The rejection

LIAM’S POV

Three days!

It had been three whole days since that night in the bathroom, and Cole hadn't looked at me once. He hadn't snarled, he hadn't insulted me, he hadn't even looked in my direction. 

He just... vanished. Like a ghost in his own house.

I sat in the music room, my fingers trailing over the piano keys. My mind wasn't on the music. It was on him. The way his lips felt against mine. The desperation in his touch. The way he looked at me before he ran away like a fucking coward.

"Focus, Liam," I scolded myself, slamming the keys. A loud sound echoed through the room, matching the chaos in my head.

I couldn't take it anymore. The silence was louder than his insults ever were and now, I think I prefer his insults to this.

I stood up, my chair scratching loudly against the floor. I needed answers. I needed to know if I was crazy or if what happened was real.

I marched upstairs to his room. My heart was pounding against my ribs, threatening to force it's way out. I raised my hand to knock, but the door flung open before I could touch it.

Cole stood there, dressed in black, his hair messy. He looked tired. But the moment he saw me, his face folded into that familiar, terrifying scowl.

"What do you want?" he spat, trying to push me away, but I held him back.

"We need to talk," I said, my voice trembling but firm and I blocked his path.

"I have nothing to say to you," he growled. "Move."

"No!" I snapped. "You kissed me, Cole! You can't just pretend it didn't happen!" I reminded. Sometimes I wonder if he's a robot or something. He's such a pain in the ass.

He froze. His jaw clenched hard, the truth hurt, I know he has been struggling to forget that, but I couldn't. 

He grabbed my arm and dragged me into his room, slamming the door shut.

"Keep your voice down!" he warned, leaning in. "Do you want them to hear? Do you want to ruin everything?"

"I don't care about them!" I yelled back, yanking my arm free. "I care about us! Why did you do it, Cole? Why did you look at me like that if you hate me?"

He turned away, running a hand through his hair. He was confused and it was written all over him. 

"I don't hate you," he whispered, still not able to look at me and I hated that.

My heart skipped a beat as I spoke.

"Then what? Tell me!"

He turned around slowly. His expression was unreadable, his aura burning hot and suffocating.

"You want the truth?" he asked, his voice low and steady.

"Fine,” he snapped a finger and stared at me coldly. “You were a moment of weakness. A mistake. I was drunk, I was angry, and you were there."

I would have preferred a slap to those words. They shattered me completely from the inside out.

"That's a lie," I breathed, struggling to keep my stance.

"I felt it, Cole. You felt it too."

"I felt nothing!" he roared, stepping closer. "You think I could ever want someone like you? A charity case? A burden my father forced on us?"

Tears rolled down my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak!

"You're lying," I said, my voice shaking. "You're scared."

"Scared?" he laughed, a coldly and it sent chills down my spine. 

"I'm Cole Brooks. I don't get scared. I get bored. And you... you're boring me, Liam."

He walked over to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. He crumbled it in his fist and threw it at my feet.

"Stay away from me," he snarled. "If you ever come near me again, I'll make sure you lose that precious scholarship of yours. I'll make sure you end up back on the streets where you belong." He spat like he meant those words.

Something inside me broke. But it wasn't my heart. It was my patience.

I looked at him, really looked at him. I saw the fear behind the rage. I saw the boy hiding behind the monster.

"You're pathetic," I spat.

His eyes widened in shock at my audacity.

"You can threaten me all you want," I continued, stepping closer until I was inches from him.

"You can call me names. You can break my violin. But we both know the truth. You kissed me because for the first time in your sad, lonely life, you felt something real." I reminded and I guess that hit a nerve as he snapped immediately.

"Get out," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"I'm going," I said, turning my back on him. "But not because you told me to. Because I deserve better than a coward."

I opened the door and walked out. I didn't look back.

I heard something shatter against the wall inside his room. A glass? A mirror? I didn't care.

I walked down the hallway, wiping a single tear from my cheek. I was broken, yes. My chest felt empty. But for the first time since I arrived in this hellhole, I felt free.

He could keep his money. He could keep his fear. I wasn't going to let him destroy me.

But as I reached the bottom of the stairs, I knew one thing for sure.

This wasn't over, we were only just beginning