Devil on the Rooftop [Book 1]

Chapter 45 - Arisa

When I was thirteen, my dad had to leave the country for work. It put a lot of stress on mom and their relationship—I really thought they might divorce because of it but thankfully, that didn't happen. Mom said she knew dad's dream of being an archeologist couldn't be compromised just because she couldn't travel with him. Her duty was to her firm and her daughter, and dad couldn't expect anything else.

A long distance relationship seemed to work for them. They spent holidays and birthdays together and tried to plan trips away in the summer. They loved each other enough that they were willing to live apart. I was lucky that they fought for their relationship. I knew a lot of kids my age weren't as fortunate to stay in the same school, or the same country for that matter.

My decision to leave Oakville High had nothing to do with mom getting a new job across the pond, but more to do with my relationship with Wade. I wanted to leave the public school sector because I felt distracted, uncertain, and afraid that people would judge me for hiding a part of myself that I should have never been ashamed of. I thought I could let go of those worries at Jackheights. I thought I could do better and be myself but it seemed to be in exchange for a price. A heavy sum that I couldn't afford to hand out.

My true self attracted so much attention that I ended up being kidnapped and almost assaulted. Then there was Khaleel, who made things a hundred times worse by simply standing in a room with me. It felt like his sole purpose was to infuriate me. He wasn't sincere when he flirted with me and took jabs at my expense, but yesterday, in that house, something changed. The way he looked at me changed.

"Abdul," Loyal said, snapping me out of my thoughts. He was on my right and Khaleel was to my left. I was still sandwiched between the two, anticipating what might happen if the gaps between us closed any further. I tried to hide the colour of my burning cheeks by staring at the floor, but I wasn't sure it fully worked. "Put on a shirt."

"It's hot in that room, okay?" Khaleel complained, scratching the back of his head. "Don't be a fucking prude, Wilson."

I attempted to move past Loyal but he was quick to claim my wrist. My eyes flashed to the delinquent, who didn't stick around to watch us get intimate. Loyal led me back into the guest room and had me sit on the mattress. He locked the door and joined me, moving a single strand of hair out of my face. I didn't resist his touch, which made me very aware of how comfortable I was becoming around the human lie detector. It was unsettling but I couldn't bring myself to throw a fit about it.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" Loyal asked. He took a hold of my chin and forced me to look in his eyes, making sure I didn't lie.

"I'm okay," I replied.

Loyal nodded. "I'm glad."

There was a short pause. I let myself sink into shade of his irises. Had they always been that pretty? And his lashes, they were so long, and full. The more I looked at Loyal, the more I was attracted to him. Ugh. This was so frustrating. I shouldn't be swooning over a guy who's mess got me kidnapped. I should be drawing lines to make sure I didn't fall for him or the delinquent. "I feel like I owe you an explanation," Loyal finally said. "You deserve to know why those guys were targeting you."

"They thought I was your girlfriend," I replied.

"Oh." He looked surprised. "Right, you already know? Okay. Well, I guess I should tell you why they're targeting me."

"Because of Tomasia," I answered.

Loyal tilted his head. "And how do you know that?"

"Neal said he likes her, a lot, but I feel like there is more to it than that."

Loyal dropped his hand from my chin, his gaze sterling a little. It was as if he was remembering something he could do without. "We helped him get through a full year," he explained. "He hadn't paid us for the services and before we could inquire why, Tomasia got into a bit of trouble with him. He was expelled for sexual harassment, although I think he should have been sentenced to time in juvenile detention."

"It was that bad?"

"Worse," Loyal said. "My sister acts cool and collected around school but she's healing on the inside."

"I'm really sorry," I replied softly. "I've been oblivious about a lot from the beginning. I've been testing boundaries with you guys without knowing the whole history." I couldn't look at him when I continued to speak. "I don't want to sabotage you anymore, I'm too afraid to, to be honestly. I don't have the guts to anger Khaleel."

"Khaleel wouldn't hurt you," Loyal assured, taking my hand in his. "But don't you want to know why someone with my wealth and background is trying to earn his own money?"

I nodded but kept my eyes on our hands. His were bigger than mine, more masculine, but gentle at the same time. The hairs on his knuckles were thin but that didn't make them any less appealing. "I'm trying to get emancipated," he said.

"W-What?" I gasped, looking up at him. "Why?"

Loyal intertwined our fingers. "They're not good parents," he said upset. "Not to me and definitely not to Tomasia. Their expectations of us are ridiculous and I'm sick and tired of hearing them say everything they do is us for our sake. Every lie they tell breaks my faith in them and every fake promise they make, makes me want to puke. I'm over it. I have been since I was little. I have no money to my name. I mean, there is a trust fund but I don't want anything to do with it."

"What does this mean—are you saving up to hire a lawyer?" I asked, feeling a headache coming on.

"No," Loyal replied. "I already found one last year, but he said it would be difficult for me to file for emancipation in Canada. The law technically doesn't exist here but I'm determined. That and if I'm successful with the suit, but have nowhere to live after the fact, things could get ugly. I'm trying to set myself for an apartment, living expenses, and for school. If I can't get a scholarship."

"You and I both know you're more than capable of getting a scholarship," I smiled, referencing his acceptance letter into Brown. I took a steady breath before continuing. "This is why you wanted to keep it a secret."

Loyal nodded. "My parents started talking about colleges earlier this year. They want me to take over the family business and apply for my commercial real estate certification. I got spooked so I was testing myself behind the scenes. I wanted to make sure I was capable of getting in at the level I'm at right now."

"That's a lot," I said. "I can't believe through all that you had to hear every lie your parents spoke."

Loyal laughed. "You're making it very difficult for me to resist you right now."

My heart panicked. Right. Loyal Wilson had feelings for me and he had been holding back because of our animosity. Well, after yesterday, things had sort of changed the dynamic of our relationship. We weren't enemies anymore, we weren't really friends either, so what else was there? His hand reached to stroke my cheek—scaring my heart into thinking about the delinquent. I couldn't like him. It wouldn't be right, not while Matilda had feelings for him. Not after his daunting display of strength and aggression. He wasn't just scary, he was absolutely terrifying. If I was going to truly start over and embrace my true self at Jackheights then I had to be smart about this. I had to follow my gut instead of my curiosity.

I held Loyal's face and pulled his chin down to mine. The light in his eyes slowly dimmed and filled with vulnerability. "Then don't resist," I told him.