|| Chapter Recommendation Song:
Lips On You By Maroon 5 ||
|| Savannah's POV ||
The world around me began to turn blurry. My thoughts felt blank and non-existent as if no conscious thoughts weren't left inside me. I could no longer hear the snickering noises from Kelly or her group of friends as all my attention fell on the lips that had been planted against my lips.
Ares kissing me?
What exactly happened when he told me that he was going to shut down those rumors in one shot? He kissed me in front of everyone to prove that I wasn't his plaything. The entire Sunblock and Rainbow knew about his s*x addiction. He would never spare a single glance at the girl whom he slept with last night. Worst of that, I heard that he couldn't even recognize many of them. In another thought, his claim on my lips was defining that I meant something special to him.
He gripped me by my waist, the other hand holding the back of my head as he took my breath away. The kiss was short but could be described as passionate. He didn't twist his tongue inside my mouth but sucked my upper lips for a while when I refused to open my lips for him. The smell of his fresh shower gel hit my nostrils hard as long as he continued with the most unexpected kiss that I had in my life.
A weeping silence fell into the cafeteria as if everyone around us stopped breathing. Not even a single noise was heard around us and Ares after a few seconds of shaking finally ended the contact between our lips. He held my hand in his grip, tugged me aside, and faced those badmouthing girls with his falcon-like sharp, emotionless eyes. His lips curved upward, presenting a glorious devilish smile as he spoke to the girls on my behalf,
" She is my girlfriend, any problem with that?"
A simple two lines were enough to seal their mouth. I observed how Kelly's expression darkened with disappointment as if she wanted to see me single, broken forever. It was a pure, satisfying sight. The other girls looked equally shocked but didn't dare to rebuke anymore. Provoking Ares wasn't a good thing for girls like them. Apart from being a playboy and the best player, I knew that Ares had connections with many classy people.
Aria was the one to react to our situation first since I was too dumb to react to the situation properly. She barged at her brother, growling furiously,
" What the hell is wrong with you, Ares? How the f**k you can kiss her? She is still recovering from her breakup."
It made me feel warm that Aria did care for me so much. She didn't even think twice before engaging in a fight with her brother. Ares hissed in annoyance as I collected back my rational thoughts. It wasn't the right place to argue with each other and gave Kelly's group another drama to satisfy their eyes.
Lowering my voice, I proposed glaring at smirking Ares who didn't look a little guilty for the kiss,
" They are still here, Aria. We shouldn't argue here anymore. Let's find a quiet place to talk first."
***
Grayson River had been always my favorite place to spend quality time here. It wasn't too far away from our University. A few minutes walk over to this rivery side could give you the best view of this city. As it was the nearest place to sit down and chat properly, I asked Ares and Aria to follow me there to stay out of those bitches attention.
Aria had been grumbling back to Grayson's side, telling Ares repeatedly how pissed off, she was over his actions. Honestly, I was angry with him too but the fact that he had tried to protect me from their insults, somewhere a feeling of gratitude washed over me.
Grayson's blowing breeze welcomed us when we reached the brink after a few minutes walk. I looked over at Aria whose glare never left Ares and pleaded in a low voice,
" Can you give us a sec, please? I think, we better talk between us alone."
Aria had her lips parted already to oppose my decision but having a second thought, she nodded and walked away, leaving Ares and me to talk alone. Now that, we were left alone, my exhale came out heavily.
I looked up at him accusingly,
" Why did you do this, Ares? You know, I don't like you. Besides, I am no longer interested in a relationship."
Ares caressed his dark hair aimlessly. His eyes fixed on me as he muttered, curling his lips together,
" I did for you, Princess. I heard about it already. They are spreading dirty rumors about you. I mean, they can talk about me but why are they dragging you too into their conversation? Also, I am pretty sure that you liked to see Kelly's s**t face."
Definitely!
I replied instantly feeling grateful,
" I appreciate it, Ares but why did you tell them that I am your girlfriend? It's a lie and they are going to talk about it more."
He shrugged, looking away into the river,
" So let them be. Finn isn't yours anymore. So why the hell are you freaking out? Besides, isn't it that you wanted?"
He spoke bringing his eyes back to me. Something was lurking behind his blue eyes which I couldn't decipher properly. I blurted, tensing up slightly,
" What.. what do you mean?"
His dark chuckle overpowered the strong wave of wind that passed between them from nowhere. His eyes turned playful as he began to speak after digging into his memory,
" The night, you found them together, you asked me to date you, Princess. I know you aren't on your mind but deep down, you want to prove your worth in front of Finn, isn't it?"
His straightforwardness hit me on point as it was the only thing that I had been thinking about for days. I wanted to get my revenge on Finn for tearing my heart. I couldn't forgive those two at my dead end.
I swallowed hard looking away to escape his deep eyes. Tilting my head back, I blurted looking through his deep, concerned eyes,
" What do you suggest then?"
It was clear that he had something going on behind his eyes. His lips slightly stretched, rewarding me with his toothy smile. He spoke to me in a breath,
" Play the dating game with me and allow me to drag down Finn. Tell me what are his weaknesses until the final cup comes and I show his lousy ass in front of the whole world. With one cup in this next season, I can enter the national team, Princess. In this way, I can get rid of my rival and you will be no longer mocked by Sunblock's students. Just a pretending couple! Your presence beside me will surely hurt Finn's ego. Kelly will no longer try to look down on you since Finn and I both share the same rank. In that way, we both will be beneficial."
His words reverberated through my mind for a few moments. At another time, I would have probably slapped him for coming up with this lame idea but right now, my revenge had been the sole priority in my mind. I couldn't stand their tantrums every single day. Ares made sense with his words. He was the best option to kill Finn's pride and ego. But the option was risky as Ares had been always a playboy who couldn't stop himself from having s*x. Losing my virginity over a dating game was a huge mistake and I couldn't be such a fool. I knew Finn's weaknesses and the sensitive parts of his body. He had a minor operation on his left arm but didn't reveal it to anyone for the sake of his sports career.
I wasn't one hundred percent sure to trust Ares this time but it was worth giving a try. Especially, I was eager to see the expression on Finn's face when he finds about us, dating his sworn enemy.
I replied after a long silence,
" But..I have rules.. only if you can, I can think about it, Ares."
Ares nodded his head, urging him to go ahead. I rubbed my arms in discomfort, stepping closer to keep my voice low as if we were sharing some deep secret,
" No kissing, no touching in private. We will be a couple only in the public eye until you win the cup. You won't cross the boundary. Do you agree?"
Ares laughed hard, throwing his head back. Sucking his bottom lips, he responded in a promising voice, closing the thin gap between us,
" It's a deal, Princess, but what if you cross the line? What if you do the mistake of falling for this playboy?"