Adler | The Monarch & The Heirs BOOK 2.

Verbatim | A FIFTY ONE

A/N: Dedicated to  @boobookeys33 and @saveadanceforme

•••

He stayed hot on her trail through the halls, not saying a single word. Only once she stopped upon arriving at the entrance, the ten foot ivory gates she would tower over her again, did she turn around to face him.

Past the flutters that arose at those grey eyes set on her, she couldn’t help but find it all so funny. To think she'd vowed to herself that she would never cross paths with this boy, in fear she'd lose her only place of belonging, but now it had become the opposite. Or maybe, she never needed a place. Maybe he'd been the answer all along. Whether he was the right or wrong answer, wasn’t what mattered anymore.

“Garren, quit following me around. You’re going to be late for Advanced.”

“You mean, we'll be late.”

She let out a sigh, casting her eyes elsewhere so the emotions burning in his gaze didn’t make her falter. “You heard what Mrs. Svensson said—”

“I don’t care. You shouldn’t either and first of all, she has to issue a notice to your parents before she can dismiss you. We still have time to act and work something out—”

“Garren, no,” she cut him off.

His eyes narrowed, incredulous. “No?”

“No,” she repeated. “We’re not doing anything. Besides, my parents think I was continuing my enrollment through the financial aid's office and once they realise I was lying, there'll be questions and what, lie to them again? I'm done hiding things from them and being a tool or a burden just to stay here. This academy never wanted me, so I'll just get it over with already.”

He deeply frowned. “Let me get this straight; you’re not even going to try? You’re just letting them win? What the fuck, Stevie?”

“There’s no winning and losing. Not everything is a bloody game, Garren.”

His frown grew hollow, eyes sinking in from the heavy emergence of some other emotion. “Is… is this because I didn’t say it back?”

Stevie stood stumped at the explicit panic in his voice. Truthfully, with how rapidly things had taken a turn, she'd almost forgotten she had confessed to him. It wasn’t said with expectancy of something more, but to get off her chest. Evidently, from Garren’s fallen expression, he hadn’t stopped thinking about it at all.

He drew closer. “Stevie please believe me, I do care about you. Maybe I did take the measures and tried to control the risk for my own protection but guess what? I still picked you, every time. I still can’t turn you away. You might think it’s just flattering words, but I just didn’t have the confidence you'd put up with me if there was nothing else.

I had to make sure I could always have something. What you said it— I, I was surprised, alright? I wasn’t rejecting you. I'd never…”

She placed a hand on his face, rendering a tense look before he instinctively leaned into it. “I know,” she said softly. “But that’s not what this is about.”

“Then what is it? Just tell me how to fix it and I'll do it.”

“It’s not worth fixing.”

“Staying with me isn’t worth it?” His eyes so sad that it ached to look at.

“Garren that’s not what I said.”

He groaned in exasperation and took her hands. Prickles of heat flared where his lips pouted against it. “I don’t fucking understand anything you’re saying. You said you loved me one minute and now you’re completely fine with leaving me.”