Page 32 of Science Project

Was he waiting for her to leave?

Deciding that I didn’t have time for questions that I would never get the answers to, I jumped out of my car and ran up the driveway in hopes to catch Akio before he slipped into his house and slammed the door in my face for awkwardly staring at him earlier at Beestra.

As he fumbled with his keys, I grabbed his elbow. “Aki?—”

Suddenly, he twirled around, keys dropping from his grasp and hand snapping around my throat, shoving me up against the front porch post. My eyes widened, and I tugged on his hand in an attempt to breathe.

His eyes widened. “Nicole.”

Almost immediately, he dropped his hand from around my throat. I leaned forward, coughing and trying to catch my breath. I had been choked before by I didn’t know how many guys, but I hadn’t expected it from Akio.

Damn, his grip was stronger than my father’s this morning.

“Nicole,” Akio said, crouching down in front of me, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you.”

I shook my head. “It’s my fault for not saying something.”

After fumbling around with his keys once more, he opened the door and led me into the house. “Let me get you some water or ice or something. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He headed straight toward the kitchen.

Before he could get far, I grabbed his elbow. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

And I was used to it.

Akio tilted my chin up to look at my neck. “There are bruises.”

My entire body stiffened, and I pushed him away. “They’re not from you.”

“What do you mean, they’re not from me?” he asked. “Who are they from?”

With my lips pursed, I stared at him and wanted to crawl into a hole and fucking die. Why had I even left my car? Had I actually thought this would be a good idea? What had I even been planning to ask him again?

“Nicole,” he said, his voice softer, “who did this to you?”

“Do you like Imani?” I blurted.

“What?”

I crossed my arms. “Do you like Imani? I saw you on a date with her.”

“We weren’t on a date,” Akio said.

But I had seen them laughing and smiling together. And I could never make anyone laugh and smile like that. So, he had to be lying. He had been out on a date with her and had a great time because they had so much in common.

So much that I would never be able to relate to, never be able to understand.

“You don’t have to lie,” I snapped, jealousy pooling within me.

“We were studying.”

“Studying, huh?” I asked, more so to myself. “Like we do?”

A confused expression crossed his face, which was quickly replaced with bewilderment. “No. Not like we do. My parents know hers, and …” He rubbed his elbow. “I don’t really have any friends, so?—”

I didn’t know what came over me, but I seized his face in my hands for a second night in a row and kissed him. There was so much that I wanted to say to him, but I didn’t know how to communicate like a normal human being.

Dad paid off all my teachers to give me a passing grade so I wouldn’t fail when I didn’t do the homework because I was busy with his work.

And now, all I knew was how to seduce men.

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