Corrupted hearts || 1

40

CHAPTER FORTY ༄ ELIAS
"No fucking shit, come on, love, sit on my lap." Rowan's annoying voice meets my ears and I fight the urge to roll my eyes as I look at him.

"We just got out of our finals for fuck's sake." Silas intercepts, not bothering to look up from his phone but there is clear annoyance in his tone, a silence spreads for a moment before Rowan shrugs.

"Am I supposed to care?" He replies nonchalantly, before going back to kissing the woman plastered to his side, I snap my attention away from him as my eyes continue searching for Aurelia.

It's the last day of exams, and well, it's been a routine that I wait for her after every class and we go have breakfast together, "You're fucking whipped." Silas points out.

Damn right, I am.

I don't bother with replying to him because Aurelia's tall frame appearing in the hallway is enough to take my attention off him, my heartbeats rise at her wide smile, comfort spreading through my body.

This is what they call love.

Aurelia's words come rushing to me as I look up at her, the surroundings seem to fade in the background as she arrives in front of us.

Her blinding smile doing something to my chest, "Hopefully I'll pass." She exclaims and shrugs, I smile and pull her to me, vanilla and coconut scent meet my nostrils and my tense muscles relax at her closeness.

"You will," I assure softly, she's been studying nonstop for the past two weeks and I know that since she's been staying with me all the way, Dylan came back a while ago too, he's been threatening to kill my whole family if I hurt his sister.

It's a shame that he even questions that, "I wish i had that confidence." She protests lightly, a smile spread over her face, "I have enough for both of us." I tease, she rolls her eyes but her smile continues stretching, "Oh I'm aware." She deadpans.

"Hey, Aury." Rowan lightens up, and my jaw ticks as I cast him a glare, he's been calling her this disgustingly cringe name for the past days, and it's getting on my nerves, he wiggles his brows playfully.

His eyes are flitting around the whole place but he never lays them on Angelina, something has been going on between them, clearly, but they're playing it off well, I would've almost brushed it off.

"When will you travel?" Vera intercepts, confusion spreads through me and my eyes snap over the room, searching for clarification, "Not soon at all, I'll wait another year until I graduate." Angelina responds.

Confusing me even further, "What is going on, ladies?" Rowan interjects their conversation, no shame on his face, "You haven't told him?" Aurelia gaps, mouth open in surprise as her eyes flit between Rowan and Angelina.

Rowan shrugs nonchalantly, grinning wider, "Color me surprised." Beneath all his fake act, he's pissed, it's clear in the tick of his jaw and the way his hands are tightening around the chair's handle.

"Well, not that you have the right to know, but—I'm gonna be modeling, it'll start on Instagram to see how far things will turn out, and then when I graduate I'll travel to Los Angeles, to—model like for real, like those girls you see on vogue covers." She flips her hair, a proud expression taking over her face.

Rowan's expression on the other side, completely falls, "You're leaving?" He questions, voice no longer playful, she nods curtly, and he blinks a couple of times, "Congratulations." He says in a voice that's devoid of emotions.

Quite literally.

"Thanks." She replies awkwardly and Aurelia interjects then, saving her the torture, "Um—not being a betrayer right now, but I need to go." She starts, smiling softly as she clutches my hand.