CREIGHTON
Anoushka has been avoiding me. More than usual. If I see her in the hallways, she turns around and walks the other way. The only time she actually speaks to me is whenever we're discussing something about the case or at dinner with Wren. Kai and I decided to go to the underground ring tonight. I needed to blow off some steam and apparently so did he.
Sweat gleams on my forehead as I punch the punching bag harder. I was pissed off.
"Who pissed you off?" I hear Kai ask, amused.
I pull off the strap and shake my hand out of the boxing glove. I head to my water bottle and downed some water. "No one." I reply.
He laughs. "That punching bag can beg to differ."
How could I tell him I was pissed off at Anoushka for avoiding me? He wouldn't understand.
"Did you find the footage outside the dorm?" I ask him instead.
He clears his throat. "Yes I checked but it seems to be deleted."
I furrow my brows. "How could it be deleted? Those cameras are on all day."
"Not too sure." he replies.
"Who else has access to the camera systems?"
"Besides me, security, headteacher and a few other teachers."
That was strange. Who the fuck would have deleted the footage? Unless they were trying to hide something.
"Anyway, wanna have a match in the ring? I think Adrian's here somewhere." he says.
I smirk at him. "Adrian can't beat me even if he tried." I tell him.
He matches my smirk with his own. "Exactly."
"I'm not fighting tonight." I say instead.
The thing is I stopped competing in matches ever since Anoushka saw the bruises on my eye. She somehow knows I do underground boxing and I don't plan on confirming her assumption. She is strangely overprotective of me and its ador- Wait.
A smile tugs at my lips as I nod my head at Kai. I know the perfect solution to get Anoushka to talk to me, outside of tutoring and Isabella.
"Actually find Adrian," I tell him.
I rip my shirt off as I get into the ring.
•••
It was Friday and it was 8 pm, which meant Anoushka would be sitting in the living room with her ice cream and watching her documentary. This was perfect.
I may have allowed Adrian to hit me harder than usual. I blamed it on my plan to get Anoushka to speak to me again because I knew I could beat Adrian fair and square.
My lip was bleeding and I had a bruise on my jaw. Unlocking the dorm door, I already heard the distant voices from the TV. I walk into the living room, avoiding Anoushka's stare but I could feel her watching me.
"Creighton." she quietly says.
I ignore her and keep walking to my room.
3
2
1
"Don't ignore me, asshole." she exclaims.
I wipe my smirk off my lips before turning around to face her. She was standing there. Her arms crossed. Her brows furrowed. Her hair was thrown in a high ponytail. She just looked so effortlessly perfect. My gaze wanders over her purple shorts and matching tank top. Oh God.
"What happened?" she asks, walking up to me. Her wide eyes analysed my face.
I shrug. "A disagreement."
She rolls her beautiful eyes before grabbing my arm and pulling me to the bathroom. Mission fucking accomplished.
"You're ridiculous." she tells me. "Getting into fights that you clearly don't win."
"I always win." I blurt, annoyed that she thought otherwise.
Her eyes flare with annoyance. "Clearly not." she snarls.
She wets some tissue and dabs my bleeding lip, not even trying to be gentle. She's angry.
"Be a bit more gentle." I hiss.
She pouted her lips. "Does this hurt?" she asks, fake worry laced in her voice. She dabs my lip harder, making me wince. Remind me to never get on her bad side again. Fucking hell. My hand instinctively shoots up to grip her wrist to stop her movements and she freezes. She looks down at my grip on her hand and a flush crawls on her neck before I eventually let go.
"Maybe I need someone else to clean up my wounds." I murmur.
She pauses before throwing the wet tissue in my face. "Asshole." she says. "You know what maybe you should go get someone else to clean your stupid wounds," she says, turning around to walk off.
Shit. That wasn't supposed to happen. I grab her hand before she can walk off. "I'm sorry Angel," I tell her. "I was kidding. No one is as gentle as you." I joke.
