Opposites Repel - Liskook

Chapter 50 ~ Teary Apology

"What ?"

"Let's go." 

3rd Person's POV ~ 

"Eh ?" She asks stupidly. He rolls his eyes, pockets her hand and tugs her behind him, away from the still howling boy clutching his jaw.

"Oh, suck it up." Jin snaps. "You had it coming." 

The boy whimpers, eagerly nodding to agree with Jin's statement and running off to look for his cowardly friends. 

"Why'd you do that ?" She asks softly. "Why'd you punch him ?"

"Your disciplinary record." He says, his voice equally feathery when talking with her though his gaze was murderous. "It's practically a clean slate." 

"Oh..r-right, I hadn't thought about that bit." She says sheepishly. "Thanks." 

"Don't mention it." 

She twists her hand within his not holding it in case he wasn't comfortable with it. His gaze flits to their hands in the pocket of his shirt, the corner of his lip curling up slightly as his hand covers her small one, warming it up. He tugs her a bit closer, their shoulders an inch away from brushing against each other with every step they took. 

He leads her up the staircase, watching out of the corner of his eyes the figures of the friends that had scampered off earlier who were now trailing them intently. He stifles a snort of disbelief  before masking it with a sniffle and pulling her faster up the final flight of stairs. 

"Why are you walking so fast ?" She asks, easily matching his pace. 

"No reason." He says darkly, pulling her between him and the room door when the two scrawny boys get closer to her than he'd like. Then again, the only space between her and those two boys that he'd be comfortable with would be a worldly distance. 

His back presses against her back while he picks her hand out of his pocket to scrounge around for his keys. He fishes them out, his hand on the side of her shoulder to hold her steady and his other arm reaching out from behind her to unlock the dorm door. He gently ushers her in, glaring the scowling boys away before walking in himself and shutting the door. 

He turns her to him, his fingers working through the small clasp at the neck of her jacket, undoing it and pulling the zipper all the way down to reveal her petite frame dressed in silk black shorts and a simple white shirt that had been cut short to reveal the thinnest silver of her stomach. 

"What did you want to talk about ?" He asks, gently pushing her further into the warmth of the dorm when he'd spotted the goosebumps lining her pale arms. He quickly hangs her jacket on the coat hanger beside the door and follows after her. She'd sat on the couch quietly looking at her lap. He sat next to her, not tilting his head yet fixedly staring at her side profile. 

She turns to him, fiddling with her fingers wildly while saying, "I'm sorry."

His lips part slightly, a short breath of air zipping into his mouth. 

"I was being stupid, and I didn't think before I spoke." She blurts. "I'm not used to talking about how I feel, and I didn't mean to take it on you. I'm sorry." She repeats, her eyes closed in fear of his response. His palm inches forward to slide to the area of the couch behind her body, his free hand floating up to her face and pulling it to his. 

Butterflies erupt in her stomach the moment his lips softly meet hers, his hand delicate upon her  now slightly tinged skin. His thumb grazes back and forth slowly against her sleek cheekbone at which point she breaks apart from him with a relieved gasp and takes him in a hug. 

He doesn't try to bite back the consistently growing smile on his face, his fingers running over her shivering back. Tears drop on his shoulders and he frowns slightly, attempting to pull away from her. She holds desperately onto him, hiding her face from him by resting her head on his collarbone. He doesn't look at her out of respect, and simply pats her shoulder in comfort, swaying slightly. 

"I-I'm so sorry." She sniffles, her hair absorbing some of the dense droplets leaking from her eyes. 

"You already said that." He smiles, dragging her waist closer so that their legs were side by side. "I'm sorry too, by the way." He attempts to look down at her face which was still seeking haven by his neck, and she slaps his knee. Hard. "Ow !"

"Don't look." She insists. Turning her face even further into his skin to block any light hitting her beautiful yet unfortunately tear-stricken face. 

"Why not ?"

"I'm crying." She sniffs. "I highly doubt want you'd like what you see."

"Since when do you care about what other people think ?"

"I don't." She presses. "I care about what you think. It's different....You aren't the same as 'other people'...." She goes quiet, letting his shirt absorb her rapidly falling tears. 

He pulls her head away from his body, leaning forward to let his lips meet her red speckled nose. Her eyes were puffy and rimmed with red, but beautifully so, her lips maintaining their distinct heart shape and her high cheekbones puffing up slightly to make her face look rounder. 

"Why do you think I wouldn't like you after seeing you like this ?" He asks softly. 

"I...don't know." She promptly blushes. 

"Listen to me. No-," He chuckles when she plugs her ears. "Listen to me." She sits in front of him, staring at him intently with her hands now dropped against her lap. "I like every side of you."

Her eyes brim with tears again, and she scoffs at herself, throwing her hands up weakly in the air and continuing to wipe her tears. She goes to bury her face in her hands before he pulls her hands away from her face, his strength doubling over hers. "What did I just say ?"

She mumbles what had been uttered a couple seconds ago and blushes, crying at the same time. "This is a step forward." He reminds her. 

"How so ?"

"You won't be afraid to tell me something next time." 

"Idiot." She shoves his shoulder. "I'm not afraid of telling you what's on my mind. I've got no problem with it."

His brows furrow. "Hmm ?"

"I'd tell you everything if I was comfortable with it." She chuckles a teary laugh. "I'm  just not sure how to. You know me, I don't like talking about....feelings." She makes a disgusted face at the last word. 

"I guess I'll just have to teach you how to talk, then." He pulls her back into him.

"How ?" 

"Oh, I don't know." He huffs, continuing. 

"But to start, we could make up for the weeks worth of lost time."