he's trying to figure something out about me in his head. Probably wondering why I was out there in the rain in the first place. What was he doing out there if he knew that the school doors would close at a certain time? Was he out there by mistake or on purpose?

"Why were you outside? Did you arrive late?" There's a pause before Aaron answers. "The school asked me to give a tour to the new girl so I waited for her to arrive. And I find her on her knees, in the middle of the road, in the rain choking herself. I tried calling your name but you couldn't hear me. You looked trapped somewhere else. I had to pry your hands from your throat and coax you into breathing."

I let his world sink in and my steps slow but I don't stop walking. I have to keep it together and not give into the cold again. I wrap my arms around myself, humiliated that I let someone see me like that. I haven't freaked out like that since I was 15, so I was a little thrown off by it. All I felt was the cold and I couldn't focus on anything else, but the cold.

"I take it that dissociating doesn't happen a lot with you." I don't answer his questions because how could I? I didn't dissociate, it was a panic attack. Aaron takes that as his queue to drop the topic. We end up walking for a few more minutes until we end up in the athletics building. He takes me inside a small locker room that looks more like a storage room. There is not a lot of space here with the  athletic equipment and a few beaches to sit on. The floors are gray and lockers are navy blue. Walking to the back in the corner is a washer and dryer. He opens a cabinet above it, pulls out the only red towel there and tosses it to me.

"Thanks," I start to dry my damp hair and look around wondering where the clothes he talked about are. Maybe he'll get us gym clothes we wear for that class. With his back to me Aaron opens the dryer and starts to take off his blazer and shirt. I clap my hands to get his attention.

"This is not getting us dry clothes." What is he doing? He takes his shirt off, showcasing his ripped muscles. There's a tattoo on his shoulder of a lightning strike. And one on the side of his rib over a scar in writing that's Latin I think. What happened to him? With his shirt in the dryer he kicks his shoes off next and starts to unbutton his pants. "I said I can get our clothes dry. Never said anything about those being new ones sweetheart." Aaron mused nonchalantly.

He knew I thought he meant different. He tricked me. I grip the towel tight to my chest as some form of security. I'm standing in the corner but see he's in my path, and to go past him he could easily grab me. The rain from earlier cast droplets from his hair making its way down his body. Aaron shamelessly lets his pants fall standing naked before me. Who casually strips in front of a stranger, especially one of the opposite gender?!

My eyes bulged out of my head and I'm tempted to turn away, but if I do I'll look weak. So I focus only on his eyes and nothing else. This has to be an intimidation tactic he's trying to pull with me. He wants me to look away showing I'm afraid. He tilts his head to the side and starts to walk towards me. I backed up hitting the cold locker, startling me. Aaron places his hands beside my head caging me between him.

His taut chest touches mine and my nipples are hard from the cold pressing on his bare skin. The only barrier between us covering my waist down is the towel I'm gripping in my hands, that's making my knuckles turn white. My heart rate picks up and I shift on the balls of my feet, uncomfortable. But I'm too scared to do anything. I'm tempted to push him away and kick him in his balls but he hasn't done anything for me to physically hurt him.