Attached Strings √

Chapter 16

I woke up to the sound of the ringing school bell.

Wait... what's the school bell doing in my room?

Slowly, I forced my eyes to open. To my relief, the annoying sound did not come from the school bell and neither did it come from my phone. I looked on my left hand side and I was traumatized.

She's here, I thought.

On the bedside table lay my worst enemy and, to top it off, she was singing on top of her lungs. Guess who this enemy was...

The alarm clock.

To clear any confusion, I didn't own an alarm clock - never did. All right maybe that was a little bit untrue but I was planning on losing the one I owned so I'm guessing that counts for something, right? Anyway, the last time I saw the alarm clock, which was on Friday morning, we had promised each other to never cross paths again and I assume that she thought the promise was only there for that weekend.

As if my mood hadn't been spoiled enough, I realized that it was Monday. Monday, I thought, my least favourite day of the week. Note the euphemism.

Finally accepting that I could not postpone a certain day of the week simply because I did not prefer having that particular day, I got out of bed. I made my bed and I was just about to take a shower when I remembered... I had to pass by his room. I suddenly felt the need to look at my reflection before exiting my bedroom. I went to the mirror and came face-to-face with a zombie.

I agree, maybe I was exaggerating but I really did look like the walking dead. I ran my fingers through my hair in an endeavor to destroy the birds nest that was currently situated on my head. I looked... better.

Why do you suddenly care so much about how you look? A tiny voice inside my head asked and I assured myself it was because I was now living with another person so I ought to look presentable at all times.

Are you sure it's not because that person is Paul? No! Hell no! Super no! I wouldn't try to look good for a player, would I? No, I wouldn't. Definitely not. No.

With newfound confidence, I sighed deeply and finally stepped out of the room. I passed by Paul's bedroom. His door was closed and the thought of waking him up crossed my mind but I told myself that I was not his nanny and I didn't think he'd really appreciate some teenage girl waking him up - I know I wouldn't.

Within five seconds, I was already inside the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, yes my eyes were closed, and I stepped into the shower.

With only a towel wrapped around my body, I went out and I had completely forgotten about the fact that I had to pass by his bedroom. I was only halfway through when I crashed face first into a wall.

It's not a wall, you idiot. That's his chest.

Involuntarily, my hands were placed on his hard chest for balance and I could feel his strong hands on my waist, holding me gently and, I must say, his hands felt so good on me. I dared to look him in his eyes only to find him already looking at me. Our gazes met and it was a deja vu moment.

Memories came rushing into my head. I remembered the day on which he was supposed to attend the party. I thought of the time when I had just locked the door and he had pulled me closer to him...

We were still looking straight into each other's eyes, still in each other's arms with all thoughts of being late for school completely thrown out of the window when a nasty, little voice spoke inside my head.

What are you doing? Aren't you the one who wanted no intimacy?

Yes, that was true. I was the one who set the ground rules and now I was the one breaking them. But why didn't I want to get out of his touch? Why did I like the fact that his hands and my skin were only separated by a lousy bath towel? Why, why, why?