Chapter 26- Feelings In The Dark
Class just ended, and the tension finally lifted. It was easier to breathe now.
??? My gawd, I couldn't breathe.
??? What was that?
??? Are they... dating?
??? Leo? Nah...
??? To be honest, Aura would be a fool to think he's into her.
??? But he's never done that for another girl.
??? And didn’t you hear him say he was focused on something else? We all know damn well what he was talking about.
??? More like who.
Whispers and giggles floated across the half-empty classroom, most students had already left.
Ivy, Kiara, and Rosanne were still there, replaying the scene in their heads.
"Hold on, hold on." Ivy tried to steady her breath.
"‘Get your hands off her,’" Kiara imitated Leonard in an overly deep voice, making the girls crack up again.
Ivy shook her head. “Leo has never done that with any girl in this college. Not even Oma.”
"What do you mean by ‘not even Oma’?" Kiara asked.
"Well, you already know how close Oma and Leo are. She’s literally the only girl he talks to normally, without…
you know, sexual vibes. At one point, everyone thought they were dating.
But obviously, that can’t be true, or else he wouldn’t be sleeping with other girls.
Then the rumor switched to them being cousins, because there’s absofuckinglutely no way Leo would be friends with a girl otherwise. " Rosanne explained in one breath.
The others just stared at her.
"What?" Rosanne asked.
"Girl, you just dropped the entire plot, synopsis, and sequel," Kiara deadpanned.
Rosanne rolled her eyes but laughed.
"Anyway," Ivy cut in, "no matter how close Leo is to Oma, it never reached a ‘get your hands off her’ moment."
"Damn," Kiara grinned, "Aurora brought spice to this college."
"I’m not ready for the oppression," Kiara pouted dramatically. "You mean I’m going to be witnessing dominant-boyfriend behavior every day?" She fanned herself like she was about to faint, making Ivy and Rosanne double over with laughter.
"Relax," Rosanne smirked. "I’ll find boyfriends for you and Ivy."
"I’m already shipping Ivy with Ricky," Kiara teased.
Ivy’s smile dropped instantly.
Rosanne raised a brow. "What happened?"
Ivy stayed silent.
"Speaking of Ricky, I haven’t seen him all day," Kiara said.
Ivy’s gaze stayed fixed on her desk.
"What’s wrong?" Kiara asked again.
"Can we not?" Ivy muttered.
The two exchanged a look and let it go.
Whispers still swirled around them, Aurora and Leonard’s names hanging in the air.
★
RESTROOM
Aurora was bent over the sink, throwing up. Oma stood behind her, holding her hair and rubbing slow circles on her back.
Her stomach churned violently; her eyes watered, and even her ears flushed red.
She splashed water on her face, gripping the sink to steady herself.
"Come on. Just breathe… you’re fine," Oma soothed.
"How come you’re throwing up after that Thorne guy touched your shoulder, but Leo touches you all the time and nothing happens?" Oma asked gently.
"I mean, triggers can be different depending on the situation," she added, rubbing Aurora’s back. "But with Leo… nothing?"
Aurora stayed silent, her mind racing.
Oma was right. When those bastards grabbed her in the stairway, she’d spiraled so badly she told Leonard everything. But his touches… they didn't feel threatening, just normal, right? Maybe except the strange sensation that comes with his touches—
Wait, what?!
She splashed water on her face again, harder this time.
"I saw the video," Oma’s voice broke through her thoughts.
Aurora’s gaze snapped to the mirror.
"The one of you wrecking those guys in the stairway. I didn’t say anything because I saw Leo taking you away afterward. That’s why you had the attack and told him, right?"
Aurora just sighed.
She opened her mouth to respond...
And the door swung open.
Leonard stepped in.
"Are you kidding me, Leo? What the fuck?! This is the girls’ restroom."
His eyes locked on her.
"What are you doing here?" Aurora’s voice was flat, almost bored, like she was too tired to even be startled.
Leonard didn’t answer. His gaze stayed locked on her, heavy and unreadable.
Two girls pushed the bathroom door open, froze at the sight of him, and wordlessly backed out.
"Leo, get out," Oma’s tone cut the air, sharp and protective.
His eyes slid to Oma, a slow, deliberate glare, before returning to Aurora. And then, he moved.
One step.
Two steps.
Until the space between them was gone and the scent of his cologne mixed with the bitter tang of the bathroom.
"The gossips about me are enough. Leave," Aurora said, voice steady, gaze unflinching.
A faint smirk tugged at his mouth. "Since when do you care about what people say about you… Noelle?"
"What the..."
How does he know her middle name? It’s not even on her college record.
How?!
Oma’s wide eyes scream the question Aurora can’t voice fast enough.
"How do you..."
"Shhh." Leonard lifts a finger, silencing Oma without even looking at her. His eyes stay locked on Aurora, like she’s the only thing in the room.
"How do you know my middle name?"
"How did you get my number?"
"How do you always find me no matter where I am?"
Aurora’s voice rose with each demand, each one laced with fury and disbelief.
Leonard smirked.
"I told you… Aurora Noelle Raven," he drawled, savoring every syllable. "You’re bound to me. No escape. Which means your movements, your details, your life data, even your bank account—are all known to me."
He straightened, voice dropping lower, darker.
"And as for Blake Thorne… he’s meeting his fate soon for touching you."
Every word landed heavy, like a verdict.
Aurora’s face was unreadable, but her eyes betrayed her...anger, bewilderment, hate, blazing back at him.
And Oma? She just got hit with another shock, the kind you feel in your bones.
Aurora didn’t speak for a while, her gaze still dripping venom.
Then she turned and walked out, her anger and presence trailing behind like a storm.
Oma lingered for a moment, arms crossed, studying him with a shake of her head.
“You’ll never stop surprising me. Sick motherfucker,” she muttered before pushing past, meeting the girls at the entrance of the restroom. They're gossiping and whispering.
Another issue that'll blow up on the blog again.
Inside, a slow smile unfurled on Leonard’s face, rare, unreadable, dark.
He left a moment later, not minding the girls that were literally eye-raping him.
It was dark. The room had no lights, and the sobs of a girl sounded faintly.
Her face wasn’t visible because her hair covered it.
She was on her bed, hugging a pillow as her tears soaked it.
Her sobs worsened, her voice cracked, and she buried her face deeper into the pillow, crying harder.
Her nails dug into the fabric.
"I’ll never be lucky, will I? Every, every single time… my stupid self falls for someone, crushes on someone who’s never gonna like me back." She sniffled.
"I tried so hard to get his attention. Not even a glance. Then a new girl shows up and he’s all over her? Seriously?" Her voice cracked again.
"I-I don’t hate her. But still… I liked him first. I like him. She doesn’t. So what’s his problem? Why can’t he notice me? E-even when Oma was talking to him with us there, he never… never even looked at me. Not once."
She lifted her head, and the glow of the lights outside lit part of her face as she sniffled, wiping her cheeks even as fresh tears fell.
Kiara.
To be continued...