Edited
Oh, you're still here. Welcome back little TUT. Pleased to see you again. Gasp what a scandalous chapter. It does go from 0 to 100. Enjoy!
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Old remains; Mira's scandalous dress & caramelized popcorn. So much for the window?
Under the bleaches was one of the only places no one would see Mira with Adam and with Aiden's absence, Adam took full advantage of the situation.
He held her firmly by the hips, his lips leaving a scorching trail down the nape of her neck.
Every time they did this, a rush of adrenaline would pulse through Mira; the secret thrill that no one knew about it exciting her even more.
Adam's left thumb drew tiny circles on her waist as his right hand reached into the back of her shirt. Her hands ran through his hair and she tugged it slightly, causing him to let out a satisfied, low moan. There was nothing but pure lust between them; they ravished each other like there was no tomorrow; as if they both had something to prove to each other and themselves.
Suddenly, Adam pulled away, the both of them out of breath. Mira noticed he wanted to say something but decided against it. He leaned back in but she stopped him and bit her lip. Moments with him felt like a fairytale and at the end of the day, it always seemed unreal.
She stepped back and willed herself to return to reality. Her face heated up and she looked at the ground. Adam chuckled as he leaned forward, one arm supported against the bleacher and his other hand was used to lift her face to meet his, trapping her in. She gulped and tried to face away but Adam wouldn't let her. He brought his lips down to her ear. "Even after all this time, you still get all flustered and all I have to do is kiss you." He tucked his face into the crook of her neck; his warm breath fanning over her skin causing her to shiver in delight. He chuckled to himself. "It's cute."
"I can't imagine how anyone could get used to this. Each time, I'm pretty sure, I'm heading closer to an early cardiac arrest. It still amazes me how you –"
He pulled her in for another kiss. When he drew back, she remained stunned.
"You talk too much," he said jokingly but something flashed in his eyes.
Mira bit the inside of her cheek. "Is something wrong?"
Adam's usual smirk faltered for the briefest second. "Nothing."
She crossed her arms and sat on the ground. Adam crouched down in front of her. Mira puffed her cheeks as he sighed.
"Avery's back." That was all he said.
Mira waited for him to proceed but he didn't; instead, his eyes flashed with an emotion Mira never thought she'd see in him; pure hatred. "It's just..." He trailed a finger down Mira's cheek, down to her throat. "It seems she's returned for something else too."
Mira was confused. Adam got up abruptly, straightened his jacket and gave a frustrated growl as he ran his hand through his hair. "Look. I'm gonna be frank with you. I thought I could but seeing Avery again and you're constantly with Aiden too. I can't do this anymore."
Mira stood up not sure what was happening. "What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow; were they not just making out fine a minute ago?
"The secrecy, us meeting in private and not being allowed to go on dates with each other unless Phoenix chaperones us. I mean, for starters, your parents don't even know and..."
Mira didn't quite know how to react. She always knew this day would come but this was unexpected. She suspected there was another reason Adam wanted to get away from her and it had to do with her connection to the Edens.
"I'm done with that family," he finished.
Then again, how long could a guy put up with dating a girl he couldn't be with ¾ of the time?
"Mira, I know it's gonna be hard for you but I think we should take a break."
"So you're breaking up with me?"
He hesitated. "I guess."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
They both stood there staring at each other, and neither of them tried to bridge the distance. It seemed like Adam was waiting for something but Mira hadn't picked up on it.
He threw his hands up in expiration. "Is that all you have to say? No questions?!"
Mira's eyes widened. "Why? You already explained yourself."
Adam cackled in disbelief. "Is this the first time someone's broken up with you?"
"Yes." Although, the voice at the back of her head answered 'no'.
"Then shouldn't you be a little more, I don't know, heartbroken? A bit emotional perhaps."
Mira shrugged. "I'm okay with it. I guess I had been expecting it for a while considering the circumstances of our relationship. Are you okay though? It's not every day someone breaks up with you."
He looked at her in disbelief, his lip twitching. "Firstly, I broke up with you. Of course, I'm fine. I'm great. Why wouldn't I be? Secondly, don't call me. We are officially over so I'm leaving." He took a couple of steps back. "Make sure Aiden stays away from me too," he added grudgingly. He waited for her to say something but she didn't. Mira thought he looked like he needed a hug but that seemed inappropriate considering they just broke up.
He began to walk away feeling slightly empty. It didn't feel like they broke up and he couldn't help but feel as if he still needed to do something; perhaps breaking up with her was a mistake.
"Wait, Adam," Mira called out stopping him in his tracks.
He quickly swirled around. "Yes?"
