Chapter Four

Elias froze, unable to believe her eyes. 

He had the cap of the hoodie on, plus the dimly lit street lamp, which cast a shadow on his face that had this careless perfection she'd always drooled over from afar, and his hands were buried inside the pockets of his dark jeans. 

The moment their eyes locked, everything around her seemed to disappear and a funny feeling swirled inside her stomach. 

It wasn't just funny, it was the realisation that Kaelen was actually here, and he was really walking up to her. 

After the book leak!.

Oh no! 

"W...what are you doing here?" Her voice asked, coming out so small it was almost inaudible. 

As he stopped right in front of her, she noticed his jaw was clenched and his shoulders were tense. The look on his face wasn't the usual smirk, either, making her even more anxious. 

"I told myself a dozen times that I didn't care," He said, his voice deeper than she knew it to be, "But one needs to face an issue when...one arises,"

Elias could see the irritation flickering in his beautiful Grey eyes. She opened her mouth to say something - anything, but it felt like her voice had been snatched completely. Her heart was already a beating mess, thudding so hard against her ribcage. 

"I cannot stop thinking about you, about that damn book," He muttered. 

Elias flinched, and Kaelen noticed. But that didn't stop him from continuing, "Do you know me? Why would you write something like that?"

Her lips parted, and words came out, "It was... private. I didn't mean for...,"

"Doesn't answer the question," 

She swallowed tightly, "Because...," She paused, fidgeting her fingers around her pants, "You were the only thing in my life I didn't have to explain, and you made me feel things I didn’t think I was supposed to feel. And you were everywhere—cool, confident, always being looked at. And I wasn’t. So I made a world where you saw me. Where I could exist next to you and not feel like a ghost. It was stupid. But it helped me breathe when I felt like I couldn’t,”

Elias's stomach churned badly. She had said more than intended, and could only hold her breath and wait for his reaction. 

He didn't answer, he didn't move and just stared. 

"And now the whole damn school knows about the version of me you have in your head," 

She looked up at him, noticing his eyes had softened a bit even though he still looked somewhat irritated, "I'm sorry," She whispered. 

Kaelen let out a tired sigh, the irritation vanished and was replaced with an unreadable look, "I wanted to hate you, you know?" He muttered, "I came here to yell, to freak you out, scare you a bit,"

"Thanks?" She bit her lips. 

"Well yeah, that plan's gone to hell!" His gaze flickered, and his gaze seemed to deepen, "Elias McIntyre... You have no idea what you've just brought upon yourself, right?"

Her eyes widened a bit, "What?" 

Inside her, she screamed. He knew her name! Of course he did, she was the most trending person at college right now and he is the reason why!

"I'm not letting this go. You're not forgiven for your actions, for turning me into your fantasy,"

"I'm sorry," She mumbled again. 

"Sorry isn't gonna solve anything,"

"Then, what is?" She inquired. 

A gleam crossed his eyes, one that was different from the mischief that was usually there. She had no idea what he could be thinking, what he wanted, how he truly felt. Honestly, she just wanted the ground to open and swallow her up. 

"I don't know yet," His eyes bore into hers, "But one thing is for sure - you haven't heard the last of me,"

"Alright," She released a huge breath slowly, "I guess I have to pay for the consequences of my actions, which I'm already paying for by the way," She murmured the last part. 

"What?"

She looked away, "Nothing,"

"Tell me!" His voice sounded too deep and compelling, and she was, of course, a sucker for everything about him. 

Instinctively, she fisted her hand and he looked down at it, noticing the scrape on her palm. 

"I didn't ask for any of this," She replied. 

"Neither did I," He returned. 

The silence returned. That dangerous silence made her heart beat even faster, and that made her plead with the earth for it to open and swallow her up. 

She looked up at him, and their eyes met once again. This time, they really looked at each other as if it were their first time. And for a second there, everything blurred. 

The journal. The rumours. The noise. 

It was just Kaelen Nightshade and Elias McIntyre. 

