Keenan bumps into me as he make a left turn, and then grins at me as he mutters; "Sorry. Sorry."
"You're good." I smile, adjusting the strap of my bag as it slipped on impact. "So... I mean, you just want to work in this place for ever? Like, with flowers and plants and stuff?"
"I love plants, gardens, flowers and all the sorts in between. I think maybe one day, I'd like to open my own botanical garden. A huge land. Variety of things."
I smile at him once again. "That sounds cool."
"Yourself?"
"I don't exactly know. I'm still confused about my career, which is weird since this is my last year in marketing and biology. Either one of them but I love nature so... maybe that would be the angle I'd tackle."
"Maybe one day we'd work together. Collaborate." He grins.
I watch, with my own small grin, as he turns around and points at another group of medium sized flowers, giving them a name despite the name tag being there, and he goes on explaining it. I just glance at him now and again before taking pictures of the flowers. I mostly look at his face, considering he has two beauty spots on his neck. I don't even know why I notice them and keep looking at them. Reminds me of that blue-eyed jerk and his beauty spot on his cheek.
That idiot. Can't even believe I'm thinking about him right now.
Keenan looks and smiles. "What's your favourite flower? I don't think I asked."
I pout a bit in thought. "I don't think I have a favourite, right? But I think sunflowers are cool."
"How so?"
"They are fat, huge, bright... they rely on the sun to stand up straight. They are pretty."
Keenan turns to look down at me with a heartwarming smile. On second though, glancing at him and his innocent smile makes me forget about the fact that I have a problem with the male population.
"That makes sense."
"It does?"
"Yeah. You give off sunflower energy, if that makes sense."
I know he's lying. I give off a rose hidden by thorns kind of energy. I simply smile. He then turns, eyes glazing over the flowers until they set on one of his desire. He then leans over a bit and picks it from its relatives, before turning to me.
Now, there I am, cheekily smiling at this boy because is this? He's being too sweet. Maybe there is hope. Maybe men aren't trash after all.
"Can I?" I nod at him, stepping closer a bit as he does so simultaneously, and then he places the stem of the flower behind my ear. I feel the soft petals of the flower against my ear. "There. I think it's cute."
This only happens in books. This is crazy. I'm acting like a silly high school girl about to be kissed by her crush of ten years or something.
"You certainly know how to get into girls' pants."
Both Keenan and I glance over at the voice that breaks in between us. Behold, the very same jerk I've been trying to get away from for the longest time, stands not too far from us. He bends slightly to smell the lilies begging to be embraced, and then stands to his full height. His blue eyes then glance towards us. I can see it on his face; he doesn't seem happy about how close Keenan and I are, and the slight frown in his nonchalant expression proves it.
With slight irritation, I take a step away from Keenan and look at him. He does the same, glancing down at me for a second before looking at... whatever his name is, who happens to be approaching us with calculated steps.
"I'm just... doing my job."
The blue eyed boy hums. "Does your job tell you to put flowers in people's hair?" The both of us are quiet as the stranger steps right besides me, and confidently digs his hand through my crochet bag, pulling out a small folded piece of paper. He holds it up with his index and middle finger for the both of us to see, and he tilts his head as he technically glares at Keenan as I quickly close my bag. "Or hand out your number to customers?"
Keenan nervously releases a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck as he looks at me. "Yeah... I was going to give you my number. I just thought it would be best to... drop it in your bag instead."
Wow. I didn't see this coming. My hand subconsciously lifts up to the flower, securing it properly. I lick my lips, contemplating whether or not to defend him. I mean, to be fair, he seems like a nice boy.
It's in vain; the stranger besides me crushes the paper in his hand before littering on the ground. "It's not always best to go flirting around with people you don't know."
Now, I tilt my head in confusion as I look up at him. What does he mean, and why is he being bitter right now? What business does he have talking out of the side of his mouth? I part my lips, releasing an audible scoff and I look at Keenan. "Don't listen to him."
"I didn't know you were taken."
"I'm not." I speak again before the stranger can add his own input. I take a step closer to Keenan, wo notices, but so does the stranger. "I don't even know this boy. I don't understand why he is here, speaking to either one of us." I now glance at the blue-eyed boy. "You aren't welcome. That's a hint for you to leave."
He looks at me, raising an eyebrow up. He then sighs heavily, closing his eyes momentarily before he runs his hand through his raven strands. "Mate. You're my mate. There's no choice in that. Of course, you're taken."
