MATED TO MY STEPBROTHER

ELEVEN

GRAYSON’S POV

It was the third time in a week I was cancelling plans with my friends and this time, they just weren’t going to accept it.

Not even when I told them I had to head home for something important.

“Your dad isn’t home yet so whatever important thing you have to do at home is going to have to wait,” Harold yanked my phone from my hands and shoved it into his pocket. “There. You can’t go anywhere without your phone anyways so you have no choice but to come with the bar with us.”

“Whatever, asshole,” I groaned as I watched Nessa take the phone from him to put it in her breast pocket. “Seriously, Nessa? You think that’s going to stop me if I wanted to take it from you?”

“I don’t think it’s going to stop you,” she stuck out her tongue. “I’m doing this on purpose. I have my reasons.”

I ignored her and continued walking, the rest of my friends chattering about something I couldn’t care less about as we walked towards our cars.

I felt conflicted. As much I was down to visit the new bar they were so hyped to visit, I also needed to get home. I needed to confirm if Kai had driven Isabella straight home and then talk to her.

Talk to her?

I mentally chuckled at myself, I didn’t have anything specific I wanted to say. Not at that moment. All I knew was I wanted to keep on hearing her voice. Whether she was yelling at me or not. Whether she was breaking my heart with every new word she uttered or not.

“That’s insane.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered subconsciously. “I’ve gone insane.”

The sudden silence from my friend group made me realize my thoughts had gotten out. Unable to meet their gazes, I pretended to be distant and dragged my eyes lazily around our surroundings, my eyes widening so hard they nearly popped out of their sockets as they landed on Isabella.

Isabella.

I wasn’t seeing things. It was actually her.

I froze in my spot, staring at her for good five seconds to confirm I wasn’t seeing things. Heck, I wasn’t. Isabella was actually sitting few meters away from me.

She was seated on an abandoned staircase, her knees pressed against her chest. Her head was lowered and her face was barely visible but I was certain it was her. Even if she was drenched in black paint from head to toe while putting on several masks, all I needed was a glance at her to recognize her.

Her curly hair, slender body with curves at all the right places, her brown eyes that could almost be mistaken to be black. The way she bent her head when she was trying to avoid something, the way her fingers curled when she was nervous, the way her knees angled perfectly whenever they were drawn towards her and more than anything, the way all my senses heightened whenever she was around me, giving life to a thirst I was sure I could spend my entire life trying to quench.

“GRAYSON! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THERE?!”

I finally remembered how to breathe as Nessa yelled out my name, her arms folded from several steps away from me. I ran my hands through my hair and then shot them and apologetic stare, hoping they’d catch and understand the next words I had to say.

“Sorry guys, you’d have to go without me! Something came up and it’s urgent. I swear it is urgent!”

Harold shook his head then flung his arms around Nessa, dragging her into the car so they could go without me. James did the same, he and Peter getting into the car to leave.

Grateful for their understanding, I watched their car zoom off and then turned in the direction I spotted Isabella. She was still there, her head now pressed over her knee to completely hide her face.

My steps were quiet as I approached her. There were still a couple of people around chattering loudly and making it possible for me stand in front of her without her realizing until a couple of seconds later.

“Isabella?”

The first thing I heard was a sniffle, followed by her raising her head to check out who the intruder was. One look at her face and I immediately fell to my knees to lower myself to her level, cupping her face in my hands before she could stop me.

“What happened?” the urgency in my voice was impossible to ignore. “Your eyes are- why are you crying?”

She let another sniffle then immediately moved her face from my hand, pushing me away a little in the process. I didn’t budge and instead grabbed her by the face again, observing her more closely.

“Answer me,” I struggled to find a balance between raising my voice and being gentle. “Who? What? Why?”

I’d seen girls cry a bit too many times to be proud of. Nessa, on numerous occasions and the countless girls that set themselves up with me. Listening to the reasons for their tears, I’d always considered them unreasonable and a bit too dramatic. But at that moment, all I could think about was ending whatever could have made her cry, no matter how unreasonable and dramatic it could be.

“Isabella, please talk to me.”

My heart stirred in my chest and with every new sniffle that came from her, it chipped at the edges. My fingers curled then straightened again, my brain in a war between anger and worry.

“Just leave me alone,” she pushed my hands away. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“If I leave you alone would you stop crying?”

“My tears has nothing to do with your presence. I just don’t want to look at your face right now.”

“How can I leave you alone then?!” anger finally won the war as I raised my voice. “What? I should leave alone here while you’re crying? It’s not even quiet. If you want to cry alone then go into my car and cry there! Why would you stay here crying in public so everyone worries about you?!”

“It’s none of your business if everyone in this college thinks I’m a dumb girl crying by herself at an abandoned staircase,” she replied me, equally raising her voice. “So just get lost and let me be!”

I let out a deep exhale, running my hands through my hair as I got on my feet. It was hopeless. There was no way I could comfort her. Not like that.

“Cry your eyes out then,” I slowly lowered my voice. “Do it on the stairs or even in the classroom if that’s what you want.”

She ignored me and lowered her head again, returning it to her knee. I sighed softly then turned around, doing my best to tower over her with my body.

It wasn’t the best shield but it was enough to gather less attention. At least that way, anyone who managed to look in that direction was only going to see me. And not a dumb girl crying by herself at an abandoned staircase.