~Chapter 34~
We were huddled up in each other's arms for minutes on as I tried to calm Skye down by rubbing his back with one hand. I gave him the moment to collect himself before speaking anything. Running my other hand at the nape of his neck, I hushed him soothingly. "It's okay, you don't have to say it right now."
"I know," he muttered, breaking the hug and looking in my eyes with an unknown emotion shining in his. "But I want to." At that point, he seemed pretty calmed down but a haunted look was still lingering in his visage.
"Then take your time, hmm?" I gave him an encouraging smile. I went back to my place beside him but this time, I was facing him. Daringly, I reached out for his hand and squeezed it gently in hopes of passing him my comfort.
He looked at our hands with tenderness before clearing his throat. Still not meeting my gaze, he began speaking again. "I was bullied by my peers for being a celebrity kid yet looking so... unappealing in their eyes. I was just an overweight kid to them," he whispered, as if he was... ashamed?
I was about to say something when he continued, "After a certain period, it got really hard for me so I... decided to quit and do homeschooling instead. In college, it wasn't much bad but the rough sniggers behind my back never failed to reach me. Before my senior year of college started, I decided to do something and shut everyone out. I decided to lose weight. I was quite stunned to see what a small body change could do to people's perspective. Suddenly everybody wanted to hang out with me." He scoffed with a dark smile.
"Isn't it funny that they thought I was a freak when they hated me, thinking I was boring. But then suddenly when I changed according to their tastes, it grabbed the attention of almost everyone," he said before looking at me.
My breath hitched as I saw so much sadness lurking in his eyes. "You're much more than that to me," I said in a low voice, putting an emphasis on "me".
Skye's lips parted but they were soon pulling up into a dazzling smile and his eyes widened. From the looks of it, he seemed shocked but he kind of expected those words too. "Thank you, Val."
"Don't thank me. It's true." Winking, I grinned.
For some weird reason, he just kept on staring at me and didn't chuckle or laugh. I squirmed a bit because his stare was intense and I didn't know how to react.
"What is it?" I blushed, tucking a strand of my curl behind my ear.
"You're just the way I remember," he asserted softly.
"Huh?"
"I remember you always smiling at me. You treated me like a... human. You always made me feel special. But then I had to leave and I berated myself everyday for not even trying to talk to you. Though I'd gotten to know a few things from your dad, who for some reason just talked about you in front of me." He laughed, shaking his head in mirth.
My face suddenly felt hot and I avoided his eye contact. "He did?" I saw him nodding his head from the corner of my eye. "Be-because he knew that I had a crush on you," I mumbled awkwardly.
Skye stilled for a second in disbelief. I could see that his cheeks were warming up a bit as well. "You're something else, Valerie Jones."
"Why, thank you, Skye Williams." I beamed.
"But if it makes you feel any better then, um, I had a crush on you too." He smiled shyly.
"Aww, you're so adorable," I uttered, leaning in close to him and fisting his cheeks.
He swatted away my hands with a smile. "Shut up." I laughed at his adorableness. A few seconds passed and he didn't utter a single word. He was silent after that, as if lost in his thoughts.
I didn't say anything either as I watched him silently. Now I could tell why he hid his real self from everyone. It's because he thinks it might be too dark for anyone to decipher. Or maybe a part of him cautioned him to never speak about who he really is because he had been grated for it in the past.
"Fate has a really beautiful way of showing that it hears you. 'Cause years later, you started working in the same company I used to be the CEO of. At first I couldn't believe it, I'd thought that maybe you're someone else but I couldn't have mistaken it either. Your features are similar to my old neighbor but just more mature and enhanced now. Then you said your full name and I was completely sure it's you," he told me like he was in a trance.
My heart was thudding against my ribcage because even though it might not be a love confession or something extravagant, it still felt like one to me. A guy like him to have remembered me was as beautiful to me as it's to be in love. We both like each other but my feelings have surpassed that phase and I just wanted to bask myself in his beautiful presence. "That's why you'd looked at me weirdly," I said to not seem so affected.
He laughed, a real one and like usual, his eyes crinkled from the corners. "You can say that, yes. Truth be said, I never liked being the CEO but then you came and it just felt better like the old days. My anxiousness swept away, you know?"
"Skye..." I began. "Why are you so sweet?" All I wanted at that moment was to cry out of joy.
"Are you gonna cry on me?" He asked me, amused.
"You have the tendency to make me emotional." I replied and he laughed again. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to his chest. His familiar scent of wood whirled around me. "I wanna ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"You hate taking care of the business then, uh, then why'd you become the CEO? I mean, I know you told me that you'd known about it for so long but still you could have always opted out... right?" My question came out with reluctance because I feared that it might be a sensitive subject for him.
"I... never had a choice. My dad had wanted me to handle his business even before I had started middle school. But it never really affected me because I was too young to care and I kinda just shrugged off at the matter. Then understanding dawned on me slowly and gradually as I grew up. I began realizing that I might not be meant for it after I'd taken the business major in college. Really the worst phase of my life. I was hanging on a really thin thread, playing with my life, with my dreams like that," he explained to me somberly.
I was silent, processing his words and not rushing my questions to make him go at his own pace. Skye didn't show it but he had suffered a lot more than he was letting on. And who's to say that he wasn't going through it even now. "That's hard but you took the challenges head on and steadfast like a strong warrior," I encouraged him and sure enough, a small smile lit up on his ethereal face.
