Eden removed her face slightly from her hands, glaring at him with flushed cheeks. How could two people be so different? How could two people, both with no filter and a smooth tongue, be so different with their morals?
”You do what I say, got it?”
”I didn’t want you to have to do something you truly didn’t want to do.”
“I want to,” she confessed quietly. “I’ve never wanted to touch another man before in—in a long time. I’ve never allowed another man to touch me, too, until you came along. And I like it—being in your arms. I like it.”
Sterling listened to her speak, saw the pink on her cheeks, and his face slowly began to soften. He was the reason she was like that… She was flustered because of him? Now that was both hard to believe and something he wanted almost desperately.
“Really? Out of anyone else here, I’m the guy you choose to let in?” he murmured, his voice holding so much disbelief. “You know my reputation… But I do want you to know that I’ve tried to break that habit, and I’m doing well so far.”
Eden closed her eyes again, running a hand through her messy hair. That soft look in his eyes when he saw her face… and that disbelief lacing his voice when he spoke. Why was he so disbelieving? What was so difficult to understand?
“Out of all the guys here, Sterling, you look at me differently,” Eden started, looking at him directly in the eyes, keeping her voice soft and quiet, only for his ears to hear. “You don’t look at me like I’m a prize. You don’t look at me like I’m a beast to be tamed like a level in a game. You don’t look at me like I’m your property, like you want to own me, like you want me to belong only to you like a piece of accessory. You look at me like I’m human, and that’s something I haven’t felt like a long while.”
Her words were like a slap to his face, one that ended with his chin in her tight grip so that he couldn’t help but look at her. And look at her he did. His eyes trailed over her as he was overcome with such an intense desire to kiss her. Why did he want this so badly? Why couldn’t he just… No. no, he wanted this, and he wanted to want it, so he let it be.
“Oh… I’m sorry that you think others look at you like that,” he eventually murmured. “And I swear to never think of you in that way.”
That’s what he said, too, before he turned me into one.
The thought was completely overtaken by the desire in his eyes as he looked her over. He looked at her like a predator circling his prey, but it was a pleasant feeling. It wasn’t the same as his. It was careful and thoughtful. It was warm, and it evoked the desire in her, too.
She turned her head away, looking at the front of the class as the teacher entered.
“Yeah,” she murmured. “I knew you’d swear that.”
Sterling saw the look in his own eyes reflected in hers, and his lips twitched up in the tiniest of smirks. Then she turned away, and he went back to observing her silently. Even after the teacher entered he didn’t pay as much attention as he should have.
Throughout the whole class, Eden could barely pay attention. Not that she ever tried, anyway. Her thoughts were completely overtaken by her fears and the man sitting beside her. She kept feeling his eyes on her, observing her. Why, she didn’t know. Eden didn’t think she wanted to know, either.
She had exposed a part of herself she always kept locked up. Thankfully, he hadn’t commented on it too much. He hadn’t realized anything. Her trauma and her past were still out of his reach and Eden would keep it that way. If there was anything she didn’t want, it was to look at the disgust in his eyes when he’d realize how dirty she truly was.
Sterling didn’t know what secrets this girl was hiding, but whatever it was must have been pretty bad to make her act the way she did. He wished he could help her, but he didn’t think they’d gotten close enough yet that she would trust him enough to tell him. And that was okay. He just hoped that they would make it there some day.
When class ended, Eden breathed a sigh of relief. Halfway through the lecture, the wound she had on her left side had begun to throb painfully. It had taken every ounce of her strength to keep herself from flinching every time she moved. On the bright side, the pain kept her sane.
She pulled herself to her feet, threw her bag over her shoulders and then looked at Sterling. She never thought there would be a day where she’d be waiting for a male, but here it was.
Sterling watched Eden quickly leave the room, and he waited only a moment before getting up and following her. Once he was out in the hall, he glanced around for her, then made his way over when he spotted her.
“Shall we go?” he murmured in question, tilting his head toward the entrance to the school.
Eden had been leaning against the wall, twirling a strand of her hair when Sterling approached her. She looked at him and nodded once.
“Yeah,” she murmured. “Where are we going, actually?”
“Well… We could go out for lunch first,” Sterling suggested with a shrug. “And then we could either go to my place or yours. Whichever you prefer.”
"We don't have that much time to do both," Eden said. "Thirty minutes of lunch is what we get. We could pack it up and take it to my place."
She knew she trusted Sterling, as stupid that was, but it was an unfamiliar place she was staying away from. In her own home, she felt a sense of security. Besides, it would give her a better opportunity to empty her stomach if she felt like throwing up."
“Sounds good. We could just get food here if you want. It would probably save time,” Sterling said with a shrug.
"I'm not really hungry," Eden muttered. "So you can get whatever you want."
Sterling raised his eyebrows at her. “Are you sure? You should probably eat something, even if it’s not a lot.”
Eden merely offered a shrug.
“I’ll see if there’s anything I could eat at my place,” she said, though it was only to get him to not worry. She didn’t want to throw up. She hated the feeling. “But you can get something. I’ll wait here.”
Sterling gave her a small smile and flicked her forehead playfully, winking as he stepped toward the cafeteria. “Well, then, I’ll be right back. Don’t leave without me,” he joked.
Eden shot a glare at him when he flicked her forehead, contemplating grabbing his arm and paying him back. She managed to hold off her revenge. She rolled her eyes.
“Do take your time, Ainsley,” she drawled. “Death has some preparations to do to receive your soul.”
“Well, let him prepare. I’m sure he can wait a few years,” Sterling chuckled, shooting her a grin over his shoulder before disappearing through the doors. He shook his head and stepped into line, grabbing something he could eat quickly.
The second he left, Eden breathed out. Whether it was of relief or not, Eden couldn’t tell. Her chest felt constricted. She closed her eyes and exhaled through her mouth, leaning back against the wall. She’ll need to properly look at her bruises when she got home. She’d gotten so caught up in the fights and getting hurt that she barely noticed just how badly she was getting herself hurt.
She was getting worse, she realized. And she didn’t know why.
Just a few minutes later, Sterling stepped back out into the hall. He smirked over at Eden and made his way over. “All right, lets go. Thanks for waiting, E.”
E. She loved the sound of her nickname, or her full name, coming from his mouth. It didn’t fail to send a shiver down her spine. She slowly opened her eyes, brown eyes flickering on him as she pushed herself off the wall, careful not to stumble.
“At one point, I was thinking of leaving you behind,” Eden said, though she hadn’t meant it. She turned around, already walking, knowing Sterling would catch up to her quickly. His height and long legs gave him that advantage.
Sterling took a few steps to catch up with her, nudging her with his arm. “Well, you didn’t, so that’s something. And I’m rather glad you didn’t.”
"Are you?" Eden's lips twisted up into an almost imperceptive smile. "Ah, just so you know, I walk to school. I don't bring my car."
