ANOUSHKA
Creighton was gone by the time I woke up and it gave me time to reflect on those stupid thoughts I was having.
It's stupid.
Ridiculous.
Wrong.
It's not real. I can't be falling in love with Creighton. I don't catch feelings for people, especially Creighton.
I care about him, which is surprising to me. I don't think I ever imagined myself and Creighton actually being friends but can I imagine a romantic relationship with him? I'm not sure.
I'm capable of loving but incapable of being loved.
What I do know is that everytime I see him, my heart races. Every time he calls me angel, stupid butterflies gather in my stomach.
God, please take this feeling away. I can't be in love with Creighton Reid.
And those stupid kisses he made me do. It's also all I can think about because now all I want to do is kiss him. I want to feel his soft lips against mine and I want to know if he's as good of a kisser as he looks.
"Luca came with me to my appointment." Wren tells me as we walk to the cafeteria.
"How did it go?"
"The baby's healthy." she says, smiling. She hasn't started to show at all yet. Only me and Creighton know about her pregnancy.
"Shit." she mumbles. I glance at her and I follow her eyes to where she was staring. Creighton was sitting with his friends but a girl was sitting right next to him.
My stomach churns and an uneasy feeling crawls inside of me. You're the one who told him you didn't want a relationship with him.
"Anoushka." Wren sympathetically says.
I shake my head. "It's not like we're dating," I say, dismissing her. The words felt like acid inside my mouth.
Wren signals Luca over. "Who's that girl?" she asks, her tone full of malice.
Luca sighs and glances at me. "She's Kai's friend but if you ask me she's way more interested in Creighton than she is in Kai." he says as if he's disappointed in what Creighton was doing.
I sigh and look down at my lunch. "Keep your head up, Anoushka. If it makes you feel better, he keeps staring at you." Luca says, amusement filling his voice.
Butterflies fill my stomach at Luca's words. Was Creighton really looking at me? I glance in his direction and his eyes were on me. My body ignites with warmth at the heat of his eyes that I couldn't even look away. "Anoushka." Wren says.
I force my eyes to her and I blurt my following words. "I'm going to Luca's party." I declare, as my eyes shift to Creighton and the girl. He was laughing and she was smiling and whispering something in his ear.
"Should we leave?" she asks.
"Why would we leave?" I reply, frowning.
"You seem angry." she murmurs.
"I'm not angry." I reply, swallowing my sandwich.
She shoots me a look and I sheepishly grins at her.
•••
I sit in my car as I eye my parent's house. My outfit isn't completely inappropriate. I was wearing a cream sweater dress with thin tights. I reluctantly get out of my car and make my way to their house. I knock twice and my mum opens the door.
"Hi Anoushka," she says, smiling softly at me.
This was the side of my mother that I adored. The side that was soft and gentle. The side that made me feel like she still loved me.
"Hi." I reply. "Is dad home?" I ask.
"He already made his way to their house."
I nod my head. "Should we go?" I ask.
She grabs her purse and we leave. Aspen lets us inside her house and she smiles brightly at me. My dad and Daniel sat beside each other talking.
Aspen brings the food in at the same time as Creighton walks in, wearing grey sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. He sits beside me and I don't look at him, but he did look good. I wouldn't ever tell him that of course.
We all sit around the table. "How's school?" Aspen asks me.
"It's okay." I whisper.
"And has Creighton been tutoring you?" my dad asks. So now he wants to talk to me.
I nod stiffly.
"How long left do you have of the school year?" Daniel asks.
"Six months." I reply.
"Then that's perfect." he says, turning to my dad.
"What's perfect?" I ask, raising my brow.
"We secured a really good business deal with someone but we need to form an alliance to make sure that nothing gets between it."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"We found someone for you to marry this summer."
The sound of a fork clattering onto a plate filled the room and I glance at Creighton, who was watching my Dad curiously. I tighten my grip on my fork.
"Why me?"
"You're my only daughter."
