~Xander~
She left her innocent eyes on my soul. This moment reminds me of a story.
Some folks who needed emotional rescue were trapped in an iceberg that took many years to form. When you bring your gentle flame to their outer walls and melt a little, if they are brave enough, they will light their internal flame and allow the ice to melt. If they are afraid, they will add more layers of ice faster than you can melt it.
Unknowingly, I felt the same. Aoife was an unknown flame that melted my heart, and I was not ready for the change. My playboy image wanted to bite every part of her delicate body, while my heart wanted to be with her. In this turmoil, when Zareena pushed her, it enraged my emotions to a degree I’d never felt before.
My angry look toward Zareena scared her off, and she stomped outside. I didn’t understand my sudden anger. Is Aoife controlling me? Or does Zareena’s misbehavior towards Aoife affect me?
All I knew was her teary eyes influenced me deeply. With this emotional roller coaster turning inside me, I saw her leaving the classroom with a hopelessness in her eyes that I regret taking part in.
After she left, I grabbed Zareena’s hand with severe pressure when I caught up to her.
“Xander, what…?” She went on and said something which I ignored.
She surrendered herself and followed me without any argument. I dragged her inside the classroom and locked the door behind me. My mouth clamped, and my eyes fixed on her.
“Why did you do that?” The words hoarse from my mouth.
“I thought she came here for...” She tried to explain her point, but once she saw my red eyes. She changed her tone. “I am sorry, baby. Let me make it up to you.”
My body was stiff as my nostrils flared with anger.
She pecked wet kisses on my lips and chin and started nibbling on my ears. Her hand ran all over my body as I stood stiffly in my place.
She touched my member, chuckled, and said, “Do you want to play a game?”
She licked her lips as she tried to fuel them for further actions. With a smirk on her face, she unbuckled my pants. It was a strange feeling. Until now, whatever she did, I used to enjoy it, but today something changed. I watched her playing with me, but I didn’t want her to touch me anymore.
I tried to clear my mind to enjoy this, but whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Aoife’s face. What is happening to me?
Zareena was busy with her task, and all I wanted was to see someone else.
Suddenly, I grabbed her hair and pulled her up.
“Never touch her again,” the words shoot from my mouth.
She looked at me with questionable emotions as I moved her head away and pulled up my pants.
“She is a freshman. Why are you behaving like this?” she grumbled at me.
Without further clarification of my behavior, I left her alone in the classroom.
What is happening to me? I can’t allow anyone to control my mind. And this girl, who the hell is she? She was not even doing anything, but it was difficult for me to hold myself to drown in her emotions.
To clear my mind, I dialed Matt’s number. Pick up, Matt. My mind needs to relax.
“Hello, Matty. Where are you?”
“I am in the library,” he answered.
“Come on. Let’s go out. It’s pleasant weather.”
“I am not coming. I am helping someone.”
“Matty, are you flirting with that old lady? Come on. You can help her later,” I answered while walking outside the building.
“No, not Agnes.”
“You are in the library and not helping, Miss Agnes? That’s strange. Who is with you?”
“I’ll tell you later. Don’t wait. Bye.”
I knew he was trying to hide something. But why? What is he trying to hide, and whom?
I changed my direction back to the library. When I entered, I saw a girl standing beside him.
***
~Aoife~
The talk with Xander didn’t go well. How could I expect good from the wrong person? How did I expect he would let me off the hook so quickly?
They plotted against me, and now they started being physical. Zareena pushed me hard, and I got scratches on my hand and elbow. But something had me wondering why Xander behaved differently. He even said sorry, even when he knew he was behind all this chaos.
After my strange meeting with Xander, I went to class where Luka and Clara were waiting for me.
“Is everything all right? What did he say?” Clara jumped on her toes when she saw the tears in my eyes.
I pressed my lips. What should I say?
I told them everything, and I could feel they struggled to believe what Xander did for me. It was surprising to me how he stopped Zareena and extended his hand for help.
“I don’t know why it happened, but it did.” I rolled my eyes while conveying every detail.
“Change of heart?” Clara raised her brow.
“Xander? Change of heart?... Never,” Luka resisted.
“You’re right.” I supported Luka’s words. “I saw him putting that nasty picture on my locker, so nothing’s changed.”
