17. Naive

"It looks like her life is not important, but the mere fake kisses are."

"I... I didn't mean that." Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she tried not to cry in front of him.

"It's just a kiss, Innessa."

"It's not just a kiss, Issac. These things are important to me. I keep intimacy in high regard, so I only wanted it to be with the person I love," she said, sniffling, averting her gaze from him.

He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the wheel, and took a deep breath.

F*ck. F*ck. F*ck.

Innessa was a f*cking dream.

"Do you love someone?" he asked, voice raspy and eyelids still closed.

"I don't. But in the future, I will."

"What type of guy do you like?"

"Honest," She whispered, and he let out a string of curses internally.

"Kind," F*ck. What gives, if she wanted a merciless guy? Sad life.

"Sweet." What was she into? Vanilla males or gays?

"Funny." Maddox would never give him lessons on how to be funny. F*ck, Maddox wasn't even funny. What the hell was Issac even thinking to begin with?

"Someone who never hurt another soul," Issac pummels other souls to the brink of death and leaves them bleeding in the pool of their warm blood.

"Loyal. The person who'd love me for me. The one who'll take care of me. Close to God. And the one who loves me so much. I want an old-school love. I'm not meant for this hookup era. I'm boring, I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, her eyes watering. She didn't understand where the conversation was going, she simply answered him whatever he asked her.

"Anything else?"

"I can't remember, wait. He must be a gentleman," She added.

Failed! She would never want him for who he was. He was rejected even before asking her to be his girl.

Never thought a day would come in his life when he'd say this word to himself.

PATHETIC!

"Don't think of it as intimacy," he said, raising his head to look at her.

"Huh?" She looked so clueless and out of place. His eyes dropped to her chest, and he malfunctioned for that fleeting second as he whipped his head away as if struck by lightning. The tip of his ears tinted red, he pressed two of his fingers on his mouth, and glared out of the window.

Why the f*ck was he reacting like that? As if he was seeing that for the first time. Her baby blue shirt was wet and clung to her chest, giving a prominent line of her bra and her bust.

Squishy.

His fingers itched to touch them as he tightened his hold on the wheel.

Jesus Christ!

He didn't believe in any God though.

"I said, don't think of these kisses as intimacy. It's all in your head, Innessa. Think of it as a help or a job which you must do," he said, and she looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

He relaxed back on his seat and faced the girl with sheer calmness.

"I know what you mean, and it's admirable. I appreciate it. But what we're talking about is someone's life. It's a serious matter. We can stop someone from killing themselves. Think about it, Innessa." He said, noticing the turmoil of emotions that flooded her eyes.

"B... But God will be angry with me," She stuttered, on the verge of crying.

"No, why would he? God will be proud of you for saving someone's life. Imagine if God asked you why you didn't save an innocent soul when you had the chance to save it. What would you answer? Do you think God will be happy with you then? I'm not a religious person, but I do know what's right and wrong in God's eyes," he said calmly.

A tear trickled down her cheek, and her chin wobbled, and then the dam broke loose as big fat tears poured out of her eyes and she kept wiping them away.

He noticed her shivering fingers as he increased the temperature of the heater.

"I don't... I don't want someone to die because of me. I don't want God to be angry with me." She said, sniffling.

His heart clenched in his chest as he leaned forward, gently wiping her tears away while cupping her fluffy cheeks. Her lips were so red and quivering. He wanted to taste them again. To be an addict of her juicy lips. To suck them, nibble on them, and douse in them forever, eternal bliss.

"Please, don't cry. I wasn't intending to hurt you like this," His voice was soft. Coaxing her innocent heart as she bobbed her head lightly while wiping her tears.

His hand was still plastered on her cold cheek as his thumb stroked her wet lower lashes.

Innessa couldn't control her tears. She didn't know why she was crying like this. Perhaps all the things that happened in the last few hours had drained her completely.

"I'm sorry," He breathed, and her eyes darted to meet his intense cognac gaze.

"I shouldn't have told you any of this. It's fine. I'll think of another way. You don't have to do this and don't worry; I'll keep telling Henry to stay away from you and pretend you're my girl-"

"N... No, I'll do it," she said, wiping her tears.

