Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
NICOLE
Three hours after seeing Akio out on a date with Imani Abara, I sat parked in front of his house. I had been driving around Redwood for God knew how long, trying to wrap my head around what I had seen at Beestra tonight.
I had just wanted to get some dinner, and I had gotten a whole eyeful of something else.
Of Akio out with someone better than me, of course.
Why was he out with Imani?!
The question played in my head over and over, but I already knew the answer.
Imani was smart, pretty, and had everything going for her. Me, on the other hand? I might’ve had some decent looks, but I wasn’t as pretty as I used to be, and I definitely wasn’t intelligent and didn’t have anything going for me.
Except a father who wanted to make me pretty again.
I looked through the windshield with tears in my eyes. The longer I stared at Akio’s front door, trying to get the balls to march up to the door, step inside, and show him what he was missing out on, the more my chest tightened.
I wasn’t good enough for anyone anymore. Not even the guy I’d thought liked me.
Hell, he hadn’t even kissed me back last night!
Clenching the steering wheel, I bit back a whimper. What is wrong with me?
I had vowed not to fall for Akio because I didn’t want my father to hurt him, and now, I was in front of his house, crying.
Akio’s garage door opened, and a car backed out. I sank down in my seat so whoever it was wouldn’t see me basically stalking his house now and watched the woman, who I assumed was Akio’s mother, turn right to head down the road.
A moment after his mother disappeared, the car parked behind me turned on its lights. I squinted my eyes and looked into the rearview mirror, watching the car drive into the road and then up Akio’s driveway.
What the hell?
Once the car stopped near the garage, Akio hopped out. I furrowed my brow at the shape of his skinny, lengthy body in the darkness, the moonlight hitting his graphic hoodie.
Was he waiting for her to leave?
Deciding that I didn’t have time for questions that I would never get the answers to, I jumped out of my car and ran up the driveway in hopes to catch Akio before he slipped into his house and slammed the door in my face for awkwardly staring at him earlier at Beestra.
As he fumbled with his keys, I grabbed his elbow. “Aki?—”
Suddenly, he twirled around, keys dropping from his grasp and hand snapping around my throat, shoving me up against the front porch post. My eyes widened, and I tugged on his hand in an attempt to breathe.
His eyes widened. “Nicole.”
Almost immediately, he dropped his hand from around my throat. I leaned forward, coughing and trying to catch my breath. I had been choked before by I didn’t know how many guys, but I hadn’t expected it from Akio.
Damn, his grip was stronger than my father’s this morning.
“Nicole,” Akio said, crouching down in front of me, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you.”
I shook my head. “It’s my fault for not saying something.”
After fumbling around with his keys once more, he opened the door and led me into the house. “Let me get you some water or ice or something. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He headed straight toward the kitchen.
Before he could get far, I grabbed his elbow. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
And I was used to it.
Akio tilted my chin up to look at my neck. “There are bruises.”
My entire body stiffened, and I pushed him away. “They’re not from you.”
“What do you mean, they’re not from me?” he asked. “Who are they from?”
With my lips pursed, I stared at him and wanted to crawl into a hole and fucking die. Why had I even left my car? Had I actually thought this would be a good idea? What had I even been planning to ask him again?
“Nicole,” he said, his voice softer, “who did this to you?”
“Do you like Imani?” I blurted.
“What?”
I crossed my arms. “Do you like Imani? I saw you on a date with her.”
“We weren’t on a date,” Akio said.
But I had seen them laughing and smiling together. And I could never make anyone laugh and smile like that. So, he had to be lying. He had been out on a date with her and had a great time because they had so much in common.
So much that I would never be able to relate to, never be able to understand.
“You don’t have to lie,” I snapped, jealousy pooling within me.
“We were studying.”
“Studying, huh?” I asked, more so to myself. “Like we do?”
A confused expression crossed his face, which was quickly replaced with bewilderment. “No. Not like we do. My parents know hers, and …” He rubbed his elbow. “I don’t really have any friends, so?—”
I didn’t know what came over me, but I seized his face in my hands for a second night in a row and kissed him. There was so much that I wanted to say to him, but I didn’t know how to communicate like a normal human being.
Dad paid off all my teachers to give me a passing grade so I wouldn’t fail when I didn’t do the homework because I was busy with his work.
And now, all I knew was how to seduce men.
Akio froze to the spot and didn’t kiss me back.
My chest tightened, and tears were heavy in my eyes as I pulled away.
“Fuck,” I whispered, wiping the string of spit off my lip and looking away. “Sorry.”
Again, Nicole?! What is wrong with you?!
He hadn’t kissed me back last time. Why had I thought tonight would be any different?
Before he could throw me out, I twirled on my heel and ran toward the front door. I needed to get out of here. Dad was right, like he always had been. I didn’t have it anymore, and now, I was falling for some guy who would never like me.
When I reached the door, he called my name, and then his hand came around my wrist to stop me. As I twisted my head around to look back at him, he scooped my face toward his and crashed his lips back down onto mine.