"Colton, you know that I trust you, right? You know that you can share whatever you want with me," I said.
He looked up from his textbook. Obviously, nothing was going inside his head because he had been staring at the same page for the past one hour.
We had arrived home in the morning. Ever since the little scene in the supermarket yesterday, Colton had secluded himself in an imaginary cocoon. He was spaced out, jittery, and generally not interested in anything.
Everyone had noticed his odd behavior at last night's get together, but they chose to remain silent. As for me, I did not bring up the girl in front of him. I did not ask him what was happening, or rather what was wrong.
Yes, I wanted to know who that girl was. I wanted to know how she and Colton were related. I wanted to know what past they shared that made them fear each other so much. But I did not try to know. If Colton wanted me to know, he would tell me. And I trusted him enough to not force him.
I only wanted him to smile, to let out his feelings if he desired to. I wanted him to know that I was always there for him and that he was not alone. I wanted him to realise that I was not going to judge him. I just wanted to tell him that everything would be fine, even though I had no idea what that everything was.
He blinked at me for a few seconds, probably trying to recollect what I had asked him.
"I'm studying. It's good to read up before classes start. You know, it's a new semester. I want to give it my best this time," he said, carefully drawing out each word.
I sighed and nodded. "Okay. I'll get you some coffee. You haven't eaten anything since morning."
"Thanks, Ness,” he said, then looked down at the book again.
I took in the sight of his dishelved hair, strained eyes and slumped shoulders, before getting up to go make him some coffee.
"Ness?" he called out, when I was in the kitchen. "No sugar, please."
I smiled. "Got it!"
I hope he continues to come out of his cocoon in the same way; one word at a time.
--------*--------
I yawned, looking around my room. The space looked less like my bedroom and more like a tornado hit region. Everything was everywhere, except where it was supposed to be.
Even though Colton and I shared an apartment, we did not share a bedroom. He had his own and I had mine. Mona had not understood the logic behind it. She had tried to tell me how Colton and I were in a relationship, how we had attained the age of majority long back, and so it was normal for us to share the same room. But Colton and I had not paid heed to anyone's coaxing. We were comfortable just as we were.
"This will take years to clean!" I groaned, tiptoeing towards my bed to avoid stepping on the books and empty coffee cups scattered around. "I'll do it later." I plopped down on my bed, crying out in pain as something hit my head.
Reaching out with my hand, I found my phone charger.
Oh yeah, I had forgotten to pack this in the hurry.
Tossing it aside, I made myself comfortable amidst a few clothes and unlocked my phone.
I had a few unread messages, so I first opened them.
Three were from Mona and four were from... an unknown number.
Frowning, I opened the unknown chat first. Had someone changed their number?
Hey.
You don't know me. But I know you. I mean, I recently got to know you. Look, I'm not trying to creep you out or scare you or even annoy you. I hate doing this as much as I'm guessing you will hate me for hiding my identity. But this is important. And please, do not tell Colton about my messages. Please do NOT.
I know about a few things that Colton has done. He is not as good as he makes you believe he is. There's a monster behind that smiling face he wears. And I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to go through what I had to go through. So please be careful. Don't get close to him. Do not get into a relationship with him. He will ruin you. He will destroy your life. Don't be fooled by his loving words. Please.
It was my duty to tell you. Now it's upto you to decide. I just did not want to suffer from guilt of not warning you of something I knew.
Take care. Good bye.
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So, how was it? Please don't forget to vote and comment. Also, add the book to your reading list! :)
And... Do check out my other book 100 Hours to Fall in Love. Please :)
- Kulsum.
Oh, oh, oh. Let's also decide a day to update this book. Like, which day of the week do you want me to update on? I'll update weekly on that day. I was thinking of Friday. But you tell me. Just comment the day.
