Loki walks towards me, reaching out and pulling me close, wrapping his strong arms round me. I inhale deeply, feeling his pounding heart as I breathe in his warm vanilla scent, taking the comfort it gives me.
“Let’s get you back to the dorm,” he murmurs in my ear, kissing the top of my head softly.
Tucking me under his arm, he leads me away. As we pass Ash, I look up to see Jax with his hand on Ash’s shoulder, saying something to him in low tones with Kai close on his other side. Ash meets my gaze, and the desperate sorrow is there, alongside a drowning grief that matches my own.
Chapter Eight
LILLY
After a weekend of relaxing with Loki, and avoiding Ash, Monday rolls round, and we all have homeroom first. Then Ash and I have Shakespeare Studies, which I’m kind of dreading after the party in the woods.
Although we walk to class together, and sit next to each other, he ghosts me the whole fucking time, and won't say a word, even when I try to make conversation. Then, when the class finishes, he hightails it out of there, like his arse is on fire.Wanker!
My next lesson is Calculus, which, unfortunately, is also with Ash, but at least Jax and Loki are there too, so I’ve got people who’ll talk to me. Kai is on all these advanced programs, given that he is a bloody genius, and is already doing some college level classes, so we only have Yoga together. Although, that does mean I get to see just how flexible the guy is, and imagine how all that flexibility can be put to good use.
After Calculus, I've got Botany, then Mythology with Jax, followed by lunch. After lunch, it's Creative Writing with both Ash and Loki, and finally, French with just Loki. It's so different from what we do in England. I have a lot more classes here than I did back there. But then, they're way more interesting too, so I can't complain.
I must confess, I am surprised by the amount of English classes Ash and I share. I don’t know why, especially given how eloquently he speaks, but I still find it hard to believe that the thundercunt is soft enough for prose.
I share most of my classes with the guys, there's always one or more of them with me which is nice. I'm especially glad of their company after the other night with Amber and her malicious words. I don't want to be anywhere near her or her merry band of cuntflaps. Unfortunately, it's a small school, being private and all, so I can't avoid them altogether, although they leave me alone when one of the boys is there.
Monday afternoon passes quickly, thank god. By the end of the day, I feel exhausted, still catching up from the weekend, and my comedown makes me feel a million years old as I make my way to our dorm.
When I reach the door, I can hear heated arguing inside, so I pause and press my ear against wood, trying to listen to what's being said.
“You can't have her in your bed every night, Loki!” Ash’s distinct arsehole tone scoffs, sounding exasperated. A flush creeps over my cheeks at his words.Why not Ash-hole?
“I can if she wants to be there, you jealous asshole,” Loki drawls back, the grin clear in his voice. He sounds cool, calm, and collected.
“I am not fucking jealous,” Ash replies, voice full of danger and darkness.
I'm holding my breath in case I miss anything, pressing closer to the door, desperate to see where this is going and to hear more.
“Oh, yeah? Tell me you don’t get rock fucking hard when you hear her screaming my name most nights?” Loki challenges.
I can picture the arrogant smirk on Loki's face; he's so sure of himself. I don't know whether to be turned the hell on or irritated by him most of the time.Perhaps both?
“Fuck off!” Ash retorts after a pause, but not denying the accusation, which makes my pulse pick up, sounding in my ears.
“That's what I thought,” Loki replies in an amused tone. “You know, I'm happy to share. I've actually come around to the idea. You could even join us. She seemed to like the idea of you tying her up. Just think, she'd be completely at your mercy,” Loki teases, and I gasp, fumbling with my key to get the damn door open and rip him a new one.
I manage to open the door just in time to see Ash storm off up the stairs with Loki looking after him, a pleased grin on his face.
“I heard that, dickhead,” I seethe at him, throwing my bag down and kicking off my heels. They're an iridescent petrol colour with sequins and bows on the toes, and of course, made by Irregular Choice.Sigh.They're so pretty that I forget my train of thought and stare at them, a feeling of pure happiness filling me up.Whoever said money can't buy happiness obviously never came across Irregular Choice shoes.
A snort sounds next to me, and I startle out of my shoe-fest.
“What?!” I snap as I look up, and I’m met with eyes that remind me of pictures I've seen of the aurora borealis, full of limitless possibilities. Another deep sound comes from his perfect lips, and I'm once again awoken from my reverie.
Damn, this guy is way too dangerous.
“Bollocks! I can't remember what I was annoyed about now,” I grumble, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes at him. Loki throws back his head and laughs, causing me to scowl even more.
“Oh, Pretty Girl,” he chuckles. “You are so adorable. Especially with that beautiful pixie face and those rosy cheeks,” he adds, caressing the side of my face with his fingertips and making my breath catch, my brief anger gone at his touch.
We stay that way, gazing into each other's eyes with his fingers on my face for several moments. There's something so...melancholic about Loki. On the surface, he's a joker, happy-go-lucky and always laughing, but once he stops, there's a sense of sadness, almost a resigned devastation, that calls to me.
Shaking my head at my own foolishness—I've only known him for just over a week, for Christ's sake!—I step to the side, letting his hand drop, and he looks crestfallen. I pause, my heart skipping painfully at the idea of having caused him any pain.