Chapter 18: Chapter 18

"When will they be letting you out?" Lila asked with tender eyes.

"I'm not sure yet but I think anytime from now," I said watching through the corner of my eye as my dad argued with my grandma while Malcolm was playing a game with Devontae so no one seemed to pay any mind to Lila and me.

"That's good we can't wait for you to visit us, you won't believe how much the house has changed since Devontae joined us," she smiled fondly.

"Really, what changed?" I asked curiously.

"A lot honestly but mainly the house is less quiet and feels more homie I suppose and even Alice agrees even if she doesn't admit it aloud," she chuckled lightly.

"I'm glad to hear that, you have no idea how happy that makes me feel," I beamed," Did he ever give you guys any trouble?" I asked her, her eyes quickly darted to Devontae who was laughing at something Malcolm said and all of a sudden her smile dropped.

"He did in the beginning," she said with a tense jaw.

"What did he do?" I asked with worried brows.

"He began stealing any jewellery he could get his hands on around the house and hid them where we couldn't find them. When I confronted him about it he lied and said he didn't know where they were until Alice caught him in the act trying to steal a family heirloom, " she said sadly with her head hung low.

"I'm so sorry he did that it's my fault because I forced you into taking him in. I promise I'll pay back every cent that that jewellery cost," I said in shame, feeling tears well up in my eyes. The medication I was on was affecting my emotions a little too much.

"It's not your fault, you were just trying to help him and no one can blame you for that. Unfortunately, no one can also blame Devontae for what he did because stealing is all he's known most of his life to survive but the most important thing is that he's sorry for his actions and trying to be a better person." She explained to me with a small smile squeezing my hand reassuringly.

"What do you mean he's sorry for his actions?" I asked with a raised brow.

"He returned everything he stole, you should've seen him, he was crying like a baby with snot running down his mouth," she chuckled lightly, fondly remembering the moment.

"What changed to make him return those items?" I asked with a small smile.

"Well Alice wasn't easy on him after she found out he took her precious jewellery," she smirked.

"Oh no she didnt," I gasped in shock, unable to hide my laughter.

"Oh yes she did, she gave him such a memorable hiding that he peed in his pants," she laughed loudly gaining everyone's attention, her laugh was quite contagious especially her little snorts in between. I couldn't help but chuckle alongside her just imagining grandma giving Devontae a hiding of his life.

"What's so funny?" My dad asked, sitting next to me.

"Nothing," Lila quickly cleared her throat looking at me with a devilish smile.

"If you say so," my dad said looking at Lila sceptically before he turned his attention back to me," You have some schoolmates who came to visit you." He informed me.

"Oh ok," I awkwardly said, not sure why anyone from my school would want to come visit me unless they thought I was on my deathbed.

"We'll let you catch up with them. Come on everyone, time to go." My dad led everyone out like a horde of cattle except Malcolm who didn't follow.

"That means you too goldilocks," my dad told Malcolm.

"I'm good thanks," Malcolm smiled an all too sweet smile that aggravated my dad by the tick in his jaw.

"Suit yourself." My dad said awkwardly leaving the room.

"He doesn't like me does he?" Malcolm asked with a crooked smile.

"Not in the slightest," I laughed looking up at him in a whole new light. I still hadn't thanked him for saving my life but I wasn't quite sure how yet.

"Malcolm," I called him.

"Yea," he answered with a cheesy smile.

"Thank you for possibly saving my life." I gratefully said giving him a gentle kiss on both his cheeks.

"Anytime P.B." He smiled leaning his forehead against mine, warmth could be felt from his forehead to mine.

"Wrap it up love birds before I barf my lunch out." Angelica strolled into the room with her heels announcing her arrival.

"Well howdy to you, too gorgeous," Malcolm smirked, eyeing Anji up and down.

"Good to see you still have your charms in dire times." She smirked, laying her perfectly manicured hand on Malcolm's shoulder squeezing lightly. I knew I shouldn't have been but I couldn't help being a little jealous of Malcolm, he had the girl of my dreams eating in the palm of his hands. I plastered on a fake smile and let some of my classmates who came to visit pretend for just a few minutes that they cared for my well being even though I knew how they felt about me.

It was funny how people could be such great deceivers. In my opinion, all my classmates could win an Emmy in acting with the way they put on such an amazing act, our drama teacher would be crying tears of joy at the sight before me. The only person in the room who didn't seem to be not putting on an act was Eve. She hid at the end of the group trying to make herself invisible but I could find her easily even if she was a mile away in a sea of people. She just seemed to glow and my eyes were immediately drawn to her, we locked eyes and for a moment my heart skipped a beat.

She quickly looked away biting her lip slowly as if the gods were testing me, I looked away watching Malcolm wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. I gave him my middle finger with a bashful smile.

"What the hell happened to you?" Anji asked the question everyone has been dying to know.

"Just a misunderstanding between friends," I lied smoothly.

"A friendly fight that landed you in the hospital?" Anji asked with a raised brow, unbelieving anything I just said.

"Yes exactly that," I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly like none of this affected me.

"Who is this friend?" Anji asked, trying to see how far I would take my lie, why was she so interested in what happened? I surely figured she would be celebrating by throwing flowers around the room waiting for me to die.

"That would be me." All eyes turned to the speaker, mouths hung to the floor and eyes wide as pots. I was the most shocked to hear him go along with my lie.

"Of course there had to be something wrong with you," Anji scoffed, rolling her eyes at Malcolm.

"Oh come on love don't be like that." He smirked trying to hold her hand but she smacked it away harshly

"Don't touch me you freak," she shrieked, throwing him the iciest cold look I have ever seen, the look alone made the temperature in the room drop a few degrees. Malcolm tried to laugh it off but even a blind man could tell he was affected by what she said, clearly even hurt.

