Do you walk in the valley of kings?
Do you walk in the shadow of men
Who sold their lives to a dream?
— Glitter and Gold by Barns Courtney
My fists hit the punching bag one after the other, each strike stronger than the last. My thoughts were a whirlwind of chaos at everything that I had come to learn since the party.
Isaac and Liam were sitting on the bench to my left, leaning forward with their eyes trained on me. Isaac was sporting a black eye that was already healing, seeing the yellow patches that surrounded the purple. Liam had asked him two days ago about what happened, and Isaac told him that he fought with one of his brothers.
But truthfully, I did that to him.
I couldn't stop myself after what I found out that night.
"You're fucking kidding, right?" Liam bellowed.
"Dude, what the heck is wrong with her?" asked Isaac.
I dropped my shoulders and grabbed the punching bag with both my hands, my chest rising and falling rapidly. I skipped all my classes today after being called back home by my father. I was told he had something important to announce; I didn't expect it to be about my free will. Not that he had forcefully taken it away from me. He was weighing the benefits we would receive from the business proposal, and everything about it was done at the worst timing possible. I was already standing by the edge of my patience for three days straight, and today, I was finally pushed over.
After insisting that it was a stupid idea, I headed to my regular boxing gym to let off some steam. I called Isaac and Liam when I arrived, and they showed up thirty minutes later.
"I remembered you said something about Mr. Lowell wanting to be business partners with your father, but your father doesn't want to do it," Liam mused.
Isaac nodded. "And you said it was about time they would try to offer your father something irresistible. An engagement to Scarlet would put her family on a higher pedestal. I'm not sure what your family will benefit from it, though."
"They said," I breathed out, sending another punch, "that it would make both our families untouchable." I could hear the disdain in my voice as I spoke, and in that spurt of anger, I hit the punching bag harder with my left fist.
"That's utter bullshit in their end." Isaac spat. "Everyone knows the Stanford's are already untouchable as is."
Liam nodded in agreement. "Do you have a way to get out of the arrangement? You were expecting it to happen."
Not since meeting Summer, I wanted to confess but held back instead.
Summer was a whole other problem altogether. Initially, I only had one good reason to keep her next to me. But three days ago, another million reasons were thrown in my direction. An exaggeration on my end, but fuck, it did feel that way.
I knew it would be a grave mistake to allow her near me, but there was something about her that drew me in, and truth be told, it was scaring the shit out of me.
"Hey, boys!"
I turned my head to the voice, finding Victoria walking in our direction with her arm linked to a certain ebony-haired person. My eyes traveled down Summer's petite figure. She wore a cropped hoodie and silver leggings that emphasized her toned thighs and perfectly round ass. I recalled the way she trembled in my arms and the way her breath brushed my skin when she nuzzled her face at the crook of my neck.
It made me want to protect her. But I didn't know how to do that.
Dragging her into my life would only bring her harm.
"Summer and I were at a yoga center nearby," said Victoria. She was wearing a blue tank top and a pair of leggings. "Liam sent me a message saying that you guys were here, so I thought maybe we'd grab dinner together."
"Paella!" Isaac exclaimed in excitement. "There's a new Spanish restaurant about thirty minutes away. We should try it out."
"Jordan was just talking about that place this morning. He said their food was the bomb," Summer added with a giggle. "I forgot the name, though."
"Las Carretas?" asked Victoria.
Summer snapped her fingers. "Yep. That's the one."
"Let me go and take a shower first," I said, unfastening the velcro of my boxing gloves. "You guys can wait at the cafe downstairs. I'll be down in twenty minutes."
I strode away and headed straight to the male locker room, pushing the doors open with my arms since my fingers were busy undoing my hand wraps. My head was a tornado of thoughts that bounced back and forth from one problem to the other. I flopped down on the steel bench right in front of my locker with a heavy breath, still focused on the mission of setting my hands free.
"Uhm, Gray?"
