Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Rhys’ POV

How could I not tremble? He was standing way too close that it was too inappropriate.

'Don't tremble, Rhysand. Don't fucking tremble.'

I repeated the words like a prayer as I stopped breathing entirely as his eyes trailed back to meet my dark blue eyes. His lips were so close that if he moved them to speak, our lips would touch.

Something pulled in my lower belly. He didn't touch me. He shouldn't even dare do that, but the proximity was crippling.

Would it be the worst thing in the world to bite his lip and make him bleed out? I lowered my eyes, looking away from his dark gaze that seemed to stare into my soul.

We stood there like that for what felt like hours, but it was only for a minute. I balled my fists, clenching my jaw, trying not to breathe.

"Rhys," he said, my name like it was some kind of divine prayer. It was sinful the way my name rolled off his tongue. My heart skipped a beat as I finally dragged my gaze to look at him.

Enzo Terrain was devilishly handsome that it was unfair. What truly was unfair was that his face was too attractive, objectively. I wasn't attracted to him, of course. I was straight, and even if I weren't, he would be the last person I'd ever like. He was a terrible person with an arrogance that made everything go over his head.

Without thinking about it, I ducked my head and moved past him so I could fucking breathe. His presence was demanding and suffocating at the same time. It was exhausting being around him because he monopolised my thoughts. He had no right to monopolise anything of mine.

"Had fun with your little experiment?"

He leaned against the wall again. "Of course I did. You, on the other hand, are sweating. Why might that be?" He whispered smugly, "I won."

"You didn't win anything." I narrowed my eyes. "The room is hot. You don't affect, and you never will."

"Is that a dare?"

"A dare. A challenge. Call it whatever the fuck you want, but you will never get to touch and nothing you do will ever be enough to make not hate you, dick."

Enzo had the audacity to laugh. "You lie so prettily. If I hadn't been in the same room where your heart pounded so loudly, I would fall for it. Why won't you just admit the truth?"

"Truth? Do you like making things up? Sure."

"If I had known you would be this fun, I'd have never bothered with Chloe."

Something in me snapped at the casual way he mention the girlfriend that he fucked. Granted, said ex-girlfriend was a serial cheater who had been using me for her own gain. He still had no right to make fun of me.

"Fuck off," I spat.

"Or what? You'll write about this in your gay p**n comic? What can you do, darling with the tantrums that you keep - "

Whatever he wanted to say, he never saw the light of day as I punched his face. My knuckled appeared to have cracked, and his face snapped sideways. What the fuck was he made of? Steel. I hissed in pain.

His eyes flickered to mine in an instant, and he did not look like he was in pain, but he was practically fuming with his chest heaving.

"You had it fucking coming, because you just couldn't help running your mouth." I said, scoffing, even though my fingers were most definitely broken. "So, you will not talk to me unless it has to do with hockey or our group project, got it?"

Enzo watched me with those sinful eyes. He did not appear to have heard me. He crossed the distance between us, and I stepped back until my back hit the wall.

Enzo grabbed my cheeks with one hand, and I had to look at his face. "You are very lucky I am in a good mood today, Rhys. Hitting me after I showed you what kind of girl you had is another level of ungratefulness. If I had known you would be so blind, I'd have left you in that relationship."

"What did you expect would happen when you fucked my girlfriend? Did you expect me to get on fucking knees to thank you?"

"If you would prefer to," he said mockingly. My eye twitched, and I tried to calm myself down. He was provoking me and I was doing the same. He was making me do things I would have never done. I punched him.

He did deserve it.

"Is that why you're so upset? That I fucked her?"

"No! You humiliated me. Both of you humiliated me! And now you think you've saved me. If that's what you truly think, then you truly are a narcissistic idiot."

Enzo let me go quickly, and something flashed in his those dark green eyes. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he increased the distance between us.

He was silent for a while, and my mind raced with so many thoughts. Why did he stop? Did I say... something? But everything I said was the truth. Is it because I called his terrible behaviour out?

"Tomorrow, 6am, meet me at the ice rink."

What? The change of his tone caught me off guard. What happened? His voice was serious, and his face became blank like he was issuing an order rather than telling me. I did a double-take, and that was when I noticed the way he stood. He was guarded, and whatever emotion I could read before was non-existent. His eyes were cold as he looked at me.

"Ice rink? Why? I thought we'd go to the arena to train."

He stifled a sigh. "You are shit at using the skates. How do you want to play hockey if you can't even skate? Do you understand, brat?"

The word was meant as an insult, and I felt hurt.

I nodded, reluctantly. Fuck him a hundred times.

"Six am, don't be late." With that, he left my room and banged the door.

Fine. If that's how he wanted to play, then I'd play. It doesn't mean I'd make anything easy for him. He would regret it all.

***

At exactly 6am, the fucker banged on my door like a fucking maniac. I didn't answer it. I wore my headphones, made sure to lock the doors and windows. He kept banging and maybe making threats about pushing me down the stairs, but I ignored it all by writing a chapter for my new comic. The inspiration was flowing like a river. Perfect.

I also finished up my chapter for one of my writing classes.

When it was about 8 a.m., I stepped out of the room, pretending to yawn like I had just woken up.

Enzo was in the kitchen, his palms on the counter.

"Good morning," I greeted with a smile on my face. Enzo greeted me with an equally sickening smile.

O....kay, that was not what I expected from the psycho captain over here.

"We'll meet at the rink by 4 pm this evening, and this time, show up." He left the kitchen after saying just that. What the fuck? Was I living on an alien planet?

He had been yelling this morning. My brows furrowed, but I didn't think much about it. I had to get to class.

The class was partially empty by the time I got there. I waited for the professor and other students by watching the writing seminars and texting my mum to see if she was alright. She would probably answer a week later.

I switched laptops with Cory, we were going to read our partner's work out to the class. I had finished reading Cory's chapter which was a deep introspective take on unrequited love. It was beautiful. Mine was about grief and neglect.

"Cory, your turn to read Rhys's work," Professor Mackey said as he sat on his desk.

Cory nodded with a smile. "Fuck me harder, Jason. I want you to be in me right this minute! Please... Jason! Oh!"

My eyes widened. That wasn't the fucking chapter. What was Cory reading? The entire class was laughing, and Cory covered his face in total shame at what he just read.

My cheeks became redder than a tomato. How the fuck was this happening? I would never make such a mistake! Unless it was switched by....

Enzo.

Oh, fuck. I would murder him with my two hands. I didn't even wait for class to be over as I snatched the laptop and left the room, fuming as I marched to the hockey arena.