Chapter 34: Chapter Thirty-Three ✓

Chapter Thirty-Three:

Arran's POV:

Flashback:

We were sitting in a group as my eyes roamed around aimlessly. It was a normal day yet there was something that was making me restless. I glanced back at Luke who was grinning mischievously at Stacy and I could tell another argument was coming over. Tori removed my Ray Bans, surprising me briefly by putting them on. I scowled at her before looking around again.

I watched Adrian, my older brother with the jocks, laughing loudly at something. Cassie was with her friends, whispering and eyeing the jocks table. A teacher was glaring at Josh since he was throwing chips across the field. Everything was normal, yet it felt different. The atmosphere was the same; the faces were the same, yet something seemed really off. I sighed and looked around briefly before my eyes froze on her.

That was when I saw her for the first time and I held my breath for a second... or a minute. Have you ever looked at someone and felt that connection, something pulling you to them? That's how I felt when I saw her for the first time. I couldn't peel my eyes off her. She looked completely out of place, capturing my attention. Blood rushed through my body, causing my heartbeats to quicken.  My eyes were wide with anticipation like a child on Christmas Day or like Luke in a strip club!

It was stupid now that I think about it. I was stupid to think she was different but everything screamed different about her. I couldn't really blame my self either, I was just 16 years old when I was first saw her. I was bored out of my mind. I loved challenges and she seemed perfect, worth going after.

She was in a white dress that went past her knees, her thick blonde hair flowing down her shoulders, big black-rimmed glasses covering her grey eyes. She appeared petrified, clutching her side bag, which looked heavier than my mothers after returning from a holiday vacation. I found it hard to contain my chuckle when she nearly fell standing absolutely still. She looked around, crimsoning deep red, which was noticeable from miles away due to her pale skin.

From some reason she amused me, interested me. Something about her was different; I could see that there was more to her exterior. There was a girl who was feisty under the innocence. She pushed her glasses up and straightened her posture, trying to show everyone that she woul not be intimidated. However, it all fell flat when she saw Nia, a senior, in her tightest and shortest cheerleading costume. Nia walked past her, knocking her down in the process and not even bothering to stop.

The girl quickly was on her knees again as she picked up her bag. She was shaking now and when she got up she managed to yank a paper out of her bag which looked as if it contained the entire year's worth of textbooks.

Before I knew what I was doing, I stood up and walked to her. She was frowning and peering at the paper closely. As I walked closer to her, I noticed she was mumbling to herself. Her rosy, red lips moved slowly. They looked so soft and kissable. I couldn't help but notice this; After all, I was a guy with high testosterone levels.

She lifted her head up, sensing my eyes on her. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at me confused. Time slowed down as she batted her long, dark eyelashes and smiled nervously at me.

"Hi." I gave her a bright smile, which only startled her further. She slowly looked over her shoulder and then back to me. I chuckled softly and smiled at her again. After what seemed like an eternity, she replied back weakly.

"H...hi." She mumbled in a small voice that was sweet and melodic.

"I'm Arran Raymond. And you are...?" I held out my hand.

"Sophia... Sophia Granada." She answered back with more confidence, placing her small hand in mine and returning the smile. Even her small touch sent a shot of electricity through me and her sheer beauty blinded me.

A small gasp broke my train of thought, bringing me back to the present. I turned my head to glare at whoever disturbed me but seeing Emberly's face turning paper white, clutching the side of the seat tightly, created an unsettling feelings inside me which I tried to  ignore.

"What's wrong?" I grunted, questioning her.

She looked at me briefly and shut her eyes tightly. She mumbled under her breath and took a deep, shaky breath. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. She was acting strange since morning and even after asking her so many times, she refused to utter a word.

"No...nothing." She swallowed and looked away nervously.

"Liar." I frowned.

"Am not." She pouted childishly and chewed on her bottom lip. I couldn't decide what was more troubling--her sudden display of vulnerability or the fact that I now couldn't take my eyes off her lips.

"Whatever." I shook my head slightly and concentrated on the laptop's screen ahead, replying to all the emails whilst the pilots got ready for take-off.

I followed the instructions, when the seatbelt sign went on. I turned to my side again when I heard her whimper. She had her eyes shut tightly as small beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Her body was trembling and her fingers were in tight fists, knuckles turning paper white.

"You okay there?" I took her small fist in my hand and slowly unclenched it. Her fingers were cold compared to mine. She shook her head as she opened her eyes which were filled with unshed tears.

"I'm... I'm terrified of heights." She replied nervously and gripped my hand in a death grip.

I shut my eyes feeling like an idiot. No wonder she was quiet since morning. Ever since I told her we were going to Greece, she kept her lips sealed. First, I thought she was angry since I tend to drag her wherever, whenever I feel like. She had no choice but to follow my orders. But if she had told me before, I would never have asked her to come with me.

"Shit... Emberly I am so... sorry. I had no idea. But you are such an idiot." I glared at her.

"Excuse me?" She muffled, her blue eyes widened in surprise.

