Chapter 67 Slow Realization
Ryder's POV
"Go home with me today." I whispered in Uriel's ear, startling her.
My hands snaked around her waist, holding her steady.
Her chest heaved down when her eyes landed on me.
"Ryder..." Her voice was breathless, her cheeks red. Again.
I wasn't complaining.
In fact, I was liking that color way too much because of her.
Mind you, all I had grown to like was black - because it perfectly described me.
"Hmm." Kathie hummed, turning to look at Chloe with some weird eyes. Chloe bit her lips as if she was trying to bite back something.
"Yes?"
Ever since we kissed, I had felt the urge to always be next to her more than anything else. I felt like I couldn't breathe properly if she wasn't with me.
Worse, I was becoming too irritated from sharing her with people. Anyone at all.
But I had to tell myself that before I came, she had people and she needed these people because I didn't expect myself to always be there for her
I was a very complicated person.
Anyway, she nodded at me.
"Great. Don't leave without me okay? I want us to get snacks and a few things because Dee has emptied the cabinet." I growled lowly, only for she to hear.
"She's just a girl." She gave me the best smile she could utter. To everyone, she was perfect fine.
To me, she couldn't fool me. I could see the emptiness and darkness in those pretty blue eyes and I wanted nothing so bad than to kiss them away; take them away.
Anything.
I hoped to do that today.
I couldn't let her live this way - especially not when her birthday was in 3 days.
"Hey bro! We turned and you were gone." Peter frowned at me but that was replaced with surprise when his eyes fell to my hand placement on Uriel's waist.
She tried to pull away. I tightened my grip, turning to face her with my eyebrows raised.
Shyly, she looked down with a small smile on her lips. Then I felt her body relax into my touch again, leaning in properly this time.
They could all say I was claiming her, I didn't mind.
"Class?" Switching the topic, I asked, releasing my hand from her waist only to lace our fingers together.
She felt so warm
"God, this is so cute to see!" Kathie groaned into Mason's chest.
Peter walked to Chloe, draping his arms around her neck. "We hear your birthday is in 3 days, Uri." Peter started.
"She's booked." I announced, finality evident in my tone. My face was hard, complimenting my voice.
"I am?" Uriel looked up at me, raising her eyebrow. "Ry, I don't celebrate my birthday. It's not -"
"You owe me, Kinky, remember? I choose that day." Shrugging, I spewed out.
"Ah, right." She nodded, giving her friends pitied looks. "I'm booked."
"Since that's the situation then, I'll just suggest something else." Peter said.
"Before that, I want to say something." Kathie glared at me, playfully I guess. "We need our friend too, you kmow."
"Call her. Text her. Visit her. I'm not stealing her away. She just owes me and needs to pay up." My face held this bored expression.
I didn't have a slick relationship with her friends and going by bro code, my brother's women were not my friends.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Kat. We could -"
"Oh, don't mind Kat. You know how possessive she can be. She'll get use to it." Chloe shunned Uriel immediately, chuckling. "Don't ruin this, Kat!"
"Okay fine. I just love you so much okay?" Kat rolled her eyes.
"Aww come here!" Uriel broke out from my grip, making me frown a little. I waited patiently for them to do their group hug girlie things before taking her hand into mine again.
"Whipped!" Peter and Mason coughed simultaneously, earning a middle finger from me.
"Anyway, I was thinking we could hang out and bond, you know! Mason's parents would be out of town this weekend, after Uri's birthday. What do you think? A weekend together, as friends?" Peter smiled at us, looking at Chloe to back him up.
"Will parents be there?" Uriel asked, making us turn to her with our mouths dropped.
"Do you want the parents to be there?" Mason asked, speaking our mind.
"For supervision of teenagers. I mean, oops... I'll be an adult by then. I almost forgot." She joked, making us laugh. "Got you guys!"
"Funny how you're the last person to turn an adult in our small cycle." Kathie teased. "Ouuu... We're a cycle now!"
"No, we're not." I argued.
"Yes, we are." Kathie shot back.
"Leave Ryder. He's just grumpy." Mason pulled Kathie with him.
"Am I grumpy?" My voice was low as I asked Uriel.
"Very!" She giggled, covering her mouth to muffle it.
"I'll show you what grumpy is. Let's get away from here first." I whispered in her ears, making her body tense.
When we pulled away, her eyes locked onto mine - a darker shade of what they were.
So she was feeling it too.
The magnet pull that seemed too hard to resist. Fuck.
Good thing she was turning 18 soon.
Now, I didn't have to be too cautious of abusing a minor.
"Uriel." A male voice called out from the corner of the hallway, making all of us stop.
My eyes hardened when they collided with that of Lance.
"L.. Lance." Uriel glanced at me, our hands and then at Lance. Lance followed suit, his eyes first glaring at me and then our entangled hands.
"Can we talk?"
"She has to learn. Isn't it why she's doing lessons?" I spoke up, my tone sharp.
Maybe a little too sharp.
"She has mouth to speak for herself." Lance shot back with an icy tone.
"I'll call you." Uriel spoke softly. "I promise."
Lance's face contorted into that of disappointment. He turned to look at Kathie and Chloe whose eyes mirrored something sad - maybe guilt.
What were they feeling guilty for?
"I'll be waiting." Lance forced a smile, walking away.
"Poor boy!" Peter muttered lowly.
Throughout our classes, I didn't let Uriel out of my side. This part of me felt alien to me and scary.
It felt like...
My face turned to meet Uriel's eyes already on me with a sweet smile on her face. My heart quaked in my chest, picking up its pace.
Quickly I turned away, parting my mouth slightly so as to regularize my breathing. I don't know if she sensed something was wrong but then she placed her hand on my laps, rubbing it up and down, soothingly.
When the bell rang for end of lesson, she wrapped her hand around mine, clinging closer like I had clung to her all day.
She giggled, looking up to me with those sexy blue eyes that pierced through my dark soul.
"It's time, isn't it." She fluttered her lashes like a child begging for lollipop. "Don't worry, I'm all yours, Ryder Connell."
She didn't know the implications of what she said.
It made my pulse quicken, my eyes holding onto hers.
"Kinky..."
She placed her fingers on my lips, "just say I'm yours, don't be shy."
My chest heaved up and down rapidly. I was feeling it - stronger than before.
The butterflies.
And as I said those words, " You're mine" slowly to her...
I realized something - dangerous.
I was falling for Uriel.
What the hell.