Luka agreed.
We talked a little more, but I could feel they wanted some time alone, so I made an excuse to break away. “I need to check out some books. Do you know where the library is? I forget if it’s on the right side of the building or left?”
“Down the hall to the right. You can’t miss it.”
I took off, leaving these new love birds alone in the classroom. The college day was over, and most students were gone or headed home, anyway. So, I walked myself to my favorite place, the library.
Standing outside the library door, I felt like I was home. With a peek inside, I saw row after row of neatly lined books with their spines facing outward, color-coded with dots, fiction section arranged in alphabetical order, young adults’ section, and biographies of ancient people. Comfortable leather armchairs. They arranged tables for quiet study with muffled stillness and a librarian at the help desk. Inside, the coarse cheap carpet on the floor felt comfortable, while students were at computers doing book searches or surfing the web.
As vampires can sniff the blood from far away, book lovers like me can inhale the fragrance of books just the same.
I entered and found myself surrounded by thousands of books.
Suddenly, my eyes landed on a poster saying, I do believe something magical can happen when you read a good book. - J. K. Rowling.
Now that’s the energy I was talking about that wanted me to wake up in the morning. I felt so excited when I read different quotes in this beautiful place. While roaming from here to there, I heard a noise.
“The library is closed.” The voice was old and breathy.
I walked towards the source and found an old lady standing on the ladder, trying to arrange some books.
“Hello, ma’am, I am new here,” I answered, composing my excitement.
She coughed with her eyes scanning me. “So, I can’t help you now. Can’t you see I am trying to arrange these books? Come tomorrow.”
Well, that wasn’t nice, but I let it go. Considering her age, a student bothering her clearly annoyed her.
She grabbed another book while ignoring me, but I didn’t come here to give up.
Without a second thought, I said, “Can I help you? I would love to arrange all these books for you.” With an ear-to-ear smile, I conveyed my message.
Her angry look and piercing eyes changed into a soft glaze as she chuckled.
“Thank you. My husband is out, and there is no one to help me.”
She rolled her eyes as she told me about the students who didn’t care about the books that they left here and there. It was a demanding job for her alone.
“You don’t have a helper?” I asked while arranging the books from the trolly.
“Nope, but we told the management we need someone young.” She passed her last book.
“Can I help you until you get a new helper? I love to spend time in the library, and I can stay for a long time as I live in the campus dorm.”
She could feel the excitement in my voice. Her wrinkled smile gave me her agreement.
“Sure, I would be happy to give this job to a book lover. So, tell me, what is the name of this beautiful girl?” she asked, patting my back.
“I am Aoife Marshall. I am a freshman. And you are?”
“I am Mrs. Agnes. The caretaker of these books. The librarian of this college and keeper of this beautiful place.” Her smile widened when she introduced herself.
Within a few moments, we understood we were book lovers, and the mood lightened greatly.
“So, can I call you Aunt Agnes? Or Agnes Ma’am?”
“Call me, Aunt Agnes. You will be the second person from this college to whom I allowed this.”
“Second? Who is first?” I asked excitedly.
“It’s Matt who can call this beautiful woman Aunt Agnes,” an unknown voice echoed in this silent place.
We turned and found a handsome man had walked toward us. He was tall with a cute smile. His hair was blond, which complimented his personality. Quickly, he came over and hugged Aunt Agnes.
I looked stunned, I’m sure, as he changed the aura of this place. It seemed livelier now.
He said hello to me, and my hand flowed towards the gesture without my knowledge.
“Hi, I am Matt. And you are?”
“I am Aoife Marshall,” I answered with a blushed smile.
He furrowed his brow as if he was trying to recall something.
“Are you a freshman?”
“Yes, are you a senior?”
“Yes,” he answered immediately.
Once I heard his answer, I lowered my peer and greeted him.
“I am sorry, sir. I didn’t know that.” All the excitement in my voice vanished suddenly.
Matt looked at Aunt Agnes, and they laughed together.
“Hey, Aoife. Chill. I am not like those who wanted you to follow these stupid rules. And I am not sir to you, Call me Matt.” He extended his hand again with a kind smile.
A mirrored expression sprinkled on my cheeks. It was a significant relief for me. At least someone amongst the seniors treats their juniors like humans.