Ironic considering he disowned me the last time I saw him.
"And if she refuses?" Creighton asks.
"She won't." my dad says, staring at me. "Not if she knows what's good for her."
"I can't marry someone now." I whisper.
"You're turning 18 in July." my dad says as if that makes it all better. "It's legal."
"How old is he?" I ask.
"He goes to your school actually." Daniel cuts in. "His name is Ivan."
My pulse races and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Ivan. My blood runs cold as an eerie feeling washes over me.
"No." Creighton and I declare at the same time.
"She can't marry him." Creighton states.
"Dad please don't do this." I plead, my voice shaking.
"It's done. The wedding is July 19th."
I glance at my mum, pleading for her to defend me but she looks down at her plate.
My hands begin to tremble. I can't marry Ivan. Not if he has something to do with Iris's disappearance. Who's to say he didn't send those notes? If he did then I'm fucked.
"If you make me marry him, then I will hate you forever." I whisper, my voice trembling like my hands.
"I don't care if you hate me or not." my dad snaps, his voice not the same loving voice that I used to admire when I was a child.
"Marrying someone will stop you from acting like a whore in school." he snarls. "Isn't that right, Creighton?" my dad asks him, laughing.
I look at Creighton, who was glaring at my dad. If looks could kill, my dad would be so fucking dead.
"Anoushka doesn't need me to speak for her but disrespect her like that again and I will hurt you. I don't care who you are." Creighton says, his voice harsh and promising.
My dad blinks twice and I gape at Creighton. He just said that to my dad and I am not even offended. I feel...proud?
"Creighton." Daniel scolds.
"And you?" Creighton chuckles. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Anoushka isn't your daughter. She's no one to you, so don't ever try to tell her what to do."
I glance at Aspen, who was watching Creighton. She looked proud of her son. My mum on the other hand looked disgusted.
"We're going now," he says, grabbing my wrist and pulling me up with him.
His mum stands up as well and he walks up to her, he lets go of my wrist to kiss her cheek. "I'll call you later." she tells him.
He grabs my wrist as he storms out of the house. He eventually lets go of my wrist. "Take your car." he angrily says, running a hand through his hair. "I'll pick mine up next week."
"Wait." I tell him.
He freezes before turning back. His green eyes were dark with anger. "Get in the car, Anoushka." he orders.
"Why do you care if I marry Ivan?" I ask. "You clearly don't want me in your life so why would you care if I marry him?" I repeat, my tone getting harsher with every word.
His jaw tightens and his dark gaze narrows on me. "That's what you wanted." he tells me.
"How do you know what I want?"
He stalks towards me. "You fucking said you didn't want a relationship with me, Anoushka."
True. "That didn't mean you had to cut me out completely and replace me with her," I admit, my voice wobbling.
I will not cry in front of him.
His gaze softens. "Who's her?"
"The girl you always sit with at lunch. Everywhere I see you, you're always with her."
"She's a friend." he tells me quietly.
"I thought we were also friends." I say.
"We are friends." he says, smiling softly.
"Then why do you treat me like I'm no one and why do you care if I marry Ivan?"
His gaze darkens and he pulls away. "Get in the car Anoushka," he says, turning his back to me and walking to the drivers side.
I catch up to him and pull his elbow so he can look at me. "Creighton." I shout. "Fucking tell me."
"Because I fucking love you!" he explodes. "Since the very first moment I fucking met you." his chest rises with every angry breath he was taking. I swallow hard at his confession. "Every time I catch myself staring at your lips I just want to fucking press mine against yours. Every time I see you smile, I just want to make you smile harder. I have loved you for too long for you to go ahead and marry that asshole." he cups my face and tilts my head so that I could look up at him. My heart was racing at his confession. "I would rather die than watch you marry him."
That was the last thing he says before his lips descend on mine. I freeze for a second before slowly wrapping my arms around his neck as I kiss him back. He tugs me closer, biting on my bottom lip making me open my mouth with a moan. He doesn't waste a second as he plunges his tongue inside of my mouth, exploring every inch of me. It was as if he was savouring every piece of me. Creighton kissed me how I always imagined he would.
