He was the boy on campus everyone strayed from. His looks, his demeanor, his everything was always so dark and formidable. Is there a possibility anyone can change him, or is that who he will be for the rest of his life? Stuck with nameless women, e...
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⇋ "Fleur," Steele's rough voice softly whispered toward me as one of his hand carefully shook my arm.
"Huh?" I groggily groaned before sitting up from the cold leather of the couch and hesitantly opening my eyes to face him. The familiar undertones of an earthy smoke mixed with the scent of rubbing alcohol wafted over me as he crouched down to my side.
"Come get in bed with me." He requested, his largely dilated pupils shrinking barely with a squint of his eyelids.
The heel of my hand met with my right eye so I could attempt rubbing some of the burning sleep out of my face. "God, what time is it?"
"Eleven. I'm sorry I came back this late, but Caleb just helped me set up your bed and it's ready for you in your room."
"What took you so long?" I questioned again as I brought my hand away from my eye so that my arms could instinctively wrap the thin blanket tighter around my body. It's freezing in here. I don't think I've touched the thermostat once yet since we've got here. I'm not even sure where it is, actually.
"I had to find someone to help me. Come on. It's cold as fuck in here and I can cuddle with you in your bed to warm you up."
"It took hours for you to find someone to help you move my bed?" I asked through my scratchy throat and my hesitancy to believe him. Because he left here around six and now it's eleven. It's been nearly five hours since he was here last. Why wouldn't he have just picked me up to help him move my bed if he had been looking for someone else to do it for that long? I offered to help him before he had even left.
"Yes. I'm sorry, Fleur. Can we please just get in bed and go to sleep? You still have your history final tomorrow and I want you to make sure you're well rested." His tone slipped into desperation with his repeated request. "I want to hold you."
"You smell like weed and alcohol, Steele." I sternly spoke with a microscopic scooch away from him.
"Caleb was at a party out of town, so I stopped by there for a little bit. I didn't drink or smoke or anything. I just stood there waiting for him to be ready to leave. I hardly even talked to anyone." The look deep within his galactic eyes grew heartbroken as he tried to explain.
"I just don't understand why you wouldn't have asked me to help you. I told you I would." I lowered my voice to a weak whisper as his despondency bleed into me.
"I didn't want to bother you with it. It was a lot of heavy lifting and it's fucking freezing outside."
"But I told you I would help, Steele," I sadly reiterated. "I wanted to spend more time with you today, but instead I was here and unpacking boxes alone, waiting for you to come back."
"Well I'm here now. Please come to bed with me," he attempted to sweeten his words rather than keep them coated in a layer of woefulness. I watched a small reserved smile grow onto his mouth, the appearance of it pleading for me to give into his request. "It's warmer in there. I turned up the heat when I first got back."
