Chapter 6 - No one Can Know

Vera's POV

I turned to face him and said, in a way that didn't want further discussion.

"I really don't want to talk to you for now. I need space."

I walked away before he could answer. I didn't even turn to see his face. I was almost at the classroom door when two girls stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

I tried to walk around them. One of them moved her body and blocked me again. Something hot rose in my chest. I held my bag strap tighter and looked her straight in the eye.

"What is your problem?"

She didn't reply. Few students slowed down to watch, waiting to see what would happen.

The look of trouble sat heavy on their faces but I wasn't scared .

I let out one breath. Then I looked straight at the girl standing between me and the door.

"Move."

"What is your relationship with Liam?" The question dropped into the room, and every head still left in class turned to stare at us.

"And why do you care?" I crossed my arms as I had a flat look, already getting ready for whatever trouble they wanted to start.

"You should answer the question." The other girl said in a voice laced with with warning.

I didn't say anything, I just stared at them and my silence seemed to annoy the taller girl. She started walking around me slowly as her eyes looked me up and down.

"Liam doesn't give just anyone a ride to school."She stopped right in front of me with crossed arms. "So you probably should start talking, because a lot of us are curious to know."

I was about to respond when a voice cut through the room.

"Leave her alone ."

I looked up and saw Liam standing in the doorway. His hair neat and combed this morning had become messy now, falling slightly over his forehead. Somehow it made him look even more dangerous in an attractive way.

'Thank goodness.'

The girls turned around the moment they heard his voice. Their faces suddenly turned soft with shy smiles. One of them quickly put a piece of hair behind her ear.

"If you have questions, ask me instead." His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, so no one could pretend they hadn't. "Is that clear?"

"Understood," they said at the same time, then walked back to their seats like kids caught doing a bad thing.

I walked toward him slowly... A teasing smile pulling at my mouth with my eyes staying on his.

"I could have handled them myself."

"I don't have the whole day to wait so you could have handled them." His eyebrow raised slightly daring me to argue back. "Only if you want to find your way around this school yourself."

I scoffed, taking my eyes away from his face, acting like I wasn't impressed.

"Let's go." He waited until I stepped in front of him.

We had just gotten outside the classroom when someone called his name. It was Andrea, I didn't have to turn before knowing he was the one.

"What's up?" His eyes flicked toward me for a second before going back to Liam.

"I'm cool." Liam's answer was short. "I got to run Andrea, we will talk later."

They bumped fists in a familiar way, as if they have known each other a long time. Then Liam looked at me, and we started walking down the hallway.

We had gone a good distance before I looked back. Andrea was still standing by the doorway, he was watching us walk away, with no particular expression on his face.

"Do you know him well?"

"Know who?" He frowned, confused.

I looked back again, he followed my eyes and recognition lit up his face. "Andrea?"

"Yes, him."

"We are cousins."

My feet stopped moving on their own. "Cousins?"

'My ex and the guy I want now are cousins.'

"Yep." He kept walking, not noticing I wasn't walking anymore, until he turned back and saw me still standing at a spot. "Why do you look shocked?"

"I'm not."

"Did you know him before?" His eyes studied my face a little too long.

"Forget it. Let's go."

I didn't want to talk about my failed relationship and it will definitely not be with him. Not with the guy I wanted now.

Then we started walking down the hallway again.

"Where are we headed?" I asked, changing the subject on purpose.

"You'll see."

I tapped my jaw. "Oh? You're my tour guide now." I had already forgotten about the cousin thing.

He didn't answer, not even sparing a look at me.

"Well… I get to spend time with you." I added as I touched his shoulder.

That earned me an unimpressed glance.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm just following Dad's instructions."

"Wow. You really know how to hurt a girl's feelings."

He didn't respond and there was no reaction from him.

"I don't care. I still get to spend lunch time with you."

We turned left down a hallway and stopped in front of a door marked Chemistry Laboratory.

"This is the chem lab." He pointed without slowing his steps. "The physics lab is down there. That door leads to the computer lab."

"We're done here. Let's move."

"You're not going to show me inside?" I asked, surprised.

He didn't answer that either. He just kept walking, so I had no choice but to follow until we reached the stairs. We climbed up, and at the top, a door with a wooden sign read ‘Library’.

He stopped in front of it. "This is the library." Then he turned to leave.

I grabbed his hand before he could take another step. "I climbed all those stairs just for you to say 'this is the library'?"

One eyebrow went up. 'So?'

"You should show me around. I want to see the different sections."

"Come back yourself, later. Let's go."

He was about to walk away, but I held him tighter this time. Then he pulled his hand back, and the force dragged me forward... My body crashed into his so hard that we both stumbled a step back.

My chest pressed against his and one of his hands landed just below my waist keeping me steady. I could feel his heart beating fast under my palm.

Our eyes locked, and mine dropped to his mouth before moving back up to meet his stare. I bit my lower lip without meaning to.

I stood on my toes, sliding my hand up his chest and around the back of his neck, pulling him down a little to my height.

"You could have just told me you wanted me closer."

His eyes turned darker. I leaned in for a kiss, felt his breath warm against my face... Then I closed my eyes and waited.

Instead, he whispered into my ear.

"We're in school, stepsister."

My eyes opned and before I could pull away, his tongue dragged slowly across my earlobe and his hand grabbed my ass. Giving it a quick squeeze before he stepped backand put space between us.

The touch shot straight down to my core. It was so strong that I had to fight the urge to press mythighs together right there in the hallway.

I still felt annoyed and aching for the kiss I didn't get, when he spoke again.

"No one can know."

I blinked at him, lost. "Know what?”