Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
I shrugged.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my God, you do!” The words came out in an awed whisper.
I typed furiously on my phone. I DO NOT.
KC only smiled. “Yes, you do, and...” She touched my hand gently. “Don’t you think it’s time?”
Because KC was one of the few persons who knew what I had gone through, the words made me inhale sharply.
Was it time?
If it was time for me to live, did it also mean it was time for me to forget Ashton?
I shook my head at KC and touched my heart. The way her smile faded, I knew she got what I meant. She got it because she was the opposite of me. If there was someone I didn’t want to forget, she had someone she didn’t want to remember.
KC gave me her phone and I saw she had typed something. Do you think he really likes you?
I bit my lip as I took my phone, my fingers directionless over the keypad. Finally, I typed my answer. He’s Kellion Argyros. I doubt it.
KC only nodded.
A tiny part of me was sad that she did. Both of us knew it was likely the truth. That the biker only thought of me as a novelty, a challenge, someone to play with. It was a sensible conclusion, but even so it made my chest squeeze.
Tightly.
Almost as tight as it did the first time I saw Ashton’s lip trembled while trying not to cry after being shouted at.
I looked away from KC, not wanting her to see how I suddenly had to fight off tears. I miss you, kiddo. I really, really, really miss you.
HE WAS THERE AGAIN when classes ended. The biker. I preferred thinking of him that way because it made him less...real.
He was waiting for me outside the building, leaning against his bike. I knew from Bobby that the bikers liked to call their rides their ‘beasts’, and, well, his beast was beautiful. It had a black body, accentuated by silvery highlights. The metallic color threw me off a bit. Somehow, it felt too...elegant for him. He struck me as the flamboyant type. Not in a shallow way, of course, but rather, in a way that told everyone to fuck off while he enjoyed life’s greatest thrills.
Girls surrounded him, chatting him up. I tried to use it to escape his notice and creep away, but I hadn’t even turned around when I heard him speak.
“Aria.”
I stilled. Busted. Again. I touched my chest, which was squeezing again, but not painfully this time. Just the kind that made it hard to breathe, the kind that made me wonder if I was excited to see him.
I grimaced at the thought. Yuck.
Kellion was suddenly in front of me, a Greek god in a black leather jacket and jeans. A laugh escaped him when he caught sight of my grimace. The sound drew everyone’s attention towards us. The way everyone reacted to him made me grimace even more. It was like he truly no ordinary mortal, and every little thing he did was...groundbreaking.
Yuck.
Kellion suddenly pinched my cheeks, stretching them to force me to smile. “Stop looking at me like I disgust you.” But he sounded far from insulted. If it wasn’t so ridiculous, I would have thought he sounded...pleased.
Releasing my cheeks to hold my hand, he said, “Today’s a Friday.”
His grip felt so familiar. That was bad.
“Aria?”
I cocked my head to the side. So what if it’s Friday?
“You don’t have any classes tomorrow.” Kellion gestured to his bike. “Want to go somewhere?”
I didn’t have to think. I just shook my head.
His lips twitched. “Actually, forget I asked. I’m taking you with me anyway.”
No! If I could have blurted it out, I would have. If I could have pulled away from him, I would have. But he was too strong. Too beautiful. Too...everything that reminded me of a hero, the kind that I needed because people like him were capable of saving people like Ashton.
The girls who stood in our way looked like they were about to cry as Kellion walked past without looking at them even once. I hated it. Really, really hated this sneaky part of him, making me feel like I truly was the only girl who existed for him.
When we reached his bike, he stopped and turned to me with narrowed eyes. “Stay there. If you move, remember what I told you this morning?”
I did, and so I nodded quickly.
“Good.” He swung one leg over his bike. His beast roared to life at his command and when Kellion was settled, he offered me his hand.
Even knowing what could happen if I refused him, I hesitated.
As if sensing my inner turmoil, Kellion said quietly, “Don’t be scared. It’s okay.”
My breath caught at the words.
Those words – weren’t those the ones he said the day he saved the Deaf person? The day he saved me?