Love from Afar

~Chapter Five~

"Life imposes things on you that you can't control, but you still have the choice of how you're going to live through this."

*****

He stood completely frozen as the gorgeous brown-eyed brunette wobbly stooped to clear the mess from his shoes. He couldn't believe the same beauty he had been hopelessly crushing on since 6th grade was three inches closer to him than ever before. Just as Cecilia lifted her shaking fingers to clean his footwear, soft warm hands held her stiffly by her shoulders stopped her imminent movement.

There is no way she is gonna clean my shoes, He mumbled to himself as he lifted up her trembling frail body to stand upright in front of him.

Time seemed to still as she lifted her teary warm eyes to lock deeply and directly with his warm blue eyes which stared anxiously into hers. She wondered fearfully what unprecedented punishment awaited her.

He was quite infamous for his quiet but brittle nature which he carried about with obvious confidence. Even with his astute nature, his gorgeous physique and facials were hard to ignore as almost all the girls in East ridge troop for him. Most boldly, others from a distance while a few nestle him adorably in their cold hearts.

He was mostly surprised that the same girl who had never paid him any attention was standing stiffly before him. Her once smooth hair which usually looked like caramel chocolate whenever it glistened in the sun was apparently dull and in tangled locks which hung limply on her shoulders. Dust and dirt could be clearly seen littered on her hair and all over her face.

She surprisingly smelt good with the soft scent of apples which wafted slowly through his nostrils. She looked so weak and tired, perhaps, from all the assignments and workload dumped on her daily from other students who were too lazy to do theirs.

No wonder she neglected her looks, He thought. She was too stressed to worry about others opinion of her appearance. Moreover, they treated her as scum so they may hardly care to notice the difference even if she decided to look up to standard.

He was completely sick of how wicked and callous they treated her but his brother adamantly refused to heed to his pleadings. He tried vigorously to control himself when his brother and his crew perpetuated evil harshly on her. He breathed deeply as scenarios of her tear stained face and bruised battered body came strolling through his mind.

He remembered vividly the long weary nights he spent praying on bended knees and clasped hands as he kindly cried out to the Lord for strength and patience to endure the absolute torture and misery of seeing her in pains and agony. He also prayed for her daily for God's protection and healing upon her broken soul.

He rightly knew he could destroy his brother with a single blow for all the misery he had caused her but he resisted. Meanwhile the temptation grew stronger and more powerful everyday as he watched her weep in pains at the library from a distance. He looked down at his treasure and couldn't help smiling warmly at her in reassurance as his beating heart leaped happily with joy.

Cecilia wondered confused why John was smiling at her. She couldn't deny the warm feeling that coursed through her entire body though. She suddenly remembered the position they were encroached in and quickly tore herself away from his warm grasp. Cold ice shivers suddenly came crawling up her spine as her body hinted the loss of it's source of warmth.

She lifted her large brown eyes to watch his deep blonde brows furrow in confusion. She watched on steadily as he gazed down at his open arms and noticed his eyes widen in amusement as he seemed to finally understand her reaction.