The Billionaire's Surrogate Bride For Christmas

BETH'S POV

“Listen, Beth, you should have told me the reason why you never wanted us to have sex was that you're battling some bartholin's gland cyst, rather than hiding under the facade of wanting to remain chaste till our wedding night,” Clement’s outburst left me in shock and I couldn't believe he'd uttered such words to me.

“Babe, that's not true. I recently found out about it and I thought it wise to tell you as my boyfriend. Don't make me regret that decision,” I retorted, slightly disappointed as I looked around the college cafeteria to make sure no one was eavesdropping on our conversation.

“You must think I'm a kid. You didn't just lie to me; you also deceived me into falling in love with you, knowing we can't have sex; how pathetic can you be?” I was already feeling embarrassed. The attention of the crowd was on us and I wished the ground could open up and swallow me.

“Clem, I can never deceive you. I never knew I had such till I consulted a physician—”

“Hold it right there! There's no reasonable explanation you have to give. I'm done with this sham called a relationship. Delete my number and never reach out to me again!” He reeled off and my eyes widened in shock.

“No babe, you can't do this. Please, you can't do this. I love you more than you can imagine, and you mean a lot to me. Please, don't do this–” I pleaded, reaching out for his arm but he tossed me aside, leaving me to collide with the table.

Tears clouded My vision as I watched his retreating figure storm out of the cafeteria. It felt like a significant part of me was being ripped away and my heart shattered into a million pieces.

“Wow! I think the lovebirds just broke up,” I heard a sophomore squeal and I shot her a deadly glare.

“Awwww— is that tears I see on her face? She looks pathetic!” A member of her clique added and they burst into laughter.

Unable to remain in their presence and continue bearing the embarrassment, I wiped off the tear stain on my cheek and returned to my hostel to bawl my eyes out in the comfort of my room since Layla, my roommate, would be absent.

I buried my face in my pillow, allowing the tears to roll down uncontrollably. Since grade 7, I have had a crush on Clement. I always admired him from afar; being the class nerd, I couldn't summon the courage to walk up to him or express my feelings. When he left Crest Strides High School at the end of the session, I thought I'd never see him again and felt like a fool for not expressing my feelings, but fate brought us back when we coincidentally enrolled at the same college.

I was extremely shy to approach him at first, considering the fact that he was the ladies’ man. Almost all the girls in this college had a thing for him, and I maintained my distance till that very day he walked up to me in the art gallery.

***********

I was gazing keenly at a blank canvas, with a series of designs flashing through my head when his familiar voice jolted me out of my reverie. “Hey, weirdo!”

I turned around with a surprised expression and I almost melted on the spot, getting an opportunity to have a close view of his handsome face.

“Hi—- I'm not a weirdo,” I corrected the impression because almost everyone in the college thought I was weird except Layla, my roommate.

“That's the perfect term to describe someone who stays away from the crowd and even the one person she's dying to have a moment with.”

His words caught me off guard and I squinted my gaze.

“Excuse me, what do you mean?” I asked and he took a step closer, making my heart palpitate.

“You can't deny the fact that you know what I mean. Tell me, haven't you been dying to have this moment? Haven't you longed to be in such proximity?” He asked, leaning closer as his warm breath fanned my face.

His breath liberated a faint scent of vanilla and it seemed to have made my thoughts a mess. I couldn't think straight as I peered deeply into his sea-blue orbs.

“Tell me, you don't want me to seal those lips of yours with mine till they become plump,” He pressed further in a low tone, slightly above a whisper as he got closer. I took a step backwards, and my back hit the rock-hard wall behind me.

As he continued speaking, my focus was on his thin velvety lips as they moved in unison. Time seemed to have stopped, and I was drowning in his charm, unconscious of my surroundings, till he captured my lips in his, stealing my first kiss.

The feeling was foreign at first as he suckled on my lower lip, trying to pry them open and gain full access. I knew nothing about kissing, I just stood like a statue, enjoying the moment while he dominated my mouth wholly. His hand sneaked around my waist in an instant, pulling me closer, and I felt the warmth from his body sip through mine.

A cold breeze blew across my lips the next instant and I realized he had pulled away. I hung my head shyly to hide the expression on my face, and he lifted my chin, gazing directly into my eyes like he was in search of something I couldn't phantom.

“Bethany Blakes, will you be my girlfriend?” His words caught me off guard and I was dumbstruck for a moment. I stood still, trying to register the question in my head and he lifted his brow inquisitively. I thought no one knew my name as most people either called me Beth or Weirdo but I was surprised when he called me by my full name.

‘Does that mean he has always wanted me as much as I wanted him?’ I thought inwardly, studying his facial expressions to miss no detail.

‘Clement Hilton, the college playboy, is asking me to be his girlfriend?’ It seemed like a dream, and I pinched myself to return to reality, but there he was, still standing before me with longing in his eyes.