|T H R E E| ~ Kiss him maybe

Hailey

My eyes turned wide as saucers as soon as I heard his words. My heartbeat became irregular and my mind imagined all possible ways to hide, starting from digging a hole in the ground and jumping into it to an imaginary helicopter landing on the ground only to fly me to a faraway land. His eyes stared deep into mine and I couldn't help but question, "What?"

"I mean, I want you to have this burger because seemingly you don't care about the project at all," he said, running a hand through his hair. What? My complete concentration is on the project. Did I do something wrong?

"Why do you think so?" I asked.

"You did not have your lunch properly and that can make you sick. Then you won't be able to work on this project with me and the competition would turn out to be a disaster," he explained. I gave him a look. Really? He is not completely wrong, but I had coffee, so there is no chance of me being sick. Anyway, who cares? I would work hard for the competition. I did not say a word after that and quietly finished the burger. He held a napkin out for me and he looked really cute doing such things. Not that I am gonna confess that to him. As I disposed of the napkin, I turned to find him offering me a water bottle and a pack of juice. I looked at him, confused. 

"What would you prefer: water or juice?" he asked. His concern for me made me numb for a minute because it's been years since someone asked if I had something or not or if I wanted something or not. Nobody really cared if I skipped meals and lived on water the whole day. Not wanting to be a self-pitying electron, I took the bottle from his hand and drank the water slowly. After keeping the bottle away, I looked at him and asked, "Done?"

I really hope he doesn't want me to have anything more because I am full. I have work to do. The presentation for the competition is still pending and then after returning home I have a shift at Juke's cafe. 

He nodded, and we started to walk towards the library to continue working on the data visualization aspect of the presentation when my clumsy traits started to show up and I accidentally kicked a ball kept nearby and was going to fall when Mark helped me stabilize myself. He shot me a worried look, and I thankfully nodded at him. I looked up to see the ball had landed straight in a bowl of soup, splashing it all over the face of the young couple feeding each other sitting nearby. Both of them looked baffled and immediately began to look around for the source of the troublemaker. Not only was their lunch disturbed. The girl started sneezing uncontrollably as the soup entered her nose and the boy reacted frantically, searching around for napkins. I closed my eyes at my stupid self and cursed under my breath. I heard a roar of laughter erupt from my side as I looked at Mark laughing with a hand on his stomach. I ignored his guffawing, though he looked absolutely handsome laughing, and quickly hid behind his huge self to save myself. He stiffened at my move. I wasn't even touching him, but my close presence affected him. As I stared at the boy, who was angrily looking around, this was the least of my concerns. The soup guy looked bulky. I peeked out of Mark's back and saw the couple moving away in search of peace from annoying people like me, and I finally stepped out of his back. He laughed harder seeing me doing such things, and I made a face at him. He asked, "Are you always this cute?"

Cute?

I chose not to answer, and he linked our arms together, making me walk by his side towards our destination and we resumed our work. He is quite creative and confident in all this. After diligently working for more than two hours, I was making notes when we decided to take a break. I could feel his eyes on me as I kept focusing on the work at hand. As he kept staring, I looked at him and he said, "I like you."

The pen dropped from my hand as I looked at his face to find any clue of mischief in his eyes. He looked more serious than I could comprehend. He wasn't flirting or something, he clearly announced his interest. Unfortunately, he confessed to the wrong woman. 

"Sorry, you need to stop liking me then. There's nothing to like about me," I answered, turning back to what I was doing before. He held my hand, and I panicked. He quickly took it away and said, "There's everything to swoon over in you."

Our eyes met and, seeing the seriousness and intensity in his eyes, I chose to step away. I abruptly stood up and walked away, trying to get the image of his beautiful orbs attracting me out of my head. This was wrong. Love was wrong. Any emotion related to that feeling was wrong. Soon someone's steps coincided with mine, and a hand clasped my slender arm. I tilted my head to see him walking by my side, and it wasn't awkward for the first time ever. The warmth of his eyes made it difficult to look away. A voice in my head prompted me to look down. He stopped me as we reached an empty alley and said, "I like you. I like you so damn much. You are the only queen of my world"

I choked on air as I heard him and coughed hysterically. He slowly patted my back and rushed to get water for me. I leaned on the wall, tired of all the coughing that was now making my stomach ache. To calm the burning sensation in my throat, he made me sit on the stairs and drink the liquid. As I finally stopped coughing, he held my hand and said,

"Relax, you are mine and I have no issue with taking this slow. We can start by befriending each other, but remember one thing loud and clear: just you and me. No other person allowed. Although I might be okay with being your friend and then becoming your boyfriend and then your husband, I hate seeing my girl (he pointed out to me) be close to someone else. Get it?" he asked possessively. Like hell man! I shook my head in a 'no' as my clogged throat wasn't able to utter a word. With the amount of confidence I currently possess, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to speak anyway. I was certain of one thing: he had gone crazy. Getting up quickly, I scanned the area for any human presence. I saw a boy walking towards the canteen and quickly called out to him. Talking to strangers was as difficult as walking in high heels and not landing straight on my face. I hate this, but I had to call that boy so that I can help mark. He seemed to be a kind man. He looked at me with raised brows. 

