WINNING HIS HEART AGAIN

Chapter 12: Who?

Avery POV.

"Ouch!" I cried out in pain, my finger stinging as I accidentally cut myself while picking up another broken bottle.

"Shit! Ayan! Ayan kasi ayaw makinig ehh!" he scolded me, his voice laced with a mixture of exasperation and concern. He immediately inspected my finger.

Why hadn't I realized it before? He was always so caring.

He guided me to the sink, washing my finger and applying a bandage. "Ako na maglilinis dito. Kalat ko to. Bumalik ka nalang muna sa dorm mo, please," he said, his voice calmer now.

"But…"

"Avery Cameron, stop being stubborn and just leave, okay? Hindi ako matatapos dito pag andito ka," he said, and I automatically rolled my eyes.

"Fine! Just make sure you fix yourself, okay?" I said, my voice was laced with worry. He nodded and gently pushed me out of his dorm.

I sighed heavily as I reluctantly made my way back to my own dorm.

As I walked, someone shouted my name. I turned to see Darren running towards me.

"Oh, Darren, what are you doing here?" I asked, my voice laced with curiosity.

He panted heavily. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you. Did you forget we have a lunch date today?" he asked, his voice blunt, his expression a mixture of annoyance and concern. Shit! I had completely forgotten about our deal.

Darren and I had made a deal. He had been so persistent, and I couldn't seem to say no to him. So, I had given him a chance, a three-month courtship deal. If he could make me fall in love with him before the three months were up, we would officially date. If not, he would finally stop pestering me. We had made this deal two months and three weeks ago, so he only had one week left.

"Come on, tara na," he said, reaching out to grab my hand. I immediately shoved his hand away, as I always did. I didn't know why, but I just didn't feel secure with him. I couldn't imagine holding him the way I held Ashkent. He was the only guy who didn't trigger my fear of physical touch.

I saw disappointment and, I assumed, an offense flashed across his eyes. He was used to my constant avoidance of his attempts to touch me.

He sighed. "Avery, please…" he said, his voice laced with a hint of desperation. I could tell he was losing his patience.

"Let's stop this," I said bluntly, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

"You clearly deserve someone else who can give you your carnal desires, Darren. I don't like to be touched or held. You know that better than anyone else," I said, my voice firm, my words honest. This needed to end.

"Tell me honestly the real reason why you're breaking our deal, then I might consider letting you go," he said, his voice laced with a challenge.

I sighed heavily. "Okay. I'm in love with someone else. Are we good now?" I said, my voice harsh, my words laced with a hint of finality. I saw the pain and immediately clouds his face.

"Who?" he asked, his voice brave, his eyes searching for mine.

I sighed again, my heart heavy.

"Ashkent," I replied. He was dumbfounded. After a moment of silence, he finally regained his composure and nodded, playing it cool.

"I see. Good thing, he's better than me. At least I know my cousin would never break your heart," he said genuinely, offering me a bittersweet smile.

"Thank you," I said, and he nodded, bidding me farewell.

I didn't know he would accept it so easily. Or maybe it was because it was Ashkent and not someone else. All I knew was that I felt bad again. I felt sorry.

I sighed heavily. My heart felt heavy again. I had broken another genuine heart.