She indicated to the jacket that she was wearing. "Don't you need this back?"
He frowned, and his broad shoulders drooped. "Yeah, sure."
She tossed it to him and watched as he disappeared. She felt the reality of what had happened settle in. They had been dating for about 9 months, shockingly. Adam had put up with her for that long or was he hers, to begin with?
She dragged her feet across the field, back towards the school, where she bumped into Aiden. He looked around confused.
"Adam ran off already? It's like he has a radar that detects when I'm near." He glanced at her neck, as he tended to do, whenever he left Adam and her, searching for any evidence of what the two were up to. "You may want to cover that up before your mom sees it and thinks I've been taking advantage of her daughter. Speaking of which, your mom was looking for you and I told her you were currently in the bathroom, going to war with the tampon dispenser."
Aiden looked away from Mira, as she placed a hand on her neck where Adam left a couple of dark lovebites. She blushed. "It will fade soon, Ai. Perks of having darker skin." Aiden gave her his jacket to cover her up. She took it from him. "Thanks for the cover-up; the jacket and my mom."
He hummed in return, his jaw clenched, defining his high cheekbones, and his eyelashes lowered casting shadows on his hazel eyes. He was annoyed; he often was when Adam was involved. She grinned up at him. "Be careful, the way you're acting now could be mistaken as jealousy."
He threw his head back and barked out a single laugh. "As if. Answer my question."
"He left; we broke up. He said that I'm not allowed to call him – not that I did much before – and very strictly commanded you to stay away from him." Aiden stopped and grabbed her by her shoulders. He scanned her face for any signs that she was joking. She burst out laughing. "Just kidding."
Aiden relaxed.
She grew serious again. "Not."
He pulled his lips into a thin line. "Really?" She nodded. "How are you holding up?" he asked, sceptically.
"Heartbroken. How about you?"
He tried, but failed dismally, to contain the smile crawling onto his face. "You have my utmost sincere condolences, you heartless monster. I'm surprised he hung on for so long, to be honest."
Mira scrunched her face up. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Aiden shrugged. "I just think you're not his type."
Mira raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and whose type am I?"
Aiden huffed. "Some poor, unfortunate soul who enjoys listening to random lectures on classical history as a kink."
She giggled. "I already have you for that." She gave him an exaggerated wink before she skipped away.
The end of lunch bell rang.
A grin was plastered on Aiden's face as he waved goodbye to Mira. He turned in the direction of his next class. He couldn't be happier that Adam had broken up with her but that left one problem; Avery would find out sooner or later and then what would stop her?
Avery's words from two years ago echoed in the back of his mind before she disappeared that night.
He shook his head. There was nothing to fear as long as Mira stayed away from Avery's parties.
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"I've decided. Let's go to Avery's party tonight," Mira whispered as she walked over to her vanity drawer.
Aiden walked into her room. "Why?!"
He left her room door open out of habit. Even though Aiden was a welcome member of her family, Giya did not entertain the idea of her daughter being alone with a teenage boy, even if it was her best friend.
Even when Aiden stayed over, Giya made sure to place him in the guest bedroom downstairs and was always the last one awake to make sure they had gone to sleep. Ray didn't mind much, but only after an intense discussion he had with Phoenix, in his office, when Aiden had turned 13, inquiring about what his intentions were with his daughter.
Aiden sunk into a bean bag, in the corner of her room. "Why would you want to do that?"
She got up, walked to her mirror and sat down. "I don't know. It kind of feels overdue."
Aiden frowned; Mira was not a big fan of large crowds so parties weren't her scene. Then again, it was yet another thing her parents weren't fond of, so naturally, she'd be drawn to them. She got a kick from testing the murky waters now and then. He assumed that's why she started dating Adam in the first place.
A strange thought flashed in Aiden's mind, as to why she could be okay with the breakup now that Avery returned.
He wondered if something else was playing on her mind. "Are you okay?"
She met his eyes in the reflection in her mirror. "Yes."
He got up. "No, you're not. You're doing that thing where you bottle everything up."
She sighed, turning to face him, nibbling on her bottom lip. "Do you think those rumours about Adam seeing Evelyn were true?"
Aiden made his way to her bedside table where she stashed all her junk food.
"Evelyn spread those rumours and I don't think he'd do that. On the other hand, there were so many rumours circulating the place about him. Once, I heard he was caught making out with the principal's daughter in the back of the library and got suspended for a week and another stated he has a secret love child from a random one-night stand and the latest says he's got a secret job – there's much speculation as to what that may be – possibly a male stripper. He's got the charisma and body for it... all to support said, love child." Aiden stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth.
