19 #3
What shocked Jude the most was how he managed to talk to Sky Granger without stuttering, and even more, how he had the nerve to get close to him and touch his face. Since when did he become this brave? Where had all this courage suddenly come from?
Jude also noticed that his anxiety was not as overwhelming as it usually was whenever Sky stood this close to him or in their touch. Normally, fear would consume him the moment Sky was close, yet this time, it did not surface fully.
“Stay still,” he commanded as he soaked another cotton ball with antiseptic and gently pressed it against the cuts on Jude’s cheeks.
Without Sky noticing, Jude found himself staring at his face. His brows were tightly drawn together in concentration as he treated the wounds with extreme care, as though a mere mistake would put Jude on a flat line.
It was the first time their faces had ever been this close without quarrel, with a sense of gentleness, barely an inch apart.
From that distance, Jude could see every sharp detail of his features, perfectly sculpted and undeniably masculine.
He could even feel the warmth of his breath brushing against his skin whenever he exhaled.
His eyes were the most beautiful eyes Jude had ever seen.
It was like in those suburban fantasy werewolves he once read.
Beneath those eyes was a place of tranquility and safety.
It enveloped his heart with warmth. And somehow, even his scent was dangerously intoxicating.
Jude found himself thinking: his presence is still intimidating and terrifying, yes…but why does it suddenly feel like there’s still something good in him?
The way Sky was carefully treating his wounds now showed it. The fact that he had saved him earlier proved it even more. Maybe he was not completely bad after all. Maybe there was still a good side to him, too.
Jude did not know.
But then the memories came rushing back to him again.
The fact that Sky had been one of the reasons behind the misery he endured for the past five years reminded Jude just how cruel he could be.
All Jude ever wanted was to go to school peacefully and earn his diploma, yet Sky had made him feel terrified, powerless, and belittled.
Every single day, Jude forced himself to wake up and attend school despite how exhausting and painful it had become.
And no matter what Sky was doing for him now, it still was not enough to erase even a fraction of the damage he had caused.
Sky was the reason Jude woke up from nightmares on most nights.
He had always been the reason behind the way Jude looked down on himself.
No matter how hard he tried to see the goodness in him, his heart remained filled with resentment.
No matter how badly Jude wanted to see the good in Sky, it was overshadowed by everything Sky had done to him over the past five years.
Jude snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly no longer felt Sky’s touch on his face. He looked up and saw Sky frozen in place, his gaze fixed on Jude’s bruised and split lips.
Jude swallowed nervously under the intensity of his stare. There was something restrained and unreadable hidden within Sky’s eyes, an emotion he could not quite decipher.
Sky was about to press Jude’s lips when he suddenly glanced up and caught him looking. Without warning, he firmly pressed the cotton against the cut on the side of Jude’s lower lip, causing a sharp sting that made a soft moan slip uncontrollably from his mouth.
“A-ahh.”
The scene before him caught him completely off guard.
“Don’t do that,” he said, almost breathless midway.
Jude bobbed his head slightly.
Sky pressed his lips, biting his teeth to control his dominating emotion. When he pressed another cotton to his busted lip, another moan accidentally escaped again despite Jude’s endurance to suppress it.
“Do the moaning again, and I’ll make another cut on your lips,” Sky threatened.
Jude bit his upper lip in surrender.
“Fuck!” Sky let out a frustrated curse before abruptly pushing himself to his feet.
Sky planted both hands on his hips in defeat.
“Put that shirt back on and go home,” he said flatly, pointing at the shirt without taking his eyes off Jude.
“You can have it, but if you don’t want that damn shirt, you can throw it away,” he uttered the words in a strangely unfamiliar voice before turning his back on him and walking toward the staircase.
“You bring that laptop to your house, and you can borrow it until you want. Keep it and return it to me after our final defense,” he continued.
“It’s only because I don’t want to spend time with you anymore, and I know that damn useless thesis has a lot of process, and I know that you will just bother me from time to time to borrow that fucking thing.
So better if you just keep it until the day after our oral defense.
Now, go home and don’t ever try to think I’ll send you home,” he incessantly said those words without even looking at bewildered Jude Finn.
With that, he left Jude and went upstairs.
Jude was totally dumbfounded.
The thought of Sky taking him home had never even crossed his mind in the first place.