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“Oh, of course,” Sterling laughed, squeezing her hand. He picked up his own backpack from the floor beside the front door and fished his keys out of his pocket. “Ride with me?”
Under The Painted Sky (O/O CLOSED)
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Eden snorted as she plucked the apartment keys from the wall. “Who else would I ride with if not you?” she said in amusement. Then she sniffed as they exited the apartment, turning around to lock the door behind them. “Come on, you still have to give me a proper kiss.”
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Sterling raised an eyebrow at her, lips curling up into a smirk. “Do I, now? When did we establish that, hm?” he asked with a chuckle as he tugged her out to his car.
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“Just now,” Eden responded, letting him lead her to his Mustang. “Because I want one, and you promised me a kiss after pancakes, remember?”
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“You got one this morning, beautiful,” Sterling reminded her as they reached his car. He leaned back against it, looking at her amusedly. “Are you really already hungry for more? I knew I was irresistible, but I thought you had more self control than that.”
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Eden looked at him for a few seconds, but snapped out of it just before crimson coated her cheeks. She scowled, sniffing, and walked over to the passenger side of the car.
“Narcissistic prick,” she muttered under her breath. “Unlock the car. I want to sit.”
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Sterling chuckled and grabbed her hand, pulling her close. “I was just teasing, E. I’ll kiss you if you want me to.”
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Eden fought back a sound of surprise, keeping up her scowl. She lifted her index finger of her free hand and pressed it against her boyfriend’s lips.
“Not a chance, Ainsley,” she scrunched her nose, “You just lost your kissing privileges.”
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Sterling hummed and nipped playfully at her finger. “Have I? For how long, sweetheart?”
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Eden pulled her finger back, pink staining her cheeks. Treacherous body…
“For as long as I say so,” she huffed. “That’s your punishment.”
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“That’s not fair. I would let you kiss me whenever you wanted,” Sterling hummed, resting his hands on her waist and holding her close.
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“Not before being narcissistic about it,” Eden retorted, shivering at his hands on her. “Try to change my mind, Sterling. Why should I let you kiss me?”
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“Because you want to. Because I want to kiss you. Because you’ll only want to kiss me more throughout the day when you’re thinking about it and about how you didn’t kiss me before we got to school,” Sterling murmured, leaning closer.
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Eden looked at him, pretending as if she was falling for his words. She let her eyes soften, turn into a daze, half-lidded. She let him think she was submitting, only to slip out of his hold when his mouth was barely close.
“Not good enough of reasons,” she grinned, leaning back against the door. “Now unlock the car.”
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Sterling huffed and twisted so that his hands were on either side of her, trapping her between him and the car. “Wicked girl,” he muttered, shaking his head with an amused smile. As he spoke, he unlocked the car, silent and slow so that she wouldn’t notice. “Seems like you’ve learned a thing or two about flirting since we started dating.”
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This time, she was surprised. She wasn’t expecting him to trap her between himself and the car. She looked up at him slowly, breath hitching in her throat.
“I already knew how to flirt,” she breathed out, flexing her fingers nervously. “I read, remember? You learn a thing or two.”
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Sterling hummed, his gaze falling to her lips and lingering there for a moment. With a small smirk, he pulled away, opening the door for her.
“In you go, sweetheart. You wanted to leave, did you not?”
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When had he unlocked the door? Eden couldn’t remember. She didn’t complain, though, nor did she beg him to kiss her. She would not submit first.
“Thank you, Sterling,” she flashed him a smile as she took her seat. “What a gentleman.”
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“Anything for my queen,” Sterling murmured, closing the door behind her. He had actually thought that would work… Too bad it didn’t. Now he would just be think g about it all day.
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Eden buckled her seatbelt and closed her eyes, leaning back against her seat. When Sterling sat inside, she let her a smile trace her lips.
“I’m glad we have first class together,” she said, exhaling softly. “Every day.”
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Sterling hummed his agreement, reigning himself in before he smiled back at her. “Yeah? Me, too. I think it’s my favorite class because of that.”
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Eden’s smile dropped slightly. “He’s… going to be there,” she said quietly. “I don’t know how to deal with that.”
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Sterling blinked and turned to look at her gently. He reached his hand out, giving hers a gentle squeeze. “You’re not alone this time. Remember? I’m going to be there for you. Always.”
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Eden squeezed his hand back. “Thank you, Sterling,” she murmured. “I should be angry, and furious at him for what he did, but… I feel so empty.”
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“I know… I know you think you should feel that way, and I don’t disagree. In fact, I feel that way towards him for you. I want to hurt him worse than he hurt you,” Sterling sighed, running his thumb over her knuckles. “I don’t know, though, babe. Maybe it’s good that you don’t. Maybe it’s not good. As long as you know to stay away from him, I think that’s okay.”
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At his words, a smile covered her lips again. It was a miracle to have someone like that, someone like Sterling. She really loved him…
“I don’t think I can ever forgive him for what he did,” she said softly. “And I might never feel rage, but I hope this numbness concerning him doesn’t go away.”
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“I can see why you wouldn’t forgive him… And I wouldn’t, either, if I were you. But I think it’s okay to not feel the rage,” Sterling assured her gently. He smiled before letting her hand go. “Let’s see how today goes. And let’s hope it goes well.”
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Eden hummed in reply, taking her hand back, though she missed his warmth immensely. “I hope so, too…”
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Sterling didn’t get to see much of Eden outside of the couple of classes they shared together, as well as lunch, of course. When his fourth period Graphic Design class arrived, he was one of the first people there, so he pulled out his phone and started texting Eden. A few minutes later, other students started filing in, and soon enough the class was full. Except for the seat beside him, which wasn’t usually occupied, anyway.
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Adrien Cortland was a man of many things, but being late was never his forte. That was one of the things his ex-girlfriend, Eden McArthur, was capable of doing. Until he erased that trait altogether, like his father had done with his.
But today, he was a little late to class, mostly because there was something he needed to ask the teacher. He wasn’t tardy, no, but later than usual. So when he saw the only spare seat, he blinked.
Sterling Ainsley, his ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend. He knew the man’s previous reputation—he’d done some research after finding out who, exactly, Eden had let in her life after he left.
With a calm, cool and composed smile on his face, Adrien walked over and sat on the unoccupied seat.