Vulnerability

~5~

It is nearing two in the afternoon when I step out of my philosophy class. The two-hour class based on the nature of knowledge has exercised my brain to the point of fatigue. It is the day after I spoke to my sister and I can't seem to get the thought of my father out of my head, adding to the fatigue I already feel.

"I'm so hungry," I groan to myself, while simultaneously rubbing my stomach to calm the ripples of hunger that rage.

"I can fix that." My ears ring with the now familiar deep, silky voice. My head snaps around to reveal Victor's presence. I'm not gonna lie, he scared the shit out of me.

My heart wants to explode out of my chest as I look up at his charismatic smirk and calm composure. My palms sweat and I seem to have lost my voice as I try so hard to act natural and compose myself, but that only makes my entire being feel awkward and wobbly.

I can't help but eye him up and down, taking in his more casual dress. He is wearing a plain maroon graphic tee with some buttons undone, not revealing much but a slight view of his chiseled chest. Coupled with slim straight denim blue jeans and unadulterated white Vans. This attire, all in all, is simple but doesn't look too bad on him.

"Uh, we can't act like you didn't just scare the shit out of me," I choke out as I look up at the tall ass man before me. I'm not short but he towers over me like a palm tree. Maybe that's too dramatic but he makes me feel short.

After looking directing into his eyes, I instinctively direct my gaze to the concrete sidewalk that borders the student parking lot. Eye contact is too much for me to handle, especially when someone like him is looking at me as intensely as he is.

"My bad, I didn't mean to scare you. I planned on surprising you, but we can see how that worked out," he chuckles slightly, smiling down at me.

"It's fine. We can just brush over the part where I almost went into cardiac arrest," I reply.

"You're a character," he snickers with the ends of his mouth outstretching to reveal his pearly white teeth.

"Thanks... I guess." That smile needs to go. It's killing me. "Anyways, where do you want to eat?" I ask, fidgeting with the loose strap of my backpack as the one strap hangs desperately on my shoulder.

"I think I have someplace in mind," He states as he sticks his hand out in front of me, palm facing upwards. I glance down at his hand, questioning if I really should grab it or not knowing that my action will ultimately answer his question.

He obviously notices my childish inner turmoil because he places his pointer finger under my chin softly to slowly raise my head. I stare at his hand awkwardly. He is touching me. Thank god he can't see me blushing. I can feel the blood rush to my face almost immediately.

Our eyes meet and I want to hide. To disappear from this very moment because no one has ever looked at me the way he does now. The depth in his eyes mesmerize me and I feel frozen as they send me into a trance of some sort.

He's making me feel things. I heatedly vocalize to myself, fearful of the amount of control he has over me at this moment. My confusion only comes out as, "Where are we going?"

A quaint smile begins to formulate on his lips and I can't help but feel warm inside. He removes his hand from under my chin and tries once again for my hand.

Of course, I take it.

Butterflies swarm my stomach from this simple skin to skin contact. It's foreign to me. His warm, delicate hands in mine send me off the edge, distracting me from further protest.

"You'll find out when we get there."

I have an intense loathing for the unknown but for some reason, I feel like I can't say no. I don't want to say no.

We soon get to the back of the scientific research building. In the relatively empty parking lot, there seems to be one vehicle that stands out among the cars that are often typical of financially struggling college students. I follow behind him silently as we cross the street, expecting him to change his path into another direction towards a more modest vehicle until he pulls the remote from his pocket and my jaw nearly hits the floor as the BMW i8 lights up.

He smirks while simultaneously clicking the car remote, causing the passenger door to swing upwards like a wing.

I just stand there, wary of getting in the car. My father taught me better.

"Julian!" My father bellowed as he ran towards me at full speed. That was the fastest I've ever seen him run. But I was not worried about that at that moment. I was more concerned as to why my father was running and yelling at me as I stood there with my Mickey Mouse plushie in hand and my new friend, Richie, whom I met in front of the gum-ball machine at the mall.

Richie was so tall and he had his dark-brown hair slicked-back to the point that his hair looked solid. I met him when my father allowed me to get a gum-ball from the machine nearby. He was too busy buying a new stethoscope in the medical department store. He gave me a quarter and I was on my merry way towards the machine.

The problem I faced once I got to the machine was that I was too short to reach the coin slot. As I used the tip of my toes for height, a large hand came into view and picked the coin right from my hands. I looked around to face a man that looked like he could be a friend of my father's.

I wasn't afraid.

Richie helped me. He talked to me and eventually told me that he had more candy in his car. I was excited so I started to follow him to the back of the store until...

"Julian!"

Richie's face had changed. His face became that of fear as he looked at me. He began to pace away from me and I still wanted my candy so I followed him until... I lost him.

I stood there in the middle of many racks of medical scrubs and other attire, utterly confused.

"Julian," my father breathed out once he found me. His breath seemed uneven as he wrapped his arms around me. He pulled back from the embrace and looked at me, first with worry, then sternness.

"Julian, don't ever walk off like that again. Okay, baby?" His soft brown eyes formed creases around them as he continued to look at me with a look of care. Maybe even... love.

"Jules, you okay?"

I flinch as Victor's voice snaps me back to reality.

"U-Uh, Yeah, I'm good," I nod in addition to my confirmation as if that will solidify my statement.

"Good, I thought you were just gonna stand there hungry and dumbfounded because that would be a depressing combination."

I slightly tilt my head in his direction, playfully raising my eyebrow, surprised by his cheekiness. I could hear a slight chuckle from him as I make my way into the soft leather passenger seat.

"Oh, shut up," I combat.

I smile internally, feeling like I can be myself around him. It's obvious that I've gotten more comfortable around Victor since we've been texting and talking nonstop since last Monday night. There is a natural gravitation that he has that keeps pulling me in no matter what my brain says.

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What do you think of Victor and Jules' interactions? Are you skeptical or optimistic?

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Also, what do you think of the brief flashback Jules has of her father?

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See y'all in the next chapter! Don't forget to comment, vote and give me a follow!