Chapter 7

Chapter 7
I had blocked him. It was the only way to breathe, the only way to stop the phantom buzzing in my pocket from dictating my heart rate. For two days, I had been in robot mode, drifting from lecture halls to the dining hall, speaking to no one, feeling the cold. I was doing the right thing, right?
I was sitting at my desk, trying to force the laws of supply and demand into my brain, when a sharp knock startled me.
I opened the door to find a first-year girl from down the hall, looking wide-eyed and slightly breathless. "Omphile? Kukho umfana apha... there's a guy outside looking for you. A *very* handsome guy. He told me to tell you that if you don't come down, he's going to start honking the horn until the warden calls the police."
My heart throbbed hard. "He said what?"
"He looks serious, Sis," she whispered, a small, envious smile playing on her lips. "I think you should go."
I marched down the stairs, fueled by annoyance and a desperate, starving need to see if he was really here. On my mind I prepared a speech ..I don't want to see you again...don't ever bother me again... When I burst through the residence doors, the afternoon sun blinded me for a second.
He was pacing beside his red Gusheshe, hands shoved deep into his pockets. When his eyes found mine, the relief that washed over his face was so visceral it made my knees weak.
"You blocked me," he said, stepping toward me before I could utter a single word of my prepared lecture.
"I had to, Zuko. You aren't good for my exams. You aren't good for my life."
"To hell with your exams for five minutes," he snapped. He reached out, his hand catching mine with a speed that left me breathless. His palm was hot and rough. "Please. Just get in the car. Five minutes. If you want to leave after that, I'll drive you back and never come to this gate again. I swear on my mother's life."
I looked at his hand on mine, then at the curious faces peeking out of the residence windows. "Fine," I hissed. "Five minutes."
The interior of the Gusheshe smelled like him, English blazer. As soon as the doors closed, he gripped the steering wheel.
"I don't know what I'm doing, Omphile," he said, his voice dropping to a low whisper. He was looking at the dashboard. "I've never done this. I don't chase girls. I don't beg for minutes. I don't... I don't feel like this."
"Feel like what?" My voice was barely audible.
He finally turned to face me.
"Like... spinning, but ..." he murmured, leaning in closer, . "When I see the tracks and I see 'work.' But I see you, and I see... I see peace. I see a version of myself that doesn't have to be fast to survive."
He reached out, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw, his touch light as a feather but heavy as a mountain. "I want you. Only you. I don't want to play games. I want to try this... whatever this is. A situationship, a relationship, call it whatever your books say. Just don't block me out."
My heart melted.
Omphile !!! Gosh...those eyes. The way he is looking at me right now.
"Zuko, I'm scared," I confessed, my eyes searching his. "I'm scared of ...this. Scared of you you breaking me into pieces. You're a heartbreaker, I heard.
"But I think you might break me first." he whispered, his face inches from mine, his breath warm against my lips.
My cheeks felt warm, his warm breath traveling closer to me as he moved towards me.
"Now she's blushing." A smile formed on my lips.
"Your smile is..." I blushed more.

He leaned in, closing the distance. His lips touched mine. His hand went on my neck, I pulled myself closer, enjoying every moment of this.
My hands found their way into his hair, pulling him closer, and in that moment, the world dissapeared. It was just us two. He pulled out and stared at me, smiling. I smiled back, my cheeks burning.
"Okay," I breathed against his lips as we pulled apart, both of us gasping for air. "We can try it."
He smiled, a real, genuine smile that reached his eyes. "Okay."
I hope this is smart choice. Is it a smart choice?