This chapter gets more fun, I hope you enjoy it!
{Onyx POV}
Collin walks me home every day after school, and when it rains, he drives me. I've come to really enjoy hanging out with him.
I'm also adjusting to having Mrs. Winter, who keeps telling me to call her Lilly, although I probably never will, come to clean my house and cook and stuff. It makes my life easier, but I know she doesn't like how I dress and she keeps hinting at me wearing more shirts and bras. For the most formative years of my life, the women around me didn't really wear anything on top, and I've always thought it was a lot more comfortable. I wear at least a shirt when I go out, there are laws here, but around my house, I don't see how it could possibly make a difference. My house is pretty remote anyway.
Today, Collin had stayed to read his history homework, and I'm working on an essay. We aren't saying much, only commenting infrequently if we find something funny. I look up.
"Can you read that out loud in an English accent?" I ask, a half-smile already present at the thought.
"What? Any particular reason why?" He asked, laughing.
"Yeah, I want to see if you can do an English accent."
"Um, okay? Napoleon led his armies through Europe, conquering-" He stopped when I started laughing, looking playfully hurt. "I thought that was pretty good."
"It was, it was," I assure him. "It just is funny to hear."
"Hm, I thought British accents were supposed to be cool and sexy." He said a little shyly, still in his accent.
"Yeah, it is." He raised an eyebrow at me dubiously. "No like seriously, like you could say meatloaf and onions and it would sound sexy."
"Meatloaf and onions." He tries. I smile.
"See?"
"That didn't sound sexy." He protests.
"Yeah, it totally did. Say something else." I suggest, putting my laptop away. He cleared his throat.
"You, lady, are ravishing. I would be telling an untruth were I to say I would not love to kiss your lovely face." He says, his voice taking on a deeper tone that I find extremely attractive. I can feel the color coming to my face as he finishes, extending a hand towards me. I take it, leaning forward as he rests his other hand behind my ear, drawing my face closer. His lips brushed my cheekbone, moving near my ear. "You're blushing, my dear." He whispered, making my blush deeper. He laughed lowly, leaning back again to look into my eyes. I blinked slowly, touching his cheek and feeling how he leaned into my hand before moving my hand upward, above his brilliant green eyes. They closed at my touch.
"Your eyes are green." I mention quietly. One eyebrow went up although his eyes were still shut.
"Yeah, they are." He confirms, although it wasn't really a question. I smile, stroking the downcast lashes framing those eyes.
"I would kill for your eyelashes," I giggle, moving my hand away as his eyes shoot open to look at me. He puts my hand back to his cheek, holding it there.
"But yours are beautiful. They're so flirty and cute." He says. I roll my eyes. "I'm not just saying that."
"I know you're not, but I mean..." I lift my hand to touch them again. "They're so pretty." I laugh at my choice of words as he grimaces.
"Pretty?"
"Yeah, you have pretty eyes." I say with a huge smile. He laughs too, batting them at me.
"Mm, you want me now, huh." He teases, pursing his lips at me. I laugh, leaning back into my chair.
"I'll tell you what I want - pizza." I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my apps to find the nearest delivery place. "What do you want?"
"I'll eat whatever you don't finish." He says, dogearing the corner of his book and closing it. I order us a combo and bread sticks.
"I'll fight you for the last piece." I tease.
"Bring it, have you taken martial arts at some point too?" He laughs.
"Of course I have," I tell him, "I'm stereotypically Asian, I've taken martial arts and piano lessons for years. Also, I live by myself, how do you think my parents sleep at night."
"Really, what kind?"
"Kung fu, mainly. I've tried a few types." I stand. He gets up too, grinning.
"That's cool. You could probably beat me. I just use brute force." He shrugs.
"Hm, now I really want to try." I laugh, grabbing his hand to pull him onto the back patio so we don't destroy anything.
"Oh no, do I redeem my manliness or do I play fair?" He laughs, pulling off his shirt dramatically and tossing it aside. I raise my eyebrows. He colors, "Oh no, you're not gonna-" I grin, whipping off my own tee, putting my hands on my hips as his breathing gets shallower. "Come on, that's not fair!" He protests weakly.
"What, you took off yours." I counter. It's been awhile since the last time I was topless around Collin. I usually make sure I have something on just so he's more comfortable.
"But I don't care if you touch me... here." He gestures to his chest. "That would be so wrong if I did that to you."
"And wearing a shirt changes that?" I challenge. He frowns, shaking his head.
"I-I guess not... Okay, now the odds are really against me. Kay, give me your best," He laughs at something in his head. "Don't worry about hurting me."
"What, you don't think I can?"
"No, I don't doubt that you could probably put me in the hospital if you wanted to. But I-" He considers his words, "I tend to heal pretty fast. I'll be fine." I take a fighting stance and watch as he tries awkwardly to copy me.
"That's a bad position for you to take." I tell him, lining myself up. "Because you're much taller than me, and-" I sweep his dominant foot and drop to the ground to sit on his chest. "It puts you in an unbalanced position. If you're closer to the ground, aka short like me, that's not so much of a problem." I explain as I grip his forearm to secure him before patting his shoulder and getting off him. He stood, laughing.
"You've got this down to a science." I nod.
"Yeah, pretty much. For someone your size, a more solid stance like this," I show him, "would be more effective. That way I can't just sweep you down." I retake my original stance as he takes the one I just showed him. I grin as he watches for my next attack. I fake a blow to his stomach while moving to hook my leg around his, swinging myself around and onto his back.
"Very vulnerable position right now," I continue, my legs now around his waist and chest pressed against his back. I put my arm around his neck in a headlock. "Never let your opponent get behind you, you won't be able to see their next move." I hear his breathing get heavier and his skin got even hotter than it usually is. I jumped off, taking a breath myself before going back around to face him. He was very pink, and I grinned.
