TWISTED AFFECTION

Chapter 2 - Dream

“Oh… Maverick…” I murmured, eyes squeezed shut as his lips trailed hot, slow kisses down my neck.

My breath hitched. I gripped his arms, feeling the firm muscles under my palms as he pinned me to the bed. His body pressed against mine with a heat that curled low in my stomach.

“Take off your shirt,” he breathed against my ear.

A trembling sigh escaped me. I obeyed without thinking, sliding the fabric over my head. It hit the floor somewhere I didn’t care about.

His grin was wicked—dangerously so. His hand cupped my breast through the thin lace, thumb brushing over sensitive fabric. Heat shot through my body so fast I arched into him, desperate for more.

“Maverick…”

I moaned again as his mouth moved lower, slow, teasing, drawing little sounds out of me I didn’t know I could make.

“You liked it?” he whispered, his teeth grazing my earlobe.

I bit my lip to hold back another sound—

And then—

“Tali! You’ll be late!”

My eyes snapped open. I jolted upright, breath sharp, heart thundering against my ribs. Sweat dampened my skin. The vivid heat of the dream clung to me like a second body.

Amari stood at my door, eyebrows raised. She dragged the curtains open, letting sunlight crash into the room.

Shit.

It was a dream. A stupid, filthy, painfully vivid dream.

I instinctively closed my thighs and pulled the blanket up.

“I’m meeting Krystal at the café,” she said casually. “Grabbing breakfast there too. Want to join us?”

My cheeks burned. My pulse was still racing.

Why was I dreaming about him again?

Was it because I saw him yesterday?

“Tali,” Amari nudged my foot, “you listening?”

I forced myself to breathe. Calm down. Act normal.

“Yeah, uh… no. I’ll pass. I’m feeling tired.”

She narrowed her eyes, suspicious, but thankfully didn’t push. When she left, I sank back against the pillows, pressing both palms to my face.

Gosh! That stupid dream.

Every detail still clung to me.

Every touch, every sound, every—

Tathaira, nope. Not thinking about it.

I rolled onto my stomach and groaned into the sheets.

Lynn texted me and wanted me to come for shopping but I'm not in the mood to go out today. I just tried watching movies, even tried sleeping early, but all my mind wanted to replay was that.

It wasn’t the first time I dreamt of him, but it felt too real that it makes my skin tingles. I know I'm not innocent. With Lynn around me, my mind will ofcourse be unfiltered. I also read this in books and watched this in movies so everything is not new to me.

Wait, Tathaira, you are a psychology student, for Pete’s sake. You should know how the mind works!

For sure, that dream was just my subconscious reacting to stress or emotional tension. Maybe it wasn’t even about him at all! My brain was just... searching for comfort or… whatever Freud would call it!

Still, I couldn’t ignore how vivid it felt.

Oh my god, maybe I’m just ovulating?

Of course! That’s also one of the reasons!

I tried to get rid of it when Monday came. I can't keep thinking about it because I know, there's a big chance that I can just see him around the campus!

I sighed, pressing my pen hard against my notebook. I shouldn’t be thinking about him. Not again.

I don’t know what I’ll say if someone find out about my…disgusting confession to him! I can't even tell it to Lynn before! How much more now that she’s admiring him so much!

It had been years since that embarrassing thing I did and no… of course not, I won’t get back to that kind of humiliating situation!

I felt bitterness at the memory. I spent a whole night writing that letter, rewriting words until my hand hurt but I think he didn’t even care much about it.

He probably threw it away. When I saw him holding that letter, he just stared at it for a second, then tucked it inside his bag.

He didn’t even read it! Not even a glance. Just slipped it in like it was nothing important.

I told myself maybe he’d read it later, but he never said a word after. I even tried to look at him but he didn’t seem to read it because he gave me no emotions at all!

In short, he’s not interested in me!

That was the day I decided to stop. Or at least, I tried to.

But fate maybe’s playing on me because when I see him in the university after trying my best not hear news from him, I knew I f****d up.

“Girl, are you fine?” Lynn asked during lunch, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, offering a half-smile. She didn’t need to know how I spent the morning trying to erase a dream that refused to erase me.

“Last time was tiring,” she pouted. “You left me alone.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, stirring my food absentmindedly. “You were with your other friends. I thought you’d go home with them like always.”

She waved it off. “It’s okay. Anyway, guess what? I gave Maverick a cup of coffee earlier. And he accepted it!”

My head snapped up. “He did?”

“Yup! Do you think he likes me now?”

“Just because he accepted the coffee? Seriously, no.”

She pouted. “No! He also smiled at me. And—get this—he said my outfit looks good today!”

My fingers tightened around my fork.

He said what?

She beamed, oblivious. “I think he’s starting to like me!”

“I… don’t know. Maybe?” I mumbled.

She hugged her arms around herself dramatically. “I feel like there’s a connection between us. And my god, he was so hot today. He wore his usual white polo. I swear, I almost melted.”

Something in me snapped—quietly, inwardly, painfully.

Why was she saying all this to me?

Why did it irritate me?

Why did my stomach twist like that?

I had no right to feel anything. Nothing at all.

Still, I stabbed another piece of food a little harder than necessary.

“Lynn,” I said calmly. “...stop overthinking. He’s just being nice.”

“You always say that.” She pouted again.

Because it’s true.

Because I didn’t want her wasting her heart on someone who didn’t care.

Or maybe…

Because I still hadn’t fully stopped myself from doing the same.

Because no matter how much I denied it, no matter how much I forced myself to forget—

Part of me still reacted to him.

To his voice.

To his stare.

To dreams I shouldn’t be having.

Part of me was still tethered to the man who once shattered me without even realizing it.

And that was the problem.