Bed of Nails

Chapter 18

I don't know why, but my heart felt a sting at his aloofness. 

He is ignoring me. Why won't he? After all, you were the one who asked him to stay away from you. Let things be as they are; it is best for you. My inner voice said and rolled her eyes. 

"Grace, why are you standing there? Come and sit with us." Mrs Villain said when she noticed me standing in the corner. I forced a smile and nodded my head. You still have a chance to walk away from here. My inner voice butted again. I took a deep breath and decided to go sit with them. Even though we have problems between us, I don't want anyone else to notice it. If he is ignoring me, then I will do the same. Maybe it's the best thing for us. I sat in an empty place beside Grandma. He was sitting on the opposite couch in front of me.  

"Erick, why don't you come and stay with us?" Grandma said to him. 

"Yes, we would love that," Xanthus' mother said. 

"Yes, it will only be for a year until you leave for college. Until then, you can stay here with your family," Mr villain said to him. 

"It will be so much fun. We all can hang out anytime," Isabella said excitedly. I lifted my eyes and looked at him. 

"I know you guys want me to stay here, but I can't. I want to stay in my apartment, where I spent my last moments with Mom. That place has so many members. It makes me feel at home," he refused politely with a smile on his face, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. He misses his mother. I could see in his blue eyes that they didn't look as cold as they always do. I have never seen mine. It still makes me wonder how she was. I found myself feeling his pain. 

"We understand, but remember one thing. You can come here anytime. It's your house too," Mr. Villain said while patting his back. 

"I know," Erick said with a genuine smile on his face. Mr. Villain is a kind man. He has always been a father figure in my life, more than mine. When Dad could come to my parent's teacher meeting or my sports meet, I found him cheering for me. He is a great dad to his children. 

"Guys, I'm hungry after working nonstop in the kitchen. Let's go and eat," Xanthus said, cutting the tension in the air. 

"Yes, but let's cut the cake first," Isabella said, running to the kitchen to bring the cake that she had baked. She had a specialty in baking. Despite being young, she was very good at baking, and I didn't even know how the oven was switched on. Maybe I should take baking lessons from her this summer. She soon came with the cake. She lit candles, and then everyone started to sing the song. I joined them. His eyes moved towards me when I started to sign. His blue eyes moved all over my face. My stomach scrunched, and I found a blush creeping up my cheeks. Our eyes were locked for only a few seconds, and my insides started to turn upside down. I lowered my eyes and focused on the cake. He cut the cake, and everyone cheered for him. 

"Let's take pictures," Isabella said, reaching for her camera. Everyone fed him the cake, and Isabella clicked the picture—all that was left was me. She pushed me. I had no choice left. I didn't want to be rude, so I cut a small piece of cake to feed him. 

"Happy birthday," I mumbled, and I placed the small piece of cake in front of his mouth. 

"Thank you," he said curtly, and ate the cake. My whole body shivered when his tongue brushed against my fingertips. I immediately pulled my hand away. My heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was about to explode. I could feel his intense gaze on me. I didn't even dare to look at him and walked away. I could feel his intense gaze on my back, but I kept walking, not wanting to look at him. We all settled at the dinner table. I kept to myself the whole time and talked only when it was needed. Now everyone was sitting in the living room after dinner. They were all handing him their gifts. They had already bought him gifts, but I had nothing. I felt a little embraced because I was empty-handed. 

"If you had told me early, I would not have come empty-handed," I whispered to Isabela, who was happily munching on the cake. 

"Sorry," she apologised with a cute pout on her lips and then licked the cream from the corner of her lips. She is such a doll. He casts one glance, and guys go crazy for her. 

"You can buy a gift for him afterward," she said, continuing to savour the cake. I exhaled and dipped my spoon in the cake, but what should I give him? It was a big question for me. He was still ignoring me, and it did nothing good for my heart. He talked with everyone and ignored my existence completely. 

"I should leave now," I said to everyone when I was done eating my dessert. He looked my way for only a split second. I said bye to everyone and then left. My house was only a ten-minute walk away. I was lost in my thoughts when I felt as if someone was walking behind me. I turned around to see him. He had both his hands in his jeans pocket with a stern look on his face. I immediately looked in front. My brows raised in surprise, and my heart started to beat fast. I wrapped my hands around my chest. Is he following me? Why will he follow me? I turned my head back again to look at him. He still had that stern look on his face, but his eyes were fixed on me. After ignoring me the entire evining why is he following me?  So many questions came up in my head, but I had no answers to them. I decided to stop tormenting myself with these questions. I stopped walking and turned around to face him. With new courage in me, I decided to ask him. 

"Why are you following me?" 

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