I'm so sorry for not giving double updates as I promised, I actually wanted to dish out double updates, but Damn, I've been immensely occupied and I don't even know if the next chapter will be done on time, so it's like an impossible task right now. I promise to really surprise y'all soon!

Oh, and thank you for 29k reads oo! And for this chapter, I'mma tag dheenmah Rihanna_Adedeji Iyanuoluwa-Temi Stardust_Wendy _Esquell I_am_Jazzy Donaldprince

(Song for the chapter is Wondering by Next Town Down. And oh and spoiler; the dark skinned guy - the biggest one wearing the multi coloured beach bottom shirt - is Justice Acha's face claim... Hehe. The other boys in the video have already been picked to be face claims of my future books)

~DABI~

"Aurora."

His hands clasped over mine and as much I wouldn't have allowed him do this on a normal day, there was this softness and warmness that followed me out from that Ecstasy room - one that didn't even let me think twice about the implications of my actions.

Everything that was happening felt.... right.

In order words, I let Marcus Acha hold my hand.

"What did you call me?" I asked him, looked up at his towering height by me, and got a glimpse of that soft smirk, and those intense, deep brown eyes that looked down on me, looking at me like I was all that was in that Ecstasy room: Beautiful. All the most heart wrenching forms that beauty could come in.

I looked away from him when I felt my heart skip a beat... Maybe, too many beats. It felt weird. Almost uncomfortable.

"Why did you call me Aurora?" I asked him. "No one calls me that."

"Someone does now," He easily quipped, laughed a soft laugh under his breath.

I still felt his stare on me, and he didn't seem to want to back down.

A part of me felt very appreciated. Like I was worth something. I mean, this felt like ecstasy itself. There was that low feeling in my stomach that was so sweet, so tickly, almost nauseating..... But in a good way.

Then, another part of me - that insecure part of me - almost made me feel all shades of self consciousness. Made me want to adjust the beanie on my head, and probably hide the small strands of dry edges that were slipping out of its hem. Just in case that was what was making him stare at me so much.

In all honesty, though, the good feeling surpassed the bad by a measurable degree. Low-key, I didn't want him to stop. I didn't even understand why.

"What song was that again, back there?" I may have asked him for the one millionth time.

"Runaway," He didn't mind answering, seemed to smile and nudge me the softest way he possibly could. "By Aurora."

I laughed under my breath. He couldn't be serious about calling me Aurora from now on, right?

We were now standing by the escalator, alongside a few people who were in front and behind us, coming down as well.

Feeling the lights from the 'chandelier' coming down on me and Marcus felt a bit too good, and for a moment, it almost seemed like a sort of spotlight for the both of us. And for the first time, I was not horrified by the idea of a spotlight.

As the escalator went down, it gave me a chance to absorb this place. I looked around the reception of 'Heaven' - the large white walled hall, filled with strange faces of people who didn't seem to even bother me anymore, organized angels, walking to and fro, the most beautiful glass counters, and expensive ornaments, as well as the euphoric lighting of the 'chandelier' that filled the room with a warming, violet shade that reflected on the white walls.

Everything was perfect. Heaven.

"This place is like, the perfect escape from Reality," I said

"I know what you mean, believe me," Marcus responded.

There was something about the way he said it. I wasn't sure if it was just the low tone his voice suddenly had, or if it was the tired drop to it. He sounded like he really knew what he was saying. Like, this place was truly an escape from reality to him. Probably much more than I can imagine.

Anyways, I didn't ask him to elaborate.

"Who do you usually come here with?" I asked him instead.

"My mum," He said.

I smiled a little, shrugged. "Figures."

He looked at me immediately, a smile on his confused face.

"What figures?" He asked.

"I mean," I shrugged again, teasing smile at the corner of my lips. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're a Mama's boy."

Marcus scoffed a playful, defensive laugh.

"Well, you don't know any better!" The guy literally verbal attacked me.

I held back a laugh.

