TAINTED HEARTS (ENGLISH)

TAINTED HEARTS 07

Chapter 07

Every time I think about graduation, I get excited. I have many plans after graduation. I don’t know what awaits me in the future, but I can feel that what’s there is better than my life before.

“Substitute again? Sir Lennox didn’t teach all week. Is he sick?”

Sir Lennox didn’t come to class for a whole week after what happened in the restaurant. We were fine before I went home that day, so I think our argument wouldn’t affect my grades.

“Are all your classes over?”

“Going home?”

“Goodbye, Xena!”

I smiled at everyone I met. During that whole week he was gone, many good things happened. I also felt more comfortable moving around since no one was watching or staring at me. I even met more people. Even the rich students were now the ones approaching me first. Perhaps it was because news spread that Mrs. Umali talked to me on the same day she also spoke with other students who might receive high honors.

I stopped by a waiting shed. I was waiting for a jeepney when suddenly a car stopped in front of me. I moved aside, worried that the jeepney driver might not see me because the car was blocking me. But when I stepped aside, the car moved too. I gave it a sharp glare since it stopped right in front of me. I couldn’t see who was driving from the outside.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip to calm down. I walked forward again to a farther spot so I wouldn’t be blocked anymore. As soon as I stopped, I raised my hand to hail the approaching public jeepney. But the car advanced again, blocking me once more. I could only watch in dismay as the jeepney passed me by.

I turned to the car with annoyance, glaring at it. I held myself back from kicking it, especially since it looked expensive—I might be forced to pay if I scratched it. Instead, I marched off again, stomping with a frown. I stood behind the car so that any jeepney passing by would clearly see me.

I smiled when I saw the next jeepney had plenty of space. My hand was already raised when the car suddenly reversed, blocking me again. When I turned back, the jeepney had already passed and left me behind once more.

Realizing that time was running out and I might be late if this continued, I couldn’t stand it anymore and approached the car. I knocked on the window harder than usual. My face was twisted in frustration as the window slowly rolled down. Even before I could see the driver, I already spoke.

“Excuse me, but this is not a parking lot. Your car is causing an in—”

I stopped when the window went all the way down. I stared at the driver’s face. He was wearing dark glasses, so I looked more closely, because his facial shape was familiar to me. He was facing me with a smirk painted on his lips. I stepped back and straightened my posture when I recognized him.

“Hop in,” he ordered.

I ignored him and just adjusted my bag on my shoulder. I walked forward again and waited for another jeepney vehicle. I pouted when I saw him drive forward to follow me. He took off his expensive glasses and opened the car door from the inside.

“Get in, Xena!”

I leaned toward the door and peeked inside.

“I’m fine. I’ll just wait here, sir—”

I screamed when he suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside. It happened so fast I had no time to react. He quickly shut the door and locked it.

“If I said get in, you should get in,” he said, then sped off.

I bit my lower lip hard out of irritation and shock. He always did whatever he wanted. No one could stop him. The whole week he was gone, my life was peaceful. And now, here he was, disturbing it again.

I glared at him. His lips twitched slightly, holding back a grin. Even though I hadn’t seen him earlier, I was sure he was laughing at me while I struggled to flag down a jeep. I just buckled my seatbelt and let him do what he wanted since I was already inside anyway.

As he drove, his fingers tapped along with the beat of the song playing in the car. I looked away, because once again, I was tempted to stare at his arms. Even the simple tapping of his fingers seemed magical, making me want to look.

“Why don’t you use your car to go to school?” He kept his eyes on the road.

“I don’t know how to drive.”

He glanced at me, squinting. “You asked for a car even though you don’t know how to drive?”

I didn’t answer. I wasn’t the one who asked for a car, nor the one who bought it. We stayed quiet until we reached the parking lot. I turned to him to thank him, but my tongue froze when I saw how close his face was. I leaned back hard into my seat to create distance.

“W-what?” I asked awkwardly.

“Last time, you avoided me. And now, you’re giving me the silent treatment?”

I shook my head quickly. My eyes almost crossed from how close our faces were. Without meaning to, I stared at him. His face was too perfectly made to find any flaw.

“No . . . I just don’t know how to talk to you.”

“Oh, really?” He smirked. He leaned even closer, examining every part of my face. “How can you dig gold when you’re this plain? I don’t think you even know how to seduce men.”

I blinked, unable to follow what he said because I was too focused on staring at him. “Sorry. What was that again, sir?”

My eyes were fixed on his as he studied every inch of my face carefully. From my perfectly shaped eyebrows. Down to my innocent black almond eyes. To my small but cutely pointed nose. And finally, to my natural, full, pinkish lips.

My lips parted slightly when his gaze lingered too long on them. I wasn’t into fixing myself up and wore nothing on my face. I had just taken a bath before leaving home, so at least I still smelled fine. Even though I looked decent, I grew nervous, worried he might notice something wrong or ugly in my face.

