Chapter 4 – A Shoulder to Cry On
1038 Words
Chapter 4 – A Shoulder to Cry On
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My heart was still throbbing like crazy as I walked away from Eren and Ali.
It was such an eventful afternoon that I did not even know if I could go back to class. Eren made me feel betrayed as a friend, not as a lover. However, it equally hurts, finally squeezing the tears into my eyes.
Now that I have reached this point, my muddled head can definitely say that being strong doesn’t equate to being cold and impassive.
Thankfully, the break is already over, and all the students are now back in their classrooms. No one would be able to witness as I cried my heart out on the stairs. My wail is comparable to that of a child, asking for a damn candy from her parents. I tried not to break, but Eren’s anger made me lose face.
I don’t have a damn clue if Lynn is manipulating him or if Eren was in cahoots with her in this fiasco. All I could think about now was how I despised the fact that he said those words to my face just because of a voracious woman.
A woman that he barely knows.
“Ali? Are you crying? What happened...”
My tears automatically came to a stop after I heard that voice. It was so deep that I was momentarily enchanted to hear it more.
“…Is that really you, Ali? Come on, let me see your face.”
I removed my palm from my face only to see a disastrous combination of snot and tears. Almost instinctively, I put that disgusting palm back in its rightful place, disregarding the slimy feeling that it brought to my skin.
No matter what tragedy takes place, I will never remove those hands until this person leaves me alone. My dignity is at stake here and my place in the top ten beauties of the school. I’d rather suffer from feeling my own snot and tears than ruin the image that I built as a perfect beauty.
Most important of all, I will never show this person this kind of face in this lifetime.
“Just leave me alone, please. I don’t want to talk to anyone.”
“Geez. Don’t be a child. Come on. Tell me, what’s wrong? Well, the principal has already told me the gist of it. Don’t worry, I’ll punch that nephew of mine right straight in his face. Do you want me to crush his balls as well for cheating on you?”
Steve White, Eren’s uncle and a teacher in our school, sits right beside me. We’ve known each other since I was a child, making us closer than the average in-law.
He pampered me like how he cared for Eren, but Steve almost always took my side. There was even a time when my stupid fiancé grumbled that I should just marry his uncle since we were closer than them.
It was when Eren was still an adorable child who made me want to pamper him like a younger brother. His words shouldn’t carry any weight, but the suggestion he gave had a big impact on my young mind.
“I did not bully anyone, Steve. I didn’t even know that Eren was in a relationship with her. This is my first time hearing about that thing.”
Steve tried to remove my hands away from my face, but I strongly held them in, refusing to budge even an inch. This thirty-two-year-old man is pissing me off as I heard a giggle coming his way.
He had always been like this – an expert at removing the tears in my eyes and bringing happiness into my life.
“That’s Uncle Steve for you, Ali. I’ve been telling you for sixteen years now, at least give me a shed of respect. Anyway, I’ll handle that punk, so you better show me that bright smile of yours while I’m asking nicely.”
Without another warning, Steve pulled my hands away from my face. I immediately looked down to hide my sticky face, but Steve’s strong arms moved like a martial expert to lift my head.
Out of panic, I jumped onto Steve’s lap, hung my arms onto his neck, and wasted no time hiding my face on his chest. It was a risky position that should not be seen by anyone else. Our closeness wouldn’t be able to defend the lack of space between our bodies.
It was bad – I know. I am no longer a child who could assume this position anytime I wanted. Regardless of how, my face refused to separate from his chest as Steve’s smell conquered my nose.
He smells so good that it surely melts my knees.
I can tell that it is not due to any men’s cologne, but just Steve’s natural smell. Oh, goodness, I might sound like a dirty, old p*****t, but it was truly addicting. If given a chance, then I wouldn’t dare separate my head away from this fragrant man.
However, without any malice on Steve’s end, he only gently patted my back as if saying that it was fine now that my savior made his entrance. It was completely different from the emotion that had been protesting deep within me, saying that I should spill whatever was at the tip of my mouth.
“Why are you so stupid, Steve? You’re just like Eren in that sense.”
Steve grumbled like a child. I could sense in his tone that he despised the way I compared him to his brat of a nephew.
“Again, that’s Uncle Steve for you, Ali. Right, if you are done crying, then better go back to your class. Seeing you cry makes me feel sad, so let’s do everything to stop those tears, okay?”
I aggressively wiped my face using Steve’s shirt, transferring all the things on my face to that black garment. A sense of satisfaction filled my mind after I saw the remnants of my naughtiness in Steve’s clothing.
And without another word, I jumped off his lap to run as far as I could, while wearing a dainty smile.
- Writer