"Sup?" I answered heedlessly, raising my head to find Summer standing by the end of the bench with a sheepish look on her face. "Hey, Shortcake. You do know that this is the male's locker room, right?"
She nodded vaguely, her cheeks a bright red. "Yeah, I've been calling you outside just now, but you didn't hear me. I take it that you were too engrossed in undoing that?" Her eyes dropped to my hands.
"Yeah," I said, cursing myself internally for being too absorbed with my own shit that I didn't notice her. "What do you need?" I asked.
"Victoria said you may have a spare shirt that I could borrow. I made the mistake of wearing this hoodie."
"How so?" I asked, my eyes scanning her outfit again. I couldn't see anything wrong with it; she looked smoking hot.
She heaved a sigh and slumped down on the bench next to me. "People have been checking me out, and I really don't like it."
"How can they not, when you have such a perfect—" I stopped myself mid-sentence and shook my head. Her face was now completely flushed. "I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable, but it's true. It's difficult not to notice those buns."
"I've been told that I have quite the buns, but never did I imagine that you would be checking me out. I feel honored." She burst out laughing, her hands reaching for mine. "Do you mind? I'm an expert at untying things."
I raised an eyebrow at her claim, and she took it as approval. Her fingers started moving fluidly while I watched her face intently. Her forehead was creased, and her lips were pressed together in focus. It took her less than a minute to finish, and when she lifted her chin to look at me proudly, the corners of my mouth dipped into a slight frown. She looked utterly exhausted, and her eye bags had only worsened since Monday. I noticed her lack of energy these past two days, but I didn't think it was this bad.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
"You haven't been sleeping well recently." It was a statement, not a question. I wasn't one to beat around the bush, particularly when I was already standing face to face with the issue.
"I'm still having trouble getting used to my new room," she muttered, glancing away.
I stared at her intensely, knowing that she was lying. I hoped she would give in and tell me the reason why, but seeing her lips pursed tight in defiance, I knew it was all wishful thinking. She was hiding something, and prodding her about it would only label me as a hypocrite.
Sighing deeply, I rose to my feet and opened my locker. I grabbed my duffel bag and dropped it on the bench beside her. "I have three different shirts inside. You can pick out what you want," I said.
She smiled, then began rummaging through the contents of my bag. I watched her with arms folded, my eyes studying her delicate features and the way she puffed her cheeks in concentration. She was beautiful with her wavy hair that cascaded past her shoulders and down her back, night-dark eyes, button nose, and pink rosy lips.
I noted the few times her eyes slightly widened, and I knew she had found one of my spare boxers, underwear, or probably a condom. Seconds later, she pulled out my black jersey shirt.
"I think this will do," she nodded, glancing up at me. "Do you mind turning around for a sec?"
"Not at all, Shortcake." I winked at her and spun around.
It took three long seconds before she chirped out the word, "Done," and she didn't have to say it twice. She was standing in front of me with her hands smoothing the lower part of the shirt that reached her knees. My eyes raked her body. She appeared much smaller in my shirt.
I fucking liked it.
"What sport did you play?" she asked.
"Football." I shook my head. "I mean, soccer. I used to play in high school."
"Goalie?"
"Striker, actually."
She nodded, chuckling under her breath. "I should get going. Thanks for the shirt, Nincompoop."
"Anytime, Shortcake."
She turned on her heel and began walking away, a smile reaching my lips as I watched her leave. My surname was embroidered across the back of the shirt above my player number.
She could keep that shirt if it meant seeing her in it again.
● ● ●
Las Carretas was located on the foot of a hill, and it was packed when we arrived, but we managed to secure a table on the balcony that had a great view of the city. The restaurant was vibrant and large, with an open-concept design.
"It's still happy hour," said Isaac. "Let's get two buckets of beer."
"I'm concerned for you, man," I said, shaking my head.
"Team Stanford, what do you wanna drink?" Victoria asked Summer teasingly.
Summer leaned over to Victoria, who was holding the menu. "A lemonade would do. I have some schoolwork to finish, so I'd rather not drink tonight," she said. "And stop calling me Team Stanford. It was either a muscle tee or a thick black hoodie. It's hot, and this shirt is airy."
