Chapter 53 Unexpected Visit
Kristen's POV
"Make sure to finish your projects before this week runs out, see you at the same time ok Thursday," the course lecturer takes his leave after spending four good hours in the hall.
It's been a hectic day for me, I haven't even had the time to breathe because I keep scurrying to different halls to sit for lectures. We have a thirty-minute break before the last course for the day begins.
Yawning, I sling my backpack on my shoulder as I take my leave. I'm famished and the need to grab a bite is overwhelming.
In the hallway, people are staring at me and they don't even look away when I see them.
Things changed on Saturday at Layla's funeral.
Ever since Calhoun announced that I was his mate, the news spread like wildfire.
I have my share of haters who think I'm up to ruin things for my mom.
And then most people admire me for being the Almighty Alpha Calhoun's mate. They respect me a lot and as much as I don't fancy attention, I'll still have to admit that my life doesn't feel the same anymore.
Some people even volunteer to do things for me, things I never asked for.
Right now, they're divulging as I walk by, and whispers flow around.
Maddy and Sapphires are busy with lectures so they can't walk with me outside school. But they heard about the whole thing from other people and freaked out when they first saw me today.
Gossiping is still going around and some females are jealously glaring at me.
Maybe if they know how much suffering I've been through, they wouldn't hate me for being Calhoun's mate.
And they don't even know Calhoun rejected me a month ago before he marked me to be his again, two days ago at Layla's funeral.
On campus, young girls are openly admiring a man who's wearing a suit. They can't even hide their excitement as they see him, but he doesn't even look at their side to meet their gazes. He's still standing next to his car as if he's waiting for someone.
It's Calhoun, I can feel him before anything else. And for a moment I pause to wonder if this is real, like he's truly here or something.
The way he keeps himself screams of wealth and power, I'll bet they're wondering what he's doing here alone at such an hour. He's always had this great, greatbody.
Seeing him here just makes my heart flutter in my chest because I wasn't even expecting him in the first place. We saw each other last on Sunday, which was yesterday when we were leaving the hotel. But today he's here at such an hour and I know it's because of me. He came to see me. Thinking about this just makes me feel giddy inside.
I should go to him and make myself known because it's obvious he's waited here for some time, but I'm still standing in my post and admiring this man who's proved to be such an important person in my life. He's always busy with his pack duties and handling other responsibilities that he barely has time for himself. But he drove two hours down here all to see me.
It's almost as if he's aware he's being watched by me because he snaps his head to my side and catches my obvious staring.
He looks even better than the last time I saw him.
The man who marked me to be his for the second time.
Now I can see why the girls are literally swooning at his sight when he looks just like this.
I'll bet they know he's out here to see me because they're aware he's my mate.
I can smell Calhoun all the way here and it's pleasant to my nostrils.
Calhoun doesn't even wait for me to reach his side when he sees me, no. He leaves the car and approaches me with long strides until we're standing two feet away from each other.
Eyes which had been on him following him until they see it was me he's meeting with..and then the hate and jealousy in their eyes would've killed me if something like that is possible.
"What are you doing here?" I ask Calhoun, trying to contain the heat crawling on my cheeks.
Calhoun pushes his hand in his pockets and observes me for a few seconds. He doesn't even say anything, just looks with his chin raised in the air like the powerful man that he is. He's trying to study mood at this point, to detect if I'm happy to see him
or not.
And I wonder why he's doing this when there's obviously no need. I was able to think about him only a little because schoolwork is choking me, never expecting that he would stop by at my school to see me.
"It wasn't so hard, you know. I went to the school management block and asked about this petite black-haired girl with the name Kristen..they asked if it was my mate and I said yes," Calhoun looks at me with a small smile playing on his lips.
And the way he put it has my face mirroring his expression because he sounded so sweet. I can't tell if he's being serious right now or if he's telling the truth.
"What are you doing here, Calhoun?" I ask him after letting a moment of stare exchange pass between us. I never felt this lighthearted until I saw him here today. My friends will literally freak out if they know that he's here.
And the way people are pausing to look at me makes satisfaction run through me that it's me he came here for. "You're taking too long to reply, Calhoun."