"I am not—"
Without even the slighted bit of hesitation, he takes a step closer to me and grabs hold of my wrist, before sparing Keenan a glance as if it's the last thing he wants to do. He points an index finger at him, daringly so, and says; "Stick to what pays you."
I am being dragged like some ragdoll. I don't know where this Caucasian stole the temerity to even do this to me. I won't even protest, I don't argue back. I tell myself that as soon as we come to a standstill, I will be giving him an earful of what I have to say. This is already getting out of hand and it's only the fourth encounter with him. I refuse for this to be an ongoing thing. I certainly don't want him to ever think he can drag me as he pleases.
We stop at a corner with large bushes and tiny pink flowers. It's under the wide tent, and I am certain no one is coming this side of the flower field, so no one will interrupt us, I am sure that's exactly why he brought me here. He pulls my wrist as if to show me where to stand -- my back towards the one bush and him blocking both pathways. He then looks down at me from his height with narrowed eyes and a frown upon his lips. He even folds his arms like some disappointed father ready to here an excuse from his child. In return, I fold my own arms and shift my weight to my left him, tilting my own head and raising an eyebrow up at him.
"Who do you think you are?"
"I know that I am your mate." Without hesitating, he states his answer. "I also know that you're quickly going to become a pain in the ass. Flirting with a worker? Seriously?"
"Hey, hey. Listen to me and listen good. I can do what I want, where I want and with whom I want, and you have no say in that."
"Actually, I do have a say in that because, again, you are my mate. These things will obviously matter to me. And even still, that's a whole different boy. You should not be flirting with anyone, to begin with. Especially when you know I'm here."
"I don't—" I sigh heavily, unfolding my arms to I could rub my face to try calm myself and my racing heart down. I then lick my lips before pouting, gathering my thoughts. "I do not belong to you. I do not even know you, and you don't know me, so for you to suddenly think you have somewhat control of my life because you think we are, what... mates? That's absurd. I don't know what you pulled on Monday. I don't know what that was, and I think it had something to do with me hallucinating and you obviously delusional. Wolves are not real. They are fictional. So, if this is your twisted way to get with me, because, what, you think you can get with older women? Cut it. Dead it. Otherwise, find another person to fill your fantasies. I am not interested."
"At least look at me in the eyes and say you don't believe me." My eyes watch his clean shoes take steps closer to me, and my hands form to tight fists. I cannot understand why my heart is literally racing inside my chest. "Because if not, I'll have to think you're playing hard to get."
Hard to get? I literally want nothing with him and he thinks I'm playing hard to get?
I lift my eyes up to his, ready to show him how serious I am through my glare, but I am literally taken by surprise when I see his eyes glow a lighter blue. Fine, the sun trough the tent shelter above us could be blinking in his eyes to give an illusion of them glowing, but his canines were not as long as they were when he first grinned at me in the bus, when I was looking at his stupid face. He is grinning at me, obviously wanting me to see them. To see what I saw on Wednesday in the boy's rest room, or today, when we were in the bus. He wants to prove that it's not me hallucination, and he certainly isn't delusional. That this is real, that what he believes is what reality is pointing at.
I am choking on thin air, looking up at him with pure shock. Fear, just like before in the restrooms, pump into my veins and my body becomes alert of the possible danger standing right in front of me. I have to take a step back -- I literally do, but I feel my back brushing against the tall bush, and any more, I might just ruin the tiny flowers with my weight.
"I'll ask again." He takes his own step closer to me, eyes darting from one feature on my face to the other. "Do you honestly think I would lie about something like this? Think about it. The world is huge. You honestly think humans are the only species to do what you do? Exist? The moment you step out of your fantasy world, you'll see the world for what it really is. A world filled with many different creatures. Many different species, like my own. The quicker you can comprehend that, the quicker you can understand the fact. The fact is that you are my mate. Now, in my world, a stubborn mate such as yourself would be faced with serious consequences for continuously rejecting her mate. Seeing that you are a human, I am being more lenient on you, allowing you to process it. But understand that I have needs and now that I have a mate, a stubborn one unfortunately, you are to fulfill my needs as I am, yours. Why don't we start off easy, hmm?"
Everything he says sounds gibberish to me, but for some reason I understand every word. I can't even swallow the lump in my throat. I cannot unclench my fists, nor can I move a muscle. As if hypnotised, I stand there frozen, staring right into his eyes and sharp canines. It gives him the perfect opportunity to take the last few steps closer and bend to my height, right up until his face is right before me. Until he is certain that all I see, all I hear and all I'm breathing in is him and only him.
