Westmore Obsession

Chapter Two

For a second, neither of us moved.

His arm was still clamped like iron around my waist. I could feel the searing heat of his palm straight through the fabric of my shirt, and that familiar, suffocating scent rain, cedar, and expensive oud, flooded my lungs until my stomach twisted into a violent knot.

I shoved against his chest, stepping back quickly. His arm dropped, sliding away with agonizing slowness.

“Careful,” he said. His voice was low, smooth, and infuriatingly condescending.

He looked devastating. Dark hair falling casually over his brow, stormy grey eyes tracking my every movement. I hated it. I hated that he still looked like the boy who used to whisper promises to me in the dark.

“I’m fine,” I bit back, my voice sharp enough to cut. I adjusted my shirt, desperate to put distance between us. “Whose fault was that anyway? And what are you doing lingering outside the ladies' room?”

His expression remained completely unreadable, a cool, bored detachment settling over his features.

“Still as petty as ever.” He ignored my question entirely.

My jaw tightened. “Still an asshole.”

I turned on my heel to walk away, but before I could take a single step, his hand shot out and clamped around my wrist. The sudden jerk pulled me backward, slamming my spine against the quiet hallway wall.

Before I could draw breath to scream, his mouth was on mine.

It wasn't gentle. It was bruising, possessive, and terrifyingly familiar.

My entire body betrayed me in an instant. I knew I should push him off. I knew I should slap him, claw at his face, do anything to prove I wasn't that fourteen year old girl he’d left behind in the greenhouse. Instead, my fingers instinctively curled into the lapels of his jacket, pulling him closer.

I melted. For one horrifying second, the world fell away. The two years of radio silence, the blonde girl in the cafeteria, the brutal realization that I was just a secret, it all dissolved under the heat of his lips.

Then he pulled back. Abruptly.

I stood there dazed, my back pressed to the cold wall, my lips tingling and bruised. I hated myself for the pathetic way my chest heaved, desperate for more.

Cole’s grey eyes moved slowly over my face, drinking in every drop of my undone state. A slow, sinister smirk spread across his lips.

“You haven’t changed at all,” he murmured, his voice dropping into an icy register. “Still pathetic. Still dying for my attention.”

The words landed like a physical blow. He had kissed me solely to prove he could, to strip away my armor and remind me that he still owned me.

I clamped my mouth shut, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response. I shoved past him, but his grip caught my wrist a second time, halting me in my tracks.

“You’re actually here,” he said, looking down at me over his shoulder.

“Very observant.”

His jaw clenched subtly. “At Westmore.”

I crossed my arms, forcing my spine straight. “Is there a problem with my enrollment, Cole?”

He let out a short, humorless laugh, sliding his hands casually into the pockets of his tailored jacket. “You little stalker. I thought two years of complete silence would have been enough for you to get the hint.”

My breath hitched. The cold cruelty in his tone cut deeper than any blade.

“You kissed me...” My voice cracked slightly, and I hated myself for it. “You slammed me against a wall and kissed me just to say that?”

He offered a indifferent shrug. “I was doing just fine until you walked into my college. I came over here to make sure you understood reality, Lily. Whatever delusion you’ve been holding onto since high school, let it go.”

I took a shaky breath, forcing my voice to harden. “I don’t ever want to see your face again. You disgust me.”

Cole’s lips curved into a dark, sharp line. “Good.”

He turned and walked away down the long corridor without looking back, leaving me standing alone in the quiet hallway, an absolute wreck. I stared down at my hands. They were shaking violently.

“Get it together, Lily,” I whispered to the empty air.

I forced myself into the restroom, checked my reflection, smoothed my hair, and reapplied my gloss over my swollen lips. I couldn't leave Maya sitting alone at the table wondering where I’d disappeared to.

When I finally pushed through the cafeteria doors, Maya was already chatting animatedly with a red haired girl sitting across from her. Ever the social butterfly.

“Hey, Lily!” Maya’s face lit up as I approached. “This is Katy. She’s in our English lecture.”

The girl turned. She had bright brown eyes, a soft smile, and an undeniably quiet, gentle presence.

“Nice to meet you,” Katy said softly, offering a tentative smile.

“You too,” I managed, forcing a warm, natural smile onto my face as I sat down beside Maya.

For the next twenty minutes, we talked about terrible professors, heavy course loads, and dorm assignments. And for a brief, blissful moment, the phantom burn of Cole’s lips faded into the background.

By eight that evening, our living room was a disaster zone of plush throw pillows, a half-eaten pizza box, and three cans of soda.

Somewhere between complaining about our pre law syllabus and discovering that Katy had spent her first two weeks on campus completely isolated, Maya and I had adopted her into our quiet sanctuary for movie night.

“You cannot tell me this man has the audacity to act confused!” Maya declared indignantly from the floor, waving a slice of pepperoni pizza in the air. “He cheated on his wife four times and now he’s shocked she’s liquidating his bank accounts?”

Katy let out a soft, melodic giggle from the armchair.

I shook my head, taking a sip of soda. “Some people grow up believing consequences don't apply to them.”

“Exactly!” Maya pointed her pizza at me approvingly.

My phone vibrated sharply against the coffee table.

Ethan: I’m on my way up to your dorm.

My stomach dropped straight into my shoes.

No. Absolutely not. I wasn’t ready for Ethan to inspect my life, nor was I in any state to handle his overprotective interrogation tonight.

Maya didn't even know of him yet.

My fingers flew across the screen.

Me: No, I’m busy. Movie night with friends.

I held my breath, hoping his big brother instincts would yield for once.

Ethan: Already in the hallway.

I had barely finished reading when the doorbell rang through the apartment.

“What the….” Maya was already getting up.

“Maya, wait…” Too late. f**k! She swung the door open. I heard a shrill gasp.

Then footsteps. And finally, Ethan’s voice.

“Hey...” I slowly turned towards the doorway. Ethan stood there, looking completely at home. And he wasn’t alone. Alex stood beside him, wearing his signature bored expression. Then my stomach dropped.

Cole

No.

No, no, no.

Please don’t tell me…shitttt!