Defender's Heartbeat 2

Chapter 3

Enzo

During the break, I walked through the corridor with my friends. Ava and her pathetic group of scholars stood nearby, talking nonsense—or so I guessed. It was obvious Ava was the queen bee of that group, and I hated the way she talked like she knew everything.

"Hey, Ava. Your loser face suits you well," I said to her. She got furious and, as usual, started blaming me for everything. I didn't even bother listening to the nonsense she spewed.

But then my heart stopped. Behind her, I noticed a pair of light brown eyes looking at me from beneath their lashes. My cheeks grew hot, and I forgot every word I'd been planning to say. My heart started pounding without my permission. How the hell had I not seen this girl before? I didn't even know her name.

For a few seconds, all the stress in my head vanished. Just looking at her made me feel calm. Her cheeks were pink, and her face reminded me of a delicate rose. She had long, dark brown hair that fell down her shoulders, and as our eyes met, her cheeks flushed even more. She quickly hid behind Ava's back, but not before I caught a glimpse of her pink, glossy lips. In that instant, I felt an overwhelming urge to kiss them.

I hadn't kissed anyone since the kidnapping attempt. After that, I lost interest in girls—and in a lot of other things, too. I was dead inside. I didn't care about anything anymore. I had no hope, no dreams. I existed only because I was born. I didn't know what had changed after that fight, but a part of me had been lost, leaving me numb.

Watching Papa get beaten and shot in front of me was something I could never erase from my mind. He had been unconscious in a hospital bed for days, and during that time, I lived in constant fear of losing him.

But now, for the first time in ages, I felt alive. I wanted to kiss those lips. The happiness stirring inside me wasn't the same kind I felt when I bullied someone. This was different. I wanted her. I wanted her so badly.

When she stole another glance at me, a chill ran down my spine. My eyes locked on hers, and I knew—she was mine. Only mine.

For a moment, the rest of the world disappeared. It was just me and her in that corridor, with her still looking at me, her cheeks flushed.

Then, Ava's voice cut through the silence, harsh like a crow's call. She was still blaming me.

"What happened?" Diego tapped my shoulder, snapping me back to reality.

"Let's go," I said, leading the way. As we passed by, I slowed down a bit, secretly glancing back at her. To my surprise, she did the same. Yes!

"Why didn't you blame her, man? She always blames you," Noah complained.

I didn't answer. My mind was stuck on the girl behind Ava. I needed to find out her name.

Mia

Enzo saw me, and he stared at me the whole time, sending shivers of excitement through my body. I never imagined he looked at me like that. I saw him blush, and his handsome face instantly transformed into something cute. His dark eyes were hypnotizing, and I couldn't tear my gaze away from them. Was he hypnotizing me? I even saw him turn back to look at me, just as I did the same. The way he looked at me made my heart dance with happiness.

I never wanted to get his attention, yet I felt happy receiving it. He was going to be trouble—I could feel it.

"Mia," someone whispered my name from behind, very close to me, just as the interval ended and we headed back into class. I gasped and turned my head. Enzo passed by, looking straight into my eyes with a small smile on his lips. His gaze seemed to pierce right into my soul, and the scent of his cologne made the moment feel even more magical.

"Mia, what happened? Why did you stop all of a sudden?" I heard Liza ask, noticing I had paused, caught up in watching Enzo fade into the crowd of kids.

"Ah, no, nothing. Let's go," I said quickly, pulling myself together.

Manuel

I waited for Enzo behind the gate. He looked different that day, like I'd never seen him look before. It was like... oh, I knew what it was. His heart was in trouble. I couldn't believe how easily I could read his face.

"Is she beautiful?" I asked. He looked at me, surprised, his dark eyes widening, and his face flushed. I laughed. He tried to hold back his smile and act like he was angry.

"What the hell," he muttered and got into the car. I laughed all the way home, watching him through the rearview mirror.

"Oh, look how cute your face is today," I teased, still laughing. He actually did look cute that day. My little brat.

"Shut up," he grumbled, staring out the window. My laughter faded, and our eyes met. His expression hardened. Damn. He wasn't even allowed to date. I could only hope she was rich.

"Is she...?" I began to ask.

"She's a scholar. I haven't even talked to her yet. How the hell do you know?" he snapped, accusing me.

"Then don't talk to her, son. You'll get hurt," I warned him. I knew he wouldn't listen. He always chose the hard way, always chose to get hurt. But I had to at least try.

"Forget that. How do you know?" he asked again, his curiosity taking over.

"Look at your face," I said.

"It looks the same as usual," he protested.

"No, it doesn't," I replied. "Be careful if you try to lie to me. I can read your face—your eyes, your smile." I glanced at him in the mirror, my heart swelling with affection. He wasn't allowed to date. What a sad life he had. If I hadn't come to the Perez mansion, I couldn't imagine what would have happened to Enzo.

"I can read your face too, Papa, so be careful," he said with a grin.

I had known since he was little that my baby could read me like a book. I looked at Enzo again through the mirror. He was 17 now. I couldn't believe how fast he had grown, and how much he had been through—things no 17-year-old should have to endure. Every time I looked at him, I remembered the first day I saw him. Chubby cheeks, pink lips, those big dark Bambi eyes. He had begged me to pick him up, crying.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, remembering all the times he had cried as a child. How his Papa had been so cruel, never stopping to consider that he was just a little boy who had lost his Mama.