Chapter 25.1
Chapter 25.1
Seventeen. It had been two years since I’d deliberately entered the same facility as Adeline. Two years was enough time for us to become inseparable, at least in the eyes of others. It was also, unfortunately, more than enough time for clueless idiots to start buzzing around her.
“I don’t think so.”
“Huh? Why? I’ve seen the two together all the time.”
“She hates ugly guys.”
A snort escaped my lips, and the girl’s face flushed with a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. Alex. An unfamiliar name, but I knew who she meant. There was a guy currently orbiting Adeline, convinced he was the bee to her flower.
“Anyway, thanks for letting me know.”
The girl’s face turned crimson as I smiled, thinking it was the most meaningful confession I’d received in a while. That was when…
“What’s going on in front of the sacred cafeteria? Take your flirting elsewhere.”
At the familiar voice, I turned to see that pale face, an odd expression painted across it. The height difference, once slight, was now significant. Her pale, rounded cheeks were well below my chin. The top of her head barely reached my jawline.
“What nonsense.”
Flirting.
The word, uttered by Adeline, made me stiffen, a wave of panic washing over me. I felt a pang of guilt toward the girl who’d just confessed, but I had absolutely no intention of leading anyone on. Of course, given that Adeline only saw me as a friend, it was a meaningless gesture anyway.
The people who asked if we were dating didn’t understand a thing.
“Where are you going?”
“Just out. I have plans with a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yes, someone you don’t know.”
Adeline didn’t see me as anything more than a friend. She wouldn’t care who I was with.
A bitter laugh escaped me as I watched her walk away, her back stiff with indifference. My gaze lingered on her retreating figure. Her hair, which reached her waist, rippled with each movement, and her unique scent, reminiscent of fresh leaves, drifted towards me.
‘I want to touch it.’
“Oh, right.”
As she turned back, I snapped out of my trance and met her gaze.
“Did you finish your career application?”
“…No. Did you?”
This had been happening a lot lately. I’d find myself captivated by her, staring until the urge to reach out and touch her became overwhelming.
“Of course, I did. I’ve completed all the training hours, and my written exam scores are above the cutoff.”
I clenched my fists. I was definitely not myself. Even as we spoke, my eyes traced the line of her nose, lingering on her full lips.
“Damian?”
Adeline walked slowly towards me, probably wondering why I was staring at her like an idiot.
“You said you had plans with a friend. Go on.”
I instinctively brushed a hand over my face and backed away. Both the girl who’d confessed and Adeline were giving me strange looks.
I knew I’d been acting strangely lately. The problem was, I wasn’t the only one.
***
“So? How was it? Spill the details!”
“What?”
“Come on, this idiot went on a date over the weekend.”
“No way. Really? With a girl?”
“Of course, with a girl. Who else would it be with?”
“Who is she? Do we know her?”
“Yeah, you probably do. Adeline La Graciel, from Class A.”
I paused, my hand freezing mid-motion as I closed my locker. The familiar name caught my attention. I turned to see a group of skinny guys huddled together, snickering.
Date.
‘Someone you don’t know.’
Daniel, noticing my grim expression, fidgeted nervously beside me. Everyone in the facility knew about my connection to Adeline. These guys gossiping in the corner of the locker room clearly hadn’t noticed me yet.
“So, how was it? Give us the lowdown.”
“Nothing special.”
“Aw, I knew it. You came back early that day. Didn’t anything happen?”
“No, that’s not what I mean. She’s pretty, but… kind of boring, you know?”
Click. The slow, deliberate closing of my locker echoed with a sharp, metallic clang. I ran a hand through my messy hair, a sneer twisting my lips.
“All she talks about is the Royal Guard. And honestly, is she the only one who lost family during the Massacre? Anyway, she wasn’t what I expected. Too rough around the edges.”
“Rough? Did you even touch her?”
“Idiot, that’s not what I meant. But her body is…”
Thwack. The sound of a practice rubber bullet firing cut him off. Alex yelped, his body stumbling as the projectile hit his temple mid-sentence. He whipped his head around.
“Which one of you did that?!”
‘Never fire at another person.’ It was the first rule drilled into us during training, but it wouldn’t kill you. As evidenced by this idiot, still alive and yelling.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.