"You couldn't inform me earlier about this? How unprofessional!" I taunted her, hoping she would get distracted. She rubbed her eyes with her other hand.

"This isn't helping at all." She chewed on her bottom lip, making it red and deliciously plum.

'Not the right time to think about this.'

"I... honestly don't know what to say to you." It was amazing how many times she left me at loss of words.

"I have... this... this overwhelming fear of heights. I feel like... like something will go bad... There's... nothing physical I can hold into." She bit on her bottom lip roughly, stopping the tears from falling. "I'm... I'm really scared Arran." She trembled.

I felt a bit of satisfaction at her comfort in sharing her problems with me. It would've taken me years to admit something like that. I really admired her honesty. She may appear fragile but when she was angry, only God could help that person.

"Emberly, I know no matter what I'll say, it won't make you feel better but I just want you to know I'm really sorry and I'm always here for you." I held her gaze and assured her. She smiled stiffly and nodded.

"Thank you." She sunk her nails in my palms when our heads tilted backward as the jet took off. Her breaths were coming out in pants. I ignored the stinging caused by her nails, allowing her to hold me tightly.

"What's the worst thing that can happen? We might die but hey no big deal." I stifled my laugh watching her horrified face.

"I hate you, Raymond." She chuckled a little.

"Go and walk around the jet. There's a bedroom right at the end too. All you have to do is say my name." Now that we were steady in the air, I winked at her suggestively.

"Very classy Christian Grey but no thank you." She placed her head between her legs rocking slowly back and forth.

If she didn't have phobia of heights, I would've found this extremely amusing but knowing how frightened she was, I felt overwhelmed in guilt.

'Ah fuck it.' I thought and gripped her arm lightly to pull her back up. Her eyes shot open and she stared at me in worry. I removed her seat belt and before she could protest, I lifted her to my lap and wrapped my arms around her body.

Despite the awkward position we were in, she clutched my shirt and took a deep breath. Till now, I never realised she smelled of coconut and vanilla. Her gaze was full of appreciation, and a tingle of warmth chased down my spine.

"Try to relax." I rubbed small circles on her back, soothing her stiff muscles. I wondered what it would feel like to touch her bare skin.

"Your heart is beating really fast." She mumbled against my shirt, placing her trembling hand on my chest.

"No it isn't." I defended myself quickly.

"Liar." She shook her head slightly.

"Because I'm... nervous, that's why." I replied back softly, her head shot up in surprise.

I wasn't planning on revealing this to her but I couldn't hide it from her. Even though it meant I was letting my guard down around her. I had been doing this more often around her. Especially last night, I had been so close to telling her about everything but I wanted to test the waters. Did I really want to share my past with her? What if she used it against me? I was never good at sharing my emotions with anyone. I did with one person, Sophia and she turned out to be the reason why I shut myself away and hurt people who actually cared.

"Wh... What-why?"  She stammered and her mouth fell open.

"Because in few hours time you'll meet my grandmother. Not Diane, my mother's mother." I grimace thinking about Nan.

"And you're nervous because...?" She gulped, feeling equally anxious.

"She knows me too well." I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling tired.

Flash back:

"Hey are we still on for the trip?" Stacy asked me, painting her nails a deep red shade.

Luke and I were playing a video game and Sophia, who fit perfectly well in our group, was twirling her hair around her fingers. When I introduced her to everyone else, they accepted her just as I did.

We learned that she just moved with her father, who was a pastor in a local church who moved here to bring 'faith' to our community. We all laughed when she told us, thinking she was joking but her stern and annoyed look told us she wasn't. That was enough to shut us up.

"A trip?" She sounded interested.

"Yeah, do you want to come...? Tori asked her and she hesitated.

"A trip? Where to?" I felt her gaze on my face.

"Greece, Arran's grandmother lives there. She's really cool." Luke paused the game and answered her.

We all waited for her answer. She played with hers fingers and pushed her glasses back. A sad smile adorned her face.

"Uhm I don't know. I think I'll pass. I have this... family thing." She finally answered and the rest nodded their heads and went back to whatever they were doing.

She stood up and strolled outside. I followed her after while and found her leaning against the balcony. I stood next to her trying to comprehend what fascinated her about the view. All you could see was big houses and their pools. We had been hanging around for months now and every time she came to my house, she had to see this view before leaving. I even tried asking but she smiled and told me I would never understand.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. She laughed bitterly and shook her head.

"Arran I can't come. I have other commitments." She tamed her blonde hair with one hand and tilted her head to look at me. For a minute I forgot what I was going to say. I cleared my throat realising she was still waiting for me to speak.

"Like what." I frowned, thinking about what possible commitments she could have.

"Like uhm... studying for the history exam." She lied lamely.

"Liar... seriously what's wrong?" I grasped her hand and made her look at me.

"Forget it." She averted her gaze.

"No tell me." I insisted, squeezing her hand lightly.

"I can't afford it. Not everyone else is born in a fancy castle with a silver spoon in their mouth." She mumbled, her cheeks reddening.

