Chapter Two

Elias could not believe her eyes, and her mind raced with thoughts. Had he managed to read what she had written in the book before she had snatched it up? 

Nervously, she stood up to her feet and threw her bag over her shoulders, her fingers clutching around the handle. She avoided his eyes by all means, her gaze fixed on his leather jacket. 

"Sorry about that," She blurted out, glad she didn't stutter in between. 

Elias's movements are a bit frantic, and Kaelen watched with a slight, unreadable smirk playing on his lips. 

Just as she took a step to continue her run, Kaelen reached out and grabbed her arm, "Wait," He said, his deep voice a low rumble. 

Elias's eyes widened as her eyes settled on his grip, and she swallowed softly as he began inching closer to her. 

Kaelen reached out a hand, and his fingers brushed slightly against her temple. Elias flinched, sucking in a deep breath from his touch just as he gently plucked a wisp of cotton from her hair. She must have picked it up from a student's clothing while rushing here, "You had something," He murmured, and his gaze lingered on her face for a second more before he dropped the cotton. 

Elias blinked, "Ahh, thanks for that," She took a step back again, putting some distance between them, "B...bye," And she took off running out of the school. 

She could feel him staring at her back as she went till she was completely out of sight. Once she got back to the apartment, she dropped the book on her bed and picked up her regular jotter before rushing back to school to catch her next class. 

But the class was a blur. She could not stop replaying her encounter with Kaelen in her head, and kept blushing like an idiot throughout class. 

"Someone's in a good mood," Chloe popped as they walked out of class together, staring at Elias. 

Elias shrugged, "What?"

"You tell me what! You've been smiling and blushing all day,"

"Nothing, really. The weather just seems so nice,"

Chloe looked up at the sky, but there were clouds everywhere. Plus, the weather was a little hot. 

"Right..." Chloe wasn't in agreement. 

"Here," Elias pulled out a book and pen from her bag along with her keys, then she handed the bag to Chloe, "I gotta get to the book club now or I'm gonna be late. I'll come to your apartment to get my bag when I'm done,"

"Alright, see you,"

"Bye," Elias waved back as she turned around and jogged back into school. 

They usually held the book club meeting at the art studio, along with a few other students who loved reading, especially Romance novels. The club was composed mostly of girls, with half being nerds like her. 

Usually, the Club was held for a total of about four hours, but they finished early today, and Elias was walking toward the main college gate alone. It was late afternoon, and the sky was colored in burnt orange behind the thick clouds. 

As she approached the university gate, her attention was snagged by a familiar figure. 

Kaelen. 

He was walking toward a row of bike racks where his powerful machine was parked, but unlike usual when he moved with his usual cool confidence, today there was an irritable edge in the way he moved, and his shoulders were a bit hunched. 

Walking not too far from him, Elias noticed a dark bruise on his cheekbones. His Jacket had a smudge of dirt around the shoulders, and as he took his helmet, she noticed an abrasion around his knuckles.

Did he...get into a fight again?

As if sensing someone's gaze on him, Kaelen looked up abruptly and his grey eyes met hers for a brief moment. They were more intense than usual, and his jaw was clenched, obviously still reeling back from his fight. 

A surge of heat climbed her neck, and she instantly averted her gaze and quickened her steps, her head down. 

Behind her, she heard the roar of his engine come to life and then the noise grew louder and closer. Elias's heart raced, knowing he was about to ride past her. 

Instinctively, she looked up at that very second as he did. The scent of leather and exhaust washed down her lungs, and their eyes met for the second time that evening, charged and intense. 

Then, he accelerated and was gone in the next few seconds. 

Elias released a deep breath she had been holding. She placed a palm over her chest, feeling as her heart kept threatening to burst out of its cage. 

As she walked home alone, her face was red the entire time. Today had turned out to be one of the most magical days of her life, as she had run into her crush not just once but twice, with both times, a brief, but somehow heated interaction happening between them. 

Maybe... Kaelen was finally noticing her after all these years, and it was thanks to her bringing that jotter to school in the first place!

On getting to Chloe's place, she reached under a large stone and took out Chloe's apartment spare key. Then, she unlocked and let herself in.

Chloe was in the living room when Elias walked in, her head buried in a book. She was so engrossed in what she was reading she barely noticed someone had walked in, till Elias called her name. 

"Chloe, I'm back," 

Chloe jumped, clearly startled and quickly shoved the book she was reading behind her, her chest heaving up and down. 

Elias paused, watching her friend warily, "What were you reading?"

"Nothing," Chloe replied, "You're back early. What happened?"

Elias narrowed her gaze slightly at her friend, wondering why she was looking so nervous, "We finished early, now what was that book you were reading?"

"I told you, it's nothing, really,"

"Really?" Elias inched closer, "Then, let me see," She extended her hand, "I wanna see what you were reading,"

"What?" Chloe breathed and stood up, clutching the book behind her back as she took slow steps away from her friend, "No, why?"

"You said it was nothing!" 

"Alright, fine. It's something. It's my... journal. My Personal Journal," She confessed tightly, still moving back toward her room. 

