The Saint Meets The Sinner ii

**

Harmony

“Change the music, idiots!” James bellows toward the DJ section and the music switches to a more upbeat one almost instantly.

“Is this a party?” The question leaves my lips before I even realized, and everyone pulls their gazes to me. Attention. I hate attention. Why did I ever open my mouth?

“No, it’s not Harmony.” April chuckles. “This is just what Homewood’s orientation looks like.”

“Yeah, we’ll begin in a few.” James flashes me a charming smile.

I nod shyly and drop my gaze in hopes that everyone will now shift their focus away from me. I hate the spotlight so much.

“Are you a freshman?”

A smoky voice sounds among us and I glance up, noticing that the smooth tone belongs to Blaze. I swallow uneasily. He makes me feel intensely weird. My eyes travel over everyone. The girls are watching him steadily while James has a faint smirk on his face as he rubs his lips.

“Yes.” I avert my eyes to the ground immediately after responding. Please leave me alone.

“Okay nice,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind showing you around—”

“Noooo!” April chimes in quickly and I look at her. “You won’t be showing her anything Blaze. Get your ass away from here!”

Yuna laughs. “She won’t be your next conquest.”

Next conquest? What does that mean?

Blaze chuckles. The sound is appealing and hypnotic as his white perfect teeth make their reappearances. I see exactly where April got hers from, but I can’t help but notice how he doesn’t deny what they said.

“Seriously? Why are you girls being this way? April, aren’t you supposed to be my cousin?”

“Why do you guys want to stop his flow?” James splays his arm around his friend, as Blaze takes another sip of his beer, watching me. “You should let him do his thing plus she seems like a nice girl, aren’t you sweetheart?”

I am not sure if I am supposed to respond or if it is a rhetorical question.

April ignores her cousin’s friend. She smiles as she coils her arms against her bust, glaring knowingly at Blaze. “Harmony is cold, you should go start the orientation or we are leaving.”

He nods, biting back a smile. “Alright. Let’s go, Jay.” He glances at me with a smirk as his friend follows behind him.

Curiosity springs within me and I turn my gaze to April. “Uhm, why’d you tell him not to show me around?”

“Listen.” Tia begins, resting a palm on my shoulder. “When Blaze says he wants to ‘show you around,’ he means, show you his dick.”

I gape. I have never met someone as blunt as this in my entire life. The way profanities easily leave her lips has me intrigued. I spent most of my childhood in church and Collin was a young deacon himself, so I have never been open to loud, vulgar languages. I must admit, the people here are quite interesting; it’s a vast difference from what I am used to. They are so free and self-expressive and oddly...I think I like it.

“Yeah, he will have sex with you then not call you back the next day,” Yuna adds. “Rumors have it that he is incredibly good in bed, but most girls who have passed through the experience never comes back out the same. You will regret being around someone like Blaze so just stay away from him. Falling for him is easy but falling out of love with him is hard. Don’t ever let him near you.”

April isn’t adding to the discussion, and as I observe her countenance, she seems almost worried.

The instruction isn’t a hard one to follow. I have lived eighteen years without the need for intimate relationships, and I plan to keep it that way until I am through with my studies. I am easily distracted, admittingly, hence juggling a boyfriend and school will leave my brain like overly fried potatoes.

I won’t let him near me. Creepy boys who think staring at girls is cool isn’t necessarily my type furthermore, and I am way too anti-social; I’d bore these boys to death. I prefer staying in and binge-watching rom-coms, while a guy of his caliber is all for the party. Our auras would clash greatly.

“You’re cute and innocent.” Tia nudges me admiringly. “Don’t let Blaze mess you up.”

“Guys, you can stop badmouthing him now. You do recall that he is my cousin, right?” April finally speaks up; her tone is somewhat peeved. “Enough of him, they are about to begin.”

The music stops and I nod silently as I focus ahead.

“Welcome you all. I am Blaze Xander!” He exclaims into the mic and I subconsciously take a mental note of his name.

“Hey Blaze!!” The crowd choruses. The girls are noticeably fawning over him. Twirling their hair around their fingers, smiling exaggeratingly, and crowding at the forefront of the makeshift stage.

“Poor first years.” Tia sighs. “Blaze is going to fuck with their heads.”

Once again, her carefree use of expletives leaves me awestruck, and she notices this and lets out an amused chuckle. “Sorry, are you Christian?”

“Guys fewer swearwords around my roommate,” April warns and Yuna pretends to zip her mouth with her finger, causing me to simper before a roar from the crowd steals my attention.

“Alright!” Blaze claps his hands. “Homewood University is where you guys will find yourselves, your strengths, and your weaknesses. It’s where you will become who you are as a person! With the help of me and James—” he points to his friend. “You will be cozy and at home!”

“Yeah with your penis inside them.” Yuna chuckles and April laughs as she smacks her playfully on the shoulder.