"Malcolm didnt-" I didn't get a chance to complete my sentence as Malcolm surprised the shit out of every single person in the room as he kissed me silently. My mouth hung open even when he pulled away from the kiss, putting his index finger on his lip telling me to keep quiet as he hid my small body from the rest of the group. I dumbly nodded still a bit dazed from the kiss, don't get me wrong I felt no sexual desire towards it but that was my first kiss and to have it taken away by a man let alone a gender I didn't have any romantic feelings towards kind of weirdly unnerved me because I didn't know exactly what to feel. Should I have felt overjoyed, angry or pleased?

"Sorry sugar pie, you know how I get when I'm angry." He smiled innocently, sticking his tongue out.

"Right," I robotically said watching from the corner of my eye as Anji clenched her fists, for what don't ask me because I was just as clueless.

"Alright as it seems you're dumb enough to date an abuser which says a lot about you so we'll leave you two be so don't blame us if he ends up killing you," Anji said through gritted teeth before marching out of the room with her heels slamming loudly against the tiles to showcase her anger. The rest of my visitors left their get well gifts and hurried after Anji. All except Eve, who was eying us carefully, waited for the last person to leave before she walked closer to the bed.

She slowly clapped her hands with a slow nod and devious smile.

"Wow what a show, another hand to the actors of the night." She continued to clap slowly as if a villain in a horror movie. Malcolm and I looked at her puzzled as to what she was on about.

"What?" Malcolm was the first to speak between us.

"You know the little act you put on for everyone, they might be dumb enough to believe it but I'm not and you know that Belle so what the hell happened to you?" She asked, losing her coolness and showing how really worried she was for my well being.

"I'll let you guys catch up, call me when you're done," Malcolm said, giving me one last kiss on the forehead before leaving with one last calculating look in Eve's direction. Once Malcolm closed the door behind him the room felt suffocating as I had no clue what to say to Eve.

"I'm -" we both began in unison before I closed my mouth waiting for her to go on but she seemed to be waiting for me to go on.

"I'm -" we began in unison again before we both laughed at each other, feeling the room lighten up a bit. Eve sat where Malcolm was maintaining eye contact with me.

"Why don't I go first," she offered with a small smile to which I replied with a small nod of my head," I'm sorry about the way I've acted towards you, it's just after that night I was a little shaken up." She slowly said looking down at her lap.

"I don't blame you," I shamefully said remembering what happened that night, attacking her and cringing at how I acted.

"No that doesn't justify how I acted ok, the bottom line is I wasn't a good person let alone a friend," she said with a broken voice finally looking up to meet my eye only for me to see tears streaming down her cute cheeks.

"Eve." I broke down letting the dam I've been holding out as tears streamed down my cheeks. Eve wrapped her delicate arms around my neck in a painful hug but I welcomed it with open arms just overjoyed to be on good terms with her once more.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you Belle." She trembled, hugging me tighter.

"It's ok Eve none of this is your fault, if anything it's all mine," I said, patting her back gently. The stupid heart monitor took that moment to make itself known as my heart sped up noticing how delicate Eve's body was and having my arms wrapped around her waist didn't help in the slightest.

"You ok?" She asked with a sniff pulling back lightly but not removing her arms around my neck.

"Ya much better now that we cleared the air," I smiled at her trying to slow my rapid heartbeat but the closer she got to me the more I failed.

"Ya same." She said her smile widening as she sniffed, wiping away her tears with her shoulder before turning her full attention on me. Silence surrounded us once more but a more comfortable silence gave me butterflies the longer we maintained eye contact. I didn't even realise I was holding my breath as she leaned closer to me, our faces a mere inch apart.

I could feel her hot breath fanning my skin the closer she got to me leaving goosebumps to litter my body. I tested the water by slowly bringing up my shaking hand to lay on her soft delicate cheek, she leaned into my hand closing her eyes just for a second as she sighed in relief as if she had been longing for this moment as long as I have. I took that as my green light to lean closer ignoring the beating heart monitor that went up at an alarming rate, all sound was muffled as I solely focused on the gorgeous girl in front of me who awaited my next move with bated breath.

Her hazel eyes shone with hunger the closer we got before I ended both our misery and gently connected our lips. The kiss was nothing like I expected, it was more. Electric sparks flew between us as we pulled each other closer wanting more from one another. A fire brewed in the post of my stomach fueling my arousal as I pulled Eve closer ignoring the pain my body sent to my brain every time I moved roughly. Eve fisted my hair hungrily kissing me, teeth clashing as we filled the gaping hole we both had for each other.

I didn't know where this confidence came from but I liked it. Eve took charge of the kiss slowly lowering me to the bed without breaking the kiss. My chest heated up more uncomfortably as my lungs screamed for air, Eve pulled away breathing heavily with clouded eyes looking at me with such lust and hunger that only fueled my desire for her even more. She slowly littered kisses over my neck as I gasped arching my back to press harder against her chest, toes curled in pure ecstasy as I muffle my moans with the back of my hand. We didn't get another second of privacy as someone cleared their throat obnoxiously gaining both our attention. Eve practically pushed herself off me as if I burned her before looking up at the intruder.

"Well isn't this a lovely sight," Malcolm snickered.

"You fucking jerk." I angrily said throwing a pillow at him which he easily caught.

"Don't be mad at me, you should be thanking me. Imagine if your dad was the one to find you guys getting hot and heavy," he wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk.

"He's right, you know," Eve said out of breath trying to fix her hair and clothes.

"Right." I dumbly said following her idea and fixing my hair and clothes. Everything in me was screaming in joy just imagining what I just did with Eve. I was practically on a roll getting kissed by two people in one day who would have thought I certainly didn't.