"You know," Kaelen said slowly, "I should walk away,"

"You should," 

He didn't do it. 

"I should be pissed,"

"You are,"

"Not as much as I want to be,"

Something simmered between them. Something unexpectedly warm and electric. It was the last thing Elias was expecting, wondering if this was really Kaelen or just his bad boy side pulling the strings of her already fallen heart. 

But Kaelen was out of her league. He had nothing to do with a girl like her. He was just here to confront her on the situation she had put him in, and let her know that he was angry and wasn't letting it just slide like that. 

"You're weird, McIntyre," His voice softened again, making her head spin. And, he sounded like he was somewhat fond of her. 

"If you say so,"

"You're seriously messing with my head, McIntyre,"

"I didn't mean to," Elias whispered. 

"Too late," He said, "You fantasised about me tying your wrists to-"

"Please, don't!" She cut him off, her cheeks flushing crimson red. Talking about the fantasies she wrote about her crush, with her crush was gonna make her explode. She was already drowning from embarrassment and he just had to say this. 

Kaelen chuckled, a low deep rumble that had her falling for him all over again. It was really as if she were wired to swoon at every part of him, like a diehard, obsessed fan. She truly was his number one fan. 

"Just saying. Some of it was flattering,"

"Oh my God, please stop!"

The silence returned. Even more tense than the last time. 

Elias stood there, hoping to break it with the first sentence that escaped her tone, "I'm really sorry for everything, Kaelen," 

"Like I said, I can't just ignore that you've imagined my hands on you a hundred different ways," As he said so, his eyes left her face for the first time, slowly travelling down her body. 

They lingered on her sweatshirts and pants, making Elias feel more exposed. What could he be thinking about her?

Unattractive? Of course, that would be it. After all, there's never a girl she's seen next to him that has the same sense of style as her. 

"You'll have to pay, one way or the other," He finished, his eyes slowly coming back to hers. 

Elias has always perceived Kaelen as the quiet, cool bad boy. He moved with refined steps, and every single inch of him reeked of pure masculine hotness. 

"A lot of other girls have imagined your hands on them in more than a hundred ways," Elias blurted before she could help herself, and instead of stopping there and slapping her mouth shut, she continued like she didn't care, even though she cared the most, "I just happened to be the one who wrote it down and it got leaked. It's... not fair making me pay for something out of my control," Elias bit her lips as she said the last part. 

The gleam in his eyes intensified, and he took a step toward her, forcing her to swallow and almost take a step back herself. He took another step, now standing just a feet away from her. 

"You're right, McIntyre..." He began, "This isn't my first rodeo. I've gotten many heartfelt letters, dirty messages sent to fake accounts, and a girl once asked if I'd sign her thigh with a Sharpie. And if you already don't know, a lot of them line up just to get screwed,"

She held her breath. 

"But none of that stuck,"

Her toes curled. 

"Yours did,"

Elias swallowed. She wanted to know, "W...why?"

"Because yours didn't sound like a fantasy to me," His voice dropped into a deep, rough velvet, and he leaned over a bit so their faces were levelled and he was staring directly into her glasses, into the eyes that lay behind them, "It sounded like a confession,"

Her skin buzzed from his closeness and her lungs inhaled as he scented like leather and engine,

"And that makes it different, McIntyre," He said, and added, "It makes you different,"

Her heart almost stopped. 

He didn't wait for a reply. He turned around and began to walk away. 

"Do you hate that I'm different?" She yelled after him, curious. 

He paused, without turning around he replied, "That's the problem, McIntyre, I like it,"

And then he was on his bike, and gone. 

Minutes passed, and Elias stood there like she had frozen from the cold weather. 

Finally, she quietly unlocked her door and walked into her apartment. All she could hear were his final words, and of course, her heart slamming so hard she feared her chest might start to hurt soon. 

This was their first actual conversation, and had exceeded her expectations in every manner. 

Kaelen Nightshade now knows about her existence. And...he liked what he had read.