"I bet I don't," I said, really held back that laughter because I was one second from laughing at how personal he seemed to want to take the whole thing. It was actually hilarious.

"No, you don't know any better," He continued, "Because I'm a big boy, don't be going out in the streets calling a big boy like me a Mama's boy!"

I couldn't help but let out a little, humorous laugh and the grown up couple in front of us, stopped to glance at me and Marcus.

"Defensive much." I playfully rolled my eyes.

"You're defensive." He frowned and scoffed back.

I laughed. I actually laughed. I actually couldn't believe this guy and how childishly petty he could really be.

"I'm not even holding your hand again!" The guy legit threw my hand out of his, and I nearly fell off the escalator protector as I held onto my ribs, laughing.

I couldn't believe how happy I was here. And Marcus seemed to not believe it either. Even in his little petty playful annoyance, I noticed him smiling at me as I leaned on the protector, trying to stifle my laughs, sort of like he was loving watching me that happy.

"Be careful, Aurora, you can fall from there," He told me. His voice was playful, but I knew he was serious.

"Why do you care, Clyde?" I retorted back, stayed on the protector, refusing to move away.

He grabbed my hand again, and pulled me to himself, effectively taking me away from the dangerous edge I was leaning on.

"You're groping me, I'll scream for assault." I warned him, mock glaring.

"What the fuck?" He actually burst into brief laughter. "Are you high or something?"

"Well," I shrugged, playfully. "I'm high on happiness!"

The cutest smile spread across his pink, full lips as he looked at me, admired me.

"Is this how you are when you're happy?" He asked me.

The question seemed to tame me down somewhat as the answer became clear to me, damn hit me like a truck.

I'm not usually happy, really.

At least, not this kind of happiness. This felt different.

Everyday, it felt like there was this invisible dark, depressing cloud hovering all about me. At home, it was there. In school, it was there. Even when the Sisters made me laugh, it was still there. It was almost like no matter what I did, no matter what anyone did for me, that cloud was just there, reminding me that no matter how happy I get, I should still remember that my life was fucked up, and after that dose of happiness, I still have to go back to that depressing life.

That made the entire thing ten times worse.

And after coming out of that Ecstasy room, I actually felt at peace. As in completely. It was like for a moment I forgot that home existed, and school existed too. I completely forgot. It was like it was just me and Marcus, and nothing else. Absolutely nothing else. That dark cloud wasn't there anymore.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the moment Marcus asked that question, reality came back to hit me hard. It seemed the dark clouds were started to come back and form once again.

We had reached the end of the escalator so we stepped down, together. Marcus took my hand, walked me a few feet to a secluded part of the hall, held my hand and looked at me, straight into my eyes.

I looked down, as it was hard to keep eye contact with him. Especially one as intense at that.

"What's the problem?" He asked softly. "Did I say something?"

"No.." I shook my hand, kept my eyes steady on our hands that were clasped together.

It looked like Art.

"Talk to me," He said, his fingers softly played with mine, my heart melted. "Please."

I don't know if it was all in my head, but I swear it, it seemed like everyone else in this hall was long gone, disappeared, varnished into thin air, and it was just the both of us.

His hands were still on mine; thumbs grazing upon the skin of my hands in a soft, steady massage that calmed me down, yet burned my insides with a strong, powerful sensation. He seemed concerned and worried and innocently was trying to get me to open up, but failed to realise that just by holding my hands that way, he was doing things to my body.

"It's just..." I spoke up, finally. "I'm not usually happy, that's all."

"Want to talk about it?" He whispered down onto me.

"No.." I breathed. In and out. "Not here."

I couldn't talk about my depressing life in the one place that was lifting me out of its reality.

"Look at me." He said.

"No." I refused, kept my gaze on our hands.

"Dabeluchi." He called me. Whispered it. Stopped my heart for a moment.

He placed a thumb gently under my chin, lifted even more gently, but my eyes stayed down.

"Look at me," He whispered again. He didn't force me, though his thumb was still under my jaw, encouraging me to heed. "Please."

