The Heartthrob Won't Leave

Chapter Twenty (New Chapters)

She spent the time staring out the window at the scenery of impending winter, already the world had been given a thin blanket of snow and a grey, cloudy sky. It wasn't long until they pulled into the parking complex of the mall, Lucian trying to dodge the constantly crossing pedestrians and find a parking spot, which all seemed to be full.

"Dammit, people" he muttered under his breath, having to slam on his brakes more than once from people crossing randomly without a mind in front of him. For some reason, his frustration kind of amused her. Once they finally found a spot, he helped her from the vehicle, closing the door behind her and leading her towards the nearest entrance. Blake was never a fan of shopping malls, everyone and everything was so crowded there was no room to breathe. And especially as a person that struggled with the thought that everyone was constantly staring and judging her for every little flaw, being somewhere with so many judging, cruel eyes were about enough to give her heart a stress attack. She tried to not look at the other people, ignore them, and pretend they weren't there. But, it was difficult when she could hear them, feel them like ghosts of angry demons.

"Are you Ok?" she lifted her head at his question "Do you need a breather" she smiled softly, grateful that he was at least making an effort to look like he cared about her, even if it wasn't real.

"I'm fine" she responded softly

"Are you sure? If you need a moment you let me know, yes?"

"Trust me, I'm Ok" she responded, pulling slightly from his side, opening the duotang, and looking at the first character biography and the list to go along with it. She could feel him hovering over her slightly to read the words for himself. "Why don't we try some clothing stores to see if we can find anything that matches the outfit descriptions"

"You lead the way," he smiled. She shut the duotang, heading towards the nearest store that looked clothing-oriented, him not far behind. She moved between the racks, trying to think of how the clothing would look on her classmates

"Here," she pulled out a soft blue button-up shirt on a hanger, turning to look at him "This might look good for your character, why don't you try it on?" she offered it for him to take.

"I suppose I could" he took hold of the shirt hanger from her, looking at it for himself "But-" he met her eyes "You have to promise you won't like pass out from my hotness when I come out with it on" she raised her eyebrows, almost feeling the urge to laugh at his words, watching him wink as he walked away towards the change rooms. She held a small smile on her lips, shaking her head and continuing her search through the clothes. It was only a few minutes before she felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to face him. Her eyes widened slightly, at the sight of him. He didn't button up the shirt, whether that was intentional or not she wasn't sure. But, it pretty much gave her a clear sight of what was underneath, and football had done him justice indeed. The shirt fit him very well, to say the least. She felt foolish, her cheeks going red, and it definitely didn't help that the shirt was her favorite color too. He looked so amused, letting out a soft laugh.

"I'm seriously considering buying this just because of the look on your face right now" he claimed, making her all the more mortified by her own actions. She felt so embarrassed, looking away quickly

"I'm sorry," she said quickly "I'll keep looking" she continued her search through the rack with slightly shaking hands and a hammering heart. I feel like I want to cry. And suddenly, her foot slipped, sending her to the tile floor. She inwardly cursed. She could hear him laughing hard behind her, leaning down to grab her arm.

"Let me help you" he lifted her by her upper arm, helping her to her feet. She glanced at her shoes, realizing she had tripped on her shoelace. And suddenly, the feeling of what she was leaning against had her entire body freeze, her head turning slowly to face the chest just inches from her face. She swallowed heavily. My heart can't take this. She stumbled from his grip.