Chapter 5

 Aurora tugged her hand away from his, eyes darting around the hallway, luckily it was empty save for a few cleaners who were just getting done with their morning duty. She grabbed his wrist instead, pulling him into an unoccupied classroom before sliding the door shut.

When she spun to face him, a surprised sound slipped past her throat at his proximity. They were standing foot to foot now, he'd placed an arm behind her face, his palms splayed on the closed door.

Aurora's heart thudded rapidly as his dark eyes ran over her frame. She licked her bottom lip pensively and his eyes flickered at her mouth,

"What are you doing here, Ryan?" She whispered timidly when he didn't respond, she continued, "You can't be seen here if someone sees you talking to me, I'll be in a lot of trouble." 

He scoffed aggressively, shaking his head as he pressed even closer, "Is that what you're worried about, flower?"

Her nose scrunched, confusion evident in her features, "What do you-" 

"Why haven't you been returning any of my texts? And my calls? What kind of game are you playing this time, Aurora!" He barked and she flinched at the severity in his tone.

Her mouth suddenly felt dry, silence prevailing in the air between them. Her eyes darted everywhere except from his face, she couldn't afford to look into them.

"Aurora?" He shouted again, and she forced her gaze to meet his. They were a myriad of emotions flickering in his dark eyes and she gulped, 

Ryan blew out a breath and stepped back, he raised a hand to rake it through his messy waves, "Your shit can get tiring, you know that?" Aurora refused to answer him, instead digging her teeth into her lower lip, "You don't want to talk?"

She kept her eyes on the ground, training them on the marble tiles that reflected the lights above. He took her chin, lifting it so that their eyes connected,

"You want to break up? Is that what this is?" He questioned, stern eyes piercing into hers, "Aurora?"

Her teeth dug deeper into the flesh and she grimaced when a coppery tang hit her tongue. The truth was, she felt conflicted. On one hand, her relationship with Ryan was risky and was not going to end well, on the other hand, he was the only spontaneous thing in her orderly life. He gave her a sense of freedom that she'd always craved. He was the physical embodiment of everything her mother always warned her about,

And she thirsted for him.

But after her encounter with Evan and his not-so-subtle threat, she'd been questioning if he was really worth it. So, she'd ignored him for two months, she ignored his calls and never returned any of his texts,

It was hard at first, Aurora was surprised at how attached she'd become to the dark-haired stranger.

She remembered the first time they met; it was a nice evening and she'd been invited for dinner with some senior students in the institution, after a lot of begging, her mother finally decided to let her go. When she arrived, she was expecting to see a fancy restaurant but they'd selected a bar.

Aurora was pensive at first since she'd never been to an actual bar and had never drunk before, but after much "persuasion from her colleagues, she let loose. She remembered having a lot of fun and actually eating food that was not what her mother picked out, then she got drunk and was forced to dance for them.

She was helpless against their hold and it dawned on her then the reason they'd invited her for dinner. She tried to wiggle her away out of it but they wouldn't have it and that was when he came in. Ryan saved her from their hands and that was how their tumultuous relationship began.

He used his thumb to gently pull her mouth away from her teeth, swiping against the bruised flesh slowly,

"Is that what you want, flower? For me to stay away?"

Her core clenched at the dark edge of his tone, Ryan was dangerously handsome, his smouldering eyes did unspeakable things to her body and she trembled as his thumb sank into her open mouth,

"Tell me, Aurora. Tell me and I'll stay away." 

She sunk her teeth into his flesh and something dark flashed in his gaze. He growled suddenly, wrapping his arm around her waist and capturing her lips with his,

They kissed like ravaged animals, tongues clashing for dominance. His hands were running all over her body and she groaned into his mouth,

When he pulled back, she was gasping for breath, their forehead resting against each other. He moved forward, pressing a gentle kiss on her lips,

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No," She whispered, shaking her head softly, "No."

Aurora pulled back, craning her neck so that she was gazing into his eyes, "I'll call you, I just...I need to sort things out first."

"When?"

"What?"

"When will you call?" 

She looked from one dark orb to the other and then placed a hand against his jaw, "Soon."

They stared at each other, silently observing. When he was satisfied with what he saw. He nodded and stepped back,

"I'll take your word for it." She hastily bobbed her head and he looked her over before tipping his hand in a small wave.

He disappeared behind the doors and she released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. After making sure she was composed, she made her way to the dormitory so that she would change, 

"Hey, Aurora." A brunette waved as she walked out of the empty dorm.

She returned the greeting and headed to her locker, she unlocked it and began searching for her dancewear.

Then she heard it, a rattling noise emerging from the shower stall. She froze, ears perking up at the sound. Slowly, she stalked forward, a hand on her chest,

The rattling noise became more intense and fear gripped her chest. She found the source of the noise, the stall at the end of the left row.

"Oh, don't stop!" A female voice cried out and the door shook harder.

Aurora's perplexity grew as she stepped closer to the metal door, eyes peeking through the thin opening by the hinges,

"Please!" The voice sobbed again. 

Somehow, the voice sounded familiar. She knew she'd heard that voice before but couldn't recall where. Heat crawled up her neck when she saw the girl behind the door,

It was Louisa Roberts and she was being fucked in a bathroom stall. 

She should've stepped back then. She should've walked away and allowed them privacy. But curiosity got the better of her and she peeked closer,

Louisa's companion lifted his head then and a sharp gasp escaped her lips. Louisa moaned loudly,

"Don't stop, Matt!"

It felt like the whole world had collapsed and she was submerged inside an ocean. Her legs were shaky and her hands trembled. A sharp pain shot through her chest and tears gathered in the corner of her eyes,

Matt and Louisa?

But how?

They didn't even know each other...or did they?

Aurora didn't know what to think again so she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She stopped only when she was in the safety of the parking lot, her heart was thumping wildly and her throat hurt a lot,

No matter how she tried, she couldn't erase the imagery from her head. A strangled sob ripped from her throat and she clutched helplessly at her neck,

She wanted to forget. She wanted to forget everything she'd just seen.

So, she plucked her phone from her purse and hastily dialled his number. He picked up on the second ring and she pressed the device to her ear,

"Aurora?" His gruff voice spoke from the other end of the line and she shut her eyes, a tear falling from her left eye.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" Her voice trembled badly and she clutched at the phone desperately.

There was silence and she thought he didn't hear her when he finally spoke, there was confusion apparent in his tone, "What?"

"I'm asking if you want to fuck me, Ryan!" 

He chuckled, a dark sound that sent tingles down her spine,

"Yes, Aurora. I do want to fuck you." 

A small smile tugged at her lips and she ended the call. Sh

e tucked her phone back into her pocket and took a deep breath, wiping at her wet cheek.

She was really doing this.