Slowly, I traced my hesitant gaze from his chest, and moved up, up, slowly, slowly, till I came to a stop at the deep brown ocean he called eyes. I actually held my breath, completely stopped breathing for a moment.

"Yeah?" I barely managed to croak, under the intensity of his look on me. "I'm looking."

"It's okay." He assured me. "You don't have to talk, or even think about anything, if it's going to ruin your night. I understand."

"Thank you." I whispered, held back the tears that were building up slowly.

"We came here to escape reality," He said.

"And that's exactly what we'll do." I said too.

That smile came on his face again, the one that looked like a smirk. He seemed to look me in both my eyes, moving from one to the other like he was searching for something, as he agreed with me, whole heartedly.

"Can we come here some other time?" I asked him.

His smirk seemed to grow. A disbelieving look accompanied it.

"What." I asked him.

"Are you asking me on a date, Dabeluchi?" He teased me.

"Shut up." I hit him as I chuckled, tore my hands away from him and walked ahead, fully aware that he would follow me.

Just as expected, the boy did. Laughing, he literally ran up after me, and grabbed me from behind to stop me from moving too far, and against my will, I was laughing as I tried to free myself from his hold.

I was laughing with a voice that I didn't even know I had. This voice sounded too rich, too happy to be mine.

"I totally dig the idea of that date, though," He said to me.

I smiled. A bit too hard. "It's not a date."

"Whatever you say, Aurora," He playfully dismissed, "But they're only open during the weekends, sadly. And I'm not sure that Angel Dami would be so nice to us the next time we're here."

"Well, then, until the weekend comes," I said, "Why don't you show me your second favourite place?"

"Only if you admit that this is a date," He chose to be stubborn instead.

"Sure, whatever, asshole," I rolled my eyes.

He laughed, took my hand and pulled me alongside him to walk. "Follow me."

*****

You'll be wondering...

You'll be wondering 'bout me...

You'll be wondering, won't stop wondering about me....

That song was about get stuck in my head, but I didn't even mind.

I know it was barely five minutes since we had stepped in here, but it felt like I had been here for as long as forever. Wondering by Next Town Down; I heard that was the name of the song.

The Valley - A simulation of a wilderness, but in a more serene and beautiful representation. It was like the both of us were walking down a path in between a thick forest of woods and fine tress that were all artificial, yes, but very pretty.

The trees had candle lamps, and they seemed to be lighted up with the same variety of lights that the entire place seemed to be filled up with, and at intervals, as though the lights took turns, they switched over and over, from blue, to purple, to pink, to Gold, to orange, creating a whole new feel each time, and some other times, mixing up to create a blend that was very pretty.

(Exhibit A)

Exhibit B (If only we had a place like this in Nigeria, really, but oh well😂)

It was all so calming. Walking with him, letting him hold my hand, as we walked down the secluded path, to a destination I wasn't even sure of. This place felt endless. I wanted it to be endless, really. I just wanted to do this forever.

Suddenly, the thought of School tomorrow came in to my mind and nearly made me break down, crying. The reality that this would soon end hit different.... Painfully different.

But maybe I shouldn't be thinking about School. Maybe, not tonight. Marcus said I shouldn't even think about anything if all its going to do is ruin my night.

We came here to escape reality.

"I feel like, there's a lot I don't know about you, Aurora." Marcus smiled a warm smile at me as his surprisingly soft hands, fondled with mine, gently, as we walked.

"You don't know anything about me, Marcus Acha." Was all I said. "And trust me, you really wouldn't want to know."

He laughed, a small sweet laugh that resonated through me.

"You know my favourite thing about you?" He said to me.

"What?" I asked.

"It's the mystery all around you," He said.

I laughed softly. "You don't say."

"Honestly," He sounded like he meant it. "You're hands down the most mysterious person I've ever met."

"Mysterious...?" I repeated, "Or just weird."

"Strange is a better word," He said, "Or Unique. It's like the good type of Strange."

