Chapter 56: The Replacement RingFaith’s P.O.VThe feeling of someone’s fingers tracing my skin was the first thing that woke me up…the second being the soft kiss they planted to the base of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.“Morning.” Brandon’s voice was husky, rough…and it brushed against my senses in all the right ways.Groggily, I opened my eyes to his room, the curtains all closed up to prevent even a single ray of light from entering his room. “Is it morning already?” I asked him sleepily, my voice all but a hoarse whisper.The room was still dark, even though there was some light that perforated the curtains, allowing me to see the contents of the room. The vanity was on the other side of the room and the wardrobe right next to it. I think the color scheme was blue, but with the lights down so low, I couldn’t really tell if it was actually a dark green or blue.“Ummhmmm…” Brandon made a rumbling sound in his chest, that I felt throughout my body since his chest was press
Chapter 57: Friendly Banters Faith’s P.O.V“That’s not your purity ring.” Was the first thing Nik told me as soon as I set my bum on the seat beside her.“W-what do you mean?” I swallowed nervously, trying to hide my hand, but Debby, the ever-scheming woman that she was, caught my hand and brought it to her eyes for closer inspection.“Damn! You have good eyes, babe!” She complimented Nik. “It you hadn't mentioned, I wouldn’t even have noticed it! The details are very similar!”“Indeed,” Nik continued like I wasn’t even there as the both bent over the table, placing my hand in the middle as the scrutinized the ring, while I drowned in my own perspiration. “The cross is replaced by a ribbon. Does it symbolize that you’re Bandon’s personal present?”“One that he unwraps with a lot of pleasure
Chapter 58: ‘The Talk’Faith’s P.O.VSoaking in the bathtub after almost 24 hours of not showering felt like absolute heaven.The warm water seeped through my skin, making a sigh escape my lips as I stretched out in the bathtub, letting the warmth relax my sore muscles and wash away all the exhaustion.Today had been a really busy day, both for me and Brandon, so it was natural that we hardly got any time to spend with each other.Since it was his first day back at school after more than a month, he had to spend the whole day copying his notes and going around the staff room to get the teachers to help him with all the study materials that had been handed out during his absence. At least that’s what Sagar explained to us during lunch hours.Since Brandon’s dad was one of the University’s trustees…I highly doubted that he had to work that hard. But since his leg wasn’t completely healed, so I guess it was one of the reasons why he didn’t show up at lunch and rather had Cole and Sagar
Chapter 59: It’s a DateFaith’s P.O.V“Taking Brandon to meet your aunt and George?” Debby’s eyebrows were literally on top of her forehead. “Are you serious?”“He doesn’t like that sort of thing, does he?” My face fell at the thought of it. “I won’t even dare to ask him…I just wanted to be sure by running it through you first.”“Faith, it’s not that he doesn’t like it…hell, even I don’t know if he’s into that kinda stuff or not! But I just wanted to make sure that you were sure you wanted him to meet your aunt and George.”I looked up at Debby confused as she brought her car to park at the University parking lot. “What do you mean?”“Brandon isn’t the type of type of guy that girls take to ‘meet their parents’.” Debby sighed. “He’s the type of guys that parents warn their daughters about. The dark and the dangerous kinda guy who make the father’s hide their daughters and run to the police for a restraining order.”“Come on, you’re exaggerating.” I frowned. “Brandon isn’t like that!”
