“You are going to be all right, honey,” Laura kissed her forehead, and Aaliyah smiled helplessly.
“Mom, stop worrying so much. Everyone would be there. Nothing’s going to happen,” Aaliyah assured her mom before stepping down from the car.
“Let me help you with that,” Ashton took her suitcase and helped it onto the bus, waving goodbye to Laura before turning to Aaliyah, who scowled.
She said nothing in front of her mom because her mom still does not know that she went partying and ended up at her teacher’s place. Unknown to the truth, just like Katherine, she believes Aaliyah had a girls’ night with Momo.
“Hey, I am sorry. Please forgive me. I don’t know what happened. How did you end up going home alone, or who made me drink so much,” Ashton held her hand to pacify her.
David had told him what kind of prick he was for missing such a gifted opportunity of taking Aaliyah home or spending some quality time with her. And when he had asked where Aaliyah went or if he dropped her, David told him that Aaliyah went home before he could care about those things, and then he brought Momo home.
Since both of them were so drunk, Momo and David ended up sleeping in the same bed. It didn’t exactly start a relationship between them, but David feels that something has changed between them by how shy Momo acts around him now. It’s just a matter of time before she would give her heart to him, and he will finally confess his feelings to her.
And now that Ashton thinks about all the god-forsaken possibilities and things that could’ve happened between Aaliyah and himself and how he would’ve made a good impression on her but missed the chance, he can’t help but cuss himself.
“Hey, I am sorry I left you alone. Please forgive me. Just this once,” Ashton swung her hand with his.
“Leave my hand, Ashton,” Aaliyah’s annoyance was at its peak, thinking about a particular teacher.
“I think you should leave now. I don’t want to make a scene in front of all the teachers,” Aaliyah spoke, and Ashton left dejectedly.
Climbing inside the bus, the first person Aaliyah noticed was Mr. Volkov, who was busy on his phone.
What the hell is he doing here? She was sure the school booked the tickets for Maria, Aaliyah, Tyler, and Mr. And Mrs. Lincoln. Aaliyah scowled.
As if he felt someone staring at him, Volkov looked up from his phone and smiled at Aaliyah, making her immediately look away before she entered the so-called mini-bus that would drop them to the airport from school.
“What is he doing here?” Aaliyah asked Tyler, and he looked up from his iPad before squinting his brows.
“I think he is here to say all the best to us. Miss Karina and Mrs. Joy were here earlier too, then they left for their classes. It only makes sense that he has stayed since he doesn’t have a class. Plus, his student arrived late,” Tyler looked at Aaliyah.
“Were you always a jerk, or is this a new feature you activated only for this trip?” Aaliyah forced a smile, and Tyler chuckled, playing games again.
“Okay, guys. The bus would leave in ten minutes. I know there is a lot of pressure, but I hope you can enjoy this trip and make it worth it,” Mr. Lincoln clapped his hands, and Volkov stood from his seat before looking at the three students, his eyes barely meeting Aaliyah’s before he looked away.
“I know only the two among you will make it to the next round, but I want you to give your best and come back with no regrets in mind. It doesn’t matter whether you get selected or not. What matters is that you enjoyed the process.
You guys will be the top three students in your grade either way, and many greater things are waiting ahead. Have a safe journey,” Volkov smiled before leaving the bus, and Aaliyah, who thought he would try something or at least make her uncomfortable, felt even weirder when he didn’t even gaze at her for over two seconds.
Maybe it was because he didn’t want to make her feel weird in the presence of everyone, or he didn’t want his cover to blow up.
Or was it because he got hurt by how she left without giving him an answer? It was partially her fault, wasn’t it? If she hadn’t given him hope by telling him she liked stalkers, maybe he hadn’t come here in the first place. No? Aaliyah thought.
‘Damn it, Aaliyah! Can you please stop acting like you are obsessed with him after everything that happened? Do you want to look like a mental patient who has Stockholm syndrome? Even though he didn’t kidnap you, he trapped you in this game for a long time, didn’t he?’ Aaliyah scolded herself, her eyes finding Volkov’s back as the bus was at some distance, a weird feeling of emptiness settling in her heart.
~~
After two days,
“Bro, you look screwed. What happened to you? Why are you looking like your lover died or something?” Shane plopped on the sofa as Volkov sat with his eyes closed and his cat looking at him.
“Don’t bother me,” These were the words that Volkov has been repeating to everyone coming to his house and disturbing his peace.
“Woah, you surely are troubled. You know, you can share whatever that’s bothering -” Shane stopped mid-sentence when Volkov lifted the gun in his hand, and Shane gulped before gently standing and walking towards the living room where Dimitri and others were sitting.
“That was close. He pointed a gun at me,” Shane murmured in disbelief, and Dimitri shrugged.
