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Maddox:
Damn, having a private shower feels like heaven.
Drying myself with one of the clean towels that Rose has neatly folded on the side, I enjoy the smell of her shampoo a little too much. I've never been close enough to her to smell it, but now that I've used it, I can't help but think that the lavender scent fits her perfectly. As I put on my boxer briefs I hear Rose sniffing outside and I tense.
Shit, she must have not forgiven me yet. I swear to god I wanted nothing more than to knock coach out so I'd run here to her. The last thing I needed was to break the trust she has put in me. I'll keep apologizing for as long as she wants me to until I'm forgiven.
Quickly putting on the rest of my clothes, I slip on a pair of dark jeans and a white T shirt before shoving my uniform in my bag and rush outside.
Rose is curled into a ball on her bed, her small figure shaking with uncontrollable sobs and it kills me that I'm the reason why she's in so much agony. "Rose? Rose, talk to me."
I make my way over to her in panic, my eyes filling with worry as I look into her fearful ones. "I'm so, so s-sorry."
"What are you apologizing for? Please stop crying." I kneel down next to her bed, my hands balled into fists to stop myself from reaching to her and pulling her in my arms. "Tell me what's wrong."
"I-I didn't know." She shakes her head frantically, refusing to meet my eyes. "I didn't mean to up-upset her. Please don't b-be mad at m-me."
I frown, unable to wrap my head around her words. "Angel, I don't understand. Please calm down. It's gonna be alright."
I have no clue what she's talking about but she's going to have a panic attack soon if she doesn't calm down.
"I tr-tried to explain. She wouldn't lis-listen. I'm s-s-sorry." She struggles to breathe and I can no longer take it.
Sitting in front of her, I place both hands at either side of her face and force her head up. "Rose, look at me. I need you to breathe. Can you do that for me?"
She blinks in surprise, trying to catch her breath and I'm glad that I have her full attention. "Breathe with me, Angel. Come on. In and out."
I take a deep breath through my nose and she slowly matches me, her wide eyes staring at mine, yet still pouring precious tears down her cheeks. "That's it. One more time."
A couple of deep breaths later and she's finally done sobbing, her breath still heavy but no longer dangerous. Removing her hair from her face, I wipe her tears away gently. "Good girl."
Her skin is so damn soft, and feeling it against my own makes my fucking heart pound. She's got me wrapped around her finger, my angel, and she doesn't even know it.
"You need to kn-know what hap-happened." Her eyes fill with tears again and I shake my head, my hands still moving through her soft hair. I don't know if I'll ever get another opportunity to touch her like that and I'm a dick for seizing it. "I need to t-tell you."
I sigh and scoot a little closer. "Okay, I'm listening. But only if you keep breathing."
"L-Lola called." I stiffen. "I picked up. I'm so sorry. She c-called eight times, I thought it w-was really imp-important."
"What the fuck did she say to you?" My voice is harsher than I intended for it to be, but that spoilt brat made my angel fucking break down.
"She thought y-you cheated. I tried to ex-explain but she wouldn't listen. She said she'll make you p-pay." She cries again and this time I say screw it and pull her to my chest.
"For the love of God, please calm down, Rose." I rub my hand up and down her back and I'm pleasantly surprised when she shoves her face into my chest and wraps her arms around me tightly. "What do you mean cheated?"
"I didn't know y-you had a girlfriend. I ruined y-your relationship. Y-you didn't tell me. Is she the g-girl you told me about?" She continues crying and I barely make the words out.
"Who the fuck told you Lola was my girlfriend?" I frown in disgust.
"She did." Pulling away slightly, she looks up at me and I love the fact that she still has her arms around me. I don't know if I want to strangle Lola for causing her such distress, of thank her for bringing us this close.
"She lied." I assure her and she frowns deeper. "I slept with her twice a few months ago, but I couldn't shake her since. She keeps calling and texting and I didn't want to block her number because that seemed a little cruel but now that she made my angel cry I'll be sure to put an end to this."
"She's not your girlfriend?" She asks again skeptically, her breathing now back to normal except for a couple of hiccups.
"Not in a million years." I snort.
"And she's not the girl you're in love w-with?" She blinks at me and even though her eyes are puffy and her little nose is too red, she looks so fucking cute that I want to steal her away from this cruel world and keep her all safe and sound.
"Far, far from it." I shake my head.
"And you don't have a girlfriend?"
"I don't have a girlfriend." I confirm, slightly offended that she suspects I'm the kind of guy who would have a girlfriend and be in love with another, but I quickly shake it off. She still doesn't know me well enough.
"Oh." She frowns and sits up, pulling away from me completely. "She yelled at me and called me names, b-but she's not even your girlfriend. What a bitch!"
Surprised, I let out a laugh.