"What?" he asked.

"I need a smidgen of help. Please come with me," I told him. He nodded and walked with me. I saw Mark sitting in the same position as I left him. I looked at the boy and said, "Can you please check the temperature of this man sitting on the stairs? He looks a bit ill to me"

He gave me an are-you-serious look while my instinct was to roll my eyes, but nodded at him. He shrugged and kept a hand on Mark's forehead and then on his neck while Mark pushed his hand away, looking pissed. He asked, "What the hell are you trying to do?"

"Chill, man! Your girl told me to do it," he said, raising his hands in surrender. I ignored both of them and asked, "Was his temperature normal?"

"Yes, absolutely, except for the fact that he is fuming right now," he answered. Am I supposed to be worried then?

"Oh! What's the solution to that?" I asked, making a face. Who in his right mind would say such things to a girl who runs away at the sight of boys? I clenched my fists tightly as I recalled his words again. Oh god! Where am I stuck? What did I even do to catch his attention? I don't know him much except for his name and family status, and he has absolutely no idea about me. First, I thought I would drag him to the dispensary and get him checked, but then my spinal cord told me to call this strange man.

"Kiss him maybe," the boy said. WHAT?

I looked at Mark to see him smirking at me. If I punch him here, nobody would make it an issue except this good-for-nothing man who is giving stupid suggestions. That doesn't sound like a good idea though.

I silently looked at the two men and chose to walk away, ignoring both of them. I was pulled back into a hard chest as I turned, and I could feel his breath fanning around my neck. 

"Where's my kiss?" He asked. Shameless! He didn’t even care about the presence of the weird man. 

"Move away from me," I muttered.

"A 'no' can do muffin," he said. Muffin!

"Don't call me that. I want to go. Leave me," I said, trying to pull away.

"Sweetheart, I will never leave you. Let's go," he said, kissing my cheek, rendering me stupefied. He left my waist and held my hand, dragging me with him to his car. As I tried to take my hand away, he tightened his hold on my hand. I huffed and let it be. As I sat inside the car with puffy cheeks, he pinched them. I looked at him and he said, "You look so cute. Don’t do that. It makes me want to eat you."

I looked away, taking in his words. What should I do now? I am stuck with him on this project and can't even run away. 

"Don't use your tiny brain too much. I told you we could take it slow," he said, gaining my attention. 

"What if I don't want to take it anywhere, neither fast nor slow?" I said and widened my eyes as I spoke it out loud. It only happens to me. Instead of answering, he parked the car nearby and said,

"Ok then, move in with me"

Has he lost it? I am saying I don't want anything to do with him and he asked me to move in with him. I am sure he needs a psychiatrist. As I kept looking at him with my mouth wide open, he leaned forward and said, "You don't like it slow, so we can take it fast because there is no third choice."

I abruptly closed my mouth and glared at him. He smiled at me. What's with him smiling at me now and then? Where are the people who say he never beams? Show them that this man keeps grinning like an idiot every time.

"I can't," I blurted out.

"Take me as your friend, sweetheart. I swear nothing will go wrong," he said, caressing my cheek.

"It won't work. I can't. This is not my thing. Let me be, please. You'd find someone better," I pleaded. 

"It's you and it will always be you. Give it a chance for me," he said, leaning forward, and as his lips were about to brush mine, I gave in. 

"OK, friends. Nothing more than that," I said.

"That we will see later. For now, let's get you home. Get ready. We are hanging out tonight," he said.

"I have work," I mumbled.

"Tell me. I will sort it out for you," he said.

"Nothing. I will be there," I said hurriedly before he decided to do some serious damage. I closed my eyes as a traumatic memory flashed through my brain. I opened my eyes quickly, not wanting to have a panic attack again. He kept a hand on mine and said, "Breathe, it's alright. Text me once you are done with your work."

I smiled a little at his polite tone. His eyes sparkled at seeing me beam at him, and he said, "You look more beautiful when you are happy. Keep smiling, sweetheart. Leave your worries to me. I will handle them." 

He kissed my forehead and finally let me step out of the car as we reached my place. I quickly entered my house without turning back towards him. He might have been hurt, but I couldn't let him in. I am too messed up to offer him what he wants. This is the best way to make him understand that this won't be possible. I didn't ponder much and got ready for my shift at the cafe. After I finished my work there, I returned home exhausted. As soon as I changed into my comfy clothes, the doorbell rang. The moment I opened the door, I was left stunned.