CHAPTER ELEVEN: ARE YOU JEALOUS

GRACE

A heavy knock on the door made me stir awake, my head aching.

“Grace, go get the door,” Madison groaned, covering her ears with a pillow.

I cleaned my eyes sleepily, staggering to the door. I wasn’t ready to wake up. I pushed the door open.

“You have a package,” the older woman said.

“I think… maybe they’ve been a mistake,” I said with a confused face. I looked at the lilies and pink roses wrapped in a bouquet.

She looked down and read, “Grace Davis.”

“Yes.”

“This is for you.” She pushed the flower into my hands and left.

I pushed the door closed, still in surprise.

“Who was that?” Madison asked, sitting upright, her hair like mine scattered.

“I just received flowers.” I sat on my bed, shocked.

Madison squealed, her eyes getting clearer. “Check if there is a card?” She asked quickly.

I looked through and was able to see it immediately. The name on the card made me smile.

“Who is it from?”

“Hayden.” I couldn’t hide the smile on my lips.

Madison sat beside me, peering into the card.

“Looks like someone is truly sorry about what happened.” She laughed. “This would teach him not to let any skank come close to him.”

I haven’t told Madison that Hayden was the masked stranger. I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

I read the card and smiled. Although it was a one paragraph word, I still felt good.

“I hope you slept well!” Madison read out. “That’s all?” Madison looked at me.

I put the card softly in my drawer and rolled my eyes at my friend.

“We have class today,” I reminded her.

I didn’t have a vase for the flowers, and I also left it on my table.

It took us minutes to freshen up.

The lecture hall buzzed with conversation when we arrived. It was a full class. I searched for that familiar face but didn’t see it.

I sighed in disappointment. Maybe I was looking forward to seeing him.

“Are you looking around for him?” Madison teased.

I pinched her hard, blushing, unable to take her words. “I couldn't care less if he came to class.”

I pulled out my book from my bag, settling in. I buried myself in my book.

“Is there anyone here?” Someone asked, and I lifted my head to look at them.

A face I’ve never seen before was staring at me. Blue eyes and blonde hair. He was handsome.

He sat down beside me without hearing my reply. I looked at Madison, confused, who only shrugged.

“Grace Davis, right?” He said with a warm smile.

“How do you know my name?”

“You are popular around campus,” he shrugged like it was a well known fact.

“Popular?” I raised an eyebrow, still surprised by his words.

“My name is Ethan,” he introduced himself.

I couldn’t bring my hands to grab the hand he extended to me. After a while, he dropped them.

“I have an elective in this Major,” he explained.

There were some seniors who retook first year work.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I finally said.

At that moment, Hayden walked into the room.

Our eyes met instantly.

“I was wondering if you would like to get coffee with me,” Ethan said, unaware of whatever was going on.

Hayden walked straight to us and stood before me.

“What did you just say to my girlfriend?” He asked, frowning.

Heat crept into my cheeks at his words. Who is his girlfriend?

Ethan looked at me, then at Hayden, laughing sheepishly.

“Sorry Man. I didn’t know you guys were dating.” He said to Hayden, then whispered to me, “I’ll call you.”

I looked at him in surprise, not expecting that.

I watched as Ethan moved to sit behind me, Hayden’s eyes following his every move.

Hayden frowned, his jaw ticking. “What did he say to you?”

I laughed at him, amused by his reaction.

He didn’t find it funny one bit.

Throughout the class, Ethan kept staring at me, and Hayden, who sat beside me, was not smiling or even talking to me.

The only reaction I got was his hands gripping my thighs.

“Let’s go,” Hayden said, picking up my bag.

I looked at Madison in surprise. “Where are we heading?”

“My house,” he said in a clipped tone, and he looked unwilling to say anything more.

“I will see you later G,” Madison said, picking up her bag.

When she got close to me, she muttered, “You’re in so much trouble.”

The silence in the car got me fidgeting. I didn’t understand why he was so angry.

It was suffocating because he hadn’t looked my way since we got into the car.

“Hayden. Are you angry?” I finally asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

I looked at him in shock. I wasn’t expecting him to admit that.

“We have to finish up the group project.”

I rolled my eyes at his words. I didn’t know it was so important to him.

The car rolled to a stop in front of Hayden’s house.

“Come on,” he said, opening the car door for me.

He grabbed me and took me inside quite fast. I was lagging behind him and almost fell on the stairs.

Fortunately, his roommates weren’t at home to see it.

Hayden locked the door as soon as we got inside the room. He pushed me to the bed and fell on me, caging me from escaping.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, my eyes wide open.

“What did Ethan say to you?” He asked me.

“Ethan?” I had assumed we were behind that.

“You kept on smiling at him and exchanging glances,” he continued.

“I was just being polite,” I tried to push him away, refusing to look into his eyes. I turned my head to the other way.

“Look at me,” he commanded, pushing my face towards him.

“Are you jealous?” I whispered, my heart beating very fast.

“What if I am?”

I pushed my hands on his chest as he pressed his chest against me. In this moment, I finally met his eyes, and they were sparkling and heated with promises.

I knew I was breathing too hard and I prayed I wasn’t visibly shaking. I didn’t want him to know how bad he affected me.

“You don’t have the right to get jealous. We are only fake…..”

I wasn’t done with my words when he kissed me.

I struggled for a beat, stunned and horrified, my head telling me how wrong it all was, but my body refused to listen.

My hands grabbed his shirt and for the first time, I responded to his kiss in a very clumsy way.

He tasted like peppermint and smelled so good, like usual.

I wasn’t expecting the way my body responded to him.

My head was spinning.

My nipples were sensitive. I rubbed them achingly on his chest, moaning.

“You smell so good, Grace.” His lips moved to my neck. I shuddered as he sucked my neck, my feet curling from how good it felt.

“No matter how you run from me. Your body knows who owns it.”

His hands moved to the front of my shirt, discreetly unbuttoning a button.

“You don’t know how much I want you, Grace,” he says.

“You consume my every thought. What spell did you cast on me?” He asks, lifting his head.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t think.

My entire world was focused on him at this very moment. My chest clenched hard.

I was gone, far too gone.

At this moment, there were three things I was sure of. First, Hayden was my stepbrother, and I couldn’t think of him in any other way. Second, since the first day I met him in the boy’s locker room…I knew our lives would be linked together. Thirdly, I was positive, I was in love with him.

“Let’s go on a date.”

“What?”