Mira opened her mouth, to say something but closed it again, deciding it was highly plausible. She walked over to her closet. "What should I wear?"
"So, we're doing this?" Aiden said, through another mouthful of chips.
She cringed and giggled, pulling out a red dress, which Giya's sister-in-law had sent over from South Africa. It was bright red and had an open back, with two straps along the back. Usually, she felt uncomfortable without the support of her bra but this dress was one of the few that catered for her size with padding. She began to undress and slipped the dress on; the cool material crossed over her chest, exposing her midsection, flared out at the bottom and sat just above her knees. Aiden, meanwhile, had made himself comfortable on her bed and started flipping through Netflix on her TV. A K-drama popped up; he clicked it. She appeared next to him. He glanced up as she turned around. "Tie me up please."
Aiden began to help her. "Watch what you say. Someday, your mother is going to think we have some weird kink relationship vibe, filled with debauchery, which I promised them I would not engage in. I had to sign a contract!"
Mira was puzzled.
She tapped her index finger thoughtfully on her chin. "I don't remember this."
He casually stuffed his mouth with chips as he spoke so she couldn't hear what he said. "What was that, I couldn't quite hear you?"
He took a big gulp and cringed as if it was painful. "You were already asleep."
She stood up. "When exactly did you have midnight dates with my parents?"
He waved his hand in the air, dismissively. "That time it was after –"
"That time?! How many times have my parents made you sign contracts in the middle of the night?"
"I can't say..."
"Why not?"
"They made me sign a vow of secrecy, which I have already broken. So shut up, before they overhear you. Anyway, do a twirl."
She stared at him in disbelief, shook her head, and twirled to give him a full view of the dress.
"Whatcha think?"
Aiden felt his heart flutter. She was stunning. Of course, he would never say it out loud. "As if, your mom would let you out of the house dressed like that. Plus, how are you gonna get out?"
Mira began to take the dress off. This time, Aiden looked away, out of common courtesy. It wasn't odd for them to get dressed in front of one another, but privacy sometimes was a courtesy he felt necessary. She changed into a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt. She bit her lip as she often did when she was thinking of a plan. "The window?"
Aiden huffed. "I guess I'm going to have to pretend I'm going home."
Mira nodded and hopped onto the bed next to him. She stole some chips. He pulled the packet away from her and she pouted. He tsked. "Nope, I'm staying here so you can go yourself."
"Fine, maybe Adam's buddies will be looking for a new date." Aiden gasped and Mira took the chance to steal the packet of chips.
"So that's why you want to go so badly, you little demon." He grabbed her by the waist and began to tickle her. She rolled around, uncontrollably, calling for mercy.
Giya walked past the room carrying a box of items. "Greetings, kiddies."
Aiden released Mira. "Hey, Giya. Need a hand with those?"
She called out from her office next door. "It's cool, I got it."
Mira hopped off the bed, and towards her mom. "Mom, can Aiden and I go to the movies?" Aiden paused the show he had running in the background and crossed his arms over his chest, listening to whatever Mira schemed now.
"So much for using the window?" he said to himself.
He could picture Giya's raised eyebrow, as she sat at her desk inspecting Mira. "What movie?"
"Fast and furious 7."
"Time?"
And cue the infamous 'Mira lying technique'. In his mind, Aiden could picture everything, as it happened; he saw her nervously scratching the back of her neck. "You see, that's the problem. The earliest booking we got was 7:00 pm, so, the movie would finish around 9:30. We should be home by 10. Since there's no school tomorrow, I thought it would be okay." She would give her mom a dazzling smile but that's not enough to convince her, thus, she would throw in, "We promise to get you your favourite caramelized popcorn, from the sweet shop across the cinema."
Aiden rolled his eyes. 'Ye right... the same brand of caramelized popcorn that happened to be sold down the road from my house at the convenience store.' He crossed his fingers hoping Giya would say 'no' but, he knew, since Mira didn't go out often, her elaborate lies tended to work.
"Okay then. Phoenix!"
He rolled off the bed and walked to the office, popping his head in. "Yes, ma'am."
"Take care of her, okay?" She smiled at him genuinely, with warm motherly affection.
He swallowed back the stab of guilt he felt, smiling back. "Any day, any time, I promise." And he truly meant it.
She nodded, dismissing them. Mira walked out with an evil grin. Aiden looked upwards. 'How did I get trapped in this family?'
Someday they'd be the death of him.
Mira made her way to the bathroom, to freshen up whilst Aiden went to his room downstairs. He looked through the closet where his spare clothes were kept and pulled out something reasonably decent.
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