"I came to see you, it was just hard concentrating at work when I thought about you the whole time. I missed you," Calhoun puts his warm hand on my cheek, before holding my chin and tipping it up so my eyes can meet his, "I couldn't think about anything else except you."
Warmth finds its way through my chest upon hearing this from him.
And the way he's stroking my chin right under the gazes of these people who have refused to look away from us.
"People are watching us, Calhoun," I whisper, hoping he'll take his hand away but he doesn't.
"They can stare all they want," Calhoun closes the distance between us and kisses my chin.
As much as this is enough to melt in his arms, I don't feel comfortable at all, when girls around my age are obviously drilling holes in my body with their death glares.
And Calhoun gives them something else to talk about when he pulls me into a hug and kisses my hair.
A smile spreads through my face.
"Can you skip school for the rest of the day?" He asks me after disengaging our bodies from the embrace, but he still slips my hand in his.
"I don't have free time, Calhoun... There's one class left for the day and I have to go to the library to read for two hours before heading home to work on my project," I explain.
"Just go out with me, I didn't drive two hours down here to see you, only for five minutes," Calhoun pouts at me like a child. And I bubble with laughter because it's the first time I'm seeing him doing this.
"Fine, let's just go since you're already here.
"Now that's my girl," A smile quickly forms on his face as he slips my hand in his for the second time, "Where do you want us to go?'
I'm quite dumbfounded because I don't even have any favorite place I like going to, I just hang out with my friends after they literally drag me out of my apartment.
Biting down on my bottom lip, I curse myself: wardly.
"I'm sorry I don't even know," I tell Calhoun as I stare at my feet.
"It's okay, you look like you need some food in you." He says.
"No, it's not..." My lie is cut short when my stomach rumbles.
And with mockery in Calhoun's eyes, he just chuckles, before pulling me closer to him.
Right now, Calhoun and I are together in the car and he's driving. The fact that he told everyone the truth about us two days ago, has given us the privilege to go wherever we wanted without being sneaky.
I take a gulp as I try to recall how cozy he was with me on campus, upon knowing people had their eyes on us and were obviously gossiping.
I've never seen Calhoun this way before, he looks completely satisfied and pleased that I am in the car with him. He even steals glances at me when he thinks I'm not looking.
And it's one of the many things that makes my heart race in excitement. The feeling is too good to be true.
I fix my eyes on his hands that are turning the steering wheel, and then have flashbacks of how he had used them on my body a month ago.
He's touched me the way I've never been touched by a younger man before. How could I ever forget what we did in the cottage? And when we did it under the rain, on the evening of his marriage with my mom? He couldn't keep his hands off me then but now he's trying to control himself around me. It's a good thing, still.
I am staring at him more than the road ahead of us. The way the corner of his mouth curves upwards gives out that he's aware I'm watching him.
He's good-looking, who wouldn't fall for him?
I don't even mind the age gap between us anymore, and I'm starting to not regret the night I approached him to sleep with me. Because if I hadn't, maybe he would have rejected me right away.
After deciding I've stared at him up to my fill, I stare out the window.
I don't want to feel like a bad person for wanting this man. Those negative thoughts are beginning to slide into my head and to
be honest, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing.
I look to see Calhoun
at me before he returns his gaze to the road.
He marked me to be his again, and told me he would take care of everything, nor will he let anyone hurt me.
And I believe him.
Sometime later, Calhoun takes me to a diner so I can eat. He requested only wine and let me eat what I wanted. He was on his phone but he still stared at me from time to time, trying to check if I'm okay or if I needed anything else.
This is different from the time he took me to that cottage so we could be together by hiding away from the rest of the world. Now, I'm out in the open with him like this, without any fears.
Thirty minutes later, he took me to the museum.
I've never visited the museum with a man alone, I and my course mates only come in groups. But being here with Calhoun makes me feel giddy inside.
The way they show him respect makes me smile. Even the manager here is giving Calhoun a special treatment, taking us around and showing us the artwork by himself.
Why exactly did he bring me here? Can it be one of his favorite places?
Calhoun hasn't even spoken to me since we came here, he's just admiring the statues and paintings. It's nice to see him interested in something else aside from his pack and his business.
He looks completely business in his suit and reeks of wealth and power. His appearance alone is intimidating. While being a student is written all over me because of the way I am dressed, with my backpack slung on my right shoulder.