Chapter 60: DisappointmentBrandon’s P.O.V“That should be all of it,” Sagar handed me a bundle of assignments to sort out within the next month or so, and the slight uptilt of his lips told me that he wasn’t feeling the least bit sorry for his friend.I let a groan escape my lips as I saw the growing pile of papers on the table. “You guys are enjoying this, aren’t you? Every fucking professor seems to be enjoying my misery right now.”I had been gone for a month! One bloody month! ...and 4 days, but that’s not the point!I was injured and fighting for my life at the hospital, but since my broken leg is all that anyone can see, everyone thinks that Brandon Wolfram is back to his old ways and since then, the assignments have been piling up high as if the professors are trying to punish me as if I had committed some kind of crime against them!Seriously! This was too much!No one knew what actually happened but people have been giving me looks as if I got exactly what I deserved…which…I
Chapter 61: Right HereFaith’s P.O.VI curled up in my seat, clutching the seat-belt in both hands with white-knuckled grip as the car flew across the streets, gliding past other incoming car with phenomenal speed that had my heart leaping to my throat.Brandon was going within the speed limit, but barely. I could see the little hand shift to beyond 65 before it zapped back into place at traffic interceptions, where those speed machines were located to record the speed of the cars.Brandon’s knuckles were white as the held onto the steering wheel with a vice grip. His jaw was set in hard lines and his eyes solely focused on the road.He hadn't spoken a word to me since he had dragged me out of the building and into his car. He hadn't even said a word to Sagar and Cole, who had been waiting at the parking lot with apprehensive looks on their faces.He simply took the keys from Cole’s outstretched hands and held the passenger’s door open for me to get in. That door had slammed shut an i
Chapter 62: The Truth and the MemoriesFaith’s P.O.V“I’m sorry…for hurting you.”Brandon kissed the top of my head, apologizing for the thousandth time tonight, as we both soaked in his humongous bathtub, the warm water helping to relax all my sore muscles.I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to keep on apologizing to me, that it was all a spur of the moment thing and that I was fine…but I couldn’t say it.Tonight has scared me. Something about the way Brandon had reacted…it felt completely different from the Brandon I was used to. Or perhaps…I was finally getting tiny glimpses of the real Brandon that everyone feared and admired. The quintessential bad-boy that every woman wanted to tame.“What happened?” I asked finally, unable to hold onto my curiosity.Brandon’s hand stilled on my shoulders, his entire body going rigid as he paused. I held my breath, knowing that I was treading dangerous waters with him.But if I was to deal with his temperament from now on, I needed to know
Chapter 63: The InvitationFaith’s P.O.VI turned around to look at Brandon, his eyes felt like they were in a faraway place. He was no longer with me, but in the past, reliving all the horrible memories that he had gone through.I placed a hand on his shoulder, anchoring him to the present with me, but it didn’t seem like it helped.By now, the water had run cold, and the temperature of the water resonated with the chill in my bones.“Brandon…” I whispered, and he looked at me, an almost sardonic smile on his face.“You know what happened next already.” He told me. “I was lost. Utterly, completely lost. And that was when I realized that not everyone was beside me because they wanted to be my friends.”“Julia cheated on you.” I heard myself whisper, almost like I was reminding myself more than I was reminding him.“It wasn’t just Julia.” He let out a laugh that sounded foreign to me. “Everyone left me. My father was no longer himself. He started staying at home more often, but it was
Chapter 101: Happy Ever AfterFaith’s P.O.V7 Years Later…“And the award for the best male in a leading role goes to…”I waited as the camera flashed to all the actors in the lineup that were nominated in the award ceremony, my anticipation at a fever pitch as I was literally at the edge of my seat, waiting for the results.But just as the host was about to announce the name of the actor…the TV screen went blank.“What the…?”I turned around to search for the remote, but even when I tried to turn it on, it didn’t work.It was only when someone cleared their throat, quite loudly, in the room, that my attention finally snapped towards the door and I found Aunt Kathy standing there with the cable in her hands and her other hand on her hip as she gave me a narrow eyes glare.“Faith…” Her voice was dead serious as she fixed me with her ‘look’.“Yes?” I grinned sheepishly.“What day is it today?” She tapped her heeled foot on the tiled floor, her light pink gown reaching her knees, the ski
Chapter 100: To the FutureFaith’s P.O.VInstead of answering me right away, he took the pendant from the trey and went behind me to place it around my neck, securing the clasp behind my back. The cool metal fell around my neck easily, and a sense of nostalgia overwhelmed me as I remembered my mother wearing it all the time.But I wasn’t allowed to dwell on the nostalgia for long since I felt his warm breath fanning my skin before I felt him lean down and place a tender kiss on my shoulder.“I didn’t want to give back the pendant…because when you weren’t with me, when we weren’t together, this was the only thing that connected me to you.” He whispered against my ear, his arms coming around me to wrap around my middle. “I threw it away once…when I thought you were too good to be with me, that I didn’t want to taint you with my darkness…and it was right here, at this very beach. But the waves gave it back to me; almost like it was fate…they didn’t want me to lose the only good thing in
