Chapter 15 #2
We start walking again toward the commons. Alex clasps my hand tighter as I look down at our joined hands, then at him. He’s watching me. His eyebrows raise in question. I shrug. The corner of his mouth lifts as he gives our joined hands a gentle swing.
And then I spot Maxwell. He’s standing just outside the entrance, pacing. I’d ask what he’s waiting for, a miracle perhaps, but unfortunately, I already know he’s waiting for me. My entire body goes rigid.
“Rose—” His voice, high-pitched and desperate, cuts through the air.
Maxwell spots me and then sees who I’m with.
His gaze drops to our still entwined hands—something in his expression snaps.
“Rose!” I flinch. My body reacts before I can stop it.
Before I can remind myself that that voice doesn’t belong to him.
Beside me, Alex stiffens instantly. Before I can react, he steps in front of me, drawing me slightly behind him. His grip on my hand tightens as Maxwell starts toward us, moving quickly and purposefully.
“What the hell is this?” he demands, his voice loud enough to draw attention. A few people nearby turn to look. I shrink in on myself, hating the spotlight.
“Maxwell,” I start trying to keep this from escalating.
“No,” he cuts me off sharply, pointing at our hands. “No, don’t even…What is that?”
“That is none of your business,” I say, forcing my voice to stay composed.
“Hell it isn’t?” he lashes out. “Have you been fucking him this entire time?”
Alex doesn’t move or react, but I can feel the tension radiating off of him. He remains cool, calm, and eerily collected in the way a venomous snake watches before it strikes.
“Back the fuck up,” Alex says evenly.
Maxwell lets out a bitter laugh. “Oh, I get it now. This is why you wouldn’t talk to me. Because you're too busy moving on?”
“I didn’t move on,” I shoot back. “You cheated on me.”
“That’s not what happened—”
“Stop,” I cut him off, my voice firm. “Just stop. I’m not doing this again with you.”
People are definitely watching now. Whispers ripple through the crowd. And is that…Oh, great. Someone is recording. Just freaking fantastic, as if this day couldn’t get any worse.
Maxwell’s eyes flick between Alex and me. Anger burns brighter behind those darkening orbs by the second.
“You think he’s any better?” He spits. “You think he’s not going to screw you over the same way? You’re a cold—”
Alex steps fully between us. “That’s enough.” His tone is low and commanding. “Do not finish that sentence.”
Maxwell scoffs, but there’s hesitation beneath it now. He’s not so sure of himself, but he’s a damn fool. “Or what?” he challenges, taunting Alex, a smug look on his face. “Do you even know who I am? Who my father is?”
Alex doesn’t raise his voice, but I feel the coldness of his stare and the way Maxwell visibly swallows as Alex takes one small step closer. “Do you know who I am?” His voice is calm, almost conversational. “Or who my father is? My family?”
Maxwell looks at him. Really looks at him. Before he can speak, Alex smiles. It isn't warm. It's something darker, something that draws me in despite myself. I'd always known there was more to Alex, but he'd only ever shown me kindness. Sure, a bit of cockiness, maybe even sweetness.
“I’d think very carefully before you speak again,” Alex says.
For the first time, Maxwell truly studies him. Whatever he sees makes him take an involuntary step back.
“You’re done talking to her.” Alex continues. “Done threatening her. Done harassing her. You understand me?”
Maxwell hesitates for a second, then looks back at me. “You’re making a mistake,” he says in one final attempt for me to reconsider.
Something finally awakens in me. I find strength as I step slightly to the side, no longer hiding behind Alex.
I’m tired of being the victim. “I already did,” my voice growing in confidence as I stand taller.
“And I’m not making that mistake again. We’re done, Maxwell.
” A few chuckles rise through the small crowd that has gathered to witness this unwarranted spectacle.
Maxwell notices, his jaw tightens as embarrassment flashes across his face.
“Yeah?” he says, his voice sharp with humiliation. “Fine.” His gaze locks onto mine. “Go be his slut then.”
The word feels like a slap.
Alex takes one measured step forward. “Leave.”
Maxwell hesitates, his eyes flicking between Alex and the crowd still watching him. “Yeah,” he mutters, trying to recover what little dignity he has left. “We’ll see.” Then he turns and walks away.
My heart is pounding as Alex looks down at me.
“You okay?”
I nod, even though I’m not entirely sure that I am. He doesn’t question it. Instead, he guides me around the corner, away from prying eyes. The crowd surges behind us, hungry for whatever might happen next.
His hand tightens around mine. Once we are out of sight, I stop. He takes another step before realizing I’m no longer beside him. The tug from our joined hands draws him back.
He turns. “What…” The word dies on his lips.
I just stand there staring at him. Everything from the last few minutes—Maxwell, the crowd, the humiliation, the anger—burns through me all at once.
That feeling ignites me, propelling me forward to him.
He stills, barely breathing, watching me as though he's trying to decide whether this is really happening.
I lift our joined hands, pressing them lightly against his chest. He's so close his scent floods my senses, leaving me intoxicated by him. When I look up into obsidian eyes they smolder as he watches me, understanding what I’m about to do, and deciding if he’s going to stop me.
I don’t give him the chance. I release his hands and slide my arms up and around his neck, pulling him down toward me.
And then I kiss him. It’s not soft or hesitant.
It’s everything I didn’t say, everything I tried to ignore crashing into him all at once.
For a split second, he goes completely still.
Then his hands find me. He sighs into the kiss, exhaling in recognition as if this was always going to happen.
And in that instant, everything changes.