She rolls her eyes once more before cupping her warm hands against the back of my head and lifting my head so she can see the bruise on my jaw. "Shit Creighton," she murmurs.
"I've survived worse." I tell her quietly.
She let go of my head. "Let me get some ice," she tells me.
She walks off and returns two minutes later with a bag of ice in her hand. Her hands sink into my hair again as she tilts my head up. She rests the cold ice on my jaw and I tighten my fists. I definitely didn't think this through. "Have you considered becoming a nurse?" I taunt. "You have the bedside manners for it."
She lifts her eyes to look at me. "If my patients were as irritating as you, I would quit on my first shift."
Damn.
She moves closer so that she was standing in between my legs. I lift my hand to rest it on her hip and I notice a flush crawl up her neck. After five minutes of her holding the ice to my jaw, she eventually drops it. "I think that should be fine. Does it still hurt? Do you want some painkillers?"
I shake my head. "I'm fine but do you know what will make it feel better?" I ask.
"What."
"A kiss on every bruise."
I didn't know where I was going with this.
Her eyes widen as her lips part. "What?" she blurts.
"You heard me angel." I tell her. I turn my head to the side, showing her my jaw. She chews on her bottom lip as if she's debating the idea of kissing my jaw. Finally, she leans closer and I feel her soft lips press against the bruise and suddenly I felt fucking euphoric.
I turn back to her and I tap the corner of my lip where the cut was. Her eyes stay wide as she looks down at my lips and licks her lips almost instinctively. Oh fuck.
"You said bruise not cut," she whispers.
I am still stuck in the trance of her kissing my cheek and the fact that I'm staring at her fucking lips that I completely dismiss what she said. "What."
"Your lip has a cut not a bruise."
I frown. "Well actually Angel." I stick my tongue behind my lip to accentuate the bruise in question. "It is a bruise. I can feel-"
She rolls her eyes but cuts me off by gently kissing the corner of my lips.
Anoushka kissed me.
She actually kissed me.
Well..not actually but close enough.
She smirks at my reaction before grabbing the bag of ice. "See you at tutoring." she says, before leaving the bathroom.
I was still in shock. I couldn't believe she went through with it.
•••
I sit in Anoushka's bedroom as I tutor her. Every second I keep looking up at her. "Can we do this tomorrow?" she asks, playing with a strand of hair. "I'm tired."
"No."
She rolls her eyes before looking down at the book in her hand that I'm forcing her to read and annotate.
"We have dinner with my parents tomorrow." she says.
"I know. Mum called."
She huffs. "I don't want to go."
I shift my eyes from the book to her. "Why?"
"I haven't spoken to my parents since the last time I went over."
"We'll stay there for an hour." I reason.
She reluctantly nods her head and looks back at her book.
"I tried finding the guy that dropped that box off but it was deleted off the cameras. Do you remember anything about him?" I ask.
"Nothing memorable." she murmurs back.
"The only people that have access to the CCTV footage are teachers. Do you have issues with any teachers?"
She shakes her head, biting down on her bottom lip. "I hardly speak to them."
"Hm." I reply. Her phone buzzes beside her and she picks it up with a smile. Completely abandoning the book in her lap.
I couldn't concentrate on my book. I look up at her every two seconds as the smile on her face widens. I wonder who was messaging her because I don't think I've ever seen her smile that much.
"Who's messaging you?" I ask, my voice harsher than I wanted it to be.
"Ivan." she replies.
I roll my eyes. She told me what Ivan said and she created a plan to get closer to him to figure out his true intentions.
"Get off the phone and concentrate on the reading Anoushka." I scold her.
She throws her phone on the bed and gives me a sheepish grin before grabbing the book.
I was definitely pissed off now. I knew for a fact that Ivan wasn't that funny. That man had a personality of a rock.
"So you can avoid me every day but when it comes to Ivan you don't have to."
She tightens her grip on the book before glancing at me. "It's not that," she murmurs. "I'm just trying to figure out who it is. It has nothing to do with you."
