Limerence | I

21. His Threats Are Promises

Class was almost over. I sat in the center of the room, trying my hardest to focus on on Professor Huck. But it was difficult with Xavier burning a whole in my face from across the room. Every once in a while, I would glance at him but for the most part, I didn't pay him any mind. I hadn't responded to his texts or phone calls since our fight. I knew it was driving him crazy. I wasn't mad at him anymore but I knew if I spoke to him, I would have the urge to tell him about Astrid.

"Alright, that's it for today. I'll see you all on Wednesday." Professor Huck dismissed everyone. I rushed to gather my things and leave the classroom before Xavier could stop me. However, I was unsuccessful. As I was speed walking down the hallway, I felt someone grab my upper-arm. I sighed dramatically as I rolled my eyes.

"What, Xavier?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. He pulled me into the stairwell, where not many students were passing by. I leaned my back against the wall as he stood close in front of me. He placed his hands on the wall on either side of my head so that I couldn't walk away. I looked down at the marble floors so that I didn't have to look him in his eyes.

"Stop avoiding me." He said aggressively. He tilted my head up between his thumb and index finger, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were soft and apologetic. "I told you I was sorry a thousand times, Charli. You know that I can't go more than a day without talking to you." He softened his tone as well. I was screaming on the inside but I hid it well. I knew that he was sorry but our fight was already a thing if the past.

"I know. I don't care about that anymore." I assured him. He smiled happily. It was contagious because I smiled too. He took one of my hands in his as he kept the other on the wall.

"So what's going on? You haven't talked to me in almost a week." He asked. I thought about what I told Astrid. If she didn't tell him, I would. But I couldn't tell him without at least giving her the chance to tell him. So I decided to initiate the conversation.

"Ask your girlfriend." I said. He raised his eyebrows, surprised. "She has something to tell you." I slid my hand out of his and left the stairwell, leaving him alone. I know he was confused but now he and Astrid could at least talk about it. I wanted to do everything I could to avoid telling him. I had a feeling that if I told him myself, he wouldn't believe me. So I needed it to come from her.

♠️

I walked toward Mama's house as fast as I could. It was freezing and the sun was setting. I kept my headphones in to ignore the cat callers that hung out on the street corners even though nothing was playing; I had to still be aware of my surroundings. I was only a block away from the building when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, startled. I swung around to see B.Dee. My muscles tensed at his touch.

"Charli, you're just the girl I wanted to see." He said with a smirk on his face. A lump grew in my throat. Every time I looked at him, I thought of Xavier. And I was starting to see a minor resemblance. He was prepared to walk away but he draped his arm over my shoulder and walked beside me. "I noticed that you're good friends with my son." He said. My heart pounded. He must have seen me get into his car. There was no other way he could have known.

"And?" I tried to hide my fear. She chuckled.

"And I think it would be a good idea that you keep your mouth shut about my whereabouts. He doesn't need to know about my business."

"He deserves to know." I argued. I wasn't planning on telling Xavier anytime soon but eventually he had to find out. And I knew that if he found out that I knew who is father really was, he would never speak to me again. I started to realize the secrets that I was keeping from him; the one about his father, and the one about Astrid's pregnancy. I couldn't help but feel terrible for him. His life was screwed up and he didn't even realize it.

"It's not your place to tell him." He spoke aggressively, kind of like Xavier did when he didn't get his way. I pursed my lips.

"You're right. It's yours." I said confidently. B.Dee stopped in his tracks and so did I. He stared at me intensely. I knew he wasn't expecting such a bold response. And honestly, I wasn't expecting that from myself either. But I was so passionate about not hurting Xavier that I had to say something.

"I'll make you a deal, Charli." He started. I folded my arms across my chest. Whatever the deal was, I wasn't going to take it. "If you stay out of this, I'll leave you and your family alone. But if you decide to tell him about me and this little encounter, I won't make you any promises." He threatened me. I got chills down my spine because I knew that a threat coming from B.Dee was a promise. I gulped, not knowing how to respond. Of course, I didn't want him to hurt my family but then he would be hurting his own son. Then again, Xavier was doing just fine all these years not knowing. "Think about it... Don't take too long." He walked away. I stood still for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what just happened.

I didn't know what to do. I wanted Xavier to know but I didn't want my family to get hurt. I decided that I couldn't risk anything happening to Mama or my youngest brother, Allen. And even though I hated Eli and I knew he could take care of himself, I didn't want to take the chance. So I had to keep quiet.

Uh oh. I wonder if Astrid is gonna tell Xavier. Should Charli keep quiet like B.Dee told her to?
Read my new book Badwood. I think you guys will like it. The updates might be slow though.