"I don't think I can eat." Ria complained loudly, grimacing at the food before us.
"Well, you are lucky it's weekend, otherwise you would be dead. I don't know how you would train in this state." I shook my head at her disheveled appearance. She looked like a walking dead, with dark circles under her eyes. "Here." I gave her a bottle of water.
"Thanks. By the way, what happened yesterday? I remembered you looked pissed." She asked me, looking at my face with curiosity.
"Yannik happened." I clenched my jaw as I thought about him and his attitude.
"Oh. No need to ask further I imagine." She smiled. "Are you sure you want to sit with Sanna today, considering he is right there?" She nodded towards him.
"And give him the satisfaction? Unlikely." I gave her a bitter laugh. "Let's go." I said, heading directly towards their table, I sat right next to him, with a smug grin on my face. He almost choked on his bread, his eyes wide as he saw me.
"Korina!" Sanna smiled, but her smile faded when she saw Ria "Suits you right!" She mocked her sickly state.
"Shut up!" Ria waved her away, glancing at an equally horrible looking Rob.
"I think I would crawl on all fours if I'd drank half of that tequila bottle." I laughed at them, shaking my head.
"Oh God, no wonder she had to carry you home." Sanna looked horrified.
"Ignoring that, what are you doing today?" Landon asked looking at us.
"Going straight to bed." Ria groaned.
"I am going to the gym." I said "Anyone else cares to join me?" I looked around, purposefully avoiding Yannik's eyes.
"I am." I heard a deep sound on my right, cursing myself for even asking. I jerked my head to him, barking with laughter.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" I asked him, dumbfounded.
"No." He wrapped up his uneaten breakfast, standing up.
His eyes were dead serious, so he couldn't be joking. If that was a joke, he really had the worst sense of humor.
"All right." I drawled, casting an unconvinced look at him. "Let's go then."
I was still chewing on my sandwich as we walked in awkward silence and I wished with all of my heart that we would already be there. I almost died of joy when we finally entered the gym. Going straight for the running track, I fastened the weight belts. I hoped he would go elsewhere, leaving me to exercise in peace. I guess this was my unlucky day.
"Why are you here with me?" I asked in suspicion as he followed me.
"I am merely exercising." He looked at me, his expression confused. He sighed then, putting the belts down. "All right, I am lying." He admitted.
"I figured that much." I nodded, already expecting what he was about to say to me, preparing for another onslaught of insults.
"I must apologize, for what I've said yesterday evening. I was wrong. I only had information about your DNA and basic data, like location of your college, home address, your parents' shop and a few old pictures of you and your parents, that is all. I didn't even recognize you when I came here, until the fight that is." He looked at me, frowning.
"That's probably because there is nothing to find about me. I had no social media profiles, nothing really. But putting that aside, why did you say those things to me?" I asked him, anger building inside of me.
"To hurt you. I hated your judging looks, and I thought I was over that." He said, looking away.
"Why would I judge you? I barely even know you!" I said, looking at him with wide eyes. "Besides only a few weeks ago I thought that humans are only inhabitants of the whole universe. Do you really think I wouldn't be staring at you? All the races are fascinating to me." I explained to him.
"Bad habits die hard, I apologize again." He regretfully lowered his head.
"I meant no offense when I stared at you. I swear." I offered a small smile. "I am going to keep my eyes trained on everything else but you from now on." I joked.
He looked at me, and I almost fell straight on my ass when I saw his eyes sparkling. It was not really a laugh, but it was something.
"So does that mean we are still supposed to hate each other or we can bury the hatchet?" I inquired, looking at him as we ran the track. He was fast and he had an incredible endurance, so I guessed he must be training daily.
"I never hated you." He glanced at me "I distrusted you. And yes, we can bury the hatchet." He nodded.
"Good." I stopped and offered him my hand. He looked so flabbergasted by my gesture that he just stared at me.
Then he slowly extended his arm and shook mine in agreement. Our eyes connected, and I couldn't stop thinking how easy it would be to get lost in them.
His expression looked confused like he couldn't figure me out no matter how hard he tried.
"How about more running and less celebrating our great friendship?" I laughed quietly and his eyes twinkled again.
He titled his head to the track, gesturing we should continue.
*
I knew I promised him not to stare, but that was easier said than done. I absently listened to Traxx's and Daniel's banter, as I picked through my food. Of course, his head was buried in his laptop, as usual, it was all about his work. But I saw that the IT team visibly relaxed in his presence over the last few weeks, not nervous and irritated anymore. They talked and joked with each other as they usually did.