I ignored the silver spoon comment as well as the bitter tone in her voice. I never realised it would've been an issue. We knew about her financial status but we never thought it would bother her so much. Did she think of us as some spoiled rich kids? Even though I didn't like the choice of her words, I didn't let it affect me.

"You don't have to pay. It's done you are coming with us." I replied and saw her face relax a little from her tense posture.

"And my dad?" She questioned sadly. Ahh, how could I forget about the preacher?

"We'll make an excuse." I winked at her.

"Really...? Thank you so much." She beamed and stood on her toes. She pulled me down for a tight hug. The couple of times we'd been alone together, I felt some sort of undercurrent between us. I didn't know how to describe it, except to say that whatever it was, it was enough to make me wish it stayed forever. She never ceased to amaze me.

When we arrived in Greece, we stayed at my Nan's villa. I watched in amazement as her eyes widened in fascination. Her eyes grew even larger when she saw the interior of the house. Whilst the others complained about jet lag, she was hyperventilating.

"Who is the new friend?" My Nan kissed my cheek softly and ruffled my hair.

We were on the patio trying to set up the barbeque. I groaned at her sudden affection. She must have caught me staring at Sophia. Nan was really cool compared to most grandparents. Despite the fact that she was a well known lawyer, she was down to earth and a very calm person. She was the only one that could easily tell when there was something wrong with me. Whenever I faced a problem, whether it was the rivalry between my brother and I in the business or something else, I always sought her comfort rather than even my own mother's.

"Oh her, she's our new friend, Sophia. She recently moved to our town." I kept my tone normal and while gazing at her tenderly. She waved and strolled toward us.

I introduced her to Nan. The whole time my eyes were fixed on her face and my body felt numb. There was something wrong with me. I could see her speaking but I couldn't hear her. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest. Jeez I was such a girl.

"What do you think of this painting?" Nan asked her, pointing at a blasé painting at the side.

She might've been a lawyer but she was also a bit... weird.

"It's very beautiful. I love it." She glanced at the painting and appeared amused. I was briefly surprise because I knew my Nan hated the painting and she would ask everyone that came over about it.

"It cost me a fortune." She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes disapprovingly.

"Wow. That's awesome. I wish I had it too." Sophia glanced at the painting once more. Her whole stance changed and a hidden stubbornness riled in her eyes catching me off guard. I barely noticed the fieriness in her eyes.

"Hmm, now you do. It's yours." Nan told her firmly, without taking her eyes off her face.

"Thank you." She smirked satisfied. She went back to the others; not even looking at the painting again as if it didn't interested her anymore. I was bewildered by her sudden behaviour. A minute ago she wanted it and a moment later she acted as if it wasn't worth her time. I shrugged off the uneasy feeling I had.

"She is very pretty." Nan studied her carefully. I rolled my eyes knowing where this was heading.

"Indeed. She is beautiful." I added honestly.

"Careful Arran. Don't walk around with your heart on your sleeve. People are not what they appear to be." She warned me and I simply shrugged it off.

"Nan, she is really sweet." We both watched the rest in silence.

"There is something about her that screams... trouble." She spoke after a while in a clipped tone and I groaned in exasperation.

"Just because you are a lawyer doesn't give you the right to judge everyone. Trust me on that." I added firmly and she smiled.

"Just, be careful honey. You trust people too easily. Be careful around her." She ruffled my hair once more and I swatted her hand away playfully.

Okay grandmother I will. Now tell me which poor guy are you trying to put behind bars this time." I distracted her by asking her about work.

That time I thought she was finding an excuse to make me stay away from Sophia. She always had this strong instinct whenever she met someone new and surprisingly she got it right most of the time. While other people judged the book by its cover, Nan judged them by their first conversation. Mother adapted this habit of hers. They could make anyone squirm under their gaze and their judgement was always spot on.

At the time, I had thought she was being overprotective. But now that I thought about it, I wished I had used my brain instead of my heart. She was right all along. After all, she always told us not to trust anyone, even the devil was once an angel.

❦❦❦❦❦

RANT ALERT:

Before anyone of you say 'Am I dreaming, a new chapter? AND THAT TOO IN ARRAN'S POV? :O No you are not dreaming :D it is in Arran's POV :D You all were asking for one so here it is :) So many of you were confused who Sophia is so here you go :P before anyone says I hate her already, just remember its not necessary she will cause troubles, in fact she might be the reason for bringing those two together ;)

Mia edited this chapter once again so a big shout out to her <3

Hope you liked this chapter :) I tried doing something new so let me know if you like it or not.

Merry Christmas everyone x If I get 2.5k votes, my next update will be up before New Year *evil laugh*

Thank you so much for reading, commenting and voting this story. Even though I tend to disappear for months but I really appreciate the fact that you take time out of your busy life and spend reading this story.

This year was a roller coaster for me but in the end it was all worth it. I dared to write a book and post it online. I never thought I had it in me :P it got loved my so many people and I made great friends so I want to thanks everyone from the bottom of my heart <3 I hope you guys had fun reading it as much as I did writing it :)

So vote, comment and follow <3

Lots of love, Ameerah x