Winning Her Heart (Completed)

6. Kristian

After she had rushed out of the classroom, Aiden and Tim had given me questioning looks but I had just smiled at them and reassured Ms Towers that Camilla had just needed the bathroom, we hadn't upset her. The rest of the afternoon, she managed to evade me and once again I grinned as I caught a glimpse of her rushing off in the other direction, she could run but she can't hide, not now, I had worked hard to ensure she was my partner for this terms project, it would be a way of keeping an eye on her and making sure no one tried anything. 
I had heard the boys on the football team talking about her and had casually dropped a warning about her dad in their ears, but I knew there were many more who were watching her silently, waiting for an opportunity to get close.
I wouldn't let them.
I knew Aiden and Tim had sussed out that I was interested but aside from teasing me a little about it they had stayed quiet and for that I was grateful, I would hate to have to punch one of them.
I now stood waiting outside her last class, knowing if I didn't catch her now, she would avoid me till tomorrow.
The door opened and students started filing out, a few giving me lingering looks, as I leant against the wall opposite, silently watching and waiting.
She walked out talking to a boy, who hand was on her arm and for the first time I understood the phrase seeing red. I had stepped forward and shoved him away from her, placing her safely behind me and against the wall before she even knew I was there.
I locked eyes with the guy who paled before turning and running, leaving me with a now angry Millie.
"What the hell, you can't do that" she scolded as I turned to look down at her, her eyes flashing with angry fire but I just smiled.
"Do what?" I asked innocently and she hissed at me, making my smile grow, in all the time we had bullied her she had stayed calm and unresponsive but now, well now she reacted and I loved it, the fire in her eyes, the flush in her cheeks, she glowed.
"Kristian?" She snapped and I reached for her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into a hug as she hissed and wriggled against my hold.
"I'm sorry for every nasty thing I did to you, I promise I will make it up to you" I whisper against her hair and she goes still in my arms, her head coming up to glare at me.
"Let me go, just leave me alone, and I'll forgive you" she muttered but I shook my head.
"Oh no, that's too easy, I want to make it up to you. I know now, I was so wrong about you, about what Natalie said and I'm going to make sure no one hurts you again, I will protect you" I tell her and wince as she finally hits me in a spot that hurts.
"Wow baby, stop" I plead easing my hold on her, but my words spur her on and I realise too late what she's about to do, as her knee connects with my groin and I feel white hot pain shoot through my body and I drop to my knees, seeing stars, as I gasp on the floor by her feet, she freezes for a few seconds before she squeaks and runs, but I am helpless to stop her, every breath I take celebrating the accuracy of her aim as the pain still pulses through my body.
"That looked like it hurt" Tim said cheerfully from next to me and I looked up to see him laughing down at me.
"Fuck man, I can't move" I wince as the movement hurts.
"What did you expect man, you've spent the last two years helping Nat and Jo terrorise her and now you're almost stalking her, its good to see her fighting back"
"I wasn't hurting her" I argue and he laughs again.
"Doesn't matter, she doesn't trust you... yet" he helps me get to my feet but I can still hear his chuckles at my pain as I sway.
"So what do you suggest?"
"Maybe not pulling her into your arms just yet" he offers helping me back to my room "I'll grab you an ice pack"
I crash onto my bed and stare at the ceiling, a smile coming back as I remember her fire.
Tim returns with Aiden and they both take great delight in laughing at my pain till the subject sobers. "Are you sure you want to go there?" Aiden asks and I nod, this is a discussion I've been having with myself since I saw her arrive back on campus.
"Then I think man, we are going to need to help you, or at least make sure you have a supply of ice packs ready" Tim told me and I groaned, knowing these two would take great delight in my misery.
"Help how?" I asked him.
"I take it you were waiting for her to go and study" Tim laughed waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes" I snapped.
"And She was trying to avoid you" Aiden added and I nodded, waiting to see where they were going with this.
"It easy." He looks at me and I raise my brows questioningly, waiting for him to continue "So we will start studying as a group, its less threatening for her, show her she can trust you and then we'll bow out and she'll stay with you" he finishes.
I lay back and think, would it work?
"And if she won't, what then?" I ask and Aiden grins at me.
"Then man, you need to go all caveman on her and tie her to you and prove you're worth her time"
Tim and Aiden high five as they start offering suggestions ready, if I decide to go caveman and I tune them out as they argue over the fifty shades of grey movies as a learning tool.
"Okay, group research, how do we get her there?" I ask, stopping the argument.
"I'll leave a note for her saying we will meet in the library instead of the classroom for tomorrow's lesson, if she doesn't turn up, then we can try again, but if it's during lesson times she has no excuse" Tim offers and I nod.
"You guys aren't?" I ask, looking between them and they shake their heads.
"If she was free and interested then maybe but given who she is, even with her rocking body, that's a dangerous path, I recognise how gorgeous she is and after all she been through she deserves a break, and just maybe that's you, even if you were involved" Aiden said carefully and I reach out to grab his arm.
"Thank you" I tell him seeing the positive in his statement.
Tim nods agreeing with Aiden words, "Just don't screw it up, we'll step back but you know there are others interested" he warns and I nod, lifting my body up, gingerly testing to see if the pain has subsided.
"It will take a while" Tim smiles at my grimace as I replace the ice pack, "see you at dinner" he waved as they left my room.