I saw Aunt Agnes was smiling too. She adores him.
“He is my kind-hearted boy, and another bookworm.”
That’s cute.
“Do you guys want some coffee?” she patted his back, heading to the pot behind the information desk.
We nodded, and there she went to make coffee for us as we took another trolly to place the books on the shelves.
I climbed the ladder as Matt helped to pass through the books.
“So, you are the one everyone was talking about?”
I looked at him with an upset grimace on my face.
“Lucky me,” I answered in a lower voice.
Suddenly, he got a call before moving towards the window.
“Hello… I am in the library… No, I am not coming. I am helping someone… No, not Aunt Agnes.”
There was a long pause as he looked back at me.
“I will tell you later… What? No. Don’t… wait… Bye.”
He hung up the call and walked towards me, passing another book.
Unintentionally, it slammed my elbow.
“Ahh...” a painful voice came out.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I pulled my sleeves up and saw the scratch filled with droplets of blood.
“Come down.” He pulled me immediately from the ladder. “How did you get hurt? We need to clean this. Aunt, where is the first aid box?” He said all this in one breath.
I was standing next to the chair when he held my hand to look at my scratch with an intense gaze. He seemed caring to me, and so I relaxed as he looked me over.
Hastily, he took out the cotton and dipped it in some antiseptic Agnus had brought him.
“This is going to hurt,” he said. “Have a seat while I clean you up.”
I squinted, knowing it would make me scream as I used to in childhood. A painful moan escaped my mouth as tears rolled through my eyes. I clinched the chair arm hard as I could feel my nails inserted into the leather, channelizing all my screams there.
My big tears rolled down my cheeks, and I finally relaxed when he pulled away.
“Are you okay?”
My big tears rolled down my cheeks, and I finally relaxed when he pulled away.“Are you okay?” My eyes were closed as I heard that voice. I thought it was Matt who questioned me, but when I opened my eyes, Matt was blowing air on my wound.I felt another presence beside me when I saw my hand had not flinched on the chair. My nails dug into someone's hand instead of the leather arm. From the corner of my eyes, I saw something unexpected.“You… Oh, I am sorry, sir.”Right out of the blue? What was he doing here?It was Xander. But when did he arrive? And why was he standing next to me?Lots of questions boomed in my mind as I jerked my hand away from his wrist that was now scratched from my nails. “What are you doing here?” Matt questioned.He didn’t answer because he was busy looking at my nervous, flushed face. I gulped down a lump in my throat and backed myself behind the chair, lowering my eyes immediately.“Xan, what?” Matt asked again.Looking at his scratched wrist, I somehow fe
That next morning, I rushed myself to the library. Once there, Aunt Agnes was busy talking to her husband. “Good morning.” I smiled.“Good morning, pretty girl,” Uncle answered immediately.“Good morning, dear. What brings you here so early?” “I hope I am not asking too much from you guys. Since you are looking for a helping hand, I need a job. My brother wants to admit himself to rehab, and he needs my help.”They furrowed their brows, listening to me carefully.“Do you want money? We can help you,” Aunty offered.“No, I want this job. Please accept my offer to help.”They smiled and nodded their heads, quickly in agreement.Before I even mentioned my paycheck, Uncle said, “I will talk to management. We will pay you biweekly if that’s okay?”I nodded with excitement and happy tears as I hugged them.“Thank you for helping me. I’ll come after college hours,” I said excitedly before leaving the library and walking out.As I left, my mind was busy scheduling my day with the additional
~Xander~Waiting... Waiting... Waiting...My mind was like the ocean, watching the incoming ships of my thoughts drowning inside me.Is she going to be okay? What the heck were the doctors doing with her in there? Why is there no information about her? How long are they going to take? I was continuously burning in anguish, and the troublesome thoughts didn’t let me rest for a second. I was starting to ask myself why I had this unsettled anger and toward whom? Something told me it was me. Why didn’t I reach her on time? Why was I not there to protect her? And the essential fact of the matter, who the hell did this thing to her?That person will surely be dead at my hands. I will drown him the same way he did her.In the next thoughts, I literally planned the slow death of that unknown person who tried to kill her.I was in constant pain at the thought of losing her. My body reacted the same as I thought, making me punch the wall before I yelled out threats to the doctors and the hospit