"Hey! Korina!" Daniel yelled, and I almost jumped out of my chair.
"What?" I looked him, feeling annoyed.
"Are you joining us or not?" He said, lifting his eyebrow.
"Where?" I asked, confused. He just stared at me for a few seconds, shaking his head. "You weren't listening at all were you?"
"No." I admitted, ashamed. "Where are we going?"
"It's a movie night. All of us are going, are you in?" He held out his arms.
"Yes, absolutely." I beamed. "Sounds like fun! What are we watching?"
"Probably some cheap action movie." Ria rolled her eyes "Traxx chose it."
"Woman I am not watching sappy chick flicks again." Traxx said with a disgusted expression on his face.
"Give me my popcorn and I am fine." She said, shrugging.
"Hell no, the last time you ate the whole extra-large box, which was mine!" He said, stunned.
"Well you were busy sucking that redhead's face, and you put it on my lap! What the hell was I supposed to do with it?" She argued.
I laughed at them, lifting my head to look at Sanna's table. In that moment he looked up and our eyes met. He lifted his eyebrow, and I remembered I wasn't supposed to be looking at him. Blush colored my cheeks and I hastily looked away.
"You know what? You are not sitting with me!" Traxx mockingly shooed Ria away.
"Fine by me! Robert! You are sitting with me tonight!" She literally commanded him, but he didn't seem to mind as he lifted his thumbs up in agreement.
"What the hell? Why are you sitting with him?" Traxx's brows furrowed, his expression changing to anger.
"I like him." She shrugged, filling her mouth with food.
"You like him? Since when?" Traxx grew even more uneasy, casting a dirty look at Robert.
"He's fun." She smiled at Traxx but he looked like he wanted to strangle someone.
"He is in the IT! How can he be fun?" He barked, annoyed.
"I don't know. He is just different." She said and stood up to leave.
Traxx just sat there for a few moments, with a shocked expression on his face. Then he abruptly rose to his feet and stormed out of the canteen.
"What was that?" Sanna nodded towards Ria when I joined her at the table.
"Traxx freaked when he heard about Ria and Robert." I explained.
"I can imagine. He thinks we don't notice, but it's obvious how much he loves her." She said with a gentle smile on her face.
"What is happening tonight?" Yannik's head appeared behind Sanna.
"Movie night. Traxx's choosing, but most of us are going because of the popcorn." I grinned "Are you coming?"
"I don't know." He hesitated "I have things to do." He said, excusing himself.
"Oh. It's ok, maybe another time then?" I said, hiding the alarmingly strong feeling of disappointment.
"Maybe." He nodded, turning away from me.
I watched his disappearing figure, wishing he would say yes.
*
My jaw dropped when I saw the cinema room. The projection screen was broad with the modern audio system installed in it.
This room was big enough for at least four hundred people if not more. My friends were already seated in the back, passing the popcorn boxes between them. Ria sat with Rob, as she promised and Traxx was glaring at them with frightening gloomy expression on his face.
I propped myself down next to Sanna and Daniel. He offered me the box of popcorn and I gratefully accepted.
"Thank you. Am I late?" I asked them.
"No, you are actually five minutes early." Sanna smiled.
"Did I miss something?" I nodded towards Ria, who was sitting two rows behind us.
"Well if you count off the murderous glares Traxx is sending her way, then nothing much." Daniel shrugged.
"They are hopeless." I shook my head.
"And blind." Sanna added.
There was still loud chattering in the room when the lights went off.
"Fancy." I murmured to myself as the screen flickered to life.
The doors closed after the last person came in, awfully late. He was looking around, confused where to sit. I turned to see who it was and the minute he met my eyes I almost gasped.
Yannik stepped forward as Sanna waved him to sit next to us.
"Is this seat taken?" He asked, looking at me.
"Of course not. Go ahead." I politely smiled at him when he sat next to me. I suddenly felt nervous, not really knowing what to do with myself "What changed your mind?" I eventually asked since I was dying to know.
"Popcorn." His eyes twinkled, and I laughed.
"Here." I offered him my box, putting it between our seats. This was actually a good thing, since the box served as a small barrier between us, relieving some of my tension and hyperawareness I felt towards him.
"Don't eat all of it, the movie hasn't even started yet. Save some for me." I swatted his hand as he hungrily grabbed another handful, and his lips stretched into a lopsided smile.
I was so surprised, my mouth fell open. His smile was the sexiest thing I've ever seen. His dimples showed and the top of his fangs were exposed. They weren't big, just slightly touching his lower lip.
When he saw me staring at him like a crazy person, his smile vanished and he looked away.
