Kissing The Wind

I bit my lower lip. “And you said I dragged you in this mess. Should I ask Rogie to protect you too?”

She waved her hand. “No need. Lisa can’t touch me.”

My brow raised. “Why?”

“Because honey…” Isa grinned from ear to ear. “I am a princess.”

I laughed at her joke. But even though she’s grinning like a madman, I saw the seriousness in her eyes. Princess or not, I did not want her to be bullied because she accompanied me in the hallway.

“You should be careful too when you walk outside,” I said.

She nodded and we both turned our heads to the front when a teacher enter the classroom.

My heart was beating hard against my chest when I walked towards him. He was staring at me, scrutinizing me under his gaze. I, too, was staring at him. I did not know if I should stalk to him or to walk outside the classroom. But I found myself holding his gaze like how he was holding mine.

My feet stopped in front of him. He was still sitting on his chair like a king, legs spread apart and arms crossed against his chest. He leaned his back on his chair and staring lazily at me.

“I like how you stare at me, love. What do you want?” he asked.

His voice was deeper now than what I remembered. But what perked my ears was his endearment… love.

It took me seconds to clear my mind. Earlier, I told his best friend that I want to talk with Rogie. I saw how Rogie’s grin grew wide when his best friend told him that I wanted to talk with him, and he ordered my classmates to left the classroom after class.

Now, it was only the two of us. And even though the air cooler was turned on, little beads of sweat formed around my forehead. My knuckle turned white under his gaze.

He clicked his tongue and I shuddered when he stood, towering me with his height. I had to looked up to him.

His hand brought a handkerchief inside his pockets and he gently wipe the beads of sweat forming in my forehead.

“Relax,” he cooed. “I won’t bite unless you want me to.” And he grinned at me.

That made me rolled my eyes and scoffed. “Oh please. Save your sweet tongue later,” I said, voice was full of sarcasm.

“Of course.” He nodded, a grin was still on his lips. “Saving my kisses later.” I pushed his chest and he laughed. “Andrie told me you want to talk with me. Do you need something?”

I heaved a sigh and brought out his credit card from the pocket of my skirt. “Here,” I said and held his hand to put the little card in his palm. “I’ll give it back to you. I didn’t use it.”

His grin vanished from his lips and it took all of me to stop myself from taking back my words. No. I should not let him know that I appreciate his kind gestures or else, he’ll assume that I’m using him to get money from his pockets. I looked down.

“Sydnee,” he whispered. “I don’t need that thing. Keep it.”

“I…” I gulped hard. “I don’t want anything from you. I mean, your family had paid my tuition. And to be honest, it’s enough for me. I think having that credit card is not good.”

He squinted his eyes at me. “Not good?”

“Yes. Please, take that thing back.”

“But Sydnee,” he pleaded. “It’s the only thing I can give to you.”

I looked up and stared at him. “You don’t have to give me something. You’re not obliged to give something to me, Rogie.”

He raised his hand and caressed my cheek. A sigh escape from his lips and stared longingly at me. “Did Lisa hurt you?” he asked.

I blinked at his question and then shook my head. “Why?”

“Tell me if she hurt you, ‘kay?”

“I heard that you’re engaged with her,” I said. I didn’t mean to scoff but my voice betrayed me.

A grin appeared again in his lips. “Don’t be jealous. I don’t taste bully lips.”

I rolled my eyes. “But you’re a bully yourself. How ironic.”

“Ah. You sound like a jealous girlfriend.” He winked at me. “My lips are only yours to bite, love.”

“Stop kidding.” I put my arms down and looked away. “Isa told me that you know why Lisa had set her eyes on me. Why is that?”

His smile diminished and he coughed on his knuckle. He looked away. “The sun had set. Let’s go home.”

He held my wrist and dragged me out of the classroom. But I let my feet heavy on the ground so he could not drag me away that easy. Rogie turned to face me. His expression soften at my stubborness.

“Sydnee, come on. I’ll drop you off the teacher’s house.”

My eyes squinted but I remembered Anthony telling me that Rogie knew I was staying in his house. I breathed deeply. “No. I’ll stay here until you tell me everything. I suppose the reason has something to do with you. So tell me now.”

