Chained Hearts

Chapter Two

I opened my eyes only to close them again for the nth time. I probably looked insane—standing in front of him, opening and closing my eyes like I’d lost it. But I didn’t care. I just couldn’t be cuffed to him. Anyone but him. It’s not safe—for me, or for my heart.

“How long do you plan on doing that?” he asked, his voice dripping with amusement. “Not that I’m busy, Louise. You can take your time.”

“As soon as you’re out of my sight,” I shot back, praying this was just a bad dream. “So do me a favor and vanish, Xavier. Be gone, evil demon.”

“Cute,” he said, smirking as he pinched my cheek with his free hand. “But you already know I can’t do that, Louise.”

I smacked his hand away and rubbed the spot he touched. That hand was a sin. Just one brush of his skin and my heart had already forgotten its rhythm. “Don’t call me Louise. We’re not close.”

“Then don’t call me Xavier,” he countered smoothly, his smirk deepening as his brow arched in that annoying way. “Though I like how you say my forbidden name. Sounds… intimate. Almost like a secret endearment. Sweet, isn’t it?”

“I hate sweet things,” I muttered. “Can’t you just think of a way to get us out of this mess?”

I glared at the chains connecting our wrists. I couldn’t even look at him properly without feeling my heart skip. And I hated it. I hated how his presence made me weak. I hated that I couldn’t control it. Because this wasn’t me.

He lifted my chin with his free hand, forcing me to meet his gaze. My breath hitched at the sparks that followed.

“What?!” I barked, trying to sound unfazed. But the way his gray eyes held mine—steady, knowing—made my thoughts scatter. His face was too close. Far too close.

Xavier Carl Montreal—the one person who could unravel me without even trying.

The weakness I never knew I had until it was too late.

He wasn’t just a pretty face. He was everything rolled into one infuriating package—top of his class, athletic, smart, confident, and infuriatingly kind. A perfect specimen, if God ever made one. Everyone loved him—his smile, his dimples, his reddish-brown hair that seemed to always fall just right.

And I hated it.

I hated how much I noticed.

I hated that my heart refused to listen.

“Do you still hate me for what happened the first time we met?” he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Yes. I hated him. But I also… liked him.

That memory still lingers, no matter how much I try to forget.

~*~

I scowled at my so-called tour guide as he snatched my phone mid-text. “What the hell is your problem, Mr. Santiago?”

“Listen,” Eros said with that ever-present grin. “Don’t blame me if you get lost. Teachers here are strict when it comes to time.”

He was the one assigned to fetch me from the bus terminal, help me settle in, and now—give me a tour of this supposedly prestigious school. This sparkling new hell.

I could’ve tried to bully him like what I did with the other people back in CIC, but there was something about him—a weird vibe that screamed don’t mess with me. Maybe it was the calm confidence, or the way his smile felt like he could see right through me.

“Eros!” someone called, getting our attention.

A guy came running toward us, hair messy from the sprint—but somehow, it just made him look better. And every girl around us froze to watch him.

He stopped in front of Eros, catching his breath. “H-How did she get in here?”

“Well, hello to you too, Carl,” Eros greeted, clearly amused. “This is Patricia Louise Salcedo—our exchange student.”

Carl turned his sharp gaze on me, smiled briefly, then turned back to Eros. “So, how the hell did she get inside the school?!”

I ignored the chaos brewing between them. My attention had shifted—unwillingly—to him. That smile. That face. My heart skipped like a fool. What the hell, Patricia? He’s just another guy. A dangerously good-looking one, yes, but still—

I pressed my palm to my chest. It was beating too fast. This wasn’t me.

Before I could make sense of it, a girl’s voice rang out.

“Carl!”

We turned. She was all smiles, heels clicking as she ran towards us. “We need to talk! This was supposed to be a surprise, but I want to tell you the good news myself!”

Carl groaned, rubbing his temple. “Damn it.” He turned to her with a strained smile. “Look, Rose. Whatever my mom told you, I swear I had no idea—”

She ignored him completely and latched onto his arms. “We’re engaged!” she declared proudly.

My heart dropped.

Engaged? Of course. Guys like him always were.

“Okay, wait,” Carl said while trying to disentangle the girl from his elbow.

He looked at Eros for help, but his friend just smiled at him, enjoying his predicament. I’m sure if Eros had popcorn with him, he’d just sit somewhere and watch like he’s in a cinema.

“Let go, Rose!” And she did.

“What’s wrong, Carl?” she asked, pouting to act cute in front of him. And if I may say so, it doesn’t really look good on her.

“We can’t be engaged. We can’t marry each other if there’s no love,” he tried to reason out. “We don’t even know each other. My mom literally introduced you just last night.”

“We’ll date,” she said sweetly. “I’m not rushing marriage, if that’s what worries you.”

He looked seconds away from exploding—and then his eyes met mine. Something shifted. It looked like he just noticed that I was still there, standing out of place in this mess.

I looked away, then Eros’ eyes caught mine. He was looking at me intently, then gave me a knowing smile—as if he could read exactly what was going on in my head. So, I looked away as if nothing was bothering me.

“I can’t marry you,” he said, stepping toward me. Then, to my absolute shock, he took my hand. “Because I’m in love with Louise. I can’t betray my heart.”

Eros nearly choked from his side. I froze. His words echoed in my head on repeat. In love with me? What kind of twisted prank—

“I’m sorry,” he whispered just loud enough for me to hear, snapping me from my thoughts. The girl had long been gone. “I needed a way out. Sorry for dragging you into this.”

I felt my hand tremble. Then, before I could stop myself, I punched him square in the face. “That’s for using me,” I snapped before walking away, head high and pride intact.

No one uses Patricia Louise Salcedo and walks away unscathed.

~*~

“Louise?” His voice pulled me back to the present.

“Let’s just go find Eros,” I muttered, exasperated. I couldn’t take being this close to him. Not when my heart refused to calm down. “He’s probably at the marriage booth. It sounds exactly like his kind of chaos.”

I need to forget everything—his stupid face, his stupid words, and this stupid feeling clawing at my chest.

I yanked at the chains and sighed. “Fudge.”