"No!" I winced as I said it a bit too loudly. "Don't stop on my account. It suits you." I smiled "You should do that more often." I looked back to the screen, embarrassed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted him watching me in the same way he did in a gym, like I was a puzzle piece he couldn't quite place.
Was he bothered by me? But if he was, he wouldn't be here tonight, would he? Or much less sitting beside me and talking to me.
As the movie started I was stealing glances at him under my eyelashes, making sure I haven't unsettled him somehow, but he was intently watching the screen. I couldn't really concentrate on what was happening in the movie, mainly because he was sitting so close. His smell was intoxicating, making my head spin. It was a delicious musky fragrance mixed with something fresh and minty.
I noticed he had a fitting gray button-up shirt with his sleeves rolled up, showing off his marked skin. He wore loose black jeans and his relaxed manner of sitting revealed a black leather belt as his shirt slightly lifted up, every time he leaned in to rummage in the box sitting between us.
I felt like a creep checking him out like that. Yes, I think we can officially declare that I am pretty much insane.
I grabbed a bottle of orange juice, to quench my dry throat.
When I saw him looking at the juice wishfully I laughed "Sorry I have just one, next time make sure not to come at the last minute." I smiled "But I don't mind sharing if you don't?" I offered him my bottle.
"You would share it with me?" He said perplexed as that would be the weirdest thing I could do.
"Yes. Why not? Except if that bothers you." I said, moving the bottle away.
He just stared at me for a while, then he shook his head in confusion and took the bottle from me. "Thank you." He told me.
It didn't slip my mind that he slightly moved away from me. I frowned at his reaction, a little hurt. Did he think I was infectious of something? Or he was simply so put off by my weird behavior towards him.
I grew more anxious and uneasy as the movie slowly dragged towards the end. I tried not to wiggle around my seat, but that was virtually impossible.
We remained quiet until the credits showed and I could scream of joy this awkwardness would finally come to an end.
We slowly stood, and I was ready to make a bolt for the exit, when the crowd started to move, slowly pushing us out. We had no choice but to go with the flow, so we followed them.
"Where are we going?" I laughed, looking at Sanna.
"You will see." She grinned at me, pushing forward. "That is our little tradition."
I wanted to follow her, but I was losing Yannik, who was falling behind. Without another thought I grabbed his hand, our fingers interlacing as I pulled him behind me. He twitched like I have burned him with my touch, but didn't pull his hand away from mine. I wonder if I've made a mistake touching him like I did, but I pushed the thought away, not wanting to overthink it.
At last, we stepped into the commodious pool house, with warm brown brick walls. The place was dim with only a few lights illuminating it. On the side of the pool were walls made of glass and see-through sliding doors, leading outside.
Our friends who were clearly used to visiting this place often, happily jumped into the water, drops splashing everywhere.
"Wow." I said looking around. There were two marble pillars in the middle of the pool, with Moonflower clinging to them, climbing to the top. Flower's fragrant white flowers were open like they were absorbing the bright light of the moon which was softly reflecting on the water surface. "It's so beautiful." I released my breath, looking around wide-eyed.
I wasn't paying much intention to Daniel who slowly crept behind me. He grabbed my waist, sweeping me off my feet. He stepped dangerously close to the pool, grinning at me as he wanted to throw me in.
"Don't you dare!" I yelled, clinging to his shoulders for my dear life. It wasn't that I hated getting wet since I lived by the sea my whole life. It was more me not wanting to get wet with my white dress on. One can imagine how see-through it would become. "Put me down right this instant Daniel!" I tried to kick him, but he held me too close to his body, so I couldn't do any real damage.
"Are you afraid I would drop you?" He said, his eyes full of fire.
"I know you would." I said and held on to him even tighter as he inched closer to the edge.
"Since when do you dislike a little water? It's pleasantly warm." He smiled, his lips so close to mine, I had to turn my face away to avoid the intimate touch.
"Daniel, must I remind you that my dress wouldn't leave much to the imagination if it gets wet?" I cleared my throat, embarrassed as this ignited him even further.
"Is that a bad thing? I will make sure no one else will be staring at you." He said, his eyes flickered down to my body as he licked his lips.
Now I was thoroughly disturbed by his behavior.
What he said and how he said it bothered me greatly, and with that, I started to push him away even more violently. "Daniel I am not joking around, put me down!"
"All right." He sighed but before my foot touched the ground, he brushed his lips against mine. He moved so fast I didn't even have a chance to react in time. My eyes widened with shock and my hand automatically flew into the air as I wanted to slap him. He anticipated my reaction and caught my wrists behind my back, hugging me close to him. "Why are you fighting me?" He said, his face directly in front of mine, eyes full of hurt.
