Pure of Heart / l.h ✔️

11

~Seraphina's POV~

The mention of Malachi and his mean group of friends made my mood deflate, my gaze now cast down towards the floor. If Dennis told him about what they said, that meant he knew they'd been teasing me about my feelings for him. I couldn't help but to feel humiliated by that.

"Kitten?" He said gently, but I refused to look up at him. I didn't have it in me. "Seraphina, please look at me." He sighed, and I knew he was serious because he had used my full name. Enzo never did that, ever. Even so, I just couldn't. It was silent for a little while longer between us, but his gaze never left my face. "Why didn't you tell me about anything that they'd said to you?" He asked softly, and I just shrugged softly. "Don't just shrug, Phina. That's not good enough. They made you cry. Why would you not tell me?" He sighed, reaching out to gently grab my chin and make me look up at him.

"It's embarrassing, Enzo. I didn't want you to know because it had to do with you." I said softly, looking up at him with a frown on my face. I saw his lips form a hard frown. "I'm so sorry, kitty. I know that you hurt and I'm sorry that it's my fault. You deserve so much better than that. I...I wish it were different." He said, breaking my heart. My eyes pricked with tears and I felt my throat tightening and burning up, pushing the tears back as best as I could. Crying would only make Enzo feel guilty and I didn't want that because even though he wasn't in love with me, he did love me. We were best friends. It wasn't his fault that I felt this way, nor was it his fault that he didn't feel this way. So I just swallowed thickly and simply shrugged my shoulders, feeling my eyes grow glossy with tears that were becoming harder to hold back.

"Don't be sorry." I choked out, my voice soft and delicate as it barely held back the intense cries that were clawing their way forward. "It's not your fault." I added weakly.

But Enzo just looked absolutely defeated, looking down at me with a frown. All of the sudden, he pulled me into a hug. "I told Malachi he needs to leave you alone unless he wants a broken nose. All of them, actually." He said softly, letting me silently cry into his chest as I clung to his shirt. My face was wet and sticky with tears, but I couldn't stop. "Thank you, Enzo." I sniffled, pushing up onto my toes to hug him tighter. A soft chuckle left him and his arms tightened around me in our hug, making me feel an odd warmth low in my chest. "Of course. What are friends for, huh?" He teased softly, resting his head on top of mine as one of his hands rubbed soothing circles on my back. I sniffled again and buried my head into his chest, trying to hold onto as many little moments like these as I could, even if they didn't mean the same thing to him as they did to me.

"I really do wish you had told me about what they said to you and not Dennis. I don't like when you cry, Phina." He murmured, causing me to sigh softly. "I promise I'll tell you if they say anything again. I doubt they'll do anything else, though, now that you've said something to them." I said, carefully and reluctantly pulling out of his hold. He smiled and wiped the stray tears from my cheeks, nodding his head. "You're damn right." He chuckled, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. It wasn't fair when he was sweet like this. All he was doing was making my feelings for him even more intense.

Enzo adjusted his backpack on his shoulder and I glanced up at the clock, realizing that it was a little after eight PM already. "You should probably get home before your dad gets mad." I advised quietly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah," He sighed out and nodded his head, running a hand through his messy black hair. "You're probably right." He agreed, unlocking the front door and stepping outside. Before he left, he turned back towards me and sent me a smile. "Since you're busy tomorrow, are you free Sunday?" He asked, cocking up a brow at me. I nodded softly and felt a small smile form on the edge of my lips. "Yes." I affirmed, peering up at him as a grin slid on his pink lips. "Great. I'll be here around noon. We can hang out all day." He smiled, and I felt my stomach immediately flutter with excitement. "Sound good?" He asked.