"I know you have a journal, Chloe. But it's not that big," Elias gazed at her friend suspiciously, "Tell me the truth, I won't bite, honestly,"

A hint of irritation crossed Chloe's face, disappearing as fast as it came, "I have more than one Journal, now stop bothering me about it!" 

"Then stop acting weird about it," Elias rolled her eyes, keeping her arms extended, "Where's my bag?"

"It's in my room. Wait here!" 

She kept walking backwards with her hands behind her, till she disappeared into her room. 

Elias shook her head at her best friend's weird behaviour, before she fell back on the couch, waiting for her belongings. In a few minutes, Chloe walked out and handed her the bag. 

"Here," she said. 

"Hidden your Journal?" Elias teased. 

"Whatever," 

"Well, I'm Leaving. See you tomorrow at school," 

As she stopped in front of her apartment, Elias shoved her hands into her pockets to take her key, but she felt it was empty. Confused, she searched through the other pockets but there was nothing there. 

Next, she looked into her bag and there was her key in the inner pocket. Elias was really confused now, because she would have sworn while giving Chloe her bag earlier, she had taken her book, pen and key with her, after which she had slipped the key into her pants. 

Elias didn't think much about it. Whatever the situation, at least she found her key. 

Getting into her apartment, Elias hung her bag on the small rack and jumped on her bed. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it tightly, a cheeky smile on her face as she recalled Kaelen picking her hair. 

Maybe... just maybe, this was the beginning of something new. 

But if Alex ever finds out about this, he'll be so mad at her. 

But he wasn't in charge of her life now, was he? 

Just then, her phone began to ring and the word 'Mum' appeared on her screen. Elias groaned, about to ignore it when she remembered her brother's exact words about giving her address to their parents if she didn't comply. 

"Why haven't you been picking up my calls?" Was the first thing Amanda, her mum, yelled from the other end of the phone. 

"What do you want, mum?" Elias grunted. 

"I asked you a question!"

"And I asked you one, too. We both know you only call when you need something from me, so what is it?"

The other side of the line was quiet for a few seconds, then Amanda replied, "I need your attention, Elias,"

Elias paused, not expecting that at all. She sat up in bed, "What do you mean by that?"

"You once mentioned you worked a part-time job, right? How much is the monthly pay?" 

Elias glowered, "You want money?"

"Look, can you just come home?! I need to see and talk to you. Or better still, what's your apartment address? I'll come to you myself,"

"No!" Elias exclaimed, "Don't come, can you tell me everything over the phone?"

"No, just come home. Your Dad has been asking about you, too," Amanda said softly. 

Honestly, Elias was a little scared. She's never heard her mother sound like this before. It was usually the scowl and the complaints, and Elias considered coming home. 

"Fine, I'll drop by during the weekend," 

"Please do. I'll be waiting for you,"

"Yeah, Bye,"

"Bye, El," 

Right from her first year of college, Elias has always worked a part-time job as a waitress in a local restaurant not too far from her apartment. The restaurant was well-known and fancy. Plus, the pay was enough for her to pay for her apartment and look after herself, since most of her parents' attention was on Alex all the time. 

And she didn't have to worry about College fees since she was a scholarship student at Northwood. 

.

.

.

There was something different about today. 

Elias noticed it the moment she stepped into school. Everyone was whispering and buzzing about something, and it was not the usual academic chatter. Elias tried to ignore it, thinking of the lecture she was having this morning. 

But as she walked further into the school, the buzz intensified. Eyes followed her as she went, and Elias believed it was probably all in her head. Maybe a new viral video was out, or there was another scandal on campus. 

Then, the glances became even more direct. People began pointing at her, and some giggled as she walked past. Elias's stomach tightened, and a wave of unease crept up her back. 

What the hell was going on?

She clutched the handle of her bag tightly, quickening her steps. She just wanted to find herself within the safety of a building, and hopefully, when she steps back out, everything will be back to normal. 

"Well, well, well," A feminine voice purred, and a trio of high-heeled footsteps clicked aggressively toward her, "Would you look at that? If it isn't our little writer, Elias,"

Elias froze, instantly recognising the voice of Bianca Edward - the most popular girl and also Queen Bee on campus, who also happened to be Kaelen's on-and-off girlfriend. 

Bianca was flanked by her cronies, Brooke and Selena and the three girls quickly blocked Elias's path. 

"I heard you have a very interesting read for us," Selena chimed in, her eyes dancing with amusement and something else. Something...that wasn't funny at all. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elias said, standing her ground. It was the first time Bianca had talked to her. 

Ever. 

Usually, she was jumping between Kaelen and Alex, but was mostly with Kaelen. 

"Oh, I think you do," Bianca took a step closer, "You know, for a girl who's practically invisible, you certainly have a very vivid and wild imagination. Especially when it comes to my boyfriend!" She leaned her face into Elias, invading her personal space,"Or should I say, Fantasy boyfriend,"

And that was when it finally hit Elias, and a chill ran down her spine all the way down to her bones. 

The book. It was...her Fantasy book.