At his words, a smile covered her lips again. It was a miracle to have someone like that, someone like Sterling. She really loved him…
“I don’t think I can ever forgive him for what he did,” she said softly. “And I might never feel rage, but I hope this numbness concerning him doesn’t go away.”
“I can see why you wouldn’t forgive him… And I wouldn’t, either, if I were you. But I think it’s okay to not feel the rage,” Sterling assured her gently. He smiled before letting her hand go. “Let’s see how today goes. And let’s hope it goes well.”
Eden hummed in reply, taking her hand back, though she missed his warmth immensely. “I hope so, too…”
Sterling didn’t get to see much of Eden outside of the couple of classes they shared together, as well as lunch, of course. When his fourth period Graphic Design class arrived, he was one of the first people there, so he pulled out his phone and started texting Eden. A few minutes later, other students started filing in, and soon enough the class was full. Except for the seat beside him, which wasn’t usually occupied, anyway.
Adrien Cortland was a man of many things, but being late was never his forte. That was one of the things his ex-girlfriend, Eden McArthur, was capable of doing. Until he erased that trait altogether, like his father had done with his.
But today, he was a little late to class, mostly because there was something he needed to ask the teacher. He wasn’t tardy, no, but later than usual. So when he saw the only spare seat, he blinked.
Sterling Ainsley, his ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend. He knew the man’s previous reputation—he’d done some research after finding out who, exactly, Eden had let in her life after he left.
With a calm, cool and composed smile on his face, Adrien walked over and sat on the unoccupied seat.
Sterling heard the sounds of someone approaching, and then those of someone sitting beside him. The class was all here, so who…
He looked up to see none other than Adrien Cortland, his girlfriend’s abusive ex-boyfriend. Fiery anger flickered in his eyes for a moment before he reigned it in. Showing the other young man just how angry he was with him for what he did wouldn’t do any good. Not in he way he wanted to show it, which involved much violence.
“Adrien. Nice to see you again,” he greeted him coolly.
If Adrien had been surprised by the casual greeting, he didn’t show it. Instead, he kept a smile on his features and turned to the other man, nodding his head calmly in greeting.
“Hello, Sterling,” he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “Likewise. Does Eden not have this class, or is she avoiding it?”
“She doesn’t have this class. Otherwise, it would be very likely that you would be in the seat of the queen of the school. And she doesn’t take kindly to people taking her seat,” Sterling said, facing forward and leaning back in his chair.
“Queen of the school?” Adrien echoed, amused and rather interested. “Seems like my ex-girlfriend has done a lot while I was away. I suppose she’s also the reason there are no Crystals in the school, either.”
“She is the Crystal. And she’s the only Crystal we need,” Sterling declared indifferently. He cast a quick glance at the other guy and quirked a brow before facing forward again. “How long were you two together, again?”
Adrien offered a shrug, leaning back and crossing his arms. “We’ve known each other for longer, but we dated for a year,” he hummed, crossing one leg over the other. “Those were fun times. It was a pity I had to leave.”
“Yeah… A real pity, I’m sure. Can’t say I’m sorry you did, though. Otherwise, I might not be dating her right now,” Sterling hummed, fighting back a smug smile.
“Don’t worry about it, Mr. Ainsley,” Aidren looked at him again, a smile on his face. “It won’t be a pity for too long.”
Sterling quirked a brow, humming disbelievingly. “Right. We’ll see about that.”
“Just a little advice, though,” Adrien started just as the teacher entered and demanded their attention. “It seems she’s not very fond of blindfolds and ropes.”
Sterling clenched his jaw, barely refraining from snapping at the other young man. He kept his eyes forward, though they burned hotly from his hatred of Adrien. He would get what was coming to him one day…
Adrien smiled when he noticed the clear anger on Sterling’s face. Though his own words had made him falter. Despite what he did, and what he said… he regretted that night. He didn’t think he ever did anything wrong—up until the night he left her. That night, he regretted more than anything. He had realized doing that to stake her claim was too much. He’d always taken what he wanted from her—but not that. He’d hesitated that one instance.
Sterling hated this. He hated sitting next to this guy and pretended nothing was wrong. What he really wanted to do would get him in more trouble than be really needed to be in, and he would avoid getting into that trouble for as long as he could. If he got detention, then he couldn’t be with Eden; and if he couldn’t be with Eden, then he couldn’t protect her if something happened. And he needed to protect her.