Marigold

12

Mari's POV

"What? Walk naturally, Mari. Breathe..." I heard him whisper, his hand now resting on my waist. And damn, the amount of self-control I had to exert just to ensure he wouldn't feel my body shivering, Latch will tease me if he sees me.

How can I breathe when all I can think about now is what happened that night?

I tried to forget about it. We're best friends. We've been like that since forever. And now just because of a kiss, my mind seemed to stop functioning.

"What do you mean?" I fake a laugh. "I'm fine, Z. I'm at my most natural state,"

He raised his eyebrow but didn't utter a word.

After what he said earlier, the rest of the guys started teasing us. Zammy and Atlantis even stood up to occupy another table so we can be alone.

The only reason why Heron kept his mouth shut was because Z gave him a stare. This

And that's when all the awkwardness started. I can no longer focus on what I was reading. Instead, every breath, every movement, every little thing that he does, my mind gets aware of them. It tingles my whole system, and it's starting to betray me.

The smell of his sweet scent, his gentle and delicate movements, his shallow breathing, and the way the wind blows and graces on his beautiful face...

Ge'ez... What the hell is going on with me?

So when it was time for me to go to my next class, I was so stiff. Like usual, he was walking along with me, my books in his hands but my mind is elsewhere.

Suddenly, I get very anxious with all the stares we were both getting when I was so used to it before.

This isn't anything new. People use to stare at me, at is, simply because of our last names, of we are.

But what changed?

The moment we reached my next class, breathing had started to become a struggle.

"Hey..." he whispered. I felt his hands on my shoulder just right after I took my books from him.

Why? Just am I feeling this way?

I felt his right hand on my chin and my eyes met his.

A long sigh escaped his lips.

"If you're acting like this because of what happened, can you forget about it for now?"

I gulped.

"Yah, I'm okay. What are you talking about? I wasn't even thinking about the kiss. Why would I think about it? Yeah, wh- are you laughing?"

He bit his lower lip and my eyes can't take my eyes off it.

He wet his lower lip with his tongue and my lips parted immediately. Suddenly, images of us kissing each other flashes before me. The way he bites my lower lip, the sound of me moaning and making out his name, the way my hands started pulling out his hair...

My breath hitches at those images and my knees wobble in instant but he was fast enough to wrap his hand around my waist.

"Careful,"

His breath hit the back of my neck and automatically, a soft moan escaped my lips.

Our eyes suddenly met and my eyes went wide.

"Yah! It's not what you think!" my cheeks blushed red and I wanted to hit my head out of stupidity.

Why the hell am I even thinking? I look like some lunatic, a pervert! It was as if I was the one imagining things, oh my God!

I was startled when he leaned forward and kissed me on my forehead. I was sure I heard a few girls squealing!

" I know you have an exam later. I promise we'll talk about it after so stop thinking too much, okay?"

I would have said that we have nothing to talk about. What do we have to talk about? It's not like he has feelings for me.

But as if I was in a trance, I started nodding my head in response.

My eyes closed a little and I had to breathe to calm down my nerves.

But he did it. He pulled me in, engulfing me in a warm hug, electricity started running along my spine.

Yeah, something is wrong with me.

But I felt it, my nerves starting calming down a little. So I did what I was used to doing, I buried my face on his chest while I do a simple breathing exercise.

Right, why will I feel so awkward? I mean, this is Z. It's just him, my best friend. Maybe I was just getting confused because I've never kissed someone before. I was surprised.

He tells me he misses me before too. And it's not like a kiss is something I should be crazy about. I mean, I kissed his cheeks from time to time. And we were both drunk then.

Right, that's just it. I told to myself.

That made me feel a little better. Why am I this bothered?

Ha. This is just Z. Just Z.

So when he pulled away from me a little, I tried to muster my sincerest smile though I swear I'm still shaking a little deep inside.

"Just meet me at home. You no longer have classes, right?" I asked him. I saw how his eyes waver for a moment but I didn't give any thought about it.

"Bring two boxes of pizza tonight because I need to study for another exam," I smiled at him and he messes with my hair a little.

That made me feel better.

In a few minutes, I was already taking my exam. This time, I felt lighter.

"Tss, Y's dead once he pesters me once more," I whispered.

Thankfully, I was able to study well despite all that had happened earlier.

"Bye, Mari!"

I wave my classmates goodbye as I gather all of my belongings.

So when I finally went out of the room and saw Lennox standing on the wall opposite the door, my brows furrowed. He was wearing denim jeans and white hoodie.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. My grip on my books tightened.

We haven't really talked that much since last time.

My eyes met his gaze, his black orbs pulling me in once again.

Slowly, he walked closer to where I was standing.

"I was waiting for you..." he whispered.

"Why?"

My eyes landed on the paper bag in his hands.

"I threw your perfume so it's just right that I give you a new one,"

My lips parted at his words

He reaches for my hand and gave it to me.

"You didn't have to. And, you already apologized for it,"

"But you were upset about it. Again, I'm sorry,"

I was caught off-guard at what he just said. It was true that I was upset about it especially since it was a gift from Zammy but I wasn't expecting him to replace it.

My eyes study his expression. A smile escaped my lips. "Thank you,"

I didn't think he'd really come and talk to me again, moreover, apologize when he already did.

But what he said next shocked me the most.

"Can I court you?"