Illegal Innocence (Student/Teacher Relationship)

Chapter 20

"What, so I can't visit my fiancé?" she chided. I felt my eyes go wide and my body start to shake. Fiancé? Elliott was getting married?!

"Amanda, I told you, we aren't engaged anymore. This is like the tenth time you've come by here saying that," Elliott said firmly. "I broke this off a while ago. You and I ended months ago."

"Oh, now don't be like that," the woman- whom Elliott called Amanda- said. She through her arms around his neck and kissed him. The tears finally escaped from my eyes, running down my cheeks and dropping onto my arms. My whole body felt cold and I was shaking uncontrollably. I didn't want to watch anymore. I buried my head into my arms and cried silently, trying to erase the image from my mind.

"Amanda, stop it," I heard Elliott say.

"What's wrong with you?" Amanda said furiously. "Why won't you take me back? Every time I come over here you get mad at me!"

"Then stop coming over here!" he yelled, just a furious. "I keep telling you to stop coming over here. Why can't you get it thought your head Amanda? It's your fault That this happened in the first place, so stop blaming me for your problems and move on already!"

"Hey, get your hands off of me!" she screamed. I looked up and through the slits. Elliott had grabbed her upper arm and was now pushing/pulling her towards the door. "Why can't we be together again, Elliott! I love you!"

The door opened and light flooded into the hallway once more. "I don't love you," he said, lowering his voice once more. "Not anymore."

"Why? Do you love someone else?" she asked, getting her furious tone back.

"As a matter of fact," he said, sighing. "I think I do."

My stomach dropped and my heart did flips. Was he talking about me?

"Who is she, Elliott?" she screamed.

"That," he said matter-of-factly, "Is none of your business." And the he shut the door, remembering to lock it. I jumped when a loud thump landed on the other side of the door, followed by her screaming furiously. Elliott's footsteps got closer to the closet, and I felt frozen. He opened the door and light streamed into the dark closet.

I looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, making quiet sobs. He kneeled down, but for some reason I scooted away from him. He sighed, but pressed on. Without warning, he slid his arms under me and picked me up. I pushed against him, but he was stronger than he looked. He held me against his chest as he carried me out of the closet and back to the living room.

"Let me go!" I cried, pounding against his chest.

"Nope," he said. He sat on the couch, still holding me.

"Who was she?" I demanded, blinking away my tears. I tried to scoot off of him but he pulled me back against him and put his chin on the top of my head.

"Just listen. Please," he whispered. Something in his voice made me stop fighting him and actually listen.

"You have two minutes before I leave," I said, trying to mean it.

He took a deep breath. "Don't be mad at me."

"Too late."

He moved his arms around me, grasping onto one of my hands. He was shaking slightly, and it wasn't until then when I realized he was crying. "I loved her. So much that I wanted to marry her."

I had to admit, that hurt more than I thought it would. The thought of Elliott loving another woman sent knives through my heart, breaking it into a million pieces.

"But that's before I found out she'd cheated on me a week after I had proposed to her. She told me that she never loved me. I was a wreck for months after that. And when I left her, she went... crazy," he gulped before he said the last word. "She still thinks that we're still together, even after I moved here."

He had his head on my shoulder, and he was crying. I suddenly felt bad that I had ever tried to fight him off, not wanting him to touch me. I uncurled my fingers from his and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into me. It was usually his job to comfort me in my time of need. But now it was my turn. He needed someone to tell him it was going to be okay- he needed me.

"I'm sorry," I said, running my fingers through his messy hair.

"No," he protested. He pulled back from my shoulder and looked me straight in the eye. His face made me want to almost curl up and comfort him. Tears streaked down his cheeks and his eyes were bloodshot. "I should've told you. I'm so sorry, Avery."

I pulled him back to me, except this time resting my forehead is. "It's not your fault," I said, wiping his tears with my thumb. "I don't blame you."

We kissed, but this time it wasn't a heavy kiss. It wasn't a kiss that involved tongue, or heavy panting. This time, it was a soft kiss. It was a sweet kiss. It was the kind of kiss that you give someone when you're telling them that you love them. We pulled back and I gave him a tiny smile.

"Thank you, Avery," he said, laughing quietly thought tears.

"I love you," I finally said, not able to keep it in any longer. His eyes widened for a split second, but before I could say anything, he pressed his lips against mine a second time.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead on mine again. His next words made me feel happier that I could ever imagine. "I love you, too."