Page 107 of Redeeming the Villain

She glares at him. “Oh, shut it.”

Walking over to the sink, I wash my hands well, scrubbing the dried blood with soap and hot water until there’s not a trace left of what I did. Well, aside from a couple of splits in my skin that the soap makes damn sure to find.

“I’m going over to Alora’s tonight,” I tell them, drying my hands off with a rag.

“Finally, we get the house to ourselves again.” Griffin sighs.

“Fuck off.” I laugh, throwing the towel at him and walking toward my room. “I’m leaving in a few.”

Heading to the bathroom, I rewrap my left hand, hiding the tattoo I got for Alora. It might seem crazy and soon, but I don’t fucking care. She’s it for me; I’m done. It’s her or no one.

Quickly throwing a bag together with some clothes and the essentials, I hop in my car and head to Alora’s. But first, I make a pit stop and pick up a few things at Toads Grocery.

When I get to her dorm, I knock on the door, and she calls out, “Come in!”

Using the key fob I still have, I let myself in, my arms full of bags. “How’d you know it was me?”

She sits up in bed as Sunny rushes over to me, greeting me with a wagging tail and kisses.

“You’re the only one who would show up at my door without calling first.” She smirks.

When I set the bags down on her desk, she eyes them. “Whatcha got there?”

“A few things I thought you might like.” I start emptying them, revealing a box of the Waterboy hydration packs she always has with her, her favorite bottled water, a veggie tray, and her favorite guilty-pleasure treat—strawberries and whipped cream. Thank you, Alora, for posting about it on your socials.

“Malik,” she murmurs adoringly, “thank you.”

“And of course”—I pull the last thing out of the bag, a toy for Sunny—“something for the best girl.”

Sunny lights up and immediately sits down, waiting for me to give it to her. I toss it into the air, and she catches it, rushing over to her bed and squeaking it with vigor.

“Such a sweet gesture, Ravenwell. Are you buttering me up to kill me?” She slowly rises from her bed and walks over to me, wearing a cute two-piece light-blue lounge set.

“Maybe.” I pull her closer to me. sliding my left hand into her hair and lowering my lips to hers, I kiss her desperately.

Her phone starts ringing loudly, cutting through our moment.

She walks over to her bed and sighs. “It’s my dad. I’ll just call him back later. God, he hasn’t wanted to talk to me this much since I was a kid.”

My blood chills at the reminder of Congressman Briarwood. I feel like my happily ever after is in my grasp, but we’re not safe yet. It can still be ripped away from me, from us, shattered into smithereens.

But I won’t let him take anything else from me for as long as I live. Even if he tries to slay me like a dragon, I’ll burn his fairy tale and lies to the ground.

I just hope that when I show her who he really is, she won’t hate me for it in the end.

The last few days have been brutal with one of the worst flare-ups I’ve had in a long time. It took almost three days for me to start to feel back to my normal self.

Thankfully, I had great company to keep me entertained. Malik barely left my side the entire time, and I can’t even begin to express how … comforting that was.

I don’t know when everything truly shifted between us. Part of me is still scared he’ll suddenly change his mind. But frankly, I don’t care. I want him for as long as I can have him.

There’s something in the way he stares at me, like he sees through every shield I’ve ever hidden behind. Like he can see me unabashedly and chooses me anyway.

Whether taking a chance with him is the smartest or dumbest decision I’ve ever made, all I know is that I’m falling for him.

There’s no use in fighting it; it’s too late to stop it. I’m simply a snowball racing down a snowy hill, my feelings growing bigger and bigger every day.

But I have to remind myself that this very well could end in absolute turmoil. Especially with secrets lurking in the dark. I know there are things going on that I’m not privy to. I intend to find out. Maybe I’ll ask him tonight, when he gets back to the house after practice.

---