"It's still the same thing; Weird," I said.

"Nah, not exactly," He shook his head, disagreeing. "Weird is like not so pleasant twin of Strange."

"I'm honestly trying to see what the difference is, but its not working," I said.

Everyone thinks I'm weird. I know I'm not normal too, anyway.

"So, I just learnt one thing about you," Marcus quipped.

I looked at him. "And what's that?"

"Your self esteem isn't the greatest, that one's easy to pick up," He said.

Well, true. But it wasn't like I was wrong about anything I felt about myself. So, all these his talk about strange and weird and unique and twins was total bs.

"I have a twin though." I slipped that in.

This guy did the most dramatic double take I'd ever seen.

I couldn't help, but laugh. He looked like a joke as he looked at me like that, with so much surprise.

"Apparently, we don't go to the same school," I decided to clarify for him.

"Yeah?" His interest piqued measurably. "Which school does he go to? Trinity? Crescent? Crestview? Marantha? Royal Valley-"

"None," I muttered more to myself than to him.

Stephen doesn't even go to School.

The boy had spent ten years of his life on Medications and Doctor's appointments.

I tried to hide the sadness that was slowly sipping in as I thought about it. Tried to keep the conversation going so he didn't notice anything was wrong.

"And why were those your first options?" I asked him. "What makes you think my twin would be going to those schools you mentioned?"

"Those schools sort of go hand in hand for some reason," He explained. "If there are siblings or family members who don't go to Castron High and are split in different schools, there are multiple chances they'd be in one of those schools. It's been like a thing."

I heard that too. A lot of our classmates who didn't start with us in Jss1 came from Marantha. And I'd heard of a few who came from the Royal Valley International Schools, like Aaron. I even heard he still had a sister there. The twins even transferred from there, too.

"Trinity Academy is like the prissy and elegant twin of Castron High," Marcus told me, "While Castron is more rugged and loud and fierce, Trinity is generally more prim and proper. Although Trinity and Castron get along pretty well. They're so close, yet so different."

"I see," I noted. "And the others?"

"Well, Crescent High is just like the celebrity little sister of Castron High," Marcus went on.

"Elaborate," My curiosity piqued.

"They both seem to have equally and comparably the same amount of attention and glamour and sometimes, Castron may be jealous of their little sister who seems to always try to steal their shine and thunder." Marcus said.

I laughed a little.

"Castron High can be bitter," I agreed.

"And competitive." He added. And I noticed that downcast tone of his voice as he said it.

However, I chose to not verbally hint on it.

"And what about Crestview?" I asked on.

"Well, Crestview International Academy......" He seemed to think. "I'd say they're more of a peer rival than a family member. For example, if Castron High was the mean girl, Crestview be the hot new girl who comes in and starts to steal hearts, you feel me?"

"I do," I laughed under my breath, agreed.

"Castron High would probably be at loggerheads with Crestview. They'd be like 'who the hell is this new girl and who does she think she is stealing all the attention'?" He went on to elaborate.

"Yeah, yeah, I get that," I said.

"So, your twin though," He went back to topic. "What's her name?"

"It's a guy," I corrected him. "Fraternal twins."

"Oh?" He raised his brows.

"Yeah, well, and he doesn't really go to any of those schools," I told him.

He doesn't go to School.

"Oh, that's a shocker," Marcus said. "So which other school does he go to them? Robyn? Royal Crest? Cambridge? Newland-"

"None." I cut him off, a bit too urgently, cleared my throat. "None," I tried to sound stable, forcing my voice to not falter too much and make him realise something was wrong.

I failed at that. He noticed. He noticed everything. I was about thinking he was the most clueless being, but he noticed.

"Oh." He said. Looked at me with a more sober, empathic look and I refused to look at him.

"Let's not talk about my twin brother," I told him. "Okay?"

"Definitely, whatever you want." He agreed, squeezed my hands in his', and that little gesture made chills run down my spine, and goosebumps appear on my skin.

"Yeah." I said.