James steps forward to whisper something to him, and he leans his ear in, nodding before forking a hand through his dark mop of curls. “Alright, so before we officially read out the survival guide, are there any questions?! Anything you’re insanely curious about?!”

Several eager hands go up and he points to a short girl with red hair.

“Uhm, do you have a girlfriend?!”

Everyone joins in a series of ‘oohs’ at the blatant question. She is brave, something I will never be, but how is that related to the University though?

Tia shakes her head in pity. “She’s his next victim, he’s finding her after this.”

“No, I don’t.” He smirks and the girls cheer elatedly. How is someone, with such flawless skin, single? Girls are probably cat-fighting to be at his feet.

“Next question?”

“How old are you?” A brunette asks shyly.

These questions are not related to Homewood at all.

“Twenty,” he answers, and she blushes.

“What’s your zodiac?” Someone throws in.

“Scorpio.”

“Can I see you without a shirt?!” A voice sounds from the back, and I look around to see who on earth asked that.

Wow, is she serious? These girls show me how severely introverted and shy I am.

Blaze smiles at the request while James grins, shaking his head as his friend hands him the mic.

He slowly curls his fingers under the hem of his black pullover and barely begins to raise it. The girls scream crazily loud, a galloping brunette in front of me almost smacking me straight in the eye with her hand. Tia tries not to laugh as she tugs me safely to her side. It is a crazy stampede, and I cling to the girls’ side so as to not get run over by pairs of feet.

“Take. It. Off! Take. It. Off! Take. It. Off!” They sing, and April rolls her eyes in annoyance, sticking a finger in her ear.

“Alright. I’ll take it off.” Blaze chuckles. “And here I goooo...drum roll please!”

James laughs and drums his fists against the backdrop board of their makeshift stage, causing the crowd roar excitedly.

“Is he really going to take his shirt off?” I ask April above the loud cries, and she titters. “Trust me, Blaze will do far more.”

“He’ll even take his pants off.” Tia sniggers.

“Oh boy...” I mumble as he swiftly pulls the fabric over his head, causing the crowd to cheer louder as he rotates his sweater in the air, his waists copying the action.

My eyes unintentionally zoom in on his chest, identifying the firm rows of abs lining his tanned stomach. My mouth mechanically parts in a daze, but the warnings I had received forces their way through the thick dopamine clouding my thoughts.

“Don’t let him near you”

I blink my eyes as I look away from him and to April.

“Wow, he’s brave,” I comment, and the girls all laugh.

His personality is interesting. I am the total opposite of him. Reserve and quiet and plain not social. He is outspoken and adventurous. All I will never be and all I secretly wish I was.

Blaze ends his free-spirited performance and hops down from the stage. The girls’ eyes greedily follow him as James takes over the orientation from there.

As he moves toward us, anxiety wells up in my stomach. I think this is what happens when you grow up staying away from boys. They not only intimidate you but a severely handsome one can send your heart into overdrive.

I grip onto the hem of my sweater, and his intoxicating scent fills the damp air once again as he comes to a stop in front of us. He’s still without his shirt and I try to keep my eyes up and away from his defined torso.

“Enjoyed my performance?” He queries. He poses it like a universal question, but I discern that it was directed at me since his crystal blue eyes are positioned on my nervous green ones.

I swallow, and he raises his brow as he pulls the flesh of his bottom lip between his teeth.

His eyes are like a bottomless ocean, sucking you in and pulling you down deeper and deeper and deeper...

April quickly grasps my arm and tugs me behind her. “Night’s over Blaze.”

He chuckles, and amusement gleams in his intense orbs as he drags his gaze to hers. “Really, April?”

“Yeah, really. We both know why you should leave her alone.”

She says the last statement in almost a whisper, but I heard anyway. My curiosity piques once more but Blaze speaks again, pulling me from my mental conjuncture.

“Okay, fine,” he raises his palms then bends his head around to look at me, who stands behind April almost like a kid who’s clinging to the hem of her mother’s dress. “See you around, pretty girl.”

He smiles and walks back over to the stage and I look to see Tia and Yuna staring at me.

“He’s on to you.” Tia smiles, shaking her head in what appears to be apprehension. “Stay far away from him, Harmony.”

I narrow my eyes. On to me? What does that even mean?

“On to me as in... he likes me?” I question, and April’s friends laugh, causing me to crinkle my eyebrows ignorantly.

“Blaze doesn’t like anyone but himself.” Yuna clarifies. “If we should speak bluntly, he just wants to get you in bed. That’s what we meant. I know he’s hot...damn hot...but don’t let the smile fool you; he’s a devil under disguise.”

“Enough,” April says and raises her palms. “I am tired, are you guys ready to head to our dorms or not?”

I have never been more ready in my entire life. It has been an odd night, ranging from an unusual party-like orientation to a handsome boy with a full lower lip staring at me with creepy eyes. I could use some rest.

••

“I’ve been watching you for some time. Can’t stop staring at those oceans eyes. Burning cities and napalm skies. Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes.” —Billie Eilish.