"You should've chosen the muscle tee, babe."
"The cut below the armpits were too big. I would rather not have my side boobs exposed to the world."
Victoria laughed. "I'm sure you look smoking hot in a bikini."
"Butt, yes. Breasts, no," Summer snorted.
"Can we talk about something else?" Isaac groaned, popping one of the complimentary nachos into his mouth. His eyes widened. "This tastes amazing."
"If you two are done talking about balls of fat, then I'll take a lemonade too," I added, closing the menu.
We ordered a Paella to share, which was eaten mainly by Isaac and Summer. I didn't think a small person like Summer could have such a big appetite, and it was beyond amusing. Conversations and laughter were shared as the night carried on until it was time to head back to campus. Isaac, Victoria, and Liam were attending a house party outside of Brickfields, and knowing that Summer wasn't joining them, I decided to stay back.
They dropped us off at Brickfields and left after bidding each other farewell.
"Do you mind if I stay with you for a while?" I asked Summer.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you," she said as she fumbled with her fingers.
"What is it?"
"Do you know how to do a balance sheet?"
I snorted. "It's a piece of cake."
"Can you teach me?" she said with a half-smile. "Numbers and I don't get along well. I've tried to be friends with them, but nope, they don't want my friendship."
I laughed. "Sure. I have a knack for teaching."
"Cocky."
We headed upstairs to her room and immediately got things started once we were inside. Her desk was already messy with her notebooks and papers, and she cleared them up while I dragged Victoria's chair across the room to her side. She was already seated with a mechanical pencil in her hand, and I hunkered down on my chair.
Half an hour into my impromptu tutoring, I concluded that thirty minutes of teaching basic accounting was sufficient time for Summer. More than that was strongly discouraged unless one would prefer having to deal with a wailing monster.
"I hate this!" she sobbed, dropping her head on the desk with a light thud. "I should've just taken an art degree or something. I'm not cut out for equations."
"Why'd you take Business and Law then?" I asked, closing her book.
She released a long breath. "Years of being influenced by my family."
"You know what," I said, arranging the papers that were scattered all over her desk, "let's take a break and get some fresh air. Do you have a spare blanket I could borrow?"
● ● ●
Summer released a satisfied breath, and I couldn't help but smile. I had forcefully dragged her out of the dorm after she insisted on staying indoors when I suggested we take a stroll outside. I had never met anyone so anti-nature before. But look at where she was now, lying on a quilt next to me under the starry night sky.
"I told you it wasn't going to be so bad," I chuckled.
"I forgot what this felt like," she murmured. "To be this free and calm."
I peeked at her sideways. Her focus was solely on the sky, her fingers intertwined and resting above her stomach. I listened to her gentle breathing, glad that in some way, she was relaxed.
"Gray, I've been meaning to thank you," she said, sitting upright.
I eyed her in confusion. "For what?"
"I heard about that threat you imposed on those seniors." She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her cheek on them, eyes still on me. "It bothered me at first, especially since it sparked a rumor about us being a couple, but I'm over it now. It doesn't matter what others think. We know the truth."
"I'm sorry I lied about it."
"You did what you could, Gray." A soft smile tugged at her lips. "If you told me immediately that they wouldn't be bothering me because you threatened them, I would've kicked you out of the dorm that night."
"It's such a relief that I lied then," I chortled, pushing myself up to a sitting position.
"And thank you for not leaving me alone that night at the party." She drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long exhale. "And thank you for tonight. I really did need some fresh air."
"I've never been thanked so much like this before," I said playfully, earning myself a chuckle from her.
It was nice to hear her laugh after seeing her so tense all the time.
"Thank you, Gray. You have no idea how much all of this means to me," she said, smiling gently.
I nodded with a smile. It was a shame I couldn't tell her how much this moment meant to me. That her smile became the defining moment for me to keep the truth away from her for the time being.
I was going against my better judgment.