There was a moment of silence when all we did was walk down the path of the Valley, quietly, holding hands, observing the serenity all around us.

"And you?" I broke our silence.

He smiled, looked at me. "What about me?"

"Do you have any siblings you'd like to talk about?" I asked him.

He lightly ran his hands down his full name of hair and did a little pout. He looked really adorable when he did that.

"I have siblings," He started.

I noticed he didn't add that he'd like to talk about them.

"My older sister is in Brazil," He told me. "She's already married with two kids."

Oh wow.

"So, you're an uncle," I said.

"To kids I've never met, yes," He said.

"Oh." Was my only response.

"And my brother..." He continued.

"Justice Acha?" I said his name.

Everyone in Castron High knew him. He made quite a legacy. Too much of a legacy, if I was being honest.

Marcus gave a tight lipped smile that was almost sad.

"Of course you know him already," He said. Rubbed the back of his neck in a way that almost seemed like he was.... uncomfortable?

"He's in UK pursuing his dream of being a football star," Marcus told me.

Wow.

"I know," He said, "Apparently, he's too good that they're planning on signing him into Real Madrid football club summer next year."

"That's very impressive," I said.

He seemed to become a lot more quiet that usual.

"It is." He only said.

"Your parents must be really proud," I said.

"They are," He looked downcast. "Especially my Dad."

Looking at how much he had mellowed down and suddenly looked so wistful, it was easy to tell that this conversation was a bit too personal for him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked him.

"About what?" He said.

"I don't know, whatever you're thinking about right now?" I asked him.

He laughed under his breath, a small laugh, as he shook his head.

"No," He said, "I don't think it'll be good to depress ourselves like that."

"Oh, right," I realised. "We came here to...."

"Escape reality." We both said it at the same time.

And that's just what we'll do.

"I wish I had a chance to experience that love-hate sibling relationship I always see in movies though," Marcus said. "My siblings and I are like, total strangers."

I understand.

"Never mind, I'm talking rubbish, you probably don't get it," He shook his head immediately, and laughed awkwardly.

"No," I said. He looked at me. "I do get it."

Stephen and I haven't spoken in ten years. Figuratively and Literally.

"Really." He said.

"Yes." I replied. "But we shouldn't talk about it. It's too depressing."

He nodded, understood and agreed. "Right."

"So, how was it growing up if you never bonded with your siblings?" I asked him.

I meant, before Stephen shut himself down, we used to be pretty close.

I honestly couldn't imagine how lonely and depressing childhood would have been for me if he wasn't there.... At least for the little while he was there.

"Most of my childhood was spent with Sean," Marcus told me.

I swallowed, I didn't understand why.

Hearing someone's name from School pop up so randomly just took me quite off-guard.

It was not even nearly in a good way. Especially since it was someone like Sean, Acha's best friend, Sean Ayomide who had this cold, unfriendly, intimidating, and unapproachable reputation in our set.

Granted, Sean made me uncomfortable. Figures, he made a lot of people uncomfortable. There was just something oddly intimidating about him.

"How are you friends with someone like Sean?" I asked Marcus.

I mean, the friends he had terrified me, beyond all reasonable doubts.

He hung out with rude people like Sean. And rough, dangerous boys like JJ and Kaniru's clan. He had this circle all around him filled with boys who were all sorts of vain, and all shades of terror and destruction. The way he easily flowed with them, nonetheless, scared and confused me. Before getting to know him - the little I know so far - I thought he was just one of them.

But figuring him now, he wasn't. He was sweet. Kind. Funny. Warm. And actually fun to hang around. He easily made me smile too.

I only wondered how he was so close to so many people who were his polar opposites.

"Sean's not as bad as he puts off, believe me," Marcus said.

Hmm.

"He can be an asshole, that's guaranteed," He admitted.

Very.

"But he's not a bad guy," Marcus told me.

It was so bad that I couldn't even imagine Sean being a good person.