"I thought I ruined your relationship. I felt really, really guilty. I thought you'd be mad at me." She looks at me and I give her a smile.
"I could never be mad at you." I assure her.
"Well, I was going to be mad at you because you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend." She narrows her eyes at me, taking another deep breath and straightening her back.
I chuckle. "I told you the girl I'm in love with isn't ready for me yet. That's the truth."
She gives me a sad smile and I wonder why before she says, "tell me more about her?"
"Well," I start, scooting backwards till my back rests against the wall. "She has the most beautiful smile. The kind of smile that can light up a whole damn room. But she doesn't smile often."
She sighs dreamily, sitting beside me. "Tell me more."
"She is shy. She barely looks me in the eye when I speak with her. It makes her nervous, I guess, and I fucking hate it, because her eyes can bring me to my knees. She's really smart too, and a lot braver than she knows." I confess.
"You sound like you love her a lot." She comments quietly, but her smile is still there.
"I do. She's very lovable." I nod. Taking a deep breath, I clear my throat and decide to ask her something that has been bugging me for a while. "I have a question. But you don't have to answer it if you don't want to."
She narrows her eyes at me playfully and I'm glad that her mood is now much better than before. Shit, I might just ruin it again. "Are you trying to give me a pass so I would feel obligated to give you one in return?"
Chuckling, I shake my head. "No, Angel. I just don't want to push you. So you don't have to answer me, okay?"
"I told you I have nothing to hide, Maddox. Ask away." She shrugs and I take another deep breath.
"You said you got your heart broken last year." She stiffens slightly before slowly nodding her head. "Do you still love him? The guy who broke your heart?"
I watch her as she stares at me for a moment before she looks ahead, tugging her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She rests her chin on top of her knees before she takes a deep breath. "Honestly?"
I nod, my heart pounding with fear and worry alike. I'm too scared to hear her answer but I need to know.
"I honestly don't know." She shrugs sadly. "Sometimes when I think of him I find myself smiling, but then I would cry. Sometimes I think I'll never stop loving Jaxon. Other times I believe that I no longer have it in me to be in love with him."
I don't know what to make of an answer like that so I remain silent and clench my jaw.
"What I do know for sure, however, is that I don't want to love him anymore." Her confession catches my attention and I look at her as she stares ahead. "I don't want to love him, because in loving him I've learnt to hate myself. Jaxon didn't break my heart. I did that. The love I had for him is what ruined me. So how can I love something so cruel, so ugly? I don't know if I still love him or not, but I know that I don't want to be in love with him anymore. I can't even afford to. Nothing good came out of that love."
I guess that's better than a yes anyway, so I'll happily take it.
"You don't stutter with me anymore." I tell her and her head snaps in my direction.
She's silent for a moment, her eyes wide at the realization before she grins so damn beautifully I feel the breath knocking right out of me. "I don't, do I?"
"When you're crying, or really nervous you do. But when we're just talking, you no longer stutter with me, Angel." My grin matches hers.
She tilts her head to the side. "Why do you call me that?"
"Can I have that pass now?" I ask in return and she laughs. Fucking hell, the sound of her laughter makes my damn stomach flip.
"I answered your question, didn't I? Come on. You promised me honesty." She nudges my shoulder with hers and my breath hitches in my throat. This is the first time she initiates physical contact between us and I'm on the top of the fucking world.
"I also said I don't want to overwhelm you." I remind her.
"What does that even mean? How can you overwhelm me?" She frowns.
I sigh at her stubbornness and decide to tell her the truth, hoping she doesn't freak out. "I call you Angel because the first time I ever saw you you were wearing a white dress that made you look like an angel."
She blinks at me, her eyes softening. "When was that?"
"A year and a half ago." I reply trythfully and she gasps.
"How can you remember something as small as that?" She looks at me with fascination and I love how she can't take a hint.
I shrug because no answer I have to that question wouldn't have her running for the hills. Instead, I ask, "Wanna study?"
"No way I can tonight. I have a major headache from all the crying. Sorry, but maybe tomorrow?" She smiles at me and I'd give her my damn heart on a silver plater if she asks for it.
"Sure." I nod. "How about a movie then? Is that okay?"
I just don't want to leave yet so I'm glad as shit when she nods her head and grabs her laptop. We pick an action movie that I don't even bother catching the name of before we settle back down on her bed, side by side, our backs resting against the headboard. My shoulder touches her accidentally when I lean over to adjust the volume and she doesn't flinch away. She seems totally unbothered by it that my heart is filled with hope.
Half an hour through the movie, I hear her soft breathing. I shut her laptop, help her lie down and cover her with her blanket before I grab a piece of paper and a pen to leave her a note and head to my dorm with a shit eating grin on my face.
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Thoughts and opinions, everyone! I'm dying to know how you feel about this.
Definitely my new favorite chapter.