His hands on my face.
His lips soft.
It was beautiful. I have never felt anything like this before.
He grabs my hand and presses it against his pounding heart. "This is what you do to me." he whispers against my lips. "Don't marry someone else when you feel the same way." he says, touching my chest and my heart beats faster.
I couldn't even form words. I didn't even know what to say. Creighton just kissed me and I wanted more.
"I won't." I whisper. "I won't marry him, Creighton."
"That's my girl," he tells me, smirking.
•••
We get back to campus and my Dad called as on as I stepped foot inside my dorm.
"What," I say as I answer my phone. Creighton looks back at me with a confused look until I point at my phone and he nods his head.
"I'm your father. Don't talk to me like that."
I snort. "Yet you were so quick to get me married to someone I don't want to marry." I say, letting out a small laugh. "Oh by the way, I'm not marrying him." I say.
"You will marry him."
"I won't." I state. Creighton watches me entertained.
"If you don't do as I say, I'll quit paying for your boarding school and they'll have no choice but to send you home and I'll make it terrible for you."
My smile fades away. "Would you really do that to your own daughter?"
"You stopped being my daughter a long time ago. Be thankful for what I'm offering you."
I hang up. "What did he say to you?" Creighton asks.
"If I don't marry Ivan then he'll stop paying for me to go to this school." I mutter.
Creighton's eyes flash with anger. "I know what we can do," he says, walking towards me.
There was nothing we can do. This was it. "Creighton. Just give up." I murmur, throwing my phone on the couch. "I have."
"I'm not giving up." he declares. "You aren't marrying him. End of story."
"Maybe I'm wrong about the whole Iris thing. Ivan isn't as bad as I'm making him out to be."
I don't know who I was trying to convince.
He clenches his jaw. "I don't give a fuck if you think he isn't bad." he snaps. "You aren't marrying him." he seethes.
I open my mouth to protest but he cuts me off by slamming his lips onto mine and I freeze. He cups the back of my head pulling me closer as he devours me. "Tell me you won't marry him." he breathes against my lips.
"I can't do that." I manage to mumble, my whole body filling with warmth.
"You'll marry him even if you feel the same way I do?" he asks quietly, his tone laced with pain.
"I don't want to start a relationship with you and have to call it off because of my wedding."
"Anoushka." he whisper, his voice pleading.
"If I keep falling in love with you, it'll only hurt more when we end it."
"I'll take those chances. I want you. Every part of you. I lov-" .
"I don't love you." I cut him off before he let's those words out.
If Creighton told me he loved me again, there was no way I would've married Ivan but I had to. I couldn't allow myself to endure suffering from my father again but I wanted Creighton so badly. I've seen a side of Creighton that I hadn't seen before. The man who defended me against my own father, the man who was angry with me but still slept with me because it was raining, the man who would hold all my shopping bags with no hesitation, the man who showed that he cared for me time and time again. The man who knew how much I hated talking so instead he would just hold me and let me cry.
I wasn't falling in love with him. I am in love with him.
"This is your last chance," he whispers, pulling away. "If you don't admit your feelings to me then we're done. I won't kiss you. I won't continue our flirting banter. No more dinners. I'll tutor you and we'll talk about Isabella's disappearance and that's it."
"Why?" I whisper. "Why can't we just be friends?"
"You may be able to hide your feelings but I can't."
I nod stiffly. "Then I guess we're done." I murmur, my throat closing up as if it was trying to stop me from lying to him.
His promising eyes fill with hurt and sadness and he nods before turning around and walking to his room. The door slams shut and I eventually pull myself to my room.
I got into bed, tears finally falling down my face as I realized everything I've lost. My parents hate me. I'm being blamed for the disappearance of the girl that ruined my life and now I lost Creighton.
Losing Creighton seemed to have hurt the most.
A/N
Yeah..