Fortunately, I had never particularly had a personal encounter with him. That may have to do with the fact that he had never acknowledged my presence or ever acted like I existed, for one.

I mean, in school, he could legit walk past me, recklessly chewing gum, and acting like he couldn't care less if I was a donkey.

If he hit me, accidentally, he wouldn't even apologize. That's just how invisible I must have been to him.

And how could I forget when he and Nana had walked in on me and Marcus that morning after Yure's party, when I had my hands all wrapped around Marcus by mistake.

The boy literally looked at me, with the most unbothered and impassive stare ever, didn't say a single word to me, looked away as casually as he could, and turned to his best friend who he had come for.

Lol, and the only time he had ever addressed me in his life was when he called me a dude. Nice memories.

"One thing I love the most about Sean is the assurance I seem to get when I want to confirm a truth from him. I know, it's impossible for someone to be always truthful, but Sean actually never tells a lie." He told me.

"And that's a good thing?" I frowned at that.

I meant judging via the Lie Detector test we took a few hours ago, I was starting to believe that maybe sometimes, some lies were neccesary in order for peace to reign.

"I mean," He continued, "If I wanted to wear a hat, for example, and I asked Sean for his honest opinion on how it looked, if he says it's okay, then I'm certain he really thinks it's okay. And If he says it's trash, then I'm certain he thinks so too... But, I mean, if I love the hat, I'd still wear it anyway....."

A small laugh left me.

"My point is that just speaks the truth a lot, maybe a bit too much, I guess. But sometimes, maybe, we all need some major of brutal honesty in our lives, right?" He said.

Maybe not.

"He's really not that terrible a person," Marcus said. "He's like the voice of reason of our friendship. You know? That one friend who always looks out for you, but in the most strict ways."

He really liked Sean.

"He tells you his mind, unapologetically calls you out when you do wrong, and honestly comends you when you do the right thing," Marcus continued. "He really encourages you when he believes in you though. And hell yeah, he wouldn't even hesitate to discourage you and call your shit out when you're about to do some stupid shit."

He really, really liked Sean.

"You know that one friend that's always there to guide you, so you don't thread the wrong path?" He said.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Like Chika."

"If Chika had a loose tongue and a highly ridiculous possessive nature, then she's exactly like Sean," Marcus laughed.

"No, Chika is warm and kind," I said.

"Oh," He listened.

"And like Sean though, she guides her friends to the right path," I added.

"She seems sweet," He said.

"Yeah, but you don't mess with her," I told Marcus.

"I've heard some of her stories," Marcus laughed.

"They're not rumours, Chika can be a beast if she wants to. She can fight a multitude just to protect us." I told him.

"Like a mother." He said.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Is she your favorite out of the others?" He asked me.

"I don't know, it's hard to decide," I answered honestly.

"Oh?" He said.

"I love them all differently," I said. "While Chika seems to be my saving grace out of deadly situations that want to consume me, Soma seems to be the easiest to talk to. In some way, it's like she gets me on another level. I can tell her anything without being scared of how she'd react, if she'd judge me or be skeptically dissapproving or give a reaction that'll just make me uncomfortable. She seems so open minded and free, all the times."

"Wow," He seemed impressed.

"She's the reason why I'm here, really. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be with you right now," I told him as a matter of fact.

"Well, I owe her one, definitely," Marcus said.

"Just get her a Disney or Nickelodeon Pencil Set and she'd be very appreciating," I joked.

"Oh, a girl that's still in the times," He noted.

"You have no idea." I said.

He actually laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"It's just that, you make it seem like she's into stuff like Disney so much, so I just can't believe she missed a perfectly good opportunity to call you Princess Aurora," He said.

I laughed. "I prefer Lulu Bear." Sounded a lot prouder than I intended to, and Marcus couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"And the twins are fierce," I told him. "They're like my personal soldiers. They're ready to start a battle any time and any place if someone messes with me. And they always always look for the fastest solutions to my problems, even if sometimes, they go a little overboard."

