Marrying my high school bully

Chapter 51

Victoria

I wasn’t alone.

I could sense it even before opening my eyes. Fear gripped me as I jerked out of my sleep and shot a glance at the man sitting opposite me.

He sat on a chair, his head placed on my bed. I glanced at the clock and I wondered why he would be around me by this time of the night.

Even without looking at his face, I already knew who he was. I gulped, slowly sitting up as I took some time to stare at him before he’d wake up.

He was still in shape just as usual, and his hairstyle remained the same. My mind wandered to the past and a pang of guilt gnawed in my chest. I didn’t do anything more than hurt him yet he was here.

Unable to tame my curiosity, I reached for his arm and woke him up.

A scowl appeared on his face after he raised his head, then when he realised that I was the one who touched him he quickly rushed to me, wearing his worries on his face. “Are you alright, Tori?” The tenderness of his voice hit me hard but I made sure he didn’t notice.

“I’m fine.” I replied sharply.

He sighed deeply as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden, then he held my hands. “Your brother refused to tell me what happened to you and Lorraine, and I’m going mad with worry. Can you tell me what happened?”

His genuine concern was too much for me to bear and I didn’t even know when I burst into tears. He cupped my cheeks, wiping away the tears that didn’t stop streaming down my face. “I didn’t expect you to be here, Arnold. You don’t have to do this.”

“Bullshit!” He spat. “I’m here because I care about you even if you don’t deserve it.” He pulled me close to himself and allowed me to cry until I didn’t have the strength to.

If I had focused on our relationship, I wouldn’t have become a drug addict. I was young and wild, and the urge to try out so many things overwhelmed me.

Luckily I got a good man but tossed him aside because of a college dick, yet, the same man I hurt deeply is the same person who is trying to help me heal.

Karma was a bitter bitch.

I had to tell him the truth straight up. He deserved it and I didn’t mind the judgment he’d pass at me.

“I’m addicted to coke.” I said in a rush. Immediately, I felt a space between us as he rose up from the bed.

He evaded my gaze while I fiddled with my fingers, waiting for him to break the silence. I wanted anything else; he could walk out, say hurtful words to me, but keeping quiet with his back turned against me was what I couldn’t bear.

Finally, he slanted a stoic glance at me, not that of surprise. “I won’t say I’m happy with what you just told me, but I won’t judge you.” He voiced, “So you can tell me all about it. I’m all ears.”

I cleared my throat and swallowed, then motioned for him to sit with me on the bed. “There’s no excuse for what I did, but I guess you were unlucky to meet me as a young lady who was basically interested in the frivolities and pleasures of life. You were a good man, but you weren’t always there because of distance. And I know that I should have said something, but I didn’t want to sound selfish or become a nagging girlfriend, so I sought out other means to keep myself distracted.” I explained.

He stared at me intently. His face was expressionless and his eyes unreadable, making it hard for me to know how he felt.

“Say something, Arnold. I’m losing my damn mind.” I urged him.

“Sure, I was about to say something if you had been patient enough. What I keep asking myself right now is why you stumbled into drugs. You weren’t depressed and your brother took good care of you, so make it clear to me.”

This was the hard part, but a book I read about conquering your addictions stated that the first way to break out was by telling your truth, no matter how hard it was.

If I’d talked to someone about it like I was doing right now, then I might have conquered it a long time ago.

“I’m listening.” He folded his arms, watching me fight within myself.

I couldn’t bear his cold scrutiny so I got up from the bed and gave us some distance. “James leaked our sex video on the school website. It was brought down after I found out, but a lot of people had already seen it and even reposted it. I had to pay a lot of money for it to be taken care of but it didn’t restore my reputation.”

My voice was beginning to quake but I quickly put a strong leash on my emotions and continued. “My friends deserted me, and I felt so lonely and depressed. Then someone I met at the club introduced me to drugs. I felt guilty at first, but it helped me to deal with the pain so I went on with it until I realized that it was destroying my life. The more I took it, the more I was reminded of the emptiness of my life.”

Arnold did the unexpected. He came closer to me and kissed my forehead, his eyes filled with empathy and care.

“We’ll solve this issue together, Victoria. I’m here for you.” He assured me strongly.

“Thank you so much. I’ve spoken to Lorraine about this and I felt better, but now that you’ve heard all about it, I’m head over heels with relief. I’d also like to say something else.”

He led me to the bed gently. “You can talk. I don’t bite.” He joked, trying to make a lighter note of the situation.

“I just want to apologize for hurting you. You tried to make us work even though you had a lot of reasons not to and I failed you. I’m so sorry…” He shut me up, with his finger on my lips.

His lips stretched in a beautiful smile that I didn’t think I’d see again. “I’ll forgive you, but it will be on one condition.”

I was ready to fulfill any condition of his so that we could be on good terms again. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

“You’ll have to go through the rehabilitation process once the doctor discharges you.” He suggested and my face fell.

I knew that I needed this. I couldn’t come out of this stronghold of addiction on my own, but going for rehabilitation was another level. I’d lose my life for the period of time I’d be there.

I raised my head and our eyes met. He was patiently waiting for an answer, not just any answer but a positive one. On taking a deep sigh, I realised that I had people to live for.NôvelDrama.Org is the owner.

So what if my past was messed up?

There were people who believed that I could do better. “This is the first step to recovery and I also want your friendship back so I’ll go.”

His eyes lit up with excitement at my response as he pinched my cheeks. “I’d have still forgiven you if you don’t want to go, but I’m happy with your response.”

His happiness rubbed off on me and caused fluttery feelings in my stomach. I was a big liar when I told him to his face that he couldn’t satisfy me because right now, my body craved him.

I pushed closer, reached for his lips without thinking and closed it with mine. He was cold, as if he didn’t enjoy what I did, but having our lips merged together was enough for me.

Slowly his lips parted and I used the chance to deepen the kiss, plunging my tongue into his warm mouth. Then the door swung open, and we jolted away from each other.

We both darted our eyes to the door to find Lorraine in her short sleeveless v-cut night dress, panting heavily like she’d just finished a race. Her hair was a tangled mess and her face was pale, but what struck me was her eyes which were blared with disappointment.

She spun around and ran off.

Arnold jumped off me as well, running after her without saying a word to me.