Effervescent

Chapter 8

Romeo

All in all, I'd say I deserve some praise for how easy I'm taking this. I haven't checked Athena out- at least not when her eyes were on me. She's wearing a thin, long-ish shirt and sleep shorts that aren't scandalously short but still reveal her toned legs... I'm only a red-blooded man, after all. Still, I've been paying attention to appear unaffected and friendly.

She made it clear that she needed help with biology. That's what I'm here to do. Expecting or initiating anything else would be selfish, so I stomp down on the lust trying to cloud my judgment as she sits on the only seat near the desk, making her shorts ride up and tighten over the tops of her thighs.

I step up to the edge of her desk, leaning in to see the books she has splayed open and the notes she already took on her laptop. My hands are splayed on the smooth wooden surface, and my arm softly brushes against hers, skin touching skin. I don't miss the soft, sharp inhale she takes, though I do ignore it.

"So, what topic are you on, and what don't you understand?" I ask, keeping my voice even with an effort.

She clears her throat. "Uhm, repetition of molecular bio, but we used different expressions for all of these processes and now I'm lost. I can't seem to make it make sense anymore," she confesses.

I tilt my head to shoot her an encouraging smile. "I had a similar problem at my old school, so I'm somewhat of a pro at relearning things. Let's go over the major processes, okay? I'm sure the proteins and all that have the same names universally."

"Sure, okay. Hang on, I'll move over to my bed and let you sit here," she offers, and before I can tell her I'm okay where I am, she all but jumps to her feet... making the chair tip back with the force and hit me right below the ribs. The impact barely hurts, but as I stumble a step while steadying the chair, I hear Athena gasp.

"Shit. I'm so fucking clumsy, are you okay?" she fusses, looking me over frantically while I place her chair back on the ground fully.

I wave her off, smiling to drive the point home. I think this is the first time I heard her swear. "I'm all good, Athena. I barely felt it," I assure her. Still, she seems to deflate in front of my eyes, her shoulders curling in on themselves. Before I can insist everything is fine, she lowers herself onto the edge of her bed and eyes me wearily.

"I'm really sorry. I'm a little beside myself, in case you haven't noticed. I haven't slept much last week." She chuckles humourlessly. "Are you sure you're still up for this?" she asks seemingly jokingly, though I think I hear a hint of sincere doubt tinting her voice. We can't have that, now, can we?

"More sure now than ever before. I love a challenge, and by the looks of all that pink highlighter in this textbook, I'd say this might just be one. Before we start, I wanted to ask what methods you used for studying. Are you more of a visual, interactive learner or does it stick when you read something?" I ask.

"The pink highlights are what I don't understand... Or at least I think I don't. I couldn't focus on any of the words, really, so I guess the second option isn't quite accurate for me. In High School, I think the most playful activities and lessons helped me remember the processes the best."

High School, right. She's a freshman here, coming straight from High School. I'm only a grade above her, but so much happened in the time since I graduated, I can hardly remember my days there. Now, hearing the words High School, I think of my little sister. Making that connection makes my stomach all queasy, so I quickly drag my mind out of the gutter. I'm being ridiculous to compare Athena to my sister. She's probably barely a year younger than me...

But she does have that sort of infantile innocence about her, come to think about it... Christ, is that why I'm here? Did I really confuse my need to look out for someone reminding me of my baby sister with attraction? I cringe.

And Athena catches me doing so, judging by the crease marring her beautiful features. "Or I can try to read it again. Or maybe check again if there's an audiobook version. We don't need to do anything interactive," she backtracks awkwardly, looking small and unsure on her bed. I hate that; Hate that I'm confusing her and making her uncomfortable.

"No, we do. Interactive studying is a lot more fun, so if you say you prefer it too, we'll give it a go," I insist, putting my smile back on with the intention of keeping it firmly in place, this time for real. Whatever my personal feelings toward the girl are is irrelevant. All I'm here to do is help her study.

"Okay," she drags out unsurely. We get to it without further miscommunication, and as time moves on, I'm relieved to see Athena relax. After the initial rough start, she got several of my questions right which made her more confident. The change was clear in her demeanor.

Finally, when I backpaddled to the topics she had the most troubles with in the beginning after an hour of trying to explain, she gets them all right. It's enough to make her smile so widely she seemed to illuminate the entire room. She leans forward on the edge of her bed, clutching my hands in hers as she thanks me for my help, clearly satisfied with the results.

I soak up her touch and the fuzzy feeling it evokes within me. She beams at me, her cheeks pink and eyes glowing, her face only inches from mine, and the urge to close the distance between us entirely flares within me.

Okay, definitely don't feel like comparing her to my sister now. What was that all about anyway? God, I'm off my game.

I must be quiet for too long, too busy staring at her as my thoughts run a mile a minute because her smile slowly fades. Her eyes turn inquisitive- curious- as they flick back and forth between mine. I hold her gaze steady, drinking in the steel shade of her almond eyes as they bore into me. Suddenly, I'm back in that shed, spending seven minutes in heaven with this amazing girl... My thoughts come to a halt as my eyes drop to her plump lips.

Kissable lips.

I'm not sure who moved first, her or me, but the next moment, we're both on our feet, colliding with a force as I drag her face to mine with a steady palm on her cheek. I don't hesitate this time, too desperate to take a chance to be interrupted again. No, I gently tip her head back as I lean down, connecting our lips in a way that has my mind going blank.

She makes a noise in the back of her throat, her small hands coming up to clutch my shirt tightly, pulling me impossibly closer. I hum in approval, opening my mouth over hers slightly to run my tongue over her sealed lips. I hear her intake of a sharp breath and feel her shuddering slightly against me.

I snake an arm around her back, pulling her all the way against me. Her shirt is soft under my touch, soft and thin enough to let me feel Athena's body heat right through it. I lose my head, craving more, wanting her closer, and needing to finally taste her.

My mouth opens again, and this time, she follows my lead without further probing. Tentatively, my tongue moves forward into her mouth, meeting hers fleetingly before I pull it back. I tease her, giving her a little but always pulling back until she caves and relocates her hands, letting her fingers fist my hair so she can keep my head in place. Then, she attacks my mouth like a starving woman, snipping the last of my self restraint.

"God," I groan against her lips when she nips my bottom lip.

"Goddess," she corrects me, repeating my nickname for her. She's smiling against me now, so I place a chaste kiss on those stretched lips. Instantly, she hums in approval. After accepting several kisses without engaging, I decide she's had her taste of power.

My hand moves from her cheek to the back of her head, fisting her hair in the nape of her neck and tugging it back slightly. Just enough to make her suck in a soft breath at the sudden sting, but not enough to hurt. I use the opportunity to attack her mouth again. This time, she doesn't deny me.

No, she surprises me even more by wrapping her arms around my neck and climbing up my body like an eager monkey. My hands find the bottom of her thighs, squeezing the soft flesh against me as her legs lock behind my back. Her back arches, pushing her chest up against mine to let me feel she's wearing no bra beneath that soft shirt of hers. I groan again, this time more guttural.

Yeah, this woman might just be the death of me.

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Can't sleep so I might as well post the last remaining draft I have... I'll be super busy this weekend so Idk when I'll upload again, but I'll do my best to give y'all a small update;)

Have a nice day<3