"It fucking does." I snap. "You've been avoiding me. When I see you in the hallways, you don't even smile at me."
She smirks at my outburst. "You seem jealous."
I chuckle. "Jealousy or not. Next the time you see me don't act like I'm a fucking stranger. "
"Did you not read the message in the fucking box? It's you Creighton. This guy gets mad whenever I'm with you. I'm not risking anyone else's life."
"But what about Ivan? How come you haven't received any messages when you're walking around campus with that asshole."
Her eyes light up as if I finally got the idea. "Exactly," she says, sitting up straight.
I raise a brow and settle my book on the table.
"Isn't it strange that when I hang out with Ivan, I don't receive any threatening messages but with you I do?"
How fucking clever of her. "Thats why you're doing this." I murmur.
"I don't think I told you this but when I was walking to class with him the other day. He said that Iris got what she deserved. He also asked about our relationship and if we were together but there was a threatening look on his face and then later that day I receive a box. It's all connected, Creighton."
How the fuck did I not notice this?
"I should've told you my plan but I just thought I could handle it on my own," she whispers the last part to herself.
"Aren't we a team Angel?" I ask. "We do it together. I hated seeing you ignore me for him." I admit
She stays quiet for a second. "Why?" she asks.
How I wish I could actually give her an answer.
"I wish I knew." I mutter.
"I don't like Ivan. I can't explain it but he's involved with whatever happened to Iris." she says, changing the subject.
"So you're deliberately hanging out with him publically."
"Yes." she says
"That's clever." I say.
She grins. "I know right. I'm shocked you didn't figure it out before. I guess jealousy is blinding." she taunts.
I narrow my eyes at her before standing up and sitting on the edge of her bed. "I'm not jealous." I declare.
"Could have fooled me." she laughs.
I place my hand on her bare thigh and goosebumps awaken on her skin. "Why would I be jealous when your body reacts so well to my touch?" I whisper in her ear.
She smirks before leaning closer. "I can say the same." she whispers. "You couldn't move after I kissed you." she says, a small laugh escaping from her lips. "Your body reacts so well to my touch." she throws back my words from earlier.
I swallow hard at the sensual tone to her voice. What was she doing to me?
I draw my finger higher up her thigh, hoping that she'll relax. "Wanna test that theory?" I ask.
Something washes over her brown eyes and she pulls away. "We can't do this." she mumbles, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.
"Why not?" I ask, frustrated with her and myself.
"I don't want this to get complicated." she murmurs.
"Complicated how?" I ask, raising a brow in confusion.
"Complicated like I don't want a relationship with you." she admits.
Ouch.
I clear my throat before pulling my hand away from her thigh. "If that's what you want."
"That's what I want," she confirms.
"I'll see you at dinner." I say before leaving her in her room.
Fuck. I was losing control over my thoughts. I wanted her. No, I needed her. And not just in a sexual way, I needed her and everything she had to offer because I was falling for Anoushka Sheth and I won't be ready for her rejection when I finally go for what I want.
•••
ANOUSHKA
Creighton and I were sitting awkwardly at dinner with Wren. The only noise in the air was the sound of our forks clattering with the plate. Fucking hell.
Wren clears her throat. "So." she starts to say, glancing at me. She nods her head at Creighton and mouths 'what happened?'
'Later.' I mouth back.
She lets out a laugh. "Apparently professor dickface was watching porn in one of his psychology classes."
I force out a laugh and Creighton mumbles something under his breath. Wren rolls her eyes and slams her hand on the table, startling both me and Creighton.
"What's going on between you two?" she asks, her gaze narrowing on Creighton.
I shoot her a look, telling her to drop it. "Nothing." he says. His chair scrapes against the floor as he stands up. "I have stuff to do."
Wren stands up as well. "The rules were no one is allowed to leave the table until we're done with dinner. So sit your ass down Creighton Reid." she scolds.
