Passionate Exchange

Chapter Twenty-Five

I shout, attempting to push past him but it's no use, "you can't just drag me out of class whenever you feel like it!" He stands in front of the door, blocking me from leaving, with his hands clutched in front of him. I give up and stand at the other side of the room, relying on the desks in between us to protect me.

"What are you doing?" He starts towards me. I try to ignore the racing of my heart in my chest.

"Compromising. You're not going to let me out of this room so I'm not going to let you come near me." I state plainly. He raises his eyebrows in disbelief, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

My chest fills with pride, I've rendered him speechless.

"Fine," he huffs, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the door. His biceps bulge under his signature black t-shirt making it harder for me to stay away. I keep my gaze glued to his face. "We need to talk."

"We are talking."

"This isn't a joke, Madison. I'm serious." His eyes pour into mine.

My jaw tenses and I no longer care about the distance between us. I want to be close enough to punch him, that's what I want most right now. "You're serious? What about me? I came to talk to you, but you didn't listen. You told me to forget about it," saying these words aloud causes a lump to form in my throat, I swallow it. "What makes you think I should listen to what you have to say?"

We are only centimetres apart now. I hate the way my body reacts to our proximity. I should do as he said and forget about the kiss. My body has a mind of its own though. My mouth feels dry, and I gulp. "No," I say more to myself than to him as I stumble backwards.

"I've seen you with other girls, Archer. You use them for your entertainment and then kick them to the curb when you're bored. I don't know if I didn't make it clear enough yesterday, but I don't want to see you again." Hurt flashed in his eyes but I know that it hurts me to say those words more than it does him. "I'm not going to be one of your booty calls."

I push past him, this time successfully, and my hand hovers over the lock. "I made a mistake." He sighs deeply. His voice is pleading, begging me to stay and hear him out. Part of me wants to but another wants to run as far away as possible.

"I know," is the last thing I say before I turn the lock and open the door. I'm not going back to class. I could probably tell the nurse that I have a headache and leave. That's what I want to do right now, I want to be curled up in my bed with a tub of ice cream.

I don't make it out of the door though. His hand intertwines with mine and electricity shoots up my arm from the contact. I shiver involuntarily. He spins me around, so I'm facing him. His eyes are pouring into mine, stealing all of my air. Focus, Madison. I stand my ground and attempt to ignore my body's reaction.

"I made a mistake letting you leave yesterday."

"Archer," I breathe. "I can't hear this right now." I snatch my hands out of his grasp no matter what my body is telling me. I feel cold from the loss of contact, but I ignore it. My feet move hurriedly against the tiles as I try to calm my racing heart. Once again, I don't make it far.

"Listen to me, Madison." His pained voice causes my steps to falter. I squeeze my eyes shut; I shouldn't turn around. I should carry on walking until I'm far away from him and his hypnotising eyes.

Melissa's words ring in my head, do what you want. So, I do, I turn around.

His eyebrows raise. I tap my foot against the floor impatiently. He notices and breathes deeply. "I can't get you out of my head," he inches closer to me. "I wanted to be selfless for once. I wanted to do what I knew was right, so I told you that night at the party meant nothing. I saw how it made you feel but I knew that it was a small price to pay. You shouldn't be around me."