Touch Me While I Taste You

47

Arabella Rivera

You need her Haiden.

After that last sentence, everything just became, silent. It was heavy and reeked o fawkwardness. The pressure was so weighty that I inched closer to the door to somehow escape from here. Only to be stopped by Mr. Boyd’s words.

“I’ll leave you two to talk about it. I need t o be somewhere-” Mr. Boyd stops, lifts his hand to look down at the silver watch wrapped around the bone of his hairy wrist.

Wait he was going to leave us here alone?

Scratch that.

He was going to leave me all alone with a brooding and vexed Haiden?

“In exactly eight minutes.” His quick fingers worked to place the last of his things in his briefcase.

I squint my eyes on the black briefcase as Mr. Boyd took a hold of it and began walking. Can I fit inside that tiny thing? I

Alking. Can I fit inside that tiny thing? I wish he’d pack me inside too, therefore I wouldn’t have to face Haiden all alone.

Before he disappears out of the door, he whirls around to pin Haiden with a heavy stare. “If you want a future, I think you know what to do.” With those last words, Mr. Boyd left us in a strained stuffy

silence

I tighten my grasp on my bag, my lips pressing together with every second that ticked by. It was only us in the room and I was pretty sure in the entire school, excluding the security. It couldn’t get more awkward than that.

I lift my eyes to Haiden. He wasn’t looking. His eyes were burning holes through the dirty floor, teeth gritted in frustration. He wasn’t going to be the first one to speak. He’d leave it to me so h e can make a mockery out of my words.

lifting his gazet o mine, connecting them so sharply that I sucked in a quick breath.” I don’t need your help.” His tone was twisted with aggression

made him look even more intimidating than his aura. I suppose he tried to lessen the attention on his bruises

eyes shaded darker until it exposed his frustrations, “I don’t need anyone.

thickness of vulnerability was too heavy to ignore. H e needed my

be warm and show off their beauty,

act on and tell Mr. Boyd you will not be

surprised by is the fact that you even agreed to it.” Frustration emanated off of him like waves of a roaring ocean when a storm is about to hit. If I had not gotten used to being treated as a

life made me grow a thicker skin. Now words hurt me but they don’t dent my armor. They don’t show my vulnerability. They don’t show how weak I truly am. They don’t unveil how deeply Haiden can

him with a stare of fury. If he can be mad so can I.” You really think the world revolves around you? News flash. It doesn’t. What makes you think I agreed to tutor you out of all people? I didn’t even know who I’d be tutoring until a few minutes ago. If I’d known that I’d be tutoring an asshole, then I wouldn’t

mindset, you can just leave. Don’t want to waste any more of your precious time princess.” He mocked the word princess. So

he treating

Arabella? Did you really think he’d treat you any different than the others? A few conversations here and there wouldn’t have put you in the friendzone. The better part of my mind pulled me right

don’t want to be in

what do you want to be

my sides as I sort for a n answer

I don’t know.

could choose the bright ones, the ones that put you in a good mood, the ones

eyes leave Haiden’s stormy ones and settle on

wanted to paint it black? What

I didn’t want perfect?

be painting a

to his eyes. Behind the anger and frustration, I could see something else. Something that made me realize that I wasn’t the main focus of

dark hole, there will always have a tiny spot

grows quiet after my

of thunder came next,