Again, those soft, firm lips had me at a disadvantage.

Hard as I tried, I couldn’t separate myself from her. My brain was short-circuiting from all the contradicting emotions.

Moving back wasn’t an option anymore as Eva had wrapped her arms around my neck, making that thought impossible.

Unbeknownst to my sanity, my hands seemed to have a mind of their own, and they reached up and grabbed Eva by her waist.

I proceeded to pull her in closer to me.

Just as I was about to wrap my arms around her waist, I heard the most miserably unhappy scream.

“No…Khyrum!!!” screamed Cora as she stood behind us. Her sister was standing by her side.

That brought me back to reality, and I quickly separated myself from Eva.

“You two are….,” she tried to talk, but her voice cracked, and she started crying. She then proceeded to run away.

“I can’t believe you, Khyrum,” said Yara with a vicious look.

“You knew how Cora felt about you, Khyrum; why would you treat her this way? Especially with her,” she said, pointing at Eva.

For some reason, I felt terrible for Cora. Even though I never promised her anything, she always tried her best to help me. I needed to say something, not to explain but to clarify.

“What you just saw right now is as new to me as it is to you girls; I don’t even know myself how it happened or why,” I told Yara calmly.

“Please explain to Cora that I’m sincerely grateful for all she did for me, but I never promised anything in return. I hope she understands that.”

“Yeah, Khyrum had no girlfriend, so I took my chance. Can you blame me?” said Eva.

Yara wanted to refute both, but she knew she couldn’t. They were both stating facts, and she couldn’t do much. All she could do now was comfort her sister.

With that, she turned around and left, chasing after her sister.

I watched her leave but soon felt a soft, delicate hand grab my own. I turned to see Eva standing next to me.

She had the biggest grin on her face.

I looked at her, and then our hands intertwined at the fingers, and I shook my head.

“What?”

“You know this will not work,” I said as I raised our hands.

“I explained this to you this morning, Eva. You know where I stand and why I can't do this.”

She looked at me with eyes that said, trust me.

“Khy, I think you are overthinking this. It's very simple: I like you, and you like me, right?” she said.

“Well, that’s all that counts right now. The rest of the issues we can face as they come.”

I looked at her with doubt, knowing it would not be that simple, especially with Brandon and Daisy.

“I think you are underestimating Brandon and his family. Also, how will your family react to us? Have you thought about these things?” I said bitterly.

Eva seemed to understand something finally. She let go of my hand and pulled out her CAD.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to call my grandfather and tell him that I like you and want to be with you. This should prove how serious I am,” she said as she pressed some numbers on her CAD display.

“Are you crazy?” I said, reaching out to grab her before she called.

I was able to stop her, but I knew I had to think of something before this girl got both of us in trouble.

“You know what, Eva, let's leave it as is right now. We need to go back to class. We can talk more about this this afternoon,” I said, trying to defuse her stubbornness.

She looked at me and smiled.

“Ok, but I’m serious about you, Khyrum, so no matter what you say this afternoon, it won’t change my mind,” she said sweetly, but her eyes gleamed with determination.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Eva turned around and started walking away before she stopped; she turned back and looked at me.

“I almost forgot; where do you want to meet this afternoon?”

I didn’t want to meet in the open, so I chose the best option.

“You know the abandoned training area?” I asked.

She nodded in acknowledgment.

“OK, let's meet there after school.”

Having settled in the location, we returned to our classes. The rest of the day passed without much issue.

During our training class, both twins were absent, but I kind of guessed the reason why.

What surprised me was that Nox came to look for me.

“Khyrum, can I talk to you?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

Nox looked at me for a second as if trying to determine something.

“Do you happen to know where Cora and Yara are?” I haven’t seen them since lunchtime,” he said.

“Nope. I don’t hang around with them other than at class, so no, sorry,” I fired back.

“Really? It seems you three are always hanging around. I thought you might be going out with her or Yara,” he said with envy.

I looked at him with a questioning gaze.

“Not sure what made you think that, but no. Anything else?”

Nox face showed relief, but then he remembered something else, and his face contorted to one of excitement.

“I heard you defeated Brandon in VR fighting with ease this past weekend. Is this true?”

“That was nothing but a fluke. Why are you asking?” I said.

“Well, fluke or not, that’s impressive. I had already extended an invitation to join the first-year strike team. Just wanted to follow up and see if you were interested,” he said eagerly, thinking I would agree.

