The Garden of Eden || Canis Canem Edit / Bully [ #WATTYS2018 ]

Chapter Forty-Nine: I Love You

"Ugh..." A barely audible grunt left Eden's lips in a gruff huff, her arms crossed over her chest as she reluctantly trudged up the staircase.

The stairs creaked beneath her loafers, the finely polished leather letting out little squeaks with every step. Spending the entire day helping Mandy, Christy and Angie prepare their cheers for the 'game of the century' was certainly a distraction, but was incredibly exhausting. At the very least, it took her mind off Gary. 'Go, Bullworth! Go! Pretty lacklustre.'

Bullworth Academy was excited. The Big Game was two hours or so away. Even now, faint squeals could be heard from the bedrooms she passed by as students tried to apply bright blue face paint. Pinky came scampering down the corridor in nothing more than a fluffy pink towel, hair sticking to her skin in a stringy mess. Her feet sunk into the rug beneath her with a squishing sound, leaving behind a trail of damp footprints. 

Eden's foot twitched. She was half-tempted to stick her shoe out and trip her. Biting back a remark, the Preppy skipped past her as she continued down the hallway. The tall teenager reached into her pocket, fishing out the key card. 'Here goes nothing.'

Hooded, dark eyes stared back at her in the reflection of the doorknob. Tired, dull shamrock eyes that had lost the light of the day. She could practically feel the lustrous caress of her satin sheets against her skin, the ghost of a thousand butterfly wings peppering soft kisses along her body. Unhinging her door, a burst of warm air like a fireball engulfed her.

A content sigh left her lips, locking the door behind her with a click. Almost immediately Gary's eyes darted to her, wide with awareness. He was hunched over her desk, eye level with a little mirror with a clear, gloopy substance on his fingers. 'Gel?'

"H-hey, princess."

He straightened up, allowing Eden's eyes to gaze over him. His lean figure was dressed starkly in a simple ink-black dress shirt, the stiff cotton material glistening ever-so-slightly in the afternoon sun. Matching this, his long legs were clad in skinny navy dress pants. It looked like he had spent the last couple of hours making himself look so neat and tidy. His clothing was ironed, his black oxfords were polished - it took a great amount of restraint of Eden not to run over and kiss him senseless. 'Wow, he looks good when he tidies himself up...'

"Hi, love..." She hesitantly greeted, shuffling towards her bed.

Gary stepped in front of her. She kept her head down. Guilt crawled up the back of her throat. The air was thick. So much needed to be said, yet they both remained silent. Strong, comforting arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her in until her cheek was nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Eden's breathing grew heavy, stirring the tiny hairs on his neck and sending a shiver through every cell in his body.

He pulled back a little, taking a peek at her glowing cheeks. His chest vibrated with a deep chuckle before he pecked her cheek. The velvety smooth graze felt like scalding hot metal searing her golden beige skin.

"Get dressed, pretty yourself up. Not like you'll have to try too hard." Despite his words, his arms tightened around her.

"Oh? Are we leaving for the Big Game now?"

"Nope." A confident smirk grew on Gary's lips as he drew back. "Now hurry up, I wanna get out of here while the academy grounds are still empty."

Eden was frozen in place, her feet like stumps rooted into the floorboards beneath her. Gaping like a fish out of water, her eyebrows were furrowed deeply as she tried to find the right words to say. 'We're not going to the game? What, did he bump his head on the way back here? Does he feel bad about what I said earlier?'