"Daniel I will be very honest with you." I said looking at him with a serious expression. "I like you as a friend, but nothing more. I would like to ask you to stop with your advances." I looked pleadingly into his eyes, willing him to understand. "I won't ask you again and you won't kiss or touch me in an inappropriate manner without my permission, is that clear?"
He sighed looking away, almost angry "No one has ever rejected me before."
My body tensed as I guessed that this would be harder than I thought. "You'd better get used to it than." I said to him, lifting my chin.
"Why? Am I not to your liking? Not physically attractive enough to you?" He still pushed, his face annoyed.
He was used to women falling at his feet since he obviously couldn't take no for an answer. "I just don't feel the spark." I said sighing.
"The spark." He repeated after me with puzzled expression and I nodded.
"Korina, if you think I will just give up then you are wrong." He said, his face resolute.
"You cannot force someone to feel something for you." I said annoyed by his persistence.
"I will not force you, you will come to me." He told me smiling, when he finally put me down.
He turned on his heels, heading straight for the group of girls standing beside the pool.
I watched him in bewilderment. I liked friendly Daniel, who encouraged me and stood by me, but this arrogant side of him‒not so much.
"Ok, what is really going on between you two?" Sanna said curiously as I returned to her, Yannik and Elliot who must have joined them when I was ambushed by Daniel.
"Nothing." I tensed at her assumption.
"You two kissed, that is not nothing." She pushed on, her expression mixture of wariness and disappointment. "I thought you didn't like him."
"It was him who kissed me." I said frustrated. "And I don't."
"It didn't look that way to me." She said, eying Elliot and Yannik for confirmation. I cast a glance towards him, but his face was indifferent, not really caring if something did happen between Daniel and me or not. I don't know why I felt a pang of slight pain in my chest when I saw his cool demeanor.
"He held me immobile!" I almost screamed at her in frustration. I drew a deep breath as I closed my eyes shut, saying "I am sorry Sanna. Can we just, change the subject please?"
She shrugged, looking at me strangely. "Fine by me." I heard in her voice that she clearly didn't believe anything I've just said and it bothered me greatly. "But you have to be careful Korina, he is not a relationship kind of guy. But I know enough by now to say that you are the type of person who would want that."
They had it all wrong, this just became one huge misunderstanding.
"Does someone want a drink?" Sanna asked us, seeing how uncomfortable I was.
When only Elliot confirmed she pulled him behind her towards the bar at the far side of the pool house, leaving me alone with Yannik.
I had enough of everyone, and I just wanted to curl in my blanket and sketch, have a calm night for once.
Wanting to be as far away from Daniel as I could, I went through the glass door, stepping out where the outside pool was.
I realized that this was the first time I was outdoors since I came here. I greedily inhaled the fresh, cold night air, enjoying myself immensely.
The outside pool was even more breathtaking than the one inside. There was a dark gray flooring, made from stone, with neatly trimmed shrubs around the pool. A few lanterns were placed on rocks randomly, illuminating the area. They almost weren't needed as the moon shone so bright, reflecting on the pool's surface. I stepped even further, seeing the deep woods close to the property, inviting me in. But I knew that this was just an illusion since I wouldn't come very far. A few miles away stood a fence, protecting the division, keeping the intruders out.
I turned around, looking up at the massive building behind me. From the outside, it looked like an old abandoned plant and this way it was probably be less noticeable to nosey outsiders.
I took off my shoes as I sat at the poolside. I sighed as I felt how pleasantly warm the water was, curling my toes from the pleasure.
"Why are you sitting here alone?" Yannik said from behind me.
I flinched as he almost gave me a heart attack. It took a few minutes to compose myself, steadying my heart beat.
"Enjoying the quiet." I eventually smiled at him, turning my head. "When I lived on the island it was mostly me and my paintings."
"Do you miss it?" He said, taking off his shoes. He rolled his jeans up, sitting beside me.
"Home? Of course. I miss my family and friends terribly." I said, gazing at the woods. "Do you?" I looked back into his bright eyes.
"No." He said sternly.
I hoped he would reveal more about himself, but when he remained quiet I probed him "May I ask why? I hope you don't mind, but I heard your life back at home wasn't great."
"Rumors are spreading quickly as ever I see." He said with a grim expression.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up "I am sure you've heard about my father's affair. It is sadly common knowledge by now. He and about everyone else on that damned planet treated me like I wasn't worth the air I was breathing. So no, I don't miss it."
