Your Man IS NOT My Mate

My eyes shoot up and instantly, I'm taken back when I find myself looking into the most mesmerizing ocean blue eyes as he approaches me.

My heart beats like an amateur drummer; skipping beats, and overall, the rhythm is out of time. My brain loses connection with my lungs and for a moment I forget how to breathe.

"You ok there, cupcake?" He chuckles, towering over my sitting frame as he rests his hand on my shoulder. His touch snaps me from the trance and I blink rapidly, jumpstarting my brain. I smile sheepishly. "Y-yes, yes I'm fine."

'Pathetic.' Stella remarks rolling her eyes.

'You should be the last to judge someone' I retort.

'You call it judging, I call it stating facts.'

Ugh! 'why are we even having this conversation, you are grounded, remember?'

'you are grounded, remember.' she repeats mockingly, knowing that it is bound to get on my nerves.

"Are you sure you are ok?" His smile fades and a look of worry is plastered on his slightly tilted head as he examines me.

My face relaxes and it's only then that I recognized my emotions, from my inner monologue with Stella, were displayed on my face.

"Sorry, yeah I'm fine" I awkwardly smile.

"Ok." He straight up, stilling seemingly unsure of whether to believe me, but he doesn’t press with further questions. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Sure" I chirp, quicker than expected.

'Desperate.' Stella coughs.

This time I choose to ignore her and instead focus all my attention on the guy about to sit beside me. My heart rate accelerates and I can’t help but notice how attractive he is with his soft brown tapered-cut curls and those ocean blue eyes that make me feel like Mona singing How Far I’ll Go. My eyes flick to his lips which seem like they are just begging for a kiss.

‘Oh my gosh! Such a hypocrite’ Stella fumes.

‘I’m just admiring him, it’s not like I’m bedding him.’ I snap.

‘You mean not physically” she mutters under her breath.

I roll my eyes at her before returning to my newfound heartthrob. He's definitely new here because for one, I've never seen him before and two, he's talking to me... To Me. Ah, I internally squeal like a little kid, pinch me, because I might just be dreaming.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through me and I instinctively clutch my stomach.

'Nope, definitely not a dream.' Stella smirks, knowing she has just purposely inflicted pain on me. 'What? You said to pinch you, but I have so fingers, so….'

"Hey, you really don't seem too well." The guy's voice pulls me out of my head as he places a hand over my mine. My body goes ridged at the unexpected contact. "Is it that time of the month for you?" He asks with great concern, briefly flicking his eyes down to my stomach, then, back up at me.

I quickly release my stomach with a shaking head. “It’s ok… I’m ok.”

He leans in closer to me “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” he whispers, his minty-flavored breath fanning my ear. A slight shiver runs down my spine and his hand resting on top of mine is doing nothing to slow down my racing heart. “Maybe something to drink… juice, tea, water?” He pulls back and asks, looking too intensely into my eyes.

I’m drowning in those ocean eyes that hold such sincerity, as he stares at me and suddenly, I’m unable to formulate a proper sentence.

'Technically speaking, you are failing English so I doubt he's the sole reason.' Stella casually interjects.

'One more word from you and you won't be seeing your fur for a whole month.' I seethe, and that was enough to do the trick. Stella retreats, leaving me to enjoy a rear moment of receiving physical contact and attention from someone other than my parents.

“Adrian!” A voice calls from by the door, stealing his attention and ruining my moment.

My head shoots up, anger etched on my face directed at the culprit, but it quickly vanishes, and instead, my eyes grow wide in astonishment.

There, a guy stands, his short black hair partially hidden under the hood of his black leather jacket, yet a silvery-white streak peaks through from beneath its covers. He has a stern look on his face that screams danger, with black sunglasses… indoors, adding to his element of mystery.

“Can’t you see I’m preoccupied?” the guy beside me, who I now know is Adrian, says with a playful smirk, turning his gaze from the guy at the door back to me. He gently squeezes my hand, and I feel tiny sparks tingle my skin just like pop-rock on one’s tongue.

"So…?” he looks at me with an arched brow awaiting my answer.

“I-I…” My eyes dance between the two-

*Ting-a-ling-a-ling. Ting-a-ling-a-ling*

The sound of the bell hits my ear like ice water splashed against my face, awaking my senses. I slide my hand from Adrian’s and without a word, I point to the door and nod.

I reach the door and the guy standing there doesn’t even bother to shift to the side to clear the way, leaving me to squeeze my way past him. I keep my gaze fastened to the ground, the frightening aura rolling of the guy telling me wise choice as my heart pounds mercilessly against my chest.

That guy is scary and somehow, as I hurry down the hallway back to class, it feels like his eyes are following me.

Relief washes over me as soon as I enter the partially empty classroom since the students were already leaving for their next class.

“Alright, Miss Parker.” Mr. Michael begins as I stand in front of his desk, watching him correct the classes’ test papers. “As you already know… you are failing my class.” He pauses, slowly glancing up at me as if looking for confirmation. “Which, as a teacher, is a bad reflection on me…. So, starting tomorrow, you’ll be tutored by Alaric.”

“Alaric?” The name didn’t sound the least bit familiar.

“Yes, he’s a final year student, he Aced my class last year and so I believe he’ll be the perfect tutor for you.”