Throughout that night, Alora couldn’t sleep.
She kept thinking about the mories with Caden.
When he would practice her script with her, when he would cover her fully with an umbrella and allow himself get drenched by the rain.
Their first kiss, the very first ti they had sex. Her first ti was with him.
She could still rember when she laid naked on his bed, nervous and scared while he hovered above her.
He had said these words to her;
“I’ll make this special for you and I’ll be gentle, I promise, do you trust ?"
He was indeed gentle.
He made her first ti better than anything she’d ever imagined.
And after everything, he had given her a bath himself.
He had treated her so tenderly that she started to wish she had t him sooner.
But now, knowing that everything was planned by him hurt.
It absolutely crushed her.
Hell, she had even started to imagine her future with him.
She was so stupid.
**********
By morning, the pain had transford into sothing harder that would protect her from ever letting her guard down again.
At dawn, Alora finished packing up her remaining stuff. She ordered a cab to take her to the airport.
Her mother would et her at the terminal and they would leave tomorrow.
While waiting for the cab, she got a text from Caden.
Caden:I’ll be waiting for you at the lake. I’m not leaving until you co.
Alora scoffed.
He really wasn’t tired of seeing her as a fool.
She typed one last text to him.
Alora: Whatever we had is over. We’re done. Get lost.
With that, she turned off her phone, removed the SIM card and threw it into the bin.
She’d get another number when she got to London. Caden would never be able to contact her again.
She recalled the stuff he bought for her. The necklace and a bracelet.
The bracelet even had their initials, she had thought she’d keep it forever.
Rolling her eyes, she brought them out and threw them into the bin as well.
Nothing should ever remind her of that scumbag!
The cab arrived, she got in and said.
“The airport please.”
As the cab drove off, her heart grew lighter.
She already had a good feeling about London, about her new life.
Everything would fall in place for her from now on.
************
anwhile, at lake Gada, Caden was still waiting for Alora.
He stared at the lake and sighed.
He recalled when he brought her here before.
They had swam on the lake together, kissing and being all over each other.
Alora was the one person that made him montarily forget about everyone else.
When he was with her, there was this peace that he couldn’t explain.
Last night had given him so clarity as to what he was feeling.
They had played a truth or dare ga and he was dared to kiss Brielle.
He had kissed her but for so reasons, he didn’t feel anything.
He had always thought Brielle was the girl for him. He could do anything for her even if it ant destroying another girl’s life but now that he seed to have gotten Brielle to want him again, he didn’t feel that enthusiasm to be with her as before.
The truth was him and the guys had far worse plans for Alora.
The plan was to record multiple nude videos of her and release them. That would ruin her image, not only in the school but to the full public who were on social dia.
That would then make her unable to get accepted by Tisch or any other school.
But the mont he saw her naked body for the first ti, he couldn’t bring himself to record anything. He felt she was too beautiful for anyone to see, including himself.
He had lied to the guys, he had told them it was because he didn’t want to be a part of a sex scandal. Actually, he could have had his face blurred and no one know it was him in the video but that was the easiest lie he could co up with and he was glad the guys had given up asking him about it.
He had a reputation in this school and for so long, he had lived up to it. He kinda enjoyed hearing the guys praise him and wish to be like him.
But now, he didn’t know what he wanted anymore. Alora made him question everything.
Caden glanced at the ti and stood up.
Why wasn’t she here yet?
With each passing minute, he grew more and more uneasy.
When he looked up, he noticed so students had co by the lake.
The flowers in his hand got their attention.
So started to take picture of him, while gossiping.
“That’s Caden Steele, the football captain. Oh he’s dress so good today. He’s so gorgeous.”
“He’s holding flowers. They must be for his girlfriend!”
“I noticed he’s been standing here for a while. Why isn’t she here yet?”
“Let’s wait for a little bit. She must be on her way. I need to watch and record such a romantic display.”
Caden felt nervous.
The confidence that he had for years was beginning to crack.
He had been at the lake since dawn waiting for her.
Now it was almost noon.
Why wasn’t she here yet?
He knew she was mad about sothing but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet!
He had thought he just had to love-bomb her and she’d co running to him, imdiately.
It was what everyone did when Caden Steele called.
No one kept him waiting.
No one said no to him.
He ran a hand through his hair, frustratedly.
The crowd, the lake, everything that had seed like the perfect backdrop for reconciliation with Alora now felt like a stage set for his humiliation.
She had to co.
She had to.
He continued to wait.
Maybe, she’d start feeling bad about keeping him waiting and then she’d co to him.
She always did.
He knew she was very much in love with him.
“Caden.”
He turned abruptly but was t with disappointnt.
He had been too deep in thought to even differentiate a male’s voice from a female’s.
He just heard his na and imdiately thought that Alora had co over.
But she didn’t.
It wasn’t her.
It was his friends, Mason, Logan and Chase.
“Are the rumors true? Soone posted online that you’ve been waiting for Alora since dawn.”
Caden’s teeth clenched.
Sotis, it was annoying to be so popular.
“Yeah, I have.”He gritted out.
The boys exchanged confused looks and there was sothing in their expression which made Caden’s stomach tightened.
“We thought you were done with her.”
“I an, you kissed Brielle at the club yesterday. Even if it was a dare, we thought kissing her ant you two had gotten back together. We even posted it online.”
Hearing that, Caden’s eyes twitched.
He grabbed Chase’s collar.
“Who posted it?”He barked.
Seeing the anger on his eyes, Chase trembled and couldn’t exactly say who.
“Why are you getting mad? You...you said she was no longer interested in Tisch. Why are you still wasting your ti on her?”
Caden panted.
He had no idea that video of him kissing Brielle was posted.
No wonder Alora didn’t up since morning.
She must be mad at him.
She must be thinking he had cheated on her.
Caden’s face darkened and he didn’t even know what to say but his friends were putting the pieces together and exchanging knowing glanced.
“Caden...are you...are you genuinely in love with Alora?”Mason asked.
That question hit Caden like a punch on the chest.
Sothing hot and uncomfortable twisted in his chest and he stared at his friends, speechlessly.
He knew he had to face this soday but he wasn’t ready to.
At the very least, not in front of his friends.
“Of course not.”He denied even while he looked alard.
His voice was sharper than he intended.
The defensive edge surprised everyone including himself.
Seeing the guys not looking convinced, he added.
“This is all part of the bet. For Brielle. It’s nothing more, nothing less.”
He couldn’t let them get the satisfaction of knowing that he had failed.
He hadn’t even co to terms with that yet.
Just as he said that, Alora’s face flashed through his head and he desperately wanted to see her, even from afar.
“But you said she doesn’t want the Tisch position, shouldn’t the bet end now?”
“I can’t trust her. I think she’s suspecting that I’m onto sothing. She might change her mind and fight for that spot later.”
His hands began to sweat as he lied, miserably.
“This is why I still need to be in a relationship with her and I don’t need you guys ruining it by posting videos like that!”
Those words weren’t only for the boys.
It was more like he was trying to convince himself that this was all he wanted.
This had to be it. It couldn’t be because he missed the scent of her hair or her body, or the way her eyes lit up each ti she talked about acting.
Or the way she bit the side of her lower lip when she was deep in thought. Or the way she smiled so brightly when she was happy. Or her creativity, her charm, her positive energy, her thoughtfulness, her natural beauty, or the way she makes him want to beco a better person, how adorable she was, how it felt to simply cuddle her...
Realizing his train of thoughts, Caden quickly shook his head.
This was all for Brielle.
All for Brielle!
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