The fear in my veins become a bit uncomfortable. Almost painful. I feel like screaming for help but I can't. I physically cannot and I want to believe it has something to do with him and his eyes. I can't talk, as if my tongue is numb.
Or maybe I just can't because of fear. I am fearful. One wrong move and maybe, just maybe, he'll have my head.
"We can start with... physical contact, hmm? It's fairly easy. I touch you." He pauses in his mutter, and daringly places one hand at the side of my face, leaving the other to wander at the side of my body. His fingers, warm in temperature, linger around my hip before tauntingly slipping under my shirt, until the both of us can feel the physical contact he is talking about. He grins, showing off his canines again, and this time I let out a soft, fearful whimper. "You touch me. We touch each other. It may not mean much to you, and maybe physical contact is not your love language, but it's mine. That, and wolves thrive on physical contact for many... appropriate and inappropriate reasons. Another reason why I kissed you."
Never mind what he is saying. It's the fact that he has found every temerity in the world to move his hand from my side to the small of my back, hand laying flat and it almost feels as if his hand is trying to burn my skin with hot warm it is. It's the fact that he is making sure that even if I wanted to move my face away from him, he is making sure I can't with his hand moving right to the underneath of my jaw; index finger against the one joint of my jaw whereas his thumb is pressed against the other, and the rest of his fingers burn against the skin of my neck.
His eyes drop from my wide and fearful eyes to my lips, and he frowns for a good moment in thought. "I won't kiss you. You've expressed how uncomfortable that has made you before. But, I am a wolf who now strives on physical contact, now that I've found my mate, so we have to incorporate some sort of... kissing, hmm?" For the life of me, I find the strength to shake my head, to which he raises an eyebrow. "No? I don't have to kiss your lips when you have entire body I can choose from."
And there it is. My hero of the day, who came to rescue me. The both of us turn to the sound of somebody clearing their throat, and my already wide eyes widen at him, Keenan, who scratches the top of his head and looks at the both of us skeptically.
Makes perfect sense. Not long ago, I claimed that I didn't know this nameless person, and now I'm in his arms, held against him in a quiet place with no one else around. Of course it looks like I lied, otherwise he must be thinking we spent the last few minutes getting to know each other enough to be this close and intimate.
"I didn't mean to interrupt. I just thought I'd come check on you."
"We're fine, thank you." The blue-eyed boy speaks up confidently, almost arrogantly, and his tone is laced with annoyance.
Keenan gives him a nice over before looking at me. "Look, I know I shouldn't have tried making a move on you but, if you're in danger—"
"She's not in danger." He hisses.
"I just want to make sure you're okay. I... don't even know if you're okay, right now, considering..." He waves his hand at the both of us as emphasis.
Finally, almost as if the spell has been broken, I blink at Keenan for a good few seconds before looking at the stranger, who has the nerve to look back at me with an irritated, bored expression. I quickly push him away, swatting away his hands before fixing my shirt. I can't believe my cheeks are burning at this, and my heart is pounding in my ears.
"What are you? Some type of hero?" The boy turns back to Keenan, obviously ready to take out all his frustration. He ruined a moment — thank heavens for that — and he, of course, is far from pleased. "Back off, or things won't end nicely, lover boy."
I can see the frightened look on his face. His eyes widen at the sight of this stranger who's back is more or less towards me, that he takes a step back.
I quickly push past the boy and move towards Keenan. "No! Don't listen to him okay? He's... he's crazy and he's obsessed with me and I don't even feel comfortable around him."
"She's lying."
"Do I look like I'm lying? Do I look like I'm safe with him?" I stand before Keenan, forcing him not to look at the boy behind me but rather at me instead. I shake my head, placing my hands on my chest. "I'm telling you. If you didn't come any sooner, he would have... harassed me. He was already touching me without permission."
"That's so not true. You literally submitted to me."
Submitted? I'm not some animal, what does he mean?
"Even worse!" I take a step closer to Keenan, now gripping the strap of my crochet bag I suddenly remember I have. "He thinks we're animals. He's far from okay mentally. I'm not safe with him."
"Should I escort you to the rest of your class?"
"Please."
Keenan nods, gently taking hold of my wrist and he pulls me alongside him. He then glances at the blue-eyed boy. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave her alone."
