Taint, Time and Tangents✔️

≑ Chapter Thirty

To, ACuteBean (Ner-ree-nah), for mooooore covers and the love.   

∞ 30 ∞

CALLIE

Crawling out of a room and walking on tiptoe along a dark hallway was not a joke.

Even if the concrete walls were bombarded by ricocheting sounds- the noise from the field, the hissing of large bonfire and distant sound of fireworks at the sky- anxiety still seized my pounding heart. I hugged the sketchbook closer to my chest, as I continued walking slowly, feeling Phoebe's tie brushed my arms as it dangled from between the pages.

Zeke was out of my sight the minute he sensed the Elites, but not before doing something unprecedented. I felt my face warmed as I recalled how he had taken off Phoebe's tie from his neck in a split-second, saying something that I wasn't able to hear because of the noise. I then recalled how I just gave him a confused look before he crossed the distance between us with a single stride and planted a light kiss on my forehead. He did that just as fast as he disappeared from my sight and I was left alone in the room with the smell of passion we shared earlier still lingering in the air. I didn't know if he had jumped, teleported and even flown but an open window by my side said enough.

He was again out there, killing and risking his life.

I stared at the darkness ahead and was starting to think that what Zeke and I did... it was very un-angelic. I then wondered if the other Amaranths saw me. Well, I bet they did and I think I could already hear Five's laugh and Six' swearing while watching us. Four must have even fainted and Seven, with her intellectual nature, probably just looked at what we were doing, studying it without batting an eyelash. But what bothered me most, making me this restless, was what Eight might think of me. He was the one who witnessed the struggles I have with Zeke since day one and I knew in his mind, he was thinking that it would just cause me pain and it was simply wrong.

It is wrong.

We were just fooling ourselves, letting our desire for each other take over us after we both arrived to a decision to part ways. Maybe it was one form of our goodbye, but it honestly just left us crave for more. It was a mistake, yes. But when we stepped apart, it was not what Zeke apologized for.

Was it because he think I detested it? Because he thought he sullied me?

I searched inside my heart for any signs of disliking his touch or repulsion on how his body move suggestively against mine; there was none. After I was violated on the camp, I had always thought that a man's touch would start to disgust me, but it was, surprisingly, not the case for Zeke. It was his gentle touch I felt I needed most, making me feel I still have an ounce of worth even though I was already tainted with lips and hands of other men.

Deep in thought, I was almost at the corner of the lightless hallway, still careful and listening to any signs of danger when a large shadow suddenly loomed before me. I shrieked in fright, stumbling a bit backwards as I almost stopped myself from hitting whatever it is.

My scream was instantly muffled as large warm hands covered my mouth. It was then followed by a low voice, its familiarity bringing immediate ease to my heart. "Ssh, it's me." Under the soft glow of the bonfire beyond the windows, I made out strands of curly hair and a pair of gentle eyes looking down at me. His breath was heavy from panting, perhaps because of haste to find me.

"Tim?" I finally said as he slowly released my mouth. I suddenly felt all my fear dissolved as I realized that it was him in front of me. He has been my console for so many times and maybe the closest guy I have other than Zeke and Eight.