I would have agreed to this in a heartbeat if it had been the previous me, but not now. I had yet to master the last two skills I had learned.

“I’m going to have to decline the offer; sorry.”

Nox looked at me in bewilderment. This was the first time someone had declined to join any strike team.

“Can I ask why?” he said confused.

“You can, but I’m not inclined to answer. Let's say I’m not a good fit for a strike team,” I said as I started to walk away.

Nox stared at me as if trying to figure out what that meant. After a few minutes, he turned around and walked back to his group.

The rest of the afternoon went by without a hitch.

Ten minutes before the end of the class, my CAD buzzed after receiving a message.

As soon as the class ended, I pulled out the CAD to check on the message; it was from Roy.

“Khyrum, give me a call when you're free. I have information on the auction,” the message said.

I wanted to call him immediately but knew I had to defuse the situation with Eva before it worsened.

Walking to the abandoned training ground didn’t take long; as I approached, I saw a figure already standing outside the building.

“Hi, honey,” said Eva as she saw me approach.

Hearing her say that in her sweet tone made my heart shudder. I knew I was fighting a losing battle with her.

“Please don’t call me that in public,” I said.

“Why don’t you like it?” she said with a grin.

“It’s not that. I have thought about this thoroughly, and the only way to make our situation work is to wait to go public until after our awakening,” I said seriously.

“This way, I will at least have skills, and depending on what they are, I might be able to win your family's approval.”

I had thought about it all last period, and this was the best plan that came to me. Right now, I couldn’t do anything because it would expose me and, in reciprocity, her if I came out with my skills. I would be putting her in harm's way.

My idea was that after awakening, I would impress Eva’s family with my skills and win their approval. Most people awoke at 15, usually a month or two before turning 16. I was already 15, so I only had to wait about ten months.

“Eva,” I said as I looked her in the eyes.

“The only way we can make this work is to keep our relationship hidden for the next year. This will keep people from causing issues for us, you understand?” I said calmly.

Eva stood quietly for a moment before a tear trickled down her cheek. She proceeded to run and throw herself into my arms.

“Thank you, honey!”

I held her in my arms. It felt natural and good like she belonged in my arms. I could feel her quiver when I pressed her against me, and her softness and warmth caused me to hold her even tighter.

“Khyrum, although I hate to wait a whole year, I think you are right,” she said softly.

“After awakening, both of us can stand firmly, unafraid of the world,” she said as she hugged me.

At that moment, I knew I had lost myself to her; there was no going back.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Richie,” I thought.

We went inside the building, where she sat by my side in the bleachers as we talked about different things, from our likes and dislikes to our future goals.

She asked me why I spent time in this abandoned training ground, and I told her about my project exploring skills and that I used this training ground as my base of operation for that project.

It was also tranquil as no one came over, perfect if you wanted privacy.

“We can meet here from now on; it's nice and secluded, perfect for two forbidden lovers, don’t you think?” she said while blushing.

I just nodded.

“Whatever you think,” I said as I grabbed her hand to show her around.

Right then, her CAD buzzed, and Eva looked at who was calling.

“Shit, it's my dad,” she said as she picked up the call.

“Dad, hi,”

“Where am I at, you ask? Well, I’m with a friend finishing a school project,” she said, winking at me.

“What? No, I refuse.”

“Why? Because I don’t like him, that’s why. I will never like him; I told you this already,” she said, visibly flustered.

“Alright, I’ll head home right now,” she said before finishing the call.

“Sorry honey, I have to go; I have to go deal with a pain in the ass by the name of Brandon,” she said.

There was not much I could do, but still, I asked if she needed something.

“Do you need my help?”

“No, I have already told my dad this, but he doesn’t seem to understand. I’ll deal with it for now. Hopefully, when we awaken, we won’t have to deal with this anymore,” she said before giving me one last kiss.

“Ok, be careful,” I said as I watched her walk away.

“Hmm…I wonder if I should prepare a charm for her. This can at least help her in an emergency,” I thought as I left the building.

As I returned to the guesthouse, I thought about the skills I could use to prepare the charm.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

“Are you Khyrum, asshole?”

I turned around to see five people standing behind me. The leader in the middle was a tall, muscular man who seemed to be in his early 30s.

“Yes, might I ask who is asking?” I said.

“My name is Damian Jarda, leader of Zone 16’s Death Knights,” said the muscular, built man.

“We are here for you, kid!”