"I guess so but it was mainly because I was trying to prove my worth to my dad. For some reason, I've always seen disappointment flashing in his eyes when it comes to me. I just - I..." He stopped abruptly, closing his eyes before opening them back. "I wanted to change. He'd named this business after my big brother that I never got to meet because he-he, uh, he passed away ten days after his birth. It was maybe because of this very same reason that I wanted to do this for my dad because I know that he would have done the same." A lone tear fell down his cheek.
Tenderly, I brushed my finger against his cheeks. He was letting it all out, letting all these years' pent up frustration and all I just wanted was for him to feel better about it at the end. At that moment, I felt like I was his personal therapist and nothing could beat that. I would listen to him talk about anything. I would accept seeing him without his layers any day. He's just as vulnerable as any other person and I was glad to be here with him.
"I didn't get the chance to know him but I feel this connection with him." He cried softly as if someone else would hear him and once again I put his head on my shoulder, running my hands through his hair. "So I did all of this but imagine my horror when people in the corporate world just started judging me for everything that I did. Either I was too "shimmery" with my decisions or too dull. There's nothing in between. I was hurt all the time and it got too much but Ms. Maxwell has always had my back."
He didn't say anything after that so I took a deep breath to say my next words. "Can I tell you something?" I pulled away from him and started drawing patterns on his palm absent-mindedly.
"Yeah," he mumbled, still sounding poignant. He might be Skye Williams to the whole world but he's still the same old Skylar Nolan to me.
"I am pretty sure Zedd wouldn't want you to force and beat yourself to do something that you don't want to. Dead people don't talk but we somehow know their voices. But how can we be so sure? We interpret what we want ourselves to hear, what we think is right but it isn't necessarily. You don't have to show your worth to anybody but yourself. But if you force yourself to not do what your heart desires then you don't have anything to prove even to yourself, let alone the whole world. And I believe Zedd wouldn't be so hard on you. I am saying this because I know you and I am imagining him to be like you. Soft, kind and gentle." The last statement made my heart thrum against my chest and I couldn't understand why.
Before I could tell what was happening, Skye threaded his fingers in my dark curls and pressed his lips against mine. I lost my balance as he had literally pushed himself on me. I must admit that I liked it as my head came in contact with the wooden floor. I bit his lip and soon our tongues were intertwining together. It was a beautiful, sensational kiss. My stomach was jumping up and down in glee. My arms automatically went around his back, pulling him closer but Skye was determined to not put his weight on me.
I was left with wanting for more but he pulled away with a breathy chuckle. "Valerie," he uttered my name with so much passion that I couldn't help but stare in his eyes that always seem to pull me in.
"Skye," I breathed. Taking huge gulps of air, I regained my composure. "You're such a good kisser," I blurted out before I could stop myself. I quickly covered my mouth with wide eyes. "I-"
"No, that's all right, Val." He smirked teasingly and pulled us up before joining our hands. "I am glad that you think that about me, considering my past three girlfriends never stayed," he said, rolling his eyes but a small blush of embarrassment was beginning to color his cheeks.
"What? Why? I mean - I mean they're imbeciles then," I said, getting all defensive but a twinge of jealousy within me was clawing to come onboard. A really, really small yet selfish part of me was happy that they didn't stay.
He just shrugged, his eyes fixated on our clasped hands. "They, like everyone else, think that I am boring. They never really said it but I had felt it through their arrogant actions. Although I am glad that it was never serious with them because all they ever wanted was for me to go public with the relationship which I was not ready for. It's a miracle that they didn't slay my image after the break up." He chuckled humorlessly.
"Okay, first of all..." I showed him my palms with an annoyed look, secretly directed toward those women. "They are so wrong! And if they thought that then they are the worst and shallowest women. Honestly, I'm not even lying. Besides, what's wrong with being boring?"
"You keep saying such things and I swear I'll kiss you the whole time," he told me jokingly, flicking my nose.
I leaned back on my hands and winked at him. "You know I am not complaining because I don't mind." I smirked.
Skye started coughing at my candid words, probably choking on his saliva and banged his chest gently. "You, Valerie, are a sly, little vixen. Come here," he beckoned, grinning. Pulling me on his lap, he hugged me real tight as I did the same. "On second thought, are you calling me boring?"
"On second thought, I am saying that being boring isn't bad because I think it's the new unique since everybody wants to be interesting. And they just try too hard."
He shook his head with a smile. "Right." He kept hugging me and I couldn't wipe off the smile from my face. "So... are you free tomorrow? And don't say no."
"Then why did you ask?" I mumbled in his chest. "I am free though. Why?" I peered into his eyes curiously.
"I wanna take you out on an official date," he replied smoothly.
My insides instantly melted after hearing that and I covered my face in his torso. I wish I could hop around and scream my lungs out merrily. I was that happy but somehow I managed to tone it down and squeaked, "Okay. When?" I tilted up my head to glance at him.
"In the morning." He winked and I was weirded out but nodded nonetheless. "Good. Wear some old clothes or something. Nothing fancy," he informed me with a conspiratorial smile.
"Where are you taking me?" I gasped dramatically.
"Janitor's closet." He pursed his lips to stop his upcoming laughter and I slapped his arm.
"You better not, Skye Williams!"
"Then don't ask me rhetorical questions."