MY BABY GIRL: Shadow Love S1 🖤

CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6

"He's your cousin?" I stammered as I stared at the handsome devil before me. He was the same boy I had seen at the gate of that big house.

But...

I saw him turn toward the other street.

Did he come back?

"Yes, he is," Mercy answered. Then she ran toward him and hugged him much tighter than she had hugged me.

But he didn't flinch or show any sign of discomfort like I did.

His eyes remained calm as he hugged her back.

Mercy pressed herself against him.

Seeing that, I felt a little jealous.

Jealous?

I don't know why, but I felt this strange feeling as I watched them hug so warmly.

But what am I jealous of?

Jealous that he's going to steal my best friend away from me? Or...

jealous that Mercy has stolen his heart?

Wait...

What am I even thinking?

I don't know how long they've known each other, but...

That hug seemed a little too intimate for cousins.

I stared at them in silence.

Was this the reason Mercy had been so happy all morning?

Because her cousin had come to visit?

Well...

That was understandable.

It must have been lonely enduring all that mistreatment from her mother with no close family around to lean on.

I know I'm always there for her.

I'm her best friend.

But sometimes, a best friend isn't enough.

Sometimes you need someone connected to you by blood.

Someone who understands your family.

Someone like a cousin.

Mercy had younger brothers, but they were still too young to understand everything she was going through.

Maybe that's why seeing her cousin meant so much to her.

Thinking about it like that, the tight hug suddenly made more sense.

But another question surfaced in my mind.

If Mercy had a cousin...

Why had I never met him before?

Except for earlier this morning... though that was only by accident.

We've been friends for quite a while now.

She tells me almost everything.

So why was I only seeing him today?

Had he just arrived?

Or...

Were they only getting close now?

I guess those were questions for another day.

For now...

I simply stood there, watching them.

I didn't really care about the hug.

Maybe.

What unsettled me the most was the way he kept staring at me throughout it.

His dark eyes never left mine.

There was something unsettling about his gaze.

Cold. Sharp. Almost... devilish.

It made me feel completely exposed, as though he could see straight through me.

My thoughts. My emotions.

Through every feeling I was desperately trying to hide.

To put it simply...

I felt naked beneath those eyes.

I shifted uneasily.

My fingers trembled.

That always happened whenever I was truly nervous.

No one had ever made me feel this way before.

No one...

Except him.

And if he kept staring at me like that, I was certain my legs would eventually give out.

"Mercy," he said calmly, finally tearing his eyes away from me. "We'll be late for school. We should get going."

Relief washed over me.

It felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from my chest.

He gently loosened Mercy's grip from around him with surprising ease.

"Oh, you're right," Mercy said with a bright smile. "But first, let me introduce you to my one and only friend."

My heart skipped a beat the moment Mercy said those words.

My breath caught.

Chris' chilling eyes found mine again without warning... it lasted a second before shifting back to Mercy.

Thankfully...

It didn't linger this time.

"Let's not waste any more time," Mercy said cheerfully. "Chris, this is Isabel. Isabel, this is Chris, my cousin."

"Hmm."

Chris gave a small nod.

Nothing more.

No smile.

No greeting.

Just a single nod.

I quickly looked away.

For some reason, I couldn't hold his gaze for long.

Those eyes...

My fingers tightened around the edge of my uniform.

I hated that a simple look from him could make me forget what I wanted to say.

"Wait..." Mercy frowned. "Do you two already know each other?"

The question caught me off guard.

I wasn't sure why she asked, but maybe it was because of the strange way Chris and I had reacted during the introduction.

Great.

Now she was suspicious.

I hated hiding things from Mercy.

She's my best friend.

But before I could explain that we had crossed paths earlier that morning, Chris spoke first.

"No."

His voice was calm.

Steady.

"We've never met."

I blinked.

Never met?

Technically…he wasn't wrong.

Seeing someone from a distance wasn't the same as meeting them.

Still...

Something about the way he answered made me wonder what was going through his mind.

Hearing Chris say that, I stilled completely.

He was lying.

Why?

Why would he pretend we had never met?

He could have simply admitted that we had crossed paths earlier this morning.

I turned to Mercy, ready to tell her the truth.

To tell her Chris was lying.

But before I could open my mouth...

I felt it.

His eyes.

That cold, piercing stare landed on me once again.

Every word I wanted to say died in my throat.

I swallowed hard.

Why did he affect me like this?

I didn't understand it.

His gaze always sent a shiver racing down my spine.

I wasn't someone who got scared easily.

In fact, I could be quite stubborn.

I hated backing down from anyone.

But when it came to Chris...

Everything felt different.

"Mercy," Chris said calmly, his eyes leaving mine at last. "We should get going."

"You're right," Mercy replied. "We're already late."

She turned to me with a smile.

"Isa, carry your bag. Let's go to school."

Mercy bent down to pick up my school bag.

Before she could lift it...

"Don't worry."

Chris' calm voice interrupted her.

"I'll carry it.”

My body stiffened.

His expression didn't change as he said it.

No smile. No warmth.

Just those words, spoken like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Chris wanted to carry my school bag?

I was shocked.

Even Mercy looked surprised.

This handsome devil...

I had expected him to be cold, rude, and completely indifferent.

But...

Was he actually kind?

A strange feeling settled inside me.

Part of me felt uneasy.

Another part...

I was oddly happy that he wanted to carry my bag.

Why was I uneasy?

Because I didn't like people carrying my school bag.

Especially boys.

And why did I feel happy?

I wasn't sure.

Maybe because Mercy was my best friend.

If Chris was her cousin...

Then maybe we could become friends too.

I had been wondering how that would ever happen.

But with this single gesture...

He had made it much easier.

"But Isa doesn't like it when people carry her bag," Mercy said, stopping him.

"She hasn't said anything," Chris replied calmly, his eyes drifting back to me.

Mercy turned toward me.

"Isa... should Chris carry your bag?"

How am I supposed to answer?