Selene~
I listened to him and went to the alley at the back against my better judgment.
I stood there long after he'd slipped out, I could still taste him on my lips. He had no right to touch me, and yet I was already walking towards that goddamn alley.
I didn't bother to check if anyone was trailing me. They hadn't trailed me since I started shooting so why in the hell would they start now? He was already there, resting against a pole, looking as composed as ever as if he hadn't just kissed me.
And here I was, feeling all sorts of emotions.
What the hell was I doing?
"You came," he smiled, showing those pretty dimples of his.
I crossed my arms over my chest as if it could somehow protect me. "What do you want from me, Luca?"
"I missed you," he said immediately.
I blinked at him. "You missed me?"
He nodded.
I scoffed. "You vanished, Luca. Left me to myself without contact for three years."
"I know. I was a coward. I know that, but…" he frowned. "I didn't know how to reach you. You were always surrounded by people and cameras and…"
"And you didn't want to be seen with me," I cut him off.
"See? You get it. I couldn't afford to get backlash but there's no need for that now. You're back, and we can start over."
I shook my head. This was what I fell in love with. What in the world was wrong with me?
"You don't get to miss me," I said bitterly as I looked away. Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes and I was ashamed to let him see that he still had an effect on me. We weren't in high school anymore. Damn him. Damn that kiss. Damn the way my body still remembered him even when my mind screamed no.
"Selene," he called my name as sweetly as I had remembered. "Please, just give me one chance to prove myself."
Though his voice sounded like a plea, his eyes told a different story. They were way too calm and unmoved. It was like he was reading out lines that he'd practiced beforehand but now, he was delivering them without the facial expressions.
"Can you come forward with our relationship?" I asked, biting the side of my cheeks as I waited for his response.
His lips parted slightly and he looked taken aback with my question. "Relationship?"
Silly me. I had assumed he wanted to be in a relationship with me but that didn't seem to be the case.
"Can we be seen together in public and not in private like this?" I asked, desperate for a response that wasn't what was in my head.
"Selene," he breathed. "Of course we can…"
My heart skipped a beat. There was still hope with Luca, he still wanted me.
"…as soon as all the controversy that surrounds you die down. I'll give it a few years."
Huh? What the fuck?
He was smiling once more, as if he'd said something smart. Well, it was smart, avoiding the public gaze was a smart move on his part, but still…
I took that as my cue to leave. I walked away and he didn't call me back.
As I stepped out onto the quieter side of the streets behind the set, I saw a familiar car parked at the curb. Christopher was in the driver's seat, scrolling through his phone.
I wondered how much he saw, how much he heard. I breathed out, tried not to look his way and got into the car.
I mean, he must've been waiting for me. Not a word was said as I got into his car, he dropped his phone, ignited his engine and drove off.
He was here again, in my apartment, sitting in the bed as if he belonged. I watched him bring out his phone and I decided to break the silence.
"You didn't say a word to me the whole ride here," I said as I tossed my coat on a chair.
"Didn't think you wanted words."
"You shouldn't have come."
"You got into the car."
"And what? Because I got into your car, that gives you a free pass on me? I'm not the girl in that video, I'm not your personal whore," I breathed.
"I'm not here to sleep with you, Selene," he said slowly as he placed his phone facing down on the bed. He got up slowly and walked over to where I was standing.
"I've never thought of you as that girl," he said in a low voice. "Don't twist this around to hurt yourself."
I let out a bitter and dry laugh. "Oh, so now I'm doing this to myself? How about you? How about all the secrets and lies you tell? You won't even tell me what you are, you won't tell me anything, just like the rest of them."
His jaw tensed.
"You just keep showing up but at the end of the day, you do nothing. You tell me you want to protect me but you can't even tell me what you're protecting me from. Is it your brother? Is it someone else?"
The expression in his eyes shifted, just slightly. "I want to tell you, but you already have so much going on."
"That's none of your damn business. What are you protecting me from?"
"You're unstable right now. Rest."
"No," my voice was trembling. "Please, don't try to decide what may or may not be too much for me to handle."
"I'm not human."
"I know that. What are you?" I asked. "What are you protecting me from and why are you so keen on protecting me?"
Christopher stared at me, he was tense. Quietly, he said, "Because I don't protect you, you'll end up like her. They won't show you mercy."
"They, who? Her, who?" I asked.
"Lena, you'll end up like Lena Valen."
My stomach dropped. Why was he mentioning my dead ex friend all of a sudden? That name hadn't crossed my mind since her death or since I was offered her role.
"What do you mean, end up like her?" I asked, trying to swallow a lump that had formed in my throat.
Christopher shifted, he clearly looked uncomfortable.
"Was she killed?" I asked, seeing as he didn't respond to me.
"And you think it'll happen to me?"
He stepped closer to me, as if wanting to comfort me. "I won't let it happen to you. I'll keep you safe."
"How?"
I already knew how.
He kept quiet once more, not daring to look in my eyes. I shook my head and went to the door to open it.
"Leave," I said to him.
"You need me. You won't survive without me."
"Please leave," my voice was strained. I couldn't process this, not now. "Please."
"Selene, listen to me. I can't leave you, not when you were attacked yesterday."
"It was Alaric, wasn't it? What does he want with me?"
Silence.
"What the fuck does your brother want with me?"
"Shh," he shushed. "You're yelling."
I stepped back. "Don't shush me. Don't you dare."
Christopher exhaled slowly but I could tell that he was strained. He was trying not to lose his temper.
"It's his thing. He always finds someone to obsess over and now, it's you," he finally said.
"Why me? He doesn't even know me on a personal level, I only met him for the first time that night so why? What does he want with me? What..?"
"It's because of me," he interrupted.
"What do you mean it's because of you?"
Christopher didn't answer immediately, it didn't look like he wanted to answer at all. He just stared at me with pleading eyes, as if I would immediately be killed if he left my side for even a moment.
I sighed and slowly closed the door behind me.
"You don't get along well with your brother, do you?" I asked, keeping my voice low this time.
He slowly shook his head, affirming my suspicions.
I hesitated, then asked, "Want a hug?"
He didn't answer, just stood there, staring at me.
"What?"
He shook his head and went back to my bed. Perhaps the realization that I wasn't kicking him out of my apartment made him feel right back at home. I rolled my eyes and went to join him on the bed.
He didn't get along with his brother, so what? I was still getting my answers, even though, now I knew that he was actually protecting me from something, a very dangerous something.
"What powers do you have, being a werewolf and all?" I asked.
Christopher stayed quiet for a while before finally responding. "… I heal fast."
Of all the things I'd seen him do, he chose to go with that? I looked at him, he looked at his hands, probably to avoid my eyes.
I sighed, wondering how in the hell I managed to get myself in this new situation, I stood glances of him every now and then, but his eyes never shifted from his hands. He was weird, extremely so but…
"…at least you're hot."