Chapter 14
1354 Words
Joy’s POV
“What did you just say?!”
A furious snarl and a not-very-gentle slap on my face woke me from the sound sleep. I jerked up and my head bumped on Ryan’s chin and made him cry in pain.
“What the f**k are you doing here?”I was shocked, “You should be on the bed.”
“And you should apologize for attacking me!”Ryan rubbed his chin and his eyebrows were knitted.
“Sorry”I mumbled sheepishly and suddenly realized it was a false accusation. I squinted my eyes and shook my head, “No this wasn’t my fault.”
“What?”Ryan glared at me, with his face reddened and eyes filled with confusion.
He wasn’t intimidating at all when he was drowsy. I snickered and took the opportunity to play with my step brother. I coughed and reasoned with him a pretentious poker face, “First, it wasn’t an attack but an accidental bump. There was no chance for me to know in advance that you would be so close to me. Second, it was you who had approached me without my knowing. If there is anyone to take the blame, it ought to be you. Therefore, I highly suggest you stop playing victim and drop the ridiculous prosecution.”
Ryan blinked at me and grunted, “Fine. I will spare you this time.”
“Thank you Your Honor.”I replied mockingly and closed my eyes, ready to get more sleep.
“Hey, you can’t sleep now.”Ryan gripped my wrist and shook it slightly.
“Why?”I was so sleepy and I didn’t bother to open my eyes.
“Because, because, becasue—”Ryan stuttered and his repeating himself triggered my curiosity, not enough to make me open my eyes though. He hesitated for a long time. I had thought he would never speak again but he blurted it out eventually, “You haven’t told me why you called Tyler’s name during your sleep.”
What? I called Tyler’s name during my sleep? I felt a bit embarrassed that my sleep-talking was heard by Ryan. I frowned and tried to recall what happened. Then I remembered I was in a dream where Tyler and I were having an examination. Right at the moment he was generously lending his answer sheet to his desk make and he wasn’t noticing Mr. Martin was heading to them, which was why I whispered Tyler’s name to warn him of the teacher’s approaching.
The last thing I would do was to tell this to Ryan. He will laugh at me. So instead breathing the truth to him, I attempted to trail off. I opened my eyes and sighed, “I don’t remember. I was asleep, okay?”
“No! It is not okay!”Ryan shouted as he tightened his grip on my wrist.
“Is this a problem to you?”I asked curiously while ripping his hand of mine.
“Of course it is a problem.”Ryan said as he stared at me with a serious face, “What’s your relationship with Tyler, huh? Is that kid your boyfriend or something? Do you really know who that kid is? What if he is a womanizer? You whispered his name tonight and you could be lured to sleep with him and got yourself pregnant after that bastard drugged you—”
I couldn’t no longer stand Ryan’s groundless imagination and I cut him off,“You look more like a womanizer to me.”
“Thank you for the praise, sis. I always know I am hotter than Tyler.”Ryan grinned and added shamelessly, “Precisely, hotter than anyone.”
“This isn’t a compliment!”I retorted, astonishing at his ability to misinterpret my words. With such a low level of comprehension ability, I doubted how Ryan secured his first place on the Honor Roll. Maybe he also cheated in the exam.
“Admit it or not, I am hottest guy.”Ryan said so as he leaned forward, showing of his appearance.
Jesus Christ. My heart thumped in my chest and I was afraid the noise it made will catch Ryan’s attention. I got panic and pushed him away, “Back off!”
“See? You can’t bear looking at my charming face.”He gave me a cocky smile.
“Maybe I can’t stand your ugly face.”I retorted, even though I knew the argument I put wasn’t convincing at all.
“You’d say so either you’re stupid or blind.”Ryan snorted and brought up the topic I had forgotten, “Mark my words. Don’t call other men’s name when you’re sleep. It’s quite annoying. And don’t resist Joy, this is an order.”
“Is this order even practical?”I sent him an incredible look, “How am I supposed to control my language when I am asleep?”
“That’s your problem.”Ryan said impatiently, “If you couldn’t manage it, I could tape your mouth.”
“Tyranny.”I cursed quietly and asked, “Why are you suddenly interested in intefering with my personal life?”
“Because I am your step-brother. Your pregnancy could cause many troubles.”
“No one is getting pregnant!”I rolled my eyes and shook my head, “You’re overacting. Tyler is just my classm—no, he is just my schoolmate.”
“Don’t you say that word again!”Ryan demanded and sent me a threatening look.
“Wha-what word?”I was bemused.
“The last word.”
“Schoolmate?”I asked tentatively, not knowing how this word provoked him.
Ryan thought for a while and corrected himself, “The last four letters.”
“Mate?”
Ryan nodded and stated, “Do not say someone is your mate when you have no idea of what it means.”
“What does it mean, then?”I asked.
My question caught him off. Ryan contemplated the question for a long time and replied, “It means eternity. A bond as sacred as marrige.”
“As sacred as marriage?”I couldn’t help but mock at the comparison he used, “I think you forgot one thing, Ryan. Both of our parents’ marriages were broken. To what extent do you believe this bond is eternal?”
“You’re wrong. The bond between my father and my mom broke only because my mom was dead.”Ryan stated coldly, “It was death rather a third-wheel that did them apart.”
“Then why are you hold grudge against my mom?”
“I just can’t forgive my father for falling in love with another woman shortly after my mother’s death even though I know your mom is his second mate.”
My mind slowly processed his words, bewildering at the phrases he used. Why on earth did he refer my mother to his father’s second mate? Couldn’t he simply describe it as a second chance?
“Right. I understand that feeling.”I mused.
“Do you?”Ryan studied my face and his gaze went lower, lingering on the necklace above my collar bone. “What is this?”he asked with knitted eyebrows as he reached for it.
“Seriously? You asked the same question a few hours ago.”I laughed.
“Did I?”Ryan said in disbelief.
“Yeah.” I took the necklace off and handed it to him to kill his curiosity.
What I didn’t expect was that the moment the necklace was removed, a strong scent hit my nostril. I first smelled cedarwood, followed by the scent of lemongrass. The fragrance exploded in the air and I was utterly shocked.
“Is that a magical perfume bottle with hidden design?”I glanced at my necklace and asked.
Ryan didn’t answer my question. He gazed at me as if I am a creature with two heads and muttered the word he didn’t allow me to say.
“MATE.”
- Writer