"Didn't I tell you to mind the job that pays you?"
"When it come to the safety of my customers, that is part of the job that pays me." He doesn't hesitate to respond, pulling me closer before leading the way.
I have to turn around. I turn around because I hear it; a humming, almost, heard by dogs when threatened or wanting to come off as a threat. I turn around and glance at him, gulping at the nonchalant look on his face, and I also notice how his tongue rubs against the one canine tooth in a threatening manner.
What the hell, boy.
As soon as we are further away and where I know I am safe, I turn to Keenan and clear my throat. "Thanks. And... and I'm sorry about him. He's just really weird and crazy."
"The world is filled with crazy people. I guess we're bound to come across one at some point." He smiles at me, releasing my wrist when we hear chattering and muttering not too far.
We've approached the meet up where we're supposed to all gather before we head back to the buses. Everyone is chattering, some holding their phones out and taking pictures. I rub my arms a bit as I look up at Keenan.
"Thanks, again. It was nice. I'm sure we will be back here, not too long from now."
He smiles brightly, showing off his obviously great dental care, and then runs his hand through his rich Indian hair. "It's open everyday. Feel free to come back whenever."
I smile, nodding at him. I won't be back here unless I need to, and certainly not for a boy, but the gesture is sweet. "I'll make sure I do."
"Alright! Everyone! Head to the buses. We're about to head on out." I hear the voice of Mister Robertson call us.
I glance over, momentarily watching as the students head towards the entrance of the place, before I turn back to Keenan. "I'll get going. Have a good day."
"Thank you. Thank you... Ah..."
"Gert. Sort for Gertrude but everyone just calls me Gert."
"Gert. Nice to meet you, too."
I smile at him. I think it's a genuine smile. He's so soft and sweet, and it's quite obvious he has an interest for what he does. I take a step back before turning my back towards him, and then I follow suit like the other students, heading to the entrance and then to the bus I was designated at on our way here.
I make it on to the bus and head towards the back, sitting on an empty seat by the window. I then put my bag in my lap and sigh heavily, rubbing my face because what in the actual heck just happened back there?
I don't know who this boy thinks he is — excluding the fact that he's convinced himself that him and I are mates —but he is obviously going to become a big problem if things continue like this. I can't be around him. What happened back there, cannot happen again. That means I've got to avoid him. Avoid him at all costs.
I glance out the window in thought.
There's no such thing as shapeshifters. That's the reality I know. If he claims he is a wolf, a frikken wolf, then what does that say about what I know and believe? That I'm living an obvious lie? That I've told myself that what I see is what I get, when I'm reality, there's far more than what meets the eye?
"Gert? Hey, Gertrude." I shift my eyes up to Damian, playboy used by Andrea, who raises an eyebrow at me. He must have just been walking past to sit at the back, since he's still standing but he's where the empty seat besides me is. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." I wave him my hand. "Just thinking."
He nods slowly, and then simply moves towards the back of the bus. Meanwhile, take a deep breath and release it slowly, eyes dropping to the empty seat besides me before blinking up.
What do I know? The blue-eyed stranger sitting on the seat in front of the one across from me. He is slightly turned towards me, smirking softly.
"Gertrude." He mutters softly. It's soft but I still hear it. He then chuckles. "Fitting."
My heart is literally in my throat. I swallow, blinking at him and partially tempted to point the middle finger at him. Instead, I narrow my eyes at him. "Leave me alone. I will report you this time."
As if I didn't just threaten him, he runs his hand through his hair just a bit to look at me clearly with his blue eyes. He blinks back at me. "Your mate's name is Micah."
"Oh?" He nods. I frown. "Tell him to rot. I hate him. I wish he could... unalive himself. Tell him to leave me alone, and tell him--"
A whole body stands right between... Micah's annoyed gaze and my glare. I lift my eyes to the partially smiling shy girl. I'm assuming she is also a first year, since I've never seen her before. "Ah... Can I... do you mind if I sit next to you?"
"Feel free." I wave my hand over the empty seat. "Feel comfortable."
She mutters a soft thank you before settling on the empty seat. My eyes shift to Micah, who glares at the girl sitting next to me. By the looks of it, he isn't too happy she is seated next to me, and I could care less. I am glad it isn't him. Instead of staring at me like he was, he could have came. Not that I even wanted to, but he cannot blame an innocent girl for needing a seat.
I roll my eyes and glance out the window.