"I am sorry." I said, lowering my head.
"No! Don't pity me. Anything but pity." He winced at my reaction.
"I could never pity you Yannik." I told him quietly, looking back at him. How could I? If anything I admired him, his success, how calm and collected he was.
Our eyes met, and I gulped as the tension in my stomach built. "Can you tell me more about yourself?" I asked, breaking the moment.
"Why?" He asked me suspiciously "I don't just pass the information about me for everyone to know."
"Because I want to get to know you. I don't intend to pass it around, I swear." I said honestly, looking at him.
"And I am supposed to just take your word for it?" He laughed bitterly.
"Well, yes." I shrugged "Don't you have any friends you trust?" I said, smiling as I gently bumped him on his shoulder. I regretted it instantly as I saw his reaction, cursing myself. He was definitely bothered by my touch.
"No, nobody was trustworthy. Besides, it is better to only trust yourself. That way nobody can turn the information against you." He said seriously, and I watched him, blown away. I couldn't even imagine a life so lonely and empty.
"I would never do such a thing. I swear on everyone I love." I know my assurance was silly and probably meant nothing to him, but I meant what I said.
I flexed my legs, feeling the chill air when the warmth of the heated water was gone. "How about a trade? If you tell me about yourself, I will tell you everything you want to know about me."
He watched me with strange expression on his face "Why are you so invested in getting to know me?" He said, suspicion clear in his eyes when my cheeks turned red.
I looked at him, biting my lips as I tried to come up with a lie. I felt a physical attraction towards him that couldn't be denied, my body shivering every time we almost touched. But there was no way I would let him know that, when I knew for a fact he that didn't feel the same way. He literally moved away every time I was a little too close to him.
I felt a strong pull towards him, but I realized he was dangerous since I knew I would get burnt if I went to deep.
"I just want to be friends." I shrugged, ignoring my screaming body, indicating that this was the last thing it wanted.
"Friends." He let a word roll on his tongue as he said it, tasting it. "I don't know..."
"Can we at least give it a shot?" I asked softly, hoping I wasn't pressuring him too much.
His eyes were filled with distrust, but he gave in nodding at me "I suppose we can."
"Can I ask you a question?"
He hesitated for a second "If you must." He said with a faint smile.
"What was your mother like?" I glanced at him.
At first, he looked alarmed, and I thought he won't give me an answer.
He sighed "Kind and loving person, but she died when I turned five, so I don't have much of hers. Just this." He leaned forward, showing me a necklace hidden behind his shirt. It was a metallic pendant with a leather cord. Its shape was oval, with carved letters, clearly written an Aerukhan language.
"It's beautiful. What does it say?" I looked at it in awe.
"Krahea mear. Never lose hope." He looked at me for a moment, then put the necklace back behind his shirt. "It belonged to my mother's family side, passing through every generation."
"So have you?" I asked, looking at the moon above me.
"What?" His eyebrow furrowed in confusion.
"Ever lost hope?" I looked back into his eyes, cursing myself for noticing how the golden streaks in them shone even brighter.
"I did, quite a few times." He admitted with shame, nodding. "But never completely."
I stared at him, studying his expression. We sat in silence for a while, enjoying the quiet night.
"You should have met my mother." I laughed.
"Ivana Varga?" He said with confusion.
Right. I forgot she was not my real mother. "Yes. I didn't know Marcella, besides Ivana would always be my mother. It doesn't matter if we are blood‒related or not."
"You must have cared for her a lot. What was she like?"
"Quite a bossy person, like yourself." I laughed at his raised brows.
"I have to be, I am the head of an IT department, I command respect." He said seriously.
"Of course. How about also domineering, gloomy, and wait for it-" I laughed at his expression "-Moody."
"Excuse me?" He said, but he was smiling, and I loved that look on him. "Am I all of that?"
"Absolutely Mr. Cranky." I whispered, and he jerked his head towards me.
"So I've heard you right that day in the canteen!" He accused me. Suddenly kicking his leg out, he splashed me.
"Hey! What was that for?" I said grinning.
"Your rudeness." His eyes still laughed, and I noticed that there was no more wariness in them.
"Friends." He probed the word again. "I hope that this won't be my downfall." He sighed.
"It certainly will be mine." I quietly murmured, catching his confused look, indicating he heard me.
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All right! :D So this is the 13th chapter and I would really like to know what do you think of my story so far? Also keep in mind that I am not a native English speaker so I apologize for grammar mistakes or poor language.
So, if you like Soul of the Cerberus, please vote/like/comment!!! You can also check out my new historical romance. Thaaankss! :D