“He has been like this for the last two days. My guess is it’s because of a particular girl whose name starts with A, but the question is, why does he look so down? I am sure it’s not just because she isn’t in the city and he misses her. If that were the case, he would’ve flown to wherever she was and met her. Something’s wrong that he isn’t telling us,” Dimitri sighed.
“When is she coming back?” Shane asked painstakingly, and Bryce shrugged.
“You don’t know how awful things have been these two days. Volkov isn’t killing anyone, but judging from the condition he leaves them in, death is better.” Bryce shuddered, remembering the last mission they were on three hours ago.
He was afraid if Samantha hadn’t intervened, Volkov would’ve really gauged the eyes and opened the abdomen of the traitor after cutting his hand.
As they discussed how to deal with this issue they know nothing about, Volkov left the living room and stared at them, making them hold their breath as they were ready for whatever he would throw at them. But to their shock, he just took his car keys and left without saying a word, making them more confused.
Meanwhile, Aaliyah, who was coming back to her house, closed her eyes as the driver played soft music.
‘It’s hard,’ Volkov’s words echoed in her mind, making her sigh.
It’s been two days since she last saw and talked to him, and to say they were awful would be an understatement. She didn’t know she had gotten so used to his presence and constant bickering with her.
It felt like something was missing from her day, and only one person could complete it.
‘Mr. Volkov,’ She let the word roll on her tongue, and a shiver ran down her spine at the mention of the mere name.
No amount of reasons can justify what she was feeling. It was wrong on many levels, but the more she tried to get out of the lure, the more she felt like drowning in it.
He was a drug she was getting addicted to, and as shameless as it sounded, it was true. She was addicted to her English teacher, Mr. Volkov. Or even worse, she was attracted to her stalker, who has been stalking her for God knows when.
Biting her lips as she remembered how soft his lips felt on her cheeks, she clutched her top before coughing to lessen the drumming of her heart.
Her mind wandered off to how she met him, how good his hand felt in hers, how perfectly it fit when she had intertwined her fingers with his and how it made her feel like they were the only person in the world and nothing mattered anymore.
Touching his hand alone felt like that. How heavenly will it feel when she’ll roam her hand on his cuts and chest that looks like it was sculpted with care? Her face flushed when she remembered seeing his body when she had to treat the wound in his hand.
Rrrinnngggg! Aaliyah’s thoughts were rudely interrupted by the driver’s phone ringing, and realizing where her thoughts were taking her, Aaliyah sighed before picking up her phone.
“When are you coming back? I will pick you.” It was Ashton’s message from 7 hours ago, and she pressed her lips into a thin line.
,
She was blaming Ashton for not being with her that night. If he had been with her, she wouldn’t have had to spend time with Mr. Volkov, and her brief fantasy with him would’ve been going on because he didn’t have gotten the opportunity to reveal the truth, no?
However, if Ashton would’ve been with her, she wouldn’t have gotten to see the side of him she had never seen before, which as much as she hated to accept, aroused her to a level she hadn’t thought was possible just with someone’s presence.
She used to scrunch her brows while reading that the female leads got aroused just by the sight of the male lead, and now that it was happening to her, she could understand why.
Mr. Volkov. How should she put it? The dangerous manly vibes that he oozes all the time had her attention from the first day, and now with his constant approach and slight touches, there was no way she wasn’t falling for it.
“I am already home,” Aaliyah typed before opening Momo’s conversation, where she was talking about the masquerade party during the half-yearly function.
It was in three days. Everyone had been preparing for it for a month now. She had been so busy with the classes and distracted by a particular teacher that she had almost forgotten about it.
“Have you chosen the dress?” This was Momo’s last question.
“Katherine will surely have something,” Aaliyah sent.
“You are already home? Why didn’t you call me? Are you still mad?” She looked at Ashton’s message from the notification, choosing not to reply.
After paying the fare, Aaliyah took a deep breath before entering the empty house. Her mom was in emergency surgery, Katherine had gone to the agency, and aunt Lily was urgently called because of some underground drug dealing.
Entering her room, she plopped on her bed before closing her eyes, her mind going back to Mr. Volkov.
“What am I going to do with you? Hmm? Why did you have to be so handsome and creepily alluring?” She let out a frustrated groan before she slid out of her clothes in the dark room, rolling on the bed just in her undergarments.
“Did you find another man while I wasn’t there?” She heard the same manly voice, which was the reason for her sleepless nights, making her widen her eyes as she quickly pulled the duvet to cover herself, looking at the corner of the room in shock.
“What are you doing here?” Aaliyah almost shrieked, questioning herself if she was seeing things.
She wished it was just an illusion or a dream, but she was wrong as Volkov’s tall figure rose from the chair of her room, making her heart drum in her ears.