Chapter 62

JERALD'S POV

My father had told the principal to inform him if I ever did dare to return. And when Calen had left us alone in his office, he has seemed conflicted and unaware of how to tackle the situation. I had asked him not to do so, that if he called him then my father would once again force me to leave the school. The matter was quite serious. It would be wrong for him to let me stay there without my parents authorization, but I knew that was only because of who my father was. 

He had been set on calling home, but first he asked me why I had left in the first place, why my father was suddenly against my stay there. 

I chose to tell the truth. And the truth in itself was in the form of a single name. 

HIS name. 

The principal had understood without me needing to utter another word, and I watched as he battled with his responsibilities, trying to decide what to do. Then he had clasped his hands together and placed his elbows on the desk's surface. A thoughtful look on his face. 

" He'll eventually find out, you can't prevent that from happening....but it won't be through me, " Relief had washed through me until I was dampened by it. 

Students would stare each time I passed by. It felt like my very first day again. And I was touched at how most of them seemed to like the fact that I was back. No one had known why I had left, they had fallen asleep and woken up to my sudden absence. 

I had already changed into a pair of the school's uniform. And when I had stepped into my quarters I noted how well preserved everything was. Nothing was out of its place. 

That night during supper Rajeev had kept on talking to me, a broad and genuine smile on his face. He asked me whether everything was fine back at home since they had guessed my reason for leaving had been due to a family emergency. I simply nodded and smiled, thanking him for his concern. 

" Wow, I doubt I've seen him smile this much since you left, " Rajeev then said in reference to Calen. I chuckled and turned to the source of my beating heart. Piercing him with a look that had him flushed and looking aside. 

We were seated much closer to each other than we usually did, my seat literally next to his, his arm draped over the back of mine. I liked the closeness, I liked his neverending glances, his light touches here and there after every other minute. 

" Where's Oliver?" I asked them both and Calen told me he was studying. 

" He hardly leaves the library, the tests really have everyone worked up, " Rajeev added and I realized I had to go through my notes once more before I sat down for the papers. One could never be too confident. 

" You got to study, right?" Calen suddenly asked, his breath warming my skin due to his proximity, I turned and nodded, then I smoothed my thumb over his brow and fixed his collar despite the fact that it didn't require fixing. 

" I have some flashcards, do you guys wanna go through them?" Rajeev asked, his eyes fixed on his surrounding because we were making him a bit uncomfortable. But the situation could not be helped. 

" Sure, "

" Why not?" Calen and I responded without ever looking at him. And once he took out his flashcards and started asking us questions we would answer without ever glancing at him. He eventually cleared his throat and politely excused himself...I hardly noticed. 

Calen reached for an apple on his trey and made me take a bite before he bit into it as well.

" I can farm now, " I very seriously informed him. He frowned, his brows furrowed in confusion, then he laughed because he thought I was joking. 

" Oh wait, you're serious?" 

I nodded, he asked me to carefully explain the details of that news and I went ahead and told him about Siran, Aliyah's cherished love. He was glad to learn that I had managed to make it out of the palace, I didn't relay much information about that but I could tell he was relieved I had left. 

" So that leaves us with the swing set issue, I was planning on making it myself, " I feared to play along with his conversation, to once again grow my dreams like dandelions, only for life to pluck them and blow them into the wind so that they could be lost forever. But the reason for the spark in my eyes had a way of making me braver than I was. 

" Yourself?" I acted horrified and shocked, he nodded, playfulness and delight in his features. He quickly pecked my cheek and looked away. I felt the crimson on my face and bowed my head. 

" Fine then, you can make it, but you'll be the test subject. I won't be able to play polo with paralyzed legs, "

He scoffed and told me we'd just order one instead, but I grew quiet. Realizing I was yet to tell him about my scholarship. About Argentina. I was planning on looking for M.r Harrison the following day and asking him to help me out with the entire process. But I still didn't know whether I'd tell Calen about it. 

I knew what he would do, what he would say. And as much as I wanted it all to be possible, I knew it couldn't be. Because the principal had been right, my father would eventually find out. I wasn't going to make him go through all that once more. 

" J.R? Are you okay?" Calen asked and I assured him that I was. Then I placed my hand on his thigh and lightly pressed on it. He placed his own on top, his fingers circling the glass of my watch idly before lacing our fingers together. 

" Calen?" I called out to him despite him being right there. 

" Could you do me a favor?" 

" Anything. "

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and slowly looked up at him. He looked curious and slightly worried. 

" Teach me how to swim. " 

His eyes widened in excited shock. Then he asked me when I wanted to learn. 

" Tonight...now, " 

There was no time like the present, it was all we had.  

❄️⭐❄️⭐❄️⭐

The water was cold, almost freezing. But once I had immersed myself into the pool I got used to it. Calen was patient, he stayed by my side throughout the entire time. I decided to think of it all the same way I did maths assignments. They looked complicated at first but once you started tackling them you got to realize that they weren't that hard at all, and with time you grew to enjoy them in all their complexities. By the time I could float on my own I realized that it wasn't actually that bad. But in truth I was only that willing to try because he was there with me. 

He brought along with him the feeling of safety. I wasn't able to learn how to move in the water because we only had a couple of hours,and I was only human...and I still had an impending fear of the entire thing. But before we got out he wrapped his arms around me and held me still. 

I reached up and moved his sleek and wet strands out of the way since they were covering his eyes. 

" May I make a confession?" He asked and I recalled our little game. Smiling I nodded, keeping my focus specifically on him because I feared to look around me. He looked at me in that deep way of his, both our breaths were loud, almost echoing in the room. It was due to both the cold and the slight fatigue.

" You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, "

I wrapped my own arms securely around him and rested my chin on his shoulder. Looking at the empty space behind him, wondering where we would go from there, how we would tackle the situation. Whether or not I would tell him about Argentina. About the fourteen hours of flight that would separate us. I feared to, knowing Calen he would do something I didn't want him to do. He would lay aside his own plans, his own goals for the sake of us. And I loved him too much to let him do that. 

Eventually we got out of the pool and dried ourselves off, then we headed back to his quarters because I told him I wanted to stay there. 

I wanted to sleep surrounded by his scent both from his skin and his sheets. And when I finally slept it was to the uniform sound of his beating heart. But first I made sure to tell him that I loved him. Those were words I would never tire of saying, words he would never tire to hear.