"Come on, you haven't even done anything," I pant. He growls - yeah, that's a good description - and scoops me up, one hand behind my knees and the other around my shoulders.
"This is what I call brute force. You just grab them." He tells me, his eyes dancing.
"Well, I wouldn't know how to combat that," I reply with my eyes comically wide. "Except that it's super easy to escape this hold." I wrap my arm around his neck and shoulders, kicking my feet away from his arms and ducking below his grasp. He tried a few more times to catch me but I evaded him, eventually getting behind him again and jumping onto his back, this time just barely letting my chest brush against him. He let out a sort of groan, his hands automatically hooking around my legs to keep me in place.
"You let me get behind you again," I remind him. He doesn't respond, but I can feel his unsteady breath. "Collin?"
"Hang on, I'm trying-" He said huskily, taking another deep breath. "I'm sorry, Onyx..." He let go of my legs and I jumped off again, breathing hard from my evasion. He had his eyes closed tightly, his chest rising and falling with every breath as I'm sure mine is as well. I stepped a little closer and squeaked when, in one lightening movement, his arms wrapped around my waist and shoulders in an unbreakable hold. He had my back pressed against his chest, one arm across the very top of my chest and the other pressing my backside against his hips, although I'm pretty sure that was just to keep me securely in place. Still, it was pretty convenient for me.
He whispered in my ear, "And I have a tip for you, never let your guard down." He kissed the tip of my ear, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
It was a dirty move, I know, but I can't stand losing. It was more of an instinctual escape than a thought-out strategy. I hmmed softly, arching my back and pressing my ass into his hips more, moving against him just the tiniest bit. He groaned out loud and his grip loosened just a little, but enough that I could slip from his grasp, and step a few feet away. He hadn't moved from where I left him, and I watched him cautiously. He and I were both panting when he finally opened his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Collin. I wasn't thinking." I apologized weakly, fully aware of my bright cheeks. My excuse sounded bad, even to me. But Collin shook his head, smiling a little.
"No, it's okay, I'll just accept the fact that I'll never win against you." His face and neck were still rosy as he held his hand out to shake mine. I put my hand in his warily. He shook it, lifting it up to kiss it.
"Well played, Meraz. Well played." He said. I smiled sheepishly as I went to grab our shirts from where we had tossed them. It was getting dark and although that probably won't bother him, I'm already getting goosebumps.
"Are you cold?" He asked, pulling his tshirt back over his head as a shiver ran down my spine.
"A little." I admit.
"We can go inside if you want," he came closer, wrapping me into his arms and spreading that insane heat into me.
"Why are you always so hot?" I finally ask.
"Uh, what?"
"You are always... well, for me, it would be feverish. Your temperature." I explain, pressing my hand to his neck. He shrugs, looking away.
"I just am, I guess."
Something tells me that's not the whole story, maybe it's the way he won't meet my eyes.
"You're not sick, are you?"
"Nope, healthy as a horse. I wouldn't be here if I was, I might give it to you, and we wouldn't want that."
"Right." I say dubiously, letting it go since he obviously doesn't want to tell me.
"Oh the pizza!" I gasped, leaving his arms as I saw the delivery boy pull up. I grab my wallet from my purse that I left on the couch and went to meet him.
"Onyx Meraz?" He asks. I nod, paying him and taking our food.
"Pizza." I grin, passing Collin and heading into the house.
We sat down and dug in, getting pizza grease and sauce everywhere.
"So how do you know everything about everyone and yet nobody knows a thing about you?" He asks me between bites of breadstick.
"I listen, but I don't talk that much in school and stuff." I explain.
"They don't come up and talk to you?"
"Not really, I think I intimidate a lot of people because I dress weird and I live by myself." I tell him as I take another bite of pizza.
"You don't really dress weird, you just sometimes don't dress."
"I have to agree with you there, I don't think I dress weird. And I rarely go anywhere without a shirt." He laughs.
"Yeah, it's only happened a couple times since I met you. I think I'm finally getting used to that. But I still don't get these." He points to the chain circling my thigh, one of many body chains I like to wear. "Like how does that stay up, is it hooked around your leg or your waist or... it seems like that would be really uncomfortable and... I'm really confused about that." He finishes chuckling. I laugh too.
"You wanna see?" I pretend like I'm going to take off my shorts and he colors darkly, hand darting out to stop me.
"Don't worry, I have underwear on," I tease, sitting back down. "No, it's attached to a cord that sits here." I point to my hips. I peel down the waistband of my shorts to show him. He nods solemnly.
"Mystery solved, thank you." I roll my eyes.
"Anyway, so most people don't approach me and the bitches and assholes that have tried to slut-shame me I shut down awhile ago. Reia taught me to be savage." I say frankly.
"Slut-shame you? It's not like you ever... go home with anyone or whatever, though, right?" He asks, waving his breadstick around in circles trying to convey his meaning.
"No, of course not. I'm not a slut." I retort, sitting back into the couch and pulling my blanket closer around my shoulders.
"I know you're not. You're a classy, confident young woman." He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.
"Hm. Really. That's what you think." I said, nonchalantly, taking another bite.
"Yeah, I know because you're tasteful and stylish about everything you do."
"What else do you think you know about me?" I ask, smiling.
He took a deep breath, before saying, "I think you like me. Just a little."
My hand froze, mid-bite. I mean… I do, but I'm not prepared to talk about that right now…
"Even if you don't realize it," he continued. I shoved my slice into my mouth and practically threw another at him to make him stop talking.
"Here, have another slice of pizza!"