Page 5 of Return To You

I narrow my eyes, but I don’t move. I wait.

She looks around the room before her dark green eyes land on me. They widen slightly, and I tilt my head. My eyes go to her cheek, taking in the mark, the little scratch standing out.

I raise a pointed brow toward her, and she swallows hard, her delicate throat bobbing. Slowly, she walks our way.

When she’s close, I hold out my right hand and she clears her throat, willingly taking the apple, and whispers, “Please don’t tell Al….”

Barnett quickly stands and asks, “Who hit you, darling?”

I swallow my growl at his endearment and side-eye him, but he’s not looking my way; his eyes are focused on her cheek.

She doesn’t answer him, only looking down. I climb off the table and close the gap between us. She still doesn’t look up, so I place two fingers underneath her chin, her skin so fucking soft that I want to cup her whole cheek, but I refrain, and instead make her look up at me. I gently tilt her head.

“Your brother isn’t the one you should be concerned about, Petal. Who the fuck hit you?” I rumble.

Her eyes widen and she stutters, “P-Piper, cornered me in the girl’s bathroom with two of her f-friends.”

I nod and look at Barnett, who also nods.

She’ll become an outcast.

Looking back at Rose, I murmur, “You’re not spending all your time in here, Petal.”

She furrows her brows. “But I like the library….”

I smile slightly. “I know, but you can read in the music room….”

“But why….” Her words trail off as I wrap my arm around her shoulders and gently guide her toward the doors she just came through, Barnett following.

Everyone steps out of our way and stares as we get into the corridor, but we ignore them. I notice my cousin, who smiles lightly while Alejandro narrows his eyes. I lift two fingers in salute so he knows she won’t be hurt. Only when Van nudges him does he nod, while Jacob just grins like the idiot he is.

Rose allows me to guide her to the other side of the school, and only when we get near the classroom room do I mutter, “You’ll be spending your time between classes in here with me, Little Petal.”

She looks at me with a frown, but I smile and gently lean down, placing a peck on her forehead, and guiding her into the room where Cameron, my other friend, is waiting. He sees Rose and just shakes his head with a smile, before taking a seat behindthe drums, his shaggy, black hair falling over his blue eyes as he leans down to grab his sticks.

I guide Rose to a chair and help her sit, smirking at the wide-eyed look she has going on, which makes her look cute and innocent.

Shaking my head, I grab my guitar and stand before the mic, her eyes going wider, if possible, when I start strumming a few notes.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me or why I’m so fucking drawn to this girl, but what I do know is that she’s fucking mine.

Always.

one

Rose - Age Seventeen

I growla little under my breath as I try to write my report for English class on Marylin Monroe, which is worth 75% of my grade. I'm struggling with all the other students in the library mulling around, bumping into my table without a care in the world.

It's study period, and usually, I'd go to the music room, but today, it's in use, or so the sign outside the door stated. So I came here instead, but by the looks of things, so has everyone else, and not to study, either. And for someone like me, who's a shoo-in for graduating a year early, with valedictorian at that….

I shake my head. I'm pretty sure I saw two guys making out in the poetry section, and right now, some girl is grinding on a jock, not giving a crap about their audience, her school skirt hitched up around her waist. His hands on her butt are the only things covering her.

I side-eye the couple that looks about ready to tear each other's clothes off, wondering how they'd feel about me flinging my water over them because of the moaning and groaning, butbefore my hand can move, Mr. Crow snaps, "This is a library, not a brothel, pack it in or get out!"

Neither stop, and I roll my eyes, looking back down at my work, not surprised they carried on. Mr. Crow is all talk, no bite, and the students know it.

I side-eye my water again just as the girl moans louder, but again, before I can move my hand, I hear a sigh before Mr. Crow asks, "Rose, does Noah know you're in here?"

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