The New Boy- Completed

Thirteen

"Thanks." Evan closed the door, holding another wine glass in hand as he slowly moved back into the main room where I was sat on the floor. He put the glass down beside mine on the table, opening the bottle and adding wine to the glasses. Once he had, he slowly sat down on the floor beside me, handing me a glass as I sat there. "Tell me about your day." 

"There's not much to tell." I still felt really subdued after Jack's words. I hated that they were burying deep into me. I didn't want them to. I didn't like how any of their words did. I'd shake it off put myself back into my own world and forget about them, but I couldn't stop them having such a deep influence on me. "Had breakfast wandered around, had lunch, went to a museum had dinner, came back here." 

I was staring at the wine glass. The gentle taps from my finger nails causing ripples across the dark burgundy liquid. 

"You're quiet tonight." I looked at him for a second, moving closer into the corner to put a little more space between us. "Are you sure you're okay?" 

"Yeah fine." I nodded quickly.

"Spoken to Sterling today?" I lifted my head and looked at him. 

"This morning on my way to breakfast." He nodded and I looked back down. It felt super uncomfortable being around him now. Not in the sense of I didn't feel safe. I don't think that was an issue I'd feel around him. I didn't trust him that much right now but I knew he wouldn't let me get hurt. He proved that downstairs with Jack. I'm kind of glad he did. I mean he's going to be in shit for it with the rest of the group, but at least one of them got a taste of what they deserved.

"In the alley?" I looked up at him again. "You didn't look okay but I saw you were on with him so I just kind of held back and waited until you left and I knew you were okay." I narrowed my eyes at him slightly, staring as he stared back. 

He had to have some motive right? To be working this hard to get to know me. He had to. He couldn't just be doing this for no reason. Even if it was something as stupid as he really wants to rip my clothes off. But if it was that alone, he was moving a little slow no? If that's what he was wanting then surely he'd be flirting more, complimenting me any chance he gets, demanding to take me out. That's how it works right? He gave up so easily this morning I don't think it's just about sex for him. Which was throwing me off. 

"I was fine." 

"You didn't look fine when you were sat on the floor crying." I put my head back against the wall, closing my eyes. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just want to know what happened? Something at home? Did Sterling say something?" 

"It was just a panic attack Evan. It's fine. I get them every so often." I sipped the wine, laying my head back gently against the wall and closing my eyes. 

"Sterling knows?" 

"He was there for my first one, not exactly easy to hide them." I turned my head to him, keeping it against the wall. "It's fine. I must had forgotten to take my meds or something in the rush to get out this morning." 

"You mean whilst we were talking?" I nodded. "I'll remind you tomorrow." I gave him a soft smile, barely reaching my cheeks. "What triggered it?" I chuckled, laying my head back straight. "The boys?" 

"You have a lot of personal questions tonight don't you?" 

"I have a whole list that could stretch around the world twice." 

"What's at the top of it?" 

"Other than the whole panic attack thing?" 

"Yeah, other than my medical history and blood type." I rolled my eyes and he chuckled. 

"Um- Okay which boarding school did you go to?" I turned and looked at him. "I think it might give me a better idea of the kind of high society you come from." His shoulders raised in a shrug. 

"Can't answer that. Try another." 

"Okay, why can't you answer it?" 

"Because there's very few schools like it and it'd give too much away. Also, I don't want to." He smiled. 

"Fine." He turned sitting crossed legged and facing me. "You mentioned you're ex last night. Tell me about your relationship with him." I raised an eyebrow. 

"Why?" 

"I'm just curious." 

"Well what do you want to know?"  I drunk from the glass. 

"When did you guys break up?" 

"End of high school." 

"So like 18 months ago?" 

"Yeah." 

"We're you guys close?" 

"I mean at one point yeah. Not by the end, not really." 

"Why did you break up?" I sighed and watched as his face lit up, knowing he was going to get an answer. 

"There was a few reasons. We were 18 when we finished High school right? We'd been together for 4 years and in our social group, once you hit 18 you pretty much only date for marriage. It tends to be that the people you meet in high school are the only ones you associate with for the rest of your life so you kind of should know who's suitable and all that. So in my friend group most of them are engaged or already married or are about to be this year or next. There's only me and Sterling that aren't." 

"And you didn't see yourself marrying him?" 

"My dad didn't like him. Still doesn't. My dad likes Sterling and thinks Sterling is the only guy I should be entertaining." I rolled my eyes. "It took a lot of back and forth for us to find an agreement where Sterling is still a possibility but we both try out every other option first." 

"So. Wait. I'm confused. You're going to marry Sterling?" 

"I mean potentially?" He sighed, tilting his head as he sipped the wine. "It's a weird arrangement. So I have until I'm 22. If I don't have someone they approve of by then, they start finding someone and if that doesn't work, Sterling." He nodded. "Hence why Sterling is out here trying to find himself a fancy girlfriend so that isn't an option to them. I know as soon as I turn 22 my dad will be pushing Steel towards me even more than he does now. He's sly, my dad. He got my brothers and sisters to marry the people he wanted them to without them even realising it." 

"You really don't want to marry him?" 

"I mean its a means to an end. I love him, he's my best friend, we have the best time together. But at the same time I'd then have to sleep with him and do married couple shit and the thought of that with him just-" I gagged and Evan laughed loudly. "Either way, I'll be married before I turn 25 so." I shrugged. 

"That seems so young. That's like 3 years away for me and I still feel like a baby." 

"Tell me about it. Every conversation I have with my parents is oh have you spoke to so and so, oh there's this son from a distant friend across the world, look how handsome he is." I rolled my eyes giggling. 

"Was he handsome?" 

"They always are." I grinned. "Just that's all they ever have going for them. I'm the youngest of 5. I don't need to do what my siblings did. I don't need to marry to keep popping out kids just to put more people between me and the top job. I can marry for love. Not fake love, real, proper intense love, and yet I'm the only one of my family who can't find it." 

"You'll get there." He topped up my glass. "They say you find your soul mate the minute you stop looking." 

"I've never been looking." He gave me a soft smile as he poured the last off the bottle into my glass. 

"Then maybe it's right in front of you and you don't even realise."