Hunted

Chapter Thirteen

Xander

I stood outside Mel's door trying to convince myself that this was not going to go horribly wrong. All I had to do was knock and apologise. I sent Kenji yesterday to see how she was doing and she avoided me the whole of today. Okay she wasn't avoiding me she was just cooped up in the library doing research according to dad.

"Are you going to keep standing there or are you going to come in?" Her voice spoke softly in my head making me jump back and stare at the door. What the fuck?

"Jellybean?"

"Come in Xander." She said again a little more confidently.

"At least she's not calling you Alexander." Xerxes said as I opened the door.

She was in front of her vanity with a comb in hand looking frustrated with her hair already. She looked at me through the mirror as I walked in and turned to face me once the door was closed behind me.

"How'd you do that?" I asked immediately her eyes were on me. "I mean I know how but how?"

"I did a lot of reading today and I talked to your mom. I wasn't even sure I'd get it on the first try." She chuckled.

"I wanted to apologise for..."

"It's okay Xander. I forgive you."

"You do?"

"Shut up." Xerxes hissed.

"Yes I do. But that doesn't mean I'm going to move back into your room or immediately start dating you or whatever."

"Look what you did idiot."

"Oh." I said.

"Let me finish. I don't like secrets but I get you had your own ridiculous reason for keeping them. Even if it was stupid. I'm not an idiot. The only way I can get rid of you is to reject you."

It was like I had been stabbed in the chest and the blade was twisted around when she said that. She must have seen my expression because she got up and walked to me holding my face in her hands.

"I'm not going to do that Xander. I would never think of rejecting you. But we need to build trust. So we'll be friends first and try and build our relationship." She whispered.

"I don't think I can be just friends with you." I told her letting out a breath of relief.

"It's what you wanted."

"I don't want that anymore. I just want you."

"You have me for eternity. Friends for now?"

"Friends for now." I whispered. Lucian was right. I am a glutton for punishment.

"Great." She said clearing her throat and stepping away from me. She walked back to her mirror and groaned as she tried to detangle her hair.

"Need help with that crow's nest?" I asked smirking earning a hair brush to the chest.

"Like you know how to braid hair." She scoffed.

"I do." I said walking towards her.

"My hair isn't like Lilly's in case you haven't noticed. So unless you have an ex-girlfriend whose hair was like mine that used to braid I don't buy it."

"No ex-girlfriend." I said.

"None?" She asked. "Not even a fling?"

"No girls." I responded.

"Boys then?" She smirked at me in the mirror making me roll my eyes.

"Shut up and pass me the stupid comb."