~Aoife~Everything was changing. Is it because of Xander or me? The struggle we had between us changed into something peaceful overnight. He was changing, and I never realized I had started liking his weird company. Now he was challenging me in a way I had never imagined. He made me jump off the cliff, knowing how much I feared water. After my trip to the hospital, it was more than a nightmare for me.After this unexpected crazy action, I walked towards the car, cursing him for what he had done. The words he husked over me, saying he would not let nothing happen to me, caught me. Standing so close to him, I couldn’t think of anything else. His presence affects me so much in a way I never felt before. All I wanted was to melt into his warm embrace. Why is he doing this to me?Besides, he is not my man. I want a loyal man, and he is far from it. He already has a girlfriend. I walked away, keeping my emotions under control. I slammed my hand over my mouth when I let out a whimper, as I co
~Xander~When we reached the cabins, Aoife was sleeping like an angel next to me. I stopped the car outside the house as I could hear the voices of the others. I looked at her for a long time before I was ready to wake her. She seemed so pure. It made me smile at how she changed her words with the fear of me letting go of her hand in that water. At that moment, she trusted me.I caressed her cold cheek with my thumb, watching her smile a bit in her sleep. Her skin was as smooth as butter. What am I going to do with her?“Aoife,” I whispered in her ear.She whined for more sleep.“Stop, I want to sleep.” She whimpered as she claimed my shoulder to rest.I was enjoying this moment when Zach came out of the house.“They’re here,” he screamed and woke her up.She pulled her head back from my shoulder, rubbing her eyes.“Why didn’t you wake me up?” she whispered while fixing her hair and clothes.“I tried, but you were happy to claim my shoulder as your pillow,” I answered, as she furrowed
~ Aoife~After the hike, we headed back to our cottage, and Zach was continually chatting at us. It’s strange. Yesterday I was drooling over his looks, and today, I was annoyed by him. Is it because of Xander? Well, I got annoyed by Xander, too. What can I say? My mind is a fickle machine.“Thanks for joining us. You can go to your workout now.” With a mustered smile, I turned to Zach.He agreed, leaving Xander and I alone. All the members were sleeping, and it was quiet when we entered the house and I shivered from the bit of warmth difference from the outside environment.“Would you like something to eat?” I asked him.“Yeah, I am damn hungry.” He crashed on the couch.“I’ll go fresh-n-up and make something for the both of us.” I ran upstairs and when I reached the door, I could hear voices coming from inside.“I haven’t started the good part yet, so you better not come,” a familiar male voice came from the other side.I reached for the knob, then I stopped to listen for the other v
~Aoife~The truth hurts. Indeed, it hurts badly. I was so stupid to let him drive me to that point where I lost control and submitted myself to him.How did I allow him to kiss me? My heart ached when Zareena kissed him in front of me. It pierces my heart, thinking I was just passing time for his amusement. It’s not his fault; it was mine. I let those feelings settle in my heart even after knowing he was not a one-woman man. But what should I do with my heart? It was still stuck in his beautiful brown eyes and the warmth of his embrace. I wonder if he even feels anything for me. Whatever happened between him and me, it felt like a mistake.Yes, it was a mistake. I wanted to accept this, but why was my heart not ready to buy into it?I am not a person who will react in front of everyone. I am a person who likes to deal with her problems alone. Watching them together, I thought getting away was my only option. I went for a long walk because I couldn’t control my tears. I cried a bit and
~Xander~After the walk, we made it back to the cottage. Zareena went to the room to rest, while Aoife engaged with Zach in the kitchen. Yeah, he was excited, and so was she for the evening.Matt and I stepped outside onto the porch, and I turned to him.“Why did you bring her here?” “She called your mom and found out about this trip and knew I would join you guys soon.”“So?”“She called me to pick her up along the way,” he replied blankly.I knew my mom would have told her about our trip.“I think she’s jealous of Aoife. With you changing your behavior toward her, she might have noticed.”Yes, he was right. I could see the anger in Zareena’s eyes towards Aoife.“Is there something going on between you and Aoife? She seems upset with you.”Why wouldn’t I be surprised? Aoife must have told him something, or maybe she didn’t. But I knew Matt had doubts about me since the beginning, and I didn’t want to entertain any of his doubts about me.“No, nothing is going on between us. I was jus
“Let go of my hand,” I whispered, facing back to him. He moved closer, whispering the words I did not expect. “Aoife, please... stay...” It was hard for me as it was getting away from his grip.“Please don’t leave me,” he begged, dropping my hand.I took a few steps back, needing space between us. “I am sorry. Aoife...” his voice changed completely. I turned and looked at him, pursing my lips together, attempting to stop the tears in my eyes.“I am sorry.”I didn’t know why I listened to him. But I knew when I looked into his eyes, it would break me.“Can we go for a walk?I didn’t say a word and started following him. The rustling of the dry leaves and the moonlight filled the environment. We were quiet for a long while before he once again placed the jacket over my shoulder, and I didn’t find a reason to jerk it away.“I am sorry for what I said earlier. I didn’t mean to say that, but it happened,” Xander whispered. “Can you forgive me?” He looked through the corner of his eyes.
~Aoife~In silence, we went back to the cottage after he fixed his jacket over my shoulders, and I could feel his warmth envelop my body. We hardly said ten sentences, but I felt light-hearted next to him now. It’s early to say, and maybe wrong, but I believed he completed me the way I had never felt before.The only thing was to not to let him know. His playboy image didn’t suit me, nor change how I thought about him.We reached the cottage, and we quietly entered the house. Suddenly, someone turned on the lights and we found Zareena standing before us, and if looks could kill, she would have given me ten deaths now.“What are you doing with him? Didn’t I tell you to stay away from my man?” “I... I...” She pushed me, and I hit the floor.“Hey!” Xander thundered. “What the hell are you doing?”I got up, fixing myself, trying to present something in my defense. Before I could speak, Xander came in between us.“Back off. Don’t talk to her like that.” He snarled at her.“Seriously, Xan.
The group left me at my dorm later that day. I thought about calling Matt, but I was unsure about the chance of him being with Xander or Zareena. Either way, he always seems to be the responsible one who always handles other people’s messes. I went for a hot shower to relax my mind and finally focus on my studies. I was flipping through my books, busy making notes, when suddenly my phone buzzed.“Hello, Aoife. Where are you?” Matt blurted out.“I am in my room. Why? What happened?” I replied.“I need you to go to the city hospital right now. It’s urgent.”“Why, are you okay?” I panicked.“I am fine. It’s Xander; he had an accident and didn’t call anyone except me. So please don’t call anyone.”“But where are you?”“After dropping Zareena off, I came to visit my mom. It’s a two-hour journey, but don’t worry, I’m on my way,” he answered. “Please check on him and call me.”“Okay, I’m on my way.” I hastily grabbed my stuff, changed my clothes, and headed toward the hospital. God, please