Loved You First (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 16: Ian

Ian Connor's POV.

When I was a kid, I was a total geek. Nerd. Weirdo. Whatever you call it. I had freckles on the tip of my nose, braces and a large framed glasses. What could I say? I needed them back then.

I was a bully magnet. Everywhere I go, the mall, school, restaurants, I could practically hear every snicker around the room. My jaw would tighten as tears start to form around my eyes.

But I wouldn't give them that kind of satisfaction. I won't. And I didn't.

Maybe that's the reason why I know when a person's about to cry. It's like my sixth sense.

I don't want people to feel that way because I know how it hurts. That lump in your throat that seemed to be stuck and you want to take it out. The sting in your eyes because you didn't want to blink; if you did, the tears would fall.

But what did I do?

I made her feel those exact same things.

I saw it all.

The sharp intake of breath. The spark in her eyes that told her to hold it back. That told her she doesn't want to cry. That she shouldn't.

News flash princess, he wasn't there.

Was I right to say that?

Do I even have the right?

She just wanted to help Shane. She just wanted to help the guy she likes.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I stood up from the bench. I was still here at the garden for the past hour.

I turned away from her.

But why do I want her to chase after me?

Stop it, Ian. Stop being such a wimp.

What is it about her anyway?

What is it about her that makes you go overprotective mode when other guys look at her?

What is it about her that makes you sit at a bench in a cliché garden, thinking of what you said to her?

What is it about her that make your mouth turn up into a smile in the mere sight of her?

What is it about her that made you fight for her and be by her side for 4 years?

What is it really about her that made you fall in love so hard?

Just about everything.