Rose Among Thorns

VII

EDITED

"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life."

                               —F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Playlist: Victor Leksell—Svag

CRAWFORD HIGH

Valente Moretti dribbled the basketball through the court, dodging Marco, who tried to obstruct his path and then twisting his body left and right, with an arm barring Giacomo from seizing the ball, he finally sidestepped him. The crowd of students roared in cheers, perspiration coated his face and neck, with hair glued to his forehead, he raced swiftly, then coming to a halt, he shot the ball toward the hoop, securing yet another score.

The whistle blew, indicating the end of the match. Obviously, they had won yet another friendly match.

Jogging to his seat, and raking his fingers through the wet strands of hair, he sat down and caught the white towel that was thrown at him by Luca, and started wiping off the dampness from his face and neck. Then resting the cloth over his neck, he hung his head low and deeply breathed in and out, allowing the adrenaline driven heartbeat of his to die down.

Sensing eyes on his back after a few motionless moments, he stood up, and then turning his eyes away from his boisterous mates with a frown, his penetrating gaze connected with that of Sera's hesitant yet gaping ones. A small smirk curled his upper lip when he noticed the flush on her cheeks before she decided to go back into the school building with her friends, clearly embarrassed getting caught ogling him.

He liked that, a lot—her eyes on him.

Shaking out of his reverie when a palm slapped the nape of his neck a little too hard, he elbowed Marco in his stomach making him curl over with an oomph—the sore loser.

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Valente shut and put the book he was pretending to read back on the shelf and bend back from where he was standing and leaning between two enormous rows of bookshelves to peek at Sera who was sitting at a table beside a large window with a contemplative, and sober look on her face but soon, closed the book she was reading and propelling one of her elbow on the table, she settled her jaw on the palm of her hand. Coming out of his hiding when she finally dozed off on the table with cheeks glued on her forearm, hair sprawled against the table turning her face to the sunlight like a sunflower, she exuded saint like aura, with her milky cheeks exposed to the sun rays glinting from the crack of the blinds. She loved reading but not books related to academics.

After approaching and speaking to the head librarian, he made his way towards Sera while the students gathered their belongings and filed out of the library, leaving the two of them alone to their own vices. He then wordlessly seated himself opposite to her and watched the Aphrodite reincarnate.

May damnation befall him if he'd ever let anyone see her sleeping form. A frustrating growl escaped his tightened lips as his fingers linger right above her face, itching to remove the strand of hair from her smooth, rosy cheeks. Her button like nose and tantalizing red lips aroused something carnal within him but straining himself from unleashing and smothering her with his need to consume her, he let his hand hover over her eyes, blocking the sunshine which was causing her brows to wrinkle and her lids to twitch in annoyance. Grinning when a soft sigh left her lips from receiving relief, he kept watch over her until his arm was sorely raw and tender from the exertion.