Chapter 6

Chapter Six

R eincarnated. Brought back to me.

Reborn. Old, yet still new.

Reincarnated. Ohhh, you've come back to me.

But you're not mine anymore.

You were never mine before.

The lyrics stare back at me from my notebook. Can you love and hate a muse at the same time? I'd say yes. She asked to talk to me. What the fuck could she possibly have to say after all this time?

Slamming the book closed when I hear footsteps, I look up and see Aleeka walking towards the stacks. Exactly where Josie said she'd seen my ghost yesterday. I watch her sit down with her back against the wall. She types something out on her phone, and a moment later, a smile graces her face. Moments like this have me wishing I was Dante's kind of smart. Because I'd hack into Aleeka's phone and find out who the fuck's making her smile like that. She looks up, directly into the darkened corner I'm occupying, almost like she knows I'm here. She can't see me, though.

And then the smile drops from her face. That's when I see it. Her sadness. The tears stream over her cheeks and she does nothing to wipe them away. Are they because of me?

I push up from the ground, step out of the shadows, and make my way towards her, against my better judgement. It seems I have zero sense of self-preservation when it comes to this girl.

Aleeka doesn't look up at me as I sit in front of her. "I'm really not in the mood, Orlando," she says.

Placing my fingers under her chin, I lift her face until her watery eyes connect with mine. My thumbs wipe the wetness from her cheeks. "Why are you sitting in here by yourself crying?"

"Because crying in the cafeteria surrounded by everyone didn't seem like a better option," she counters.

I smile. "Probably not. Why are you crying?"

Aleeka's eyes squint at me. "It doesn't matter."

"Why are you crying? Did someone say something? Do something?" I ask for the third time, my blood suddenly boiling at the thought of someone hurting her. Fucking hell, I really need to get my addiction to this girl out of my system. You'd think fifteen months of going cold turkey would have cured me.

One look in her direction, and it's like all those months without her didn't even exist.

"Why are you here, Orlando?"

"Because my ma says I can't get through life on good looks alone and need to finish school." I smirk.

"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.