When he noticed how I parted my lips, his eyes flicked up to meet mine. Our eyes locked. Then suddenly, he blinked and quickly pulled away when he realized I was staring at him. The teasing smirk that had been on his lips disappeared.

“s**t . . .” He cursed as he leaned back into his seat. He tilted his head against the headrest and shut his eyes tightly. His jaw clenched as if he was enduring sudden pain.

“Sir?” I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned toward him. He was sweating despite the cold air inside the car.

“Sir, are you okay? Are you—”

“Get out of my car,” his voice was low, but deep and hoarse.

“Are you hurt somewhere?” I asked, worried.

He swallowed hard, then opened his eyes. Our gazes met. There was something there I couldn’t read. I didn’t get out. Instead, I leaned closer and raised my hand to touch his forehead. He flinched when I made contact. He wasn’t hot, but he was sweating cold, and his breathing was fast.

“Damn it, Xena! Get out of my car! Now!” He shoved my hand away harshly.

Because of his loud shout and angry shove, I immediately got out of the car. I hadn’t even closed the door properly when he already sped away.

What just happened?

Puzzled, I entered the classroom. The students were all already here, but Sir Lennox wasn’t here. He came in but left again. I didn’t know if he would come back. I didn’t know why he suddenly got angry again. He didn’t act or speak like a professor to me sometimes. That’s why I sometimes forgot he was my professor, especially since he didn’t look that much older. Because he was so good-looking, I couldn’t even tell his exact age.

After half an hour, he returned. He was wearing different clothes and looked freshly showered. His perfume reached me even from the back of the room. He often avoided my eyes whenever we met gazes. I raised my hand for recitation, but he never called on me. Maybe because I was at the back, and he was only calling those in front. When the class ended, he also left the room in a hurry.

“Where are you going?” asked Minerva, my classmate in the next subject.

“I still have time before my next class. I’ll stop by the library.”

“Alright, Josh and I will go ahead!”

We parted ways at the door. I headed to the library to spend some time there. When I entered, it was quiet, with only a few people inside. Maybe because others still had class. I looked around and froze when my eyes landed on one corner—Sir Lennox was sitting there.

He taught hospitality and business-related subjects. He only handled one class, ours. After his class with us, he usually left right away.

I watched him from the entrance of the library. He was wearing reading glasses. He looked like a hot nerd with them on while reading a book.

I bit my lip and slowly approached his table. He looked up when I sat across from him. His gaze was cold as he removed his glasses.

I smiled at him and bit my bottom lip. He stared at my lips before meeting my eyes.

“So you’re here?” I started. It was my first time catching him in the library. “Are you feeling okay now?”

He closed the book he was reading and grinned. He propped one elbow on the table and brought his fingers to his lips.

“Yeah. After I left, something good happened. Do you want a full description of what I did?”

He toyed with his lips with his fingers while grinning at me, so my eyes focused there.

“I went to the shower,” he continued. “And then I grabbed my . . . and then I move . . . and then . . .”

He didn’t finish. He trailed off, but my face flushed red. I didn’t know if he was just teasing or if he really did that.

“Every time you look at me, do you know what your eyes are saying?”

“My eyes?” I touched one of my eyes.

He chuckled while staring into them.

“Your eyes say you want to kiss me.”

I froze at his words, my face heating even more. He licked his lips, and my gaze automatically followed. Without realizing it, I tracked the motion of his tongue across his lips.

“See?” he confirmed.

My knees weakened instantly, even though I was seated. I struggled to breathe as my chest pounded hard. I knew it. From the very first day I saw him, when he asked if I wanted to kiss him in his office. I had been resisting because it was wrong and I hated the feeling, but I didn’t know he could read it in my eyes.

I couldn’t move when he stood and placed his hands on the table. The chair was in a corner, and there weren’t many people around, so no one noticed us. If he kissed me here, no one would see. I bit my lip when he lowered his face closer. I thought he was going to kiss me, but he only whispered.

“Don’t bite your luscious lips like you’re waiting for a kiss.”

I quickly released my lip. I swallowed hard. My lips remained slightly parted because I was holding myself back from biting them as his eyes stayed on me. He straightened up.

“Don’t part your lips as if you’re tempting me to slide my tongue inside your mouth.”

I shuddered at the image that flashed in my mind. Suddenly, I didn’t know what I would do if he actually did that. I tried to avoid him because I felt unsafe whenever he was near. When I couldn’t, I tried to train myself to get used to his presence. Maybe if I got used to it, the attraction I felt the first time I saw him would fade. After all, it was only a few more months.

“You look scared. Hide your lips from me if you don’t want me to kiss you one day.” He warned me. “Because in the next few days, I might not be able to stand it anymore. When that happens, I’ll chew and swallow your lips.”

His eyes shifted between my lips and my eyes. It was like he was warning me. I quickly pressed my lips shut and lowered my gaze to hide them from him. He didn’t stay much longer—he left when he saw I had no intention of looking at him again.