Onsra(Bittersweet Love)

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Yay overprotective Wes in this chapter-
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I didn't have to turn around to know he was behind me. It was like the air shifted. Everything was tense and uncomfortable, as was he. Riley, Hunter, Parker, and Lauren had walked ahead and I could see them behind Elena's group, down the hall.

    I turned around slowly. He was a few feet away, and his expression was unreadable. Though I could tell he was nervous. Blue eyes scanned the empty library quickly. I assumed he was making sure we were alone. Even Mrs. Paceley was in the printer room.

    "I'm sorry," Wes said, not breaking eye contact. I felt my stomach drop. I didn't want to talk about what had happened. "It's fine," I quickly said. I didn't want to discuss it.

"I can't control myself around you. And, I guess I didn't know how to deal with it. You affect me in so many ways. I shouldn't have cornered you like that, and I shouldn't have lashed out."

    He struggled with every word. My heart seemed to break, just a little bit. "That's never happened before," I said quietly, embarrassed. Wes tilted his head. "Being lashed out at?" I blushed, shaking my head. I should've just accepted his apology and not have said anything else.

    "No. What happened before," I muttered, looking down. Wes breathed out and his expression faltered slightly. His lips were fighting back a sly smile and his eyes darkened and dilated noticeably. That look reminded me so much of the look he gave me earlier today. When I had been trapped between his arms, against the wall.

    "Never before, huh?" I shook my head, confused by the unexpectant change in his tone. I glanced away, avoiding his searing look.

    "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" I asked. I was beginning to feel uneasy. Wes seemed to have snapped out of his dazed state.

    "Yeah. I want to tell you everything. About my family, my homelife, my backstory. I don't want there to be any secrets," he said, running a shaky hand through his flaxen hair.

    I smiled a little bit. I was glad he was open to talking to me about these kinds of things. I could tell that he was closed off to most people. At least from what I've seen.

    "I'll tell you about it later," Wes continued, avoiding eye contact. "We should get to lunch now." I shifted a little. "About that, I think I'm gonna sit with Elena today. After everything that happened, I think it'd be better if we had a little space."

    Wes looked down as if ashamed. "I get it. But we'll sit together tomorrow, right?" I hesitated. "Sure," I said uneasily. He sighed. "I need you to be with me. Don't you get it?" I flinched a little at the slight harshness of his voice.

    "S-sorry," Wes muttered gruffly. "I think we should stay here for a while. There's only a few minutes of lunch left, anyway," he said. I scoffed mockingly. "If by a few minutes you mean twenty. We should go before Mrs. Paceley comes and sees us." He groaned audibly. "Fine."

    Walking to the cafeteria alone together while the halls were empty was more uncomfortable than I'd thought. The air was thick with tension, and Wes was walking next to me closely.

    "Any reason you don't want to go to lunch?" I asked, breaking the silence. Wes's eyes immediately darted to me at the unexpected comment. "Actually yeah. You know Dylan?"

    "The one talking to me at the library?" Wes's jaw tightened. "Yeah. I know he's gonna sit there with you. I just feel kind of unsure around him. We've had a lot of problems with each other before. There's more to him than you'd think when you first meet him. I know it sounds awful, but the idea of another guy being as close and looking at you the way he was in the library, it just does something to me."

    I was glad Wes was telling me how he felt, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to sit at lunch with Elena and Dylan.

    "I'm still gonna sit with Elena," I said softly. He looked down in front of him. "I screwed up again," he said brokenly, and I wondered if I was meant to hear him say that.
    "It's fine, Wes," I said, trying my best to reassure him. He turned to look at me and his face had a red tint. "I need to be more careful around you. It's just impossible for me. Whenever I'm around you, it's like I completely change. I need to be with you, Flora. In more ways than you know."

    My heart stuttered at his confession. "I want to be near you, too," I finally managed to get out. He smiled, and it looked broken. "That's the thing. You want to be near me. It's different for me. I love you more than you want me."

    My mouth gaped open. Wes blushed furiously and looked away. We were now entering the doors to the cafeteria. A good number of people turned to look at us briefly. Most of their expressions were of shock. I hoped that when Wes talks to me more, that I'll better understand why so many people look at us that way.

    I found Elena's table when she waved her arm towards me. She was sitting next to Monica from before. In fact, there was a noticeable space between Elena and Dylan. When Dylan turned in his seat and leveled his gaze with mine, I seemed to freeze for just a second. It's only normal. He is decently attractive. The thing that pulled me towards him was not only looks, but his personality. He made me feel flattered without being overbearing.