"Oh, it makes sense why they hate me so much now," Marcus seemed to clear facts up in his head.

I only laughed.

"The twins hate a lot of people, don't take it personal. You're just one of the vast majority," I told him.

"Not very comforting, but okay," He just laughed it off.

"But Chika is like my go-to person, if shit really hits the fan," I told him.

I smiled at the thought of Chika and those little things she had done for me in the past.

"She's really amazing," I said. "She's beautiful."

Marcus' look softened on me.

"You're beautiful too, Aurora," He said to me.

He sounded like he meant it.... It many a lot to me. Meant too much to me.

"Not like Chika," I shook my head, regardless.

"The both of you are beautiful in different ways," He told me. "It's like trying to compare a strawberry and a bunch of purple cherries."

He always had to have a hilarious context to everything. This guy.

"My point is; They're both very different. They're like different kinds of beautiful..." He said.

"You sure know your way around words, don't you," I laughed to myself.

"I'm just saying the truth," He said. "And if I'm being honest here..."

I looked up at those deep brown eyes of his' that made me feel nauseus with butterflies.

"Yeah?" I dared to ask.

"I like your beautiful more than every other beautiful I've ever come across," He said, "You, Aurora, you are perfection. And perfection isn't always perfect, you should know. But, that's what makes it art. You are art, Aurora. At it's very finest. I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you."

That was enough to kill me on the spot.

This guy legit murdered me, murdered me completely, buried me, dug me back up, brought me to life, only to murder me again.

He did it over and over..

Just with the words he said....

And I loved every bit of it.

"Thank you." I said.

I honestly had nothing more to say. I was short of words.

It wasn't just words to me, it was the certainty and truth in his eyes as he said it.

We had long stopped walking and his hands hadn't left mine. Marcus looked at me, deeply, like he meant every word he had said. He looked at me like he was looking into my soul, like he was searching deep, seeing all my imperfections, picking up all the broken pieces, collecting them, patching them up, and carving it into the most beautiful things.

That did an unimaginable measure of damage to my whole body and it's senses. He was wrecking me.... And I loved every bit of it.

You'd be wondering...

You'd be wondering 'bout me....

You'd be wondering, won't stop wondering 'bout me....

Wondering seemed to play at it's loudest this time, and I wasn't sure if it was in my head.

I could only but ask myself one question; Why me?

Why did he see this much in me? Why me? Me of all people.

"You're cold." He said.

"Thank you." I said softly.... Stopped. Processed what he said. Wait-

He suddenly looked very worried and I saw him taking off his black coat jacket and I started to panic.

Why was he taking off his clothes!?

"You're cold," He repeated. Looked at my hands as he started to pull his coat over my body in rapid urgency.

That's when I understood. I hadn't even realised it. How cold I may have been. Goosebumps that were clear were even forming on my skin and Marcus didn't even ask my permission this time before putting his coat all over me like it was a blanket.

I didn't even fight it... I let him.

Why did he even care so much?

Why me?

"Thank you," I said as I made myself feel cozy as I aided him to wrap his thick coat around myself, feeling this insane warmth as I did so.

Indeed, I must have been cold. I mean, it felt so comfy. Like a blanket over you in an insanely cold night.

... And your soul wrapped 'round my fingers..

... When the sun comes up...

... You'd have fell in love...

... And you'll understand what I'm saying, yeah....

There was more silence afterwards as all that was heard was the same song playing. The lights switched slowly, according to the pace of the song, effectively reflecting on his perfect skin and showing me all shades of him, and I enjoyed watching him in all.

I enjoyed watching every part of him. Him without his jacket made me able to admire the fine muscles of his arms through the black, long sleeved turtle neck he was wearing. Made me able to complement how his full, dark hair complimented his brown skin - brown skin that looked very polished, even under the variety of lights. And his deep brown eyes that were intense to look at. Even the tiniest details like the little growing moustache at the top of his full pink lips.

He seemed to even love the sight of me even more.

Why me...?

