Turbulent Hearts
Oliver heard her words, but they barely registered in his mind. “I’m sorry; you were just a one-night stand,” that’s all he heard before he zoned out. He allowed Elena to finish her sentence to regain control over his inner wolf, Roy. But as soon as she stopped speaking, a loud growl erupted from him, drawing curious stares from those around them.
He noticed a guy approaching Elena, but he didn’t see him as a threat. In Oliver’s eyes, the man was far from handsome and couldn’t possibly compare to him.
“Is everything alright here?” the guy asked Elena while looking at Oliver. He was about to respond, but Elena beat him to it.
“No, everything’s okay. I just asked him to do something for me. It was a bet,” she said, smiling at the guy, who nodded and hugged her before walking away.
The stranger’s scent lingered on her, fueling Oliver’s jealousy.
Elena couldn’t know what was wrong with Oliver. She gripped his hand to prevent him from drawing any more attention to himself and started pulling him toward her dorm room. Once inside, she swiftly closed the door behind them.
“What the hell was that all about?” she hissed at him.
Oliver looked at her sheepishly, and Elena was on the verge of losing her temper.
“What is wrong with you, Oliver? Why are you acting like this?”
“You. I missed you. I need you.” Oliver simply stated.
Elena rolled her eyes in frustration. “Oh my God, when a girl sneaks out of your house in the morning without leaving a note, she doesn’t want to be contacted. We were just a one-night stand.”
Before she could react, Oliver pinned her against the wall. “Mine, and mine only,” he growled into her ear, causing her to panic. She struggled to break free from his hold, but he tightened his grip. She shoved at his chest with all her strength, and he finally let go.
“You need to back off. I’m not somebody’s possession,” Elena declared.
“If you really love someone, you have to let them go. If they’re meant for you, they’ll come back to you, no matter how far they are. Love is not about possession; love is about appreciation,” she added. With that, she wrote her number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. “If you understand that, call me.
Until then, please leave me alone.” And with those words, she walked out of her room, leaving him behind to contemplate her message.
Oliver’s internal struggle with Roy continued as he pondered what to do next, as he watched Elena walking out of her room. Roy urged him to go after her, but Oliver was afraid of pushing her away.
“What are you doing staring at that piece of trash?” Roy growled.
“Shut up, you stupid dog. If we keep nagging her, she’ll run away from us, and we’ll both lose her,” Oliver retorted.
“But what if she finds someone else, someone better for her?” Roy whined.
“We won’t let that happen. I promise,” Oliver vowed, trying to reassure himself as much as Roy. The internal argument continued as they left Elena’s room, desperate to find her.
Oliver searched everywhere for Elena but couldn’t locate her. Then, he remembered the phone number she had given him. He pulled out his phone and dialled her number, only to be greeted by her voicemail. “Hi, this is Elena. I’m busy attending my lecture. Please call me later. If it’s important, you can send me a message, and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.”
Oliver left a voice message, hoping for a callback. “Hi Elena, call me as soon as you’re free from your class, please. I want to talk to you.” He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket, driving back to his hotel, anxious for her to return his call.
Meanwhile, after walking out of her dorm room, Elena made her way to her next lecture. Her footsteps felt heavy as she navigated through the bustling campus, her thoughts consumed by the recent encounter with Oliver. The encounter had left her with a swirling mix of emotions, both intimidating and bewildering.
As she settled into her seat in the lecture hall, Elena couldn’t help but replay the incident in her mind. The memory of Oliver’s intense possessiveness and the undeniable longing she felt towards him bothered her. She had never experienced such overpowering emotions for anyone before, and that frightened her. It was the reason she had pushed him away and tried to escape the situation.
“Ring Ring,” the professor’s bell interrupted her reverie, signalling the end of the lecture and the start of the lunch break. Elena mechanically packed her bags, her mind still preoccupied with the enigma that was Oliver. Lost in thought, she made her way to the cafeteria.
After grabbing her lunch, Elena chose a solitary table in a corner, away from the crowd, hoping for some solitude to sort through her emotions. She absently stirred her coffee, her gaze fixed on the swirling liquid. Her food lay untouched as she remained lost in her thoughts.
Unbeknownst to Elena, her friends, Milley and Cassie, approached her table, concern etched on their faces. “Elena,” Milley called her softly, trying to get her attention.
“Elena,” Cassie chimed in, her tone more insistent. They repeated her name a few more times, but Elena seemed oblivious to their attempts to reach her.
Growing increasingly worried and a bit frustrated, Cassie decided to take more direct action. She shook Elena’s shoulder and called out her name louder, startling her from her reverie. Elena’s eyes snapped up, and she looked around in confusion, only then realizing her friends’ presence.
“Elena, are you okay?” Milley asked with genuine concern, sharing an alarmed glance with Cassie. Elena’s distant and troubled demeanour was cause for worry, and they were determined to get to the bottom of it.