Chapter 99: The PendantFaith’s P.O.VI felt my breath leave my lungs temporarily as I descended down the stairs and there he was…dressed in a black shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbow and black dress pants that fit him like a glove.In his hands was a humongous bouquet of red roses that looked bright and luscious, their fragrance filling the air with sweetness that felt almost like a scene out of a movie.I watched his eyes widen slightly as they landed on me, his lips parting in a small gasp, and his eyes, when they met mine, held promises that made my insides quiver with excitement and my heart almost skip a beat.In all honesty…we hadn't been intimate for a long time now, considering how we had both been through so much…but now, looking at him today, I found myself anticipating the end of the night more than the date itself.Maybe we can just forget about the date and just head to his apartment already?Brandon’s lips tilted up in a small smile and it felt like he knew e
Chapter 98: The First DateFaith’s P.O.V“Finally! Exams are over!” Nik threw her hands up in the air as she did a little ‘happy dance’ before turning to Debby and me. “Let’s go out this evening!”“Go out? Where?” I asked, raising my eyebrows skeptically.Usually, Nik’s idea of going out wasn’t the best of plans. The last time we went out together, not only did she get the wrong address, but we were thrown out of the club since none of us had fake IDs and we weren’t allowed in unless we were twenty one.Now, I watched as Debby nodded enthusiastically to Nik’s proposal, ever the supportive girlfriend…even though I was starting to worry about what trouble they were going to get into this time.“Leave me out.” I sighed, walking down the stairs to join them at the courtyard. “I’ll be heading home first.”“Why? Do you have plans already?” Debby smirked with a knowing look in her eyes.“I do.” I nodded, laughing at her expression. “Brandon asked me out on a date.”“Oh! Really!” Nik looked a
Chapter 97: A New BeginningFaith’s P.O.V“Good morning!”Startled, I looked towards the door to see Ethan poking his head in with a wide grin on his face. “How have you been?”“Ethan!” I smiled at his presence, glad to see him. “It’s good to see you. I’m getting discharged today.”“Yup. Just heard the reception discussing that.” He came forwards to stand beside the bed, where I sat already dressed in casual clothing, ready for the nurses to take me out as soon as Brandon was done with the paperwork. “How are you? Bran told me everything…about what happened yesterday.”I nodded, sad that everything had to come to this. “I’m glad everything is over now.” I told him. “And I can start over from scratch. It’s all a new beginning for all of us.”Ethan gave me a look that said that even though it was a new beginning for some of us…there were still lingering feelings left.“At least I still get to be friends with you.” He finally said with a sigh. “But if Brandon treats you bad again…I will
Chapter 96: ForgivenessFaith’s P.O.VBrandon and I faced Julia alone, Scott deciding to wait outside for the time being.Even though I wanted Brandon beside me, I didn’t show it. Neither did I tell him. Instead, I watched him take a seat on one of the couches on the opposite side of the room, far from me and Julia.I knew he was giving us space, letting me and her settle our differences. It was what was most important. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but miss his presence, his support.No matter how brave of a front I put up…I was still worried about what had transpired between him and Julia at her house.“Thank you…” Julia told me now, her eyes appearing haunted as she looked up at me tiredly. “For not complaining against me…even after everything I did…”I saw tears well up in her eyes as she swallowed hard, her emotions clearly all over the place. “Why? Why did you help me? I’ve been the shittiest person to you…I’ve bullied you, spoke badly about you…tried to steal Brandon aw
Chapter 95: Don’t Want TroubleFaith’s P.O.VI didn’t particularly like this feeling of helplessness…not at all. And I wasn’t even worried about myself at the moment.The cops stayed in the room, keeping their watchful eyes on me as if I was going to get up and jump out the window to escape them. Well…unfortunately, this wasn’t some kind of survival episode and I was definitely not into Fast and Furious. Besides, I just had a surgery!How did they expect me to escape when I was barely able to move without support?I kept looking at the clock on the wall, waiting desperately for someone, anyone, to arrive! Debby waited patiently by my side, her hand in mine a kind of reassurance that everything was going to be alright and that help was on its way.However, even though the clock seemed to tick at a snail’s pace and a minute felt like an eternity, I didn’t actually have to wait long before people started pouring into my room.First came my aunt and George, their worried faces instantly l
Chapter 94: Calling a TruceBrandon’s P.O.VThe weight of every revelation that Scott had just reveled to me came crashing down on me.How had I not noticed any of this?Julia’s parent’s getting a divorce? Julia’s mother turning into an alcoholic? Scott taking up the void that I had left in her life?How had I been so ignorant all this time?What made it worse was the fact that I didn’t remember anything from that time. The whole year, from the time my mother died, to the time that woman, my father’s secretary seduced me into sleeping with her…to the point where I was driven by my irrational hate and anger towards the rest of the world…all of it was one big blacked out blur and I could hardly remember any of it.I tried to remember the times when I had ignored Julia. When I had ignored Scott and Cole and Sagar…But all of it was a blur. N
Chapter 93: Unexpected Confrontations Brandon’s P.O.V The plain white walls of the six storied apartment building brought on a bittersweet avalanche of memories as I got out of the elevator on the second floor and walked down the almost familiar hallways before coming to a stop in front of the same door where I had stood in front of countless times before. Memories from the past came rushing back in waves, making me recall all the times I had stood in front of this very door, sometimes with an expensive bouquet of roses in my hand and sometimes with takeout from a fine dining restaurant. How many times had we slammed these very doors? Sometimes in passion, sometimes in anger and sometimes in dejection? Time was indeed a funny thing, wasn’t it? Because once, when these same emotions had threatened to engulf me in agony…now they were like fleeting images at the back of my mind, hardly evoking even a quarter of the same emotions that I had once felt for the woman who lived behind the