He looked at me with so much intensity that if I hadn't grown to love staring at him, I may have looked away.

The way he looked at me.

Words couldn't do justice to it. The intensity was insane. He didn't waver or falter. He admired. Completely. God, thoroughly! He looked at me thoroughly, moved his eyes all around mine, like he was intensely awed by something beneath them. Like there were diamonds and gold laying beneath them.

His hands touched my face and for a moment, I was winded. My breath left me in a short, sudden exhale, and it took me so much strength, so much of it, to inhale again, and keep my breathing steady.

He didn't say anything. Didn't even act like he noticed my reaction. He seemed lost. Very lost, as he watched me like that. I noticed he let out a slow, dragged breath, as he ran a thumb, gently down my face.

It looked it what he was seeing was too much for him to take in.

Why... Me?

He exhaled again like he was doing something that was taking away all his self control.....

And then his look slowly dragged down and down... And stopped on my lips. Stayed there.

My heart started to race more. His thumb slowly traced down my skin until he felt my lips with them, kept his thumb on my lips as he stared at them. My heart wouldn't stop racing, wondering what he was up to. Wondering what he was going to do.

He seemed to be in a world away from this. He seemed to be in another planet. He looked at my lips and I could see, feel how lost he was.

I could breathe when his eyes moved back up to my eyes again... I could breathe again.

But he didn't stop looking so lost. So intense. So awed. So much like he was taking his entire strength to not lose his self control.

I gulped.

"What are you thinking?" I asked him.

I dared to even ask.

He didn't respond for about two seconds, I thought he didn't hear me.

But soon after, a short, almost unheard sound came out of him. Something that sounded like a humorless laugh under his breath.

"If I told you, you'd be freaked out." His voice sounded hoarse. Restrained.

It almost scared me. Almost.

But I was too much in a frenzy to even be scared. There was a little tickle down there in the pit of my stomach, one that enveloped my entire system and made my whole body instantly feel like I was suspended in the air.

I kid you not. I could not feel my feet on the ground anymore.

I felt my back resting back on the artificial tree behind me for support. I knew at this rate, I wouldn't be able to support my own weight soon.

Marcus moved closer.

I moved back, pressed my back further into the tree, applying more pressure.

However, I was trapped. I had no where to run even if I wanted to.... I gulped. Again.

My body seemed welcoming to these feelings, but at the same time, it didn't feel prepared.

Not only couldn't I feel my own weight, but it now also started to feel like the tree behind me in which I was resting against, was even losing its own footing and sending me backwards, along with it.

This felt so...

"Dabeluchi!" Marcus eyes were suddenly filled with terror.

It happened too fast.

"Oh!" Marcus shouted, pulled me away from where I stood, as we both watched the artificial tree I was resting on, fall to the ground with a loud THUD!

I guess the tree was actually falling, after all.

So, much for coming to Heaven of Nigeria.

Marcus and I couldn't stop laughing the whole entire time.

You can imagine, lol. Right here, this guy wanted to kiss me.

Of course, after the mess we made, we got kicked out.

And with Marcus Acha trying to pull more stunts like this....

I doubt they were going to let us back into Heaven.

Omo.

This may be my favourite chapter to write so far. And Acha is becoming unhealthily sexy🙂💔🔥

How did this chapter make you feel?

Oh, and lest I forget....

Trinity Academy is from The Golden Series by dheenmah

Crescent High is from Perfectly Imperfect by Rihanna_Adedeji

Robyn International Highschool is from 'Never Enough' by _Esquell

Royal Crest Academy is from 'Nothing in Between' by Stardust_Wendy

Cambridge is from Shattered Heartstrings by I_am_Jazzy

Newland is from 'The things we do' by Donaldprince

And CRESTVIEW ACADEMY is from TEMI'S NEW BOOK 'ALMOST UNFIXABLE' by Iyanuoluwa-Temi. Her book just stated, let's storm her to support!! Two of her main characters will be featuring in my next update! Feel free to guess which😍👌

Alright, see you till then!