Page 7 of Bells

“Easy. I’m just asking. You’re really acting like a bit of a bitch.”

“Oh, so now I’m a bitch?” I got to my feet as he stared up at me.

“Bells, that’s not what I meant. There’s a big fucking difference between acting like a bitch and actually being one. Come on.” He reached for my hand. “Sit down.”

I jerked my hand away from him. “I don’t want to sit down. You’re always ruining everything.”

He got to his feet and stared me down. He towered over me by a good six or seven inches. I wasn’t exactly short, but I wasn’t as tall as he was. I never cared to remember his height, but I knew Church was well over six feet tall and Sin rivaled him.

Church.

I looked over at him again to see Stitches and Ashes had joined him. Melanie was at least paying attention to Ashes now instead of Church, which offered me some relief.

Sin’s fingers found my jaw, and he forced my attention back to him.

“Look at me, not my friends,” he growled.

“Your friends are more exciting than you,” I said softly.

His fingers shook beneath my chin. Maybe I was being a bitch. Or maybe I really was just a bitch, but something about seeing him struggle to maintain his composure did something to me. Something I liked. That excited me.

I liked Sin. Mostly. It’s just Church. . .

I sighed.

“I care about you,” he said, his voice low. “Why are you being this way?”

“You care about me?” I raised my eyebrows at him.

“Yes, Bells. You know I fucking care about you. You’re my girl.”

“But you justcare?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s cute, Sin.” I made to step around him, but he snagged my hand.

“What do you want me to do?” He looked so vulnerable. I liked that. But I hated it. I wanted him to fight me. Church would fight me. I knew he would.

“I want you to man up and prove to me how much youcareabout me,” I snapped at him. I didn’t wait for his rebuttal. I ripped my hand free of his hold and stomped off but not before I cast a final look at Church.

My heart caught in my throat as his green eyes focused on me before he tore his focus away and looked to Melanie.

It wasn’t a lot, but it was something.

He’d looked at me.

* * *

Two days later,I trudged across Chapel Crest’s campus, my excitement at an all-time high. Sin and I were getting along again, but that tended to happen whenever I stepped it up a notch. He’d crawl back to me on his knees and do something he thought was sweet for me. In this latest case, he’d brought me a bouquet of daisies with a sweet little note written inside a card with a photo of us he’d taken on his phone.

You’re the bright spot in my life, Bells. I hope these flowers make you smile.

Always

Sin

They had made me smile. I hadn’t even thrown them away. They were in a vase on my desk in my room next to the photo of us he’d included. It made me like him a little more, but it only made the feelings I had worse, as confusing as that was.

I wanted Sin. I knew I did. I knew I’d fight anyone who tried to take him from me. Being territorial was just who I was, even if my feelings weren’t always strong about someone.

On the flip side of that, I knew I wanted Church too.

---