𝐀 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 | 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠

❥ 𝑬𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑬𝑬𝑵

ARTEMIS||

The warmth of the morning sun seeped through the blinds, but I felt cold as I woke. I was about to get up, but an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into the bed. My heart skipped a beat, my breath caught in my chest as I remembered what happened last night—Mateo had stayed with me. I completely forgot we were both in the same bed, tangled in the sheets.

"Mhm, stay..." Mateo mumbled sleepily, his voice muffled against my neck, his breath warm on my skin. I froze, my face burning. He shifted slightly, resting his head against my neck, his hand lightly caressing my waist.

But then, the harsh reality hit me. I shot up, my eyes widening in panic. I had to get out of here. I glanced at my phone. 10:15 a.m.

I cursed under my breath. I had to meet Arion today, show him around the school. My mom had informed the principal that I'd be giving him a tour, and I couldn't be late.

I jumped out of bed quickly, but Mateo groaned beside me, confused by my sudden movement. "Sorry!" I hurriedly whispered, heading to the bathroom. "I have to go..."

I didn't even know what I was going to say. I had no time to think. The clock was ticking, and I had no choice but to rush.

Three minutes in the shower, a quick brush of my teeth, and I was back out, ready to leave.

"Okay! I'm done, I'm late, but I need to go, Mateo—"

Before I could finish, I opened the door and froze. There, standing in front of me, was Arion. He was talking to Mateo in the hallway.

"You have two minutes," Arion said, his voice clipped, the usual coldness in it. "I'm not waiting any longer."

I nodded quickly, my stomach sinking. I could feel his disinterest, his impatience. He wasn't even looking at me. It stung more than I expected.

I quickly grabbed my things and headed out. When I tried to give him a hug, I was met with his hand pushing me away without a word. I almost stumbled from the force of it. My heart cracked.

He didn't want me near him. The realization hit harder than I could've anticipated. He barely even acknowledged me.

I let out a shaky breath, forcing a smile that I didn't feel. "Okay... uh, I'll show you the school. Let's get this over with."

I walked ahead, trying to make it seem like I was okay. But with every step, I could feel the growing distance between us. Arion was walking like I didn't even exist. He didn't care.

We headed toward the reception area, and I saw the lady at the desk immediately greet me with a fake smile, but as soon as she saw Arion, it shifted into something else—something more suggestive. She over-applied bright blue lipstick, leaning forward to get his attention. I felt my skin crawl.

I didn't even think before I blurted out, "He's underage."

The lady stiffened, her eyes widening in surprise, and she quickly straightened up, clearly embarrassed. I didn't feel bad for her. I couldn't stand how she was acting, like a teenager trying to flirt with someone younger than her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, and I could see the color rise in her cheeks.

I rolled my eyes, not wasting any more time. "Arion Cromwell. Room number?"

She typed something into the computer and handed over a key card without another word, clearly hoping to get rid of us. "There you go," she said coldly.

I took the card and moved to leave, but Arion didn't seem to care about anything. He was already walking away, not even sparing me a second glance.

I tried to engage him again, "Arion, you don't have any bags with you?" I asked. "Where's your stuff?"

He looked at me briefly, pulling one of his AirPods out of his ear. "No," he said flatly, before putting it back in and walking ahead without waiting for me.

He wasn't even listening. He didn't want to listen.

I couldn't shake the frustration bubbling inside me, but I tried to push it down. I suggested we go check out the back of the school, just to have something to talk about.

No response.

I walked ahead of him, trying to ignore the burning ache in my chest.

The tour felt like an endless drag. Arion didn't say a word. The silence was deafening, and I found myself growing more and more uncomfortable with every passing second. There was nothing I could do to bridge the gap between us.

When we passed Luciano's math class, I waved to him. Luciano gave me a quick wave back, but before I could keep walking, Arion stopped me and knocked on the door to the class.

What was he doing? Why was he drawing attention to me like this? Was he trying to make me feel small?

I watched as the teacher opened the door. "Ah, you must be Arion!" the teacher said enthusiastically. Arion didn't even respond, just walked past the man without acknowledging him.

The teacher motioned for me to come in, so I reluctantly followed, my heart pounding. The class stared at Arion, their eyes wide in admiration. Every girl in the room was whispering to each other, obviously impressed by his looks. I could feel the jealousy rise in my chest.

The teacher introduced him to the class, and I stood there, frozen. The whispers grew louder the moment the teacher mentioned my last name. I wanted to disappear, but Arion stood there, looking completely unbothered, like it didn't matter to him.

And maybe it didn't.

I could feel eyes on me as I stood awkwardly by the door, unable to do anything but wait for Arion to finish with the class.

The teacher made an effort to get me to stay, but Arion just nodded and walked out of the room without sparing anyone, or me, a second glance.

I felt my shoulders slump as we walked down the hall. "You can stop the tour now. I have other things to do," Arion said, his voice flat.

My chest tightened. I opened my mouth to say something, but the words stuck in my throat. He wasn't even trying.

I watched him walk away, his back to me. I was left standing there, the weight of his indifference pressing down on me.

This was it. He hated me. No matter what I did, no matter how much I tried to reach out, he wasn't going to care.

And that hurt more than I ever thought possible.

-

Im tired lmao