Meant To Be #Wattys2015

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I ran out as fast as I could, but as soon as I reached in the middle of the parking lot, I stopped. I wanted to run further, but it was like I had lost control of my legs. They stayed glued to the ground as a horrifying sense of déjà vu griped me. What all happened came rushing back to me, making me stumble back a step or two.

“I’ve got you.” Came a voice from behind me as two arms wrapped themselves around my waist. No matter what happened mere few seconds ago, I still found solace in them. “Shh.. It’s alright.” He said as he gently removed his arms, and turned me around to face him. “You with me?” he asked softly. Unable to speak, I nodded. “Good” he said as he blew out a breath. “Come on. Let’s get you home.” He said as he took my bag and shouldered it. I nodded again. His one arm slid around my shoulder while the other hand grabbed a hold of mine. He gently steered me towards his car and we walked the whole way in silence.

When we reached his car, he removed his hand from mine to open the door. Strangely, that made me want to snatch his hand back and hold onto it tightly. His hand moved from my shoulders as I sat in the car, making me feel bereft. The sudden shift in my mood left me reeling. I leaned forward, putting my head between my legs. Well, at least I tried to. The dash got in the way, so I ended up putting my head on the dash.

Thankfully, Mark didn’t say anything. Just got in the car and we were on our way.

'*'*'*'

“Uh, we’re here.” He said when I didn’t move from my position.

“I know.” I said, my voice muffled. I took a deep breath, and then raised my head. “Thanks, for, uh, you know, everything.” I said awkwardly as a flush rose in my cheeks. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt his hand touch my cheek lightly. His hand was cold in contrast to my flushed skin, making me shiver.

“Anya..” he said in a hoarse voice. I shook my head and his hand fell from my cheek. I immediately mourned it’s loss.

“Don’t, please.” I said softly, looking at him, feeling my eyes fill with tears. He cursed softly.

“Hey, it’s okay. You wanna talk about this later, we’ll talk about it later. Okay?” he said softly, I nodded.

“Thanks.” I sniffed as I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. “Sorry, I seem to always be a mess.” I said lightly, trying to dissolve the gloomy mood.

“I’m starting to like this mess.” He replied with a small smirk. I smiled and took a deep breath.

“Well, thanks for the ride home.” With that, I reached for my bag but his hand stopped me. Tingles spread up my arm, but I tried to ignore it and focus on what he was saying.

“Wait” I looked at him expectantly. He blew out a breath as he drew my hand back and into his lap, entwining our fingers. The tingles turned into full-scale fireworks, as a low heat started building in my belly. These foreign scared the hell out of me so I tried to pull my hand back as inconspicuously as possible, but he held it tight. “Are you free this Saturday?” my eyes widened.

“Wh-What?” was all I could say. He smiled a small smile and my eyes were instantly drawn to his mouth. He noticed my gaze lingering at his mouth and his smile grew.

“So, Saturday?” he asked, leaning closer. His warm breath blew across my face and I resisted the urge to close my eyes and sigh. The sound of a knock against the window broke the moment. I jumped back in surprise and pulled my hand back from his now loosened grip.

“Hey there love birds!” said Mai sarcastically, leaning against the car with an eyebrow raised in my direction. I resisted the urge to band my head against the dash. Prefect. Just what I needed. I fumbled with the control and rolled down the window.

“Hey Mai” I said cautiously. She smirked.

“Hey Anya, loverboy” she drawled, nodding in Mark’s direction. I didn’t dare turn, already feeling his scowl. “Watcha doin?” I grimaced.

“Noth-” “Kissi-” Mark and I started at the same time. Mai’s smile grew while my eyes widened. I whipped my head around to glare at him. He raised his hands in mock-surrender while his eyes danced in amusement.

“Look, we were just talking okay?” I finally said to Mai. Then I turned to Mark. “Thanks for the ride.” And quickly collected my bag and opened the door rather forcefully. Mai almost toppled over but I caught her hand straightened her. Then, ignoring her glare, I shut the door as carefully as I can. Pulling my bag over my shoulder, I paused as Mark got out rushed over towards me.

“So, Saturday?” he asked again. Mai’s eyes widened comically. I glared at him and then huffed in frustration.

“Mark..” I started but trailed off as Mai visibly leaned in towards us. “Mai, can you please give us a moment?” I gritted out.

“Sure, whatever.” She huffed but complied none-the-less. “Be nice!” she threw over her shoulder as she walked away. I turned back to Mark, my ears tinged red. He was watching us with a comical expression.

“You sister is..” he started but I cut him off.

“Crazy, yeah I know. Anyways, I can’t do this Sunday.” I said quickly. His smile dimmed.

“Oh? And why is that?” he asked mildly.

“I have some work.” I said vaguely, not wanting to lie. “And I don’t think we should do this.” I added quietly. He raised an eyebrow in question, his face expressionless. “Look, when this all blows over, you’ll go back to your life and I’ll go back to mine. If we do this, one of us might get hurt.” I shrugged. “And there’s a chance that people might discover who you are.” I tried to reason with him.

“Hmm, I think you’re right.” He said shortly. “Well then, goodbye.” And with those words thrown at me, he left while I stood there gasping at him. 

Next update soon!

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Anna