Behind Your Walls

11 | boyfriends

"Isn't that bad, is it?" he asks.

"No," I answer, my eyes fixed on the way the view in front of me disappears just as quickly as it appears.

It is fascinating. I wish there was a way for Panther to disappear like this too.

The motorcycle takes another turn and I look ahead to find the lane of Carter's residence. His small house blends smoothly with the other house on the lane. It is a poor colony by its vibe. Mostly silence greets this place.

Carter rides through the small gate, parking his ride as usual. I climb down, my legs once again feeling wobbly after the ride. He gets down too while taking his helmet off. I take a sideway glimpse at his tousled hair and have a sudden itch to run my fingers through them. I sigh and take a step forward to head inside, dragging my feet through the gravel when fingers curl around my wrist.

I flip around just as Carter pulls me to him, making my body collide with his hard chest, my fingers holding his waist as I steady myself after the sudden impact. I look up to find him looking at me; the darkness in his pupils is unfamiliar. In this position, my head touches his chin, making me strain my neck to stare back. His hands are on my waist, keeping me in place.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Carter breaks the silence between us, making me narrow my eyes at him.

He must have seen me with Stephen.

I let go of his waist and my palms press themselves on his chest in an attempt to push him off but I don't make any effort to actually do that.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I say.

He doesn't say anything as his eyes flicker between my eyes and my mouth. When they come back to rest on my eyes, I make a great effort to keep my expression as neutral as possible.

Carter Bell checking you out only means two things at school — he either finds you weird or he wants to fuck you. In this situation, his possessive grip makes it clear which reason it is.

"You can't get a boyfriend...not no."

"And why is that?"

"Till you're here..." He leans in until I can feel his cushiony lips hovering over mine. "I'm your only boyfriend. You can't get another and suddenly break the deal. That's not how it works."

It surprises me to hear him say that. If he thinks I am even remotely into being someone's girlfriend, I am afraid he doesn't know me at all.

"Me getting a boyfriend won't disturb anything in this arrangement."

I pull back, creating a little distance between us. Carter is not good for my teen hormones. His hold on my waist doesn't loosen but I try to ignore it for the time being.

"It will," he says, his eyes wild with urgency.

"How?"

"Because you'll want to be with him...all the time. And soon you'll forget all about us and just go away being all holly-jolly with your boy toy."

I cross my arms, my eyes studying him. He lets go of my waist and runs a hand through his hair.

"You can't have a boyfriend, Amaya. I can't risk Dad knowing that this..." he continues, gesturing to the space between us. "That this isn't real."

He is serious by the looks of him when he says that. It makes me question why the deal is so important to him in the first place. I want to ask him but the 'no questions' part makes me rethink. A deal is a deal. Its terms stand dependently. If I ask him, he will ask back. I am not ready to let anyone else know about Panther yet.

"I'm not going anywhere, Carter. I have no place to go," I say, more calmly than I expected to.

He leans on his motorcycle, sighing as he closes his eyes. We are quiet for a moment, even though the urge to not be is too much to control. I look at the ground, staring blankly at some pebbles by my feet.

"Don't mind me, snippy. I just can't think of the day you'll leave and things will go back to being the disaster they were two days back.

I find him looking at his calloused hands when I look up. His nails are chipped and his palms have tiny cuts all over. The more I spend time with him, the harder it gets to not question him.

He looks up, making me notice the bags under his eyes. His injury has discolored a lot since the first time I treated it but it still looks painful.

"Just promise me you won't get a boyfriend, snippy. If you need anything, you can just take advantage of me. Hell! I'll even text with you like people in relationships do nowadays," he declares, and then his eyebrows come together as if he has suddenly realized something. "...which reminds me...I don't have your number. Do share it."

He reaches into the pocket of his jeans to bring out his phone. His thumb roams through it and then he extends it to me, making me look between the phone and him. He signals me to take it and I roll my eyes as I do.

I type my number before giving it back to him to save. The transaction is smooth and I am amazed by the fact that I am exchanging numbers with Carter Bell after living in his house, sleeping on his bed, and sharing a bathroom with him. It is a strange world indeed.

"Don't call or text when I'm asleep. I'll drain the life out of you," I warn.

He looks up with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

"I can keep you busy the rest of the day then?"

"I'm sure you've got better things to do, Carter," I sigh.

"Sending you cat lady memes will be a good one," he says, suppressing a smile.

I blink as my eyes widen at his hidden accusation. My arms reach out to grab his phone back.

"I shouldn't have given you that!" I exclaim, jumping as he lifts his hand out of my reach. He laughs at my attempts. "I won't be a cat—"

"Carter?" an unknown voice coming from the direction of the door stops me.

I look at the door, while Carter straightens. A tall, stout man stands there. He has shoulder-length black hair and is dressed in a light blue shirt and baggy jeans. There is a half-smoked cigarette pressed between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, the fingers of which each carries a different gemstone ring.

His face looks scruffy with the thick beard, and a lip ring on one side makes him look even more like a ruffian as his eyes meet mine in a look of scrutiny.

Something about him reminds me of Panther and the smile on my face fades at the thought. I turn to Carter to see if he will introduce me to this stranger but when I turn to him, I see his face is drained of color.