Damn, she really had the whole mother attitude in check.
"Fuck those rules. In fact, I call off all of the stupid rules. They don't matter anymore." he states, he glances at me before shaking his head and walking off.
Fuck.
"Will you like to tell me what happened?" Wren asks, sitting down.
"He wanted something more with me and I shut him down." I simply say. That was the shortened version of the story anyway.
Wren smiles sympathetically. "Why?"
I shrug. "I don't see myself in a relationship. In fact, half the boyfriends I have had cheated on me. I'm not worthy of a relationship, Wren."
She shakes her head. "I wish you saw what I do." she whispers. "The way Creighton looks at you is something so special."
I furrow my brows. "How does he looks at me?" I quietly ask.
She smiles. "Like you are his world." she tells me.
Heat fills my body at her words. As much as I wanted to go back to his room and tell him I take back every word I said, I couldn't. I wasn't made for relationships. I was unloveable and no matter how many times anyone could tell me they loved me. It won't change my mind. It's my tragedy.
I stand up and begin to clean up. I look down at Creighton's plate which still has a lot of food on it. I walk over to the microwave and warm it up. "Here," I tell Wren. "Give this to Creighton and make sure he eats it all."
"Are you sure you don't want to give it to him?"
I nod, smiling. "He'll probably kick me out," I say, laughing quietly.
She smiles sympathetically before walking off to his room and I clean up the rest of the kitchen quickly.
•••
I took a very long needed bath. I had a lot of thoughts flying in my head and I didn't know how to control them. Inhaling a sharp breath, I walk back to my room in only my towel. As soon as I reach my room, I hear the faint splatter of rain against my window. Of fucking course. Of all days, it had to rain today.
I change into a silk night dress and I finish getting ready for bed. The rain got worse and fear fills my body at the sound. With shaking hands, I reach for my earphones. A knock coming from my bedroom door startles me and I walk over to it. Opening the door, I expect to see Wren but instead, I'm met with a pair of green eyes.
My lips part on their own accord as I stare at Creighton. "Is something wrong?" I ask.
"It's raining." he simply says.
I raise a brow and he rolls his eyes. "You can't sleep when it's raining," he says, barging into my room.
I gape at him. "Aren't you angry at me?"
"Maybe," he says. "Look I don't know how I feel Anoushka. All I know is that it's raining pretty fucking bad and you can't sleep alone like this hence why I'm here."
I don't know what washed over me but tears just brim my eyes immediately. Although, I told him I didn't want a relationship with him he still wanted to make sure I was sleeping right. "So you're sleeping with me tonight?" I ask.
He nods as he drops onto my bed. "Now shut the light and come here, Angel." he orders.
I turn the light off before making my way to my bed. I lay far away from him and he chuckles before budging closer towards me. The sound of the rain hitting my windows was the only noise in the air. I let out a sigh before turning around to look at him. He was leaning against the bed frame, holding his back in one hand. Even in the dark light, I could see his sharp features, his furrowed brows. "What book are you reading?" I quietly ask.
He looks down at me. "You're still awake?"
"Mhm." I reply absentmindedly.
He moves closer towards me. I let out a small gasp when he wraps a hand around my waist and practically pulls me onto him. My leg was resting on his. My chest was pressed against his side and his arm was slung over my shoulders. "Will that make you go to sleep?" he asks.
"Read to me." I whisper. "That'll make me sleep."
A laugh escapes him. "You're fueling my ego angel. Do you like the sound of my voice?"
Yes. I really fucking did.
When he realises I won't reply. He begins to read his book aloud. His voice was gentle and soothing, as if he was trying to put me to sleep. It was working.
When I finally drift, he whispers his last words. "Go to sleep Angel. Nothing will hurt you if I'm here." he tells me and two thoughts run in my head. One, I completely trusted his words with my whole life and secondly, at that second I realised how fucked I was.
I think I was falling in love with Creighton fucking Reid.