~Xander~Heartbreak is a funny thing. It happened to a person you would never expect. I never thought I would become a villain to Aoife, not when I was the one who saved her life. I became the last person she wanted to see in this world, and unfortunately, she was the only girl who drove me crazy.For the entire night, I fought with my feelings, hiding them underneath. I thought it was just a stint of unsettled emotion that would pass with time. It became worse when the time came to see her again. Her angered eyes toward me thrashed in my spirit. She hated me for a crime I didn’t commit. She didn’t believe I was innocent.My desperate eyes waited for a single glance of understanding, but she ignored me as if I had never existed to her. Above all, I became possessive of her when I saw her hugging Matt. No girl rejected me like that and never dared to make me feel vulnerable.I questioned myself about why I was craving for the warmth she gifted to Matt while I was the one who found her u
~Aoife~After Matt left, I settled on the chair next to my study table, thinking about the last words he left me with.How could Matt expect me to forgive his friend? He knew Xander was the biggest bully in school who liked to trouble other people. How could I forget he was the one who made my life hell since the day I landed at this college? First, he mocked me in front of everyone, and then that bucket.“Argh... I hate him!” I screamed, throwing cushions on the walls.Why should I forgive him? He doesn’t deserve my forgiveness. I looked in the mirror with a disgusted expression that filled my face with Xander’s thoughts.“Is he really so bad?” Thinking about him, the only thing that happened was my blood boiling, and my nostrils flared with anger. Hating someone is easy; the hardest thing was to forgive.I smiled when my mother’s thoughts popped into my mind. Even after her death, her thoughts help me in difficult times.What Matt told me—is it true? Did Xander save me? But why? W
~Matt~It had been two days with no news of Xander. Aoife reached out to me almost as if on routine, while Xander was nowhere to be found.Finally, I called Raphael, Xander’s elder brother, in hopes he’d seen him.“I was waiting for your call,” Raph answered.“Hello, big brother. How are you?”“I’m good. Tell me what happened this time in between you two?”“Nothing with me this time. Where is he? I haven’t seen him for two days. Is he with you?”I sighed, not going into any more details. How could he tell Raph about Xander’s weird actions regarding Aoife?Raph didn’t bother to know about it either when he answered, “He is in his relaxation zone. You can find him at the club. I got the call from the manager; he was there all day.” “Thanks, I’ll check. Bye.”Just great! Xander has different phases he goes through.His relaxation zone phase means sex and lots of it, combined with booze all day, and nobody dares to stop him. I rolled my eyes, remembering Aoife asked a few times about Xan
The speakers were so loud that he couldn’t hear me even if he wanted to. I found myself in the middle of the room and called his name again. I rubbed my temple with my hand in stress and ran my hand through my hair.“He is not here,” I whispered.I turned, and suddenly I hit something.With a little jerk of my body, I felt his presence in front of me. My eyes widened in shock. The dim blue light glistered on his bare body, piercing eyes doting on me.“What are you doing here?” he said with a husky voice.I kept staring at him without uttering a single word. His broad shoulders with ink took my breath away. My words choked in my throat and only warm air was coming from my mouth.“Ahem...” I tried hard to say something, tried to avert his piercing eyes on me. He darkened his shadow over me, taking a step closer. My body went cold like ice.“I asked you something.” I backed myself to keep some distance and calm myself.“I came to...” Before I finished my sentence, I saw a girl coming f
~Xander~The next evening, I was in my room with that booming of Dolby sounds of my favorite songs when the least expected thing happened. Suddenly, I got an intercom call from the front desk, informing me a girl wanted to meet with me. If it were Zareena, I would kill her for disturbing me, but an unknown figure was standing in the middle of the room, not long after I got the call. Her back was turned, but I knew I knew her.I scanned her body in the dim light. Her short, white floral dress caught my focus, and her flawless skin tried to grab my sight. I walked toward her, and I got hit by her lavender scent.This can’t be her. And then she turned and hit my chest. A current flowed through my body when I saw her face. Her sapphire eyes captured mine before I said something, but she was not ready to answer.Slowly, my eyes trailed toward her cleavage that she tried to hide with her hand. I think she was testing me. She wanted to tease me without spilling a single word from her juicy l