Chapter 55: Only You

~“Thought I’d forget about you, but every day feels like déjà vu and time doesn’t seem to be on my side, because every second you won’t get off my mind.”—Arlissa.~

Chapter Theme Song: “Every Time I Breathe” by Arlissa.

HARMONY

I blink my eyes open, immediately catching sight of the crystal chandelier hanging above me. The light fixture is a clear sign that I’m not in my room, given that April and I have recessed lights in our suite.

The room is warm and humid, a cool breeze wafting in through the open windows. My mind flashes back to the moments before I passed out, and I realize whose room I must be in.

Blaze’s.

I grimace as I try to sit up in the bed, my gaze meeting his from where he’s sitting on a chair across the room. His elbows rest on his knees as he watches me, his expression filled with what appears to be concern.

But Blaze is a master at pretending, so I can’t tell if his concern is genuine.

“Are you feeling better? How do you feel?”

His hair is wet and sleek, falling over his forehead in a way that’s undeniably attractive. I can see why I fell for him, and I can also see how easy it was for him to fool me.

I drop my gaze from him and pull the covers off me. My muscles tense when I realize that I’m not wearing my underwear.

I’m dressed in my T-shirt and shorts now, which means he must have put my clothes on me. ~Oh, God. He saw me naked.~

I swallow hard. “D-did you undress me?”

My voice comes out shaky, matching my nerves, and I wait for his response, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Yeah. I tried not to look though.”

~God.~

“They were wet, and I didn’t want you to get sick.”

The thought of him seeing me naked sends my nerves into overdrive. I’m not exactly confident about my body. ~Especially not in front of him.~

This is just another reason to get back to my room as soon as possible, not to mention the fact that I can’t get the image of him having sex with that girl out of my mind.

“Goodnight,” I mumble, starting to get out of the bed. Blaze rises from his chair quickly and moves to block my path.

“Harmony.”

I keep my eyes on the floor, knowing that one look into his captivating eyes will have me falling at his feet.

“Excuse me, Blaze. I need to go.”

I try to sidestep him, but he moves to block me again, his hands on his hips.

“Don’t go.” He sighs. “I’m sorry, okay?”

I’m fighting back tears, but I can already feel them welling up in my eyes.

I’m surprised I have any tears left. It’s like God knew my college days would be filled with heartache and made sure I had a sufficient supply.

“I can’t be without you,” he continues. “It’s driving me crazy.”

I finally meet his gaze, and I know it’s a mistake. His eyes are too captivating.

“Do you understand what I’m saying, Harmony?” He reaches up to cup my cheek, but I pull away from his touch.

His eyebrows furrow in a look of sadness as he closes his eyes.

“I said I’m sorry, okay? I know it doesn’t make things better, but I was scared. Scared of what this could be. It’s hard to explain... I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You meant to... You keep doing things to hurt me then say sorry, and I know you’ll do it again,” I mutter, avoiding his gaze. “You had her grinding on you.”

He inhales sharply. “I’m sorry about that too. I was upset about you and Kite. I know I shouldn’t have done that...that was really an ~asshole~ thing to do. I know that, and I’m genuinely sorry.”

I bite my lip as tears fill my eyes.

“Look at me, Harmony.”

“I’m good. I don’t need to.”

“Please.” He takes my face in his hand and turns it towards him, forcing me to look up at him.

I feel a lump forming in my throat as the pain inside me intensifies. My lower lip trembles as a tear slips down my cheek.

A look of guilt crosses his face, and he closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispers. “I make you cry too much...but I’m too selfish to let Kite have you. He can’t have you. You’re mine, Harmony.”

He leans in to kiss me, but I turn my face away.

His eyes flash with hurt, and he rests his forehead against mine. “Kiss me.”

“No.” I swallow, avoiding his gaze. “You said it. You said I shouldn’t kiss you anymore...”

“I didn’t mean those words. I was just fucking stupid. I miss your lips. I know it’s only been a few hours but knowing that I might not feel your lips against mine anymore has been torturing me all day.”

He traces his thumb along my cheek. “Kiss me, please.”

I look up at him, tears streaming down my face, and I can tell it breaks his heart. He tries again, leaning in, but I push against his chest.

He stumbles back and runs a hand through his hair. “Harmony, please.”

“You want to kiss me after you took a girl up here today and had sex with her. I must really look stupid to you, don’t I, Blaze?”

He blinks in confusion. “I didn’t have sex with anyone.”

“I heard you did. You had sex with that brown-haired girl who chews gum all the time!”

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, my sobs now audible, and he takes a step towards me.

“Amber? No, we didn’t sleep together. It never happened. How could I, when all I could think about was you?”

Our eyes meet, and I can’t deny that his words soothe a small part of my hurt.

“No other girl gets to me like you do, Harmony. Can’t you see that?”

My crying has quieted down to soft sobs, and I can feel my walls slowly crumbling. He steps closer, cradling my face in his hands, his thumbs gently wiping away my tears.

“I want you, Harmony,” he murmurs. “Only you.”

His words leave me breathless, my lips parting in surprise. But before I can fully process his confession, his lips are on mine.

I melt into him, all my defenses shattered. I know now that my walls are completely down.