"What? No, Innessa, I'll not force you." He pulled his hand back, but she quickly grabbed his veiny hand in her small, shivering one.

His eyes zeroed in on her small hands holding his big hand with so much tenderness and gentleness. He wanted to pepper her palms with his kisses until they were a bright shade of red.

"I... It's okay. You help me, and I'll help you," she said in a small voice, looking at him with those big icy eyes.

"Are you sure? I don't want to force anything on you." He said softly as she straightened his hand before shaking it gently. Issac watched the whole act silently as the corner of his lips slightly tilted up in a faint smirk as he wrapped his fingers around her small hand and shook hands with her.

"Deal?" he asked, giving a light squeeze to her hand.

"D... Deal," She whispered.

"But I have got a request to make," she said as he grabbed some tissues and handed them to her. She gently wiped her face of all the tears. He felt uneasy seeing her swollen, red eyes. He f*cking made her cry. He was such a bastard, and he knows it.

"Anything you want," He rasped.

"N... Nothing more than a kiss should happen, no matter what. I... I need your words," she said.

"You've my word," he said instantly.

"Thank you," she said, adjusting her hair and sitting properly. She looked out of the car to find the rain had slowed down to mild drizzling.

"I should go," she said, stepping out of the car as he got out as well and came to her side.

Innessa met his eyes for a brief second before she looked around them.

"Okay then, text me when you get to your room-" His words died down in his throat when she leaned closer, got on her toes, and kissed his cheek.

He was frozen like a statue. Innessa pulled back to the balls of her feet and swallowed thickly.

"I... I can't kiss you on the lips all of a sudden, so please let me get used to it first," Her meek voice blessed his ears as he gulped. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Issac forced his body out of the hypnosis she just put him in with a pure kiss.

He cleared his throat, nodding and raking his fingers through his wet hair, combing them back, revealing his thick brows and forehead.

"I understand. Take your time," His voice sounded deeper than usual as the girl tipped her head before swiveling on her heels and scrambling into the building.

She texted him that she got in safely and watched as his car drove away after receiving that text.

She showered and changed into her comfy clothes. The girl was about to jump on the bed and embrace the little peace when a knock on her door startled her.

She peeked through the peephole to find Darla.

Innessa opened the door, and Darla looked at her with worry. "What's wrong?" Innessa asked.

"Scarlett is losing her mind. She's planning a murder," Darla said, causing Innessa's eyes to widen.

"What?" she asked, dumbfounded as she quickly grabbed her phone and card key, locked her door, and hurried with Darla to their dorm.

"I swear I'm going to kill that bastard!" Scarlett boomed at the top of her lungs.

"Calm down, Scarlett," Darla said for the hundredth time.

"Calm down? I want to murder him!"

"Murder who?" Innessa asked.

"That annoying biker!" She snarled.

Her face was turning red with anger. Scarlett was on fire, doused in unquenched wrath.

"What biker?" Innessa asked Darla in a hushed voice.

"I don't know his name. But that guy had a helmet on, and he hit her with his bike. Scarlett was carrying her architectural design, which broke on the spot," Darla explained the deadly case as Innessa gasped, cupping her mouth in horror.

Scarlett had been working so hard on that design for the past two months.

"I'll hide his dead body. No one would know," Scarlett blurted, looking almost possessed with murder in her eyes.

"We'll complain to the dean about it," Innessa offered.

"F*ck the dean. I'm going to slice that rascal piece by piece," She spat as Darla quickly brought her a glass of cold water, and the girl chugged it down savagely. She was fuming.

"Sure, you can. But relax for now. Anger never leads to anything fruitful," Innessa said softly, rubbing her arm.

"I don't care. I'll be good; fruitless." Scarlett hissed, not knowing what she was even saying.

"Relax, Scarlett. Jeez, you're spouting nonsense," Darla said, forcefully pulling her in a tight hug.

Innessa rubbed her back slowly as the girl sniffled, and slowly the tears streamed down.

"I had worked so hard for it," She sobbed as the girls sat down on the floor, consoling her gently.

"I'll kill him, and you guys must help me," Scarlett said as both Innessa and Darla nodded, agreeing to help her kill this biker dude and hide his body.

Because they were friends forever.