He stopped dragging me and sighed. He sat on a vacant chair and gestured me to sit. I sat on the chair beside him but he drag me to his arms until I fell onto his lap. I gasped.

“Good,” he murmured against my ear. “Now stay where you are and don’t move.”

But I was not comfortable sitting on his lap. I tried to stand but Rogie put his arms around my shoulder and waist, and he pulled me close to him. I felt my back hit his hard chest. I gasped again.

He laughed. “Just pretend that you’re not sitting on me.”

“Bastard,” I muttered. “Let me stand. I don’t want to be your mistress.”

“Who said you’ll be my mistress?” He sighed and nuzzled on my jaw. “You’ll be my wife.”

My brow knotted and my face went sour at his words. “Did you hit your head? I think you’ve forgotten something.”

A laugh vibrated from his chest and onto my back. I gulped. Rogie blew on my nose that made me squirm. His arms tighten around me.

I had to look onto the door to see if someone was coming. No one should see how Rogie held me in his arms or else I’ll be in doom again.

“Someone might see us cuddling,” I said, panting in his arms. “Let me go,” I ordered but it felt like a whisper under my breathe.

Rogie only tighten his arms around me. I groaned in frustration. “I think air has gotten in your head,” I spat.

“Let’s cuddle for awhile.” He sighed and put a light kiss on my cheek. “I might never hold you like this again.”

That made me stop squirming in his arms. My forehead creased. “Of course. We’re not suppose to do this.”

I felt him leaned back on the chair. A quiet yelped escape from my lips when my body had leaned on him, following his movement. I heard him sigh again.

“What’s the problem?” I asked when I noticed his frequent sigh. “You’re weird today.”

“Really?”

My eyes rolled heavenwards. “Really.”

Then silence hovered around us. I blinked as I heard the ticking of the wall clock. When I looked at the clock ahead, I saw that it’s passed five in the afternoon.

Had Anthony finished his work in the office? Was he waiting for me at the parking lot? He told me earlier to wait for him at the parking lot because he had some things to finish in the faculty. Then I was here, caged in the arms of a weird guy who bullies his fiancee.

“Hey,” I called Rogie.

“Mmmm?”

“Do you plan to stay here overnight?” I asked, sarcasm was evident in my voice.

“If I could hold you like this, why not?”

“You must be kidding me.”

“I hope to kid things like this, Sydnee. But I’m not. I love holding you like this.”

I was dumbfounded for a few seconds before a laugh escape from my lips. But I stopped laughing when Rogie’s lips enveloped mine. I blinked as I taste mint in his tongue.

When he broke away, we were panting hard. My eyes glazed. And after a few seconds, Rogie brought his lips close to mine and put a light kiss beside my lips. It made me shudder as his arms continued tightening around me.

“R-Rogie,” I called. “Stop kissing me.” I tried to glare to him but I only meet his soft gaze. “Why are you doing this?”

“It might be the last time that I can kiss you. Let me.”

And he was attacking my lips again. My hand held the back of his hair and pulled it back but he only deepen the kiss. When he broke the second time, my eyes were closed shut and panting heavily. He brought my head to his chest where I stayed still for a few minutes to run after my breathe.

I could hear his heart, pounding loudly against his chest. I shuddered in response. “Your heart’s p-pounding hard,” I whispered.

He hugged me close and his lips pressed against my ear. “I can’t leave you like this,” he whispered.

“W-What?” I squirmed again but he only tighten his arms around me. I stopped struggling. “What are you saying?”

“I’m engage to Lisa but I only want you, Sydnee. I want to break that engagement but I can’t. I can’t.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“No.” He breathed. “It’s part of the deal I had with my family. To pay for your tuition and to free your father in prison.”

“Y-you what?”

I started to squirm again but he held me tight. I felt drops of hot liquid fell on my neck and I realized that Rogie was crying.

“They want me to leave, but how can I leave the girl I ever want?”

That made me shut up for a few minutes before I cleared my throat and said, “Rogie, let me go.”

“I can’t let you go.”

“Please.”

It took him seconds before he finally pulled away from the hug.