Page 11 of Orlando

“I’ve seen your dad, Orlando. I think you’re safe to float by on your good looks just fine.”

“You perving on my pops, Aleeka? He’s a happily married man.”

“No, I just have eyes,” she says.

“So… you think I’m good looking, huh?” I ask, calling her out on her own words.

Aleeka rolls her eyes. Eyes that are drying up and not as watery now. “I’m not answering that. I really did come here to be alone, Orlando. Don’t you have someone else you can torture?”

“Oh, babe, this…” I gesture from her chest to mine. “…is not me torturing you. This is us having a conversation. You said you wanted to talk,” I remind her.

“And you said the only way for us to talk is if we’re fucking. Which is never happening again, so I guess there really is nothing else to say.”

It doesn’t escape me that she still hasn’t answered my question. She’s been in here crying for two days in a row. And two days in a row, she hasn’t told me why. I’m not going to push it though. I’ll find out eventually.

“Come on.” I stand and hold out a hand.

Aleeka looks from my open palm to my face. “What?”

“Come with me,” I tell her again, waiting for her to decide if she’s going to take my offer or not.

“Where to? Another supply closet? I’ll pass. I’m good right here.”

“To the cafeteria. I’m starving,” I say. My hand still outstretched, still empty.

“Sooo, go and eat,” she replies while drawing out her words.

“If you don’t come with me, I’m going to sit back down and miss lunch. Then I’m going to end up hangry. Do you want to be responsible for a hangry Valentino, Aleeka? Because there’s no telling what I’ll do when it gets to that stage of hunger.”

A small smile tugs at her lips. “Fine. But I’m only coming because I’m hungry too and didn’t pack food today.” She stands on her own, ignoring my offer. “Put your hand away. I’m not holding it.”

I smirk. “You used to love holding my hand,” I remind her.

“I used to love a lot of things that I don’t anymore,” she states.

I don’t need to be holding her hand anyway. When we walk into the cafeteria together, all heads turn in our direction. “Did you ghost everyone or just me?” I ask her.

“I didn’t keep in touch with anyone,” she says while glancing around the room. “They’re all staring.” Aleeka starts fidgeting with her skirt, pulling on the hem in an attempt to have it cover more of her legs.

“That’s because they’re curious,” I tell her. “Let them be.” Placing my hand on her back, I lead her over to the food, pick up a tray, and hand it to her before grabbing one for myself.

Aleeka shifts her body, forcing my hand to lose the contact I had with her. I don’t like it. I should take the fucking hint. This girl doesn’t want anything to do with me. Yet I’m stuck on her.

One more taste,I tell myself. I just need one more taste and then my body will catch up with the fact that I don’t want her.

Chapter Seven

Ifollow Orlando over to a table where his cousin and Josie are already sitting. I remind myself that I’m only doing this so I can get the opportunity to tell him about Sebastian. Obviously, a cafeteria full of students isn’t the place you drop theoh, by the way, you’re a fathertalk.

As much as I’m trying to get a read on him, I can’t. He’s so all over the place, either ignoring my existence, telling me the onlything he wants is to fuck me, or in the library looking concerned and asking me why I’m crying. It almost felt like he cared… I can’t let myself fall into that line of thinking, though. It’ll only lead to more heartbreak. And once he finds out the secret I’ve been keeping from him, he’s not going to want anything to do with me. I know that. I’ve accepted it. I just hope that, for Sebastian’s sake, Orlando wants to know his son without taking him away from me.

Dread fills me. Like I said, these boys can do whatever they want. Even now. We’re just sitting in the cafeteria, and everyone gives them a wide berth as they walk around our table. People might be staring and whispering, but one look from Orlando has everyone turning the other way.

He has the power to break me in a way no one else can, and that scares the hell out of me. I can’t lose my son. I won’t lose him. But then, there’s the very real possibility he won’t want to take him. That he’d be happy to be a part of Sebastian’s life with me. Well, notwith me, but alongside me. Co-parenting is normal in this day and age. A lot of people do it.

The truth is, I don’t want him to hate me more than he already does. I don’t know why I want him to like me. I don’t have delusions about us becoming one happy little family. I know that’s not going to ever happen. I get that what I’ve done… what I’ve hidden from him is huge. I know that. I just… I don’t know what else to do. I can’t seem to get the courage to tell him.

When I found out I was pregnant, he was the first person I tried to call. And when his number didn’t work, I thought he’d blocked me on purpose. I didn’t try to reach out via other means. I could have. I should have. But there’s that hindsight thing again…

---