Can you love me

unusual day out

Rose and Jacques Curtin are the upper class of our society, not that it did me any good. I am their only child and they do not care about me too much. For them, I was just an unlucky cursed burden.

But they do come twice in a year to buy me stuff I want or need.

And today was the day for it. I wanted to go and hide in the darkest corner of the academy but I can't avoid my parents. Not only I had to act all nice and s**t, I also have to spend a torturous day with them.

Just in case I had severe violent thoughts I kept my iPod with me. I wore something really bad in my sense just to be a little rebel to my parents. My attire included baggy pants, loose knitted long t-shirt and my hair was tied in a high ponytail which I made earlier this morning.

"Where are you going on a weekend?" Jayden's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"To die, wanna come along?" I asked with fake sweetness.

"Yes, I want to come along and stop you from doing something stupid."

Aggravating.

"Jayden, I am not in good mood today so leave me alone," I said seriously.

"When are you in a good mood, let me know this?"

He was right in a way, I was always distant and cold.

"Frozen, you know you manage to look presentable in that attire." He eyed me lazily.

He had to be kidding, right? And yet my heart reacted a tiny bit.

"Annalise." The dreaded voice greeted me and I looked up to see my mother and father smiling at me.

But that was the thing about their smile, it never reached their eyes.

"Mom and dad." I greeted them dully and didn't bother to introduce Jayden.

"Honey , aren't you going to introduce your friend?" Not really, I answered my mother's question in mind.

"Jayden Wallace," I stated as shortly as possible and glared at him to leave.

"Hello ,Jayden , nice to meet you." My father said curtly.

"Are you here to accompany us to the town tour with Annalise?" He asked and I just died in my head.

Jayden gave me a smirk that yelled trouble.

"I would love to."

He did not just say that.

And as my parents turned around to sign the pass from the academy, his hand circled around my waist. I felt all the air sucked from me on his gesture and I tried to pull away. But he just held on tightly.

This guy had a death wish.

"What hell is wrong with you Jayden?" I asked tears almost welling in my eyes on such contact.

I still have nightmares, I still can't sleep.

He let me go, maybe looking at my pained expression.

"You know why I am coming along?" He asked with a small smile.

"To annoy me?"

"No, I don't want to leave you alone to be tortured."

Why, why does he say these kinds of things?

"They are my parents , I am fine."

"You are a bad liar Frozen." And like he said he tagged along for the tour.

Deep, very deep down in my heart, I knew that I was kind of glad for a presence other than my parents.

***

"So Jayden, what are you good at?" My father asked.

Just another attempt to belittle me.

"I am just average." He said saving my ass yet again.

I didn't want any lecture on how better I should be and all that.

"Well, Anna is good with weapons and fighting. She can help you if you want." My mother added.

But somehow the ground didn't swallow me after all my silent pleading.

"We are training together for Silver Knights trials." He added and I avoided contact of eyes with my parents.

"Annalise, you never told us you were registering for Silver Knightship?" Father sounded stern.

"It is not like you guys give a s**t," I muttered.

"Manners Annalise." My mother was angry now.

"I think I got enough things I need. I will leave now." I said thought I haven't bought a thing.

"Sir, ma'am. Don't worry. I will make sure she buys everything . You can leave." There was an edge of protectiveness in his voice.

It was like Jayden left them no option, he just decided that they will leave and I should be left alone.

Suddenly we heard a shriek from inside one of the shops in the mall. I and Jayden ran towards the shop and noticed a Djinn trying to kill a woman. My instincts kicked in and apparently so did Jayden's and we charged ahead. We had no big weapons on us but I did have my small dagger in my baggy jeans and I noticed Jayden pull out something similar.

Fighting Djinn was a little tricky. He used magic and its psychic power when he attacked. My first attack on it was a surprise one so it made a mark on its right arm. He left the woman and glared at me instead.

Great.

Jayden, on the other hand, signalled me to keep him busy. I dodged his magic spells and started kicking everything in the way to make him slower. Suddenly the Djinn clutched its neck and started screeching painfully. Not sure what was happening, I didn't waste any time and jumped ahead plunging my sword into his heart.

I noticed Jayden with closed eyes and raised hands and I realised that he magically attacked Djinn while I kept it focused on me.

Frankly speaking, Djinn was few of my weaknesses, Luca said so. But with Jayden, we finished it within seconds. The people in the shop looked terribly shocked. They might have seen a burly man attacking the woman since Djinn attacks in concealed forms.

We just made ourselves the killer here. But the crowd just dispersed like nothing happened.

"Charmed," Jayden answered the question in my head.

"I charmed them off thinking it was a small commotion and they will soon forget." He explained and I realised he was good at magic and battling.

My parents looked fine, shaken but fine. They are not good with monsters, they are more of educational and magical healing people as in researcher and doctor kind of thing.

They have no ounce of magic in them, hence I am not gifted, I can only do as far as my mind can perceive magic.

"Thanks," I say to Jayden.

"For what?"

"for saving my ass." I mirrored his words.

"Nice ass." He corrected.

"Yes, for saving my nice ass." A grin threatened to break on my face by I held back.

He was the fire and I am the ice. I had to remember his words and stay clear.

"We are not leaving until you buy everything." Mom said looking genuinely worried.

And I thought she considered me nothing but a killer.

After that, I was dragged along to buy jackets, t-shirts, two dresses for god knows why, some snacks and to embarrass me further some lingerie. At that point, my dad vanished somewhere but Jayden stuck around.

"Leave." I pushed him a little.

"Why? Am I stupid to miss such opportunity?" He grinned.

My mother asked me in always keeping a safe distance from me unlike Jayden who kept touching me, my shoulder, my waist in genuine gestures and each time I had goosebumps.

"Will not go and try one?" Jayden whispered next to me causing to raise all my hairs on my neck.

"Not really."

"You killed a monster and you are slimy and dirty right now."

"I don't care Jayden."

"But I do." He said with those intense grey eyes.

"And I don't care what you think," I answered back and followed my mother out of the shop.

"Why don't you put your hand out of your jacket?" He asked and my steps faltered.

"Mind your own business, Wallace." I snapped at him.

He didn't seem bothered by my sudden rudeness.

"I noticed something. When you are nice to me, I am Jayden but when you are angry I am Wallace. I am curious." He stopped to look at me.

"Of what?" I couldn't hold back and asked him.

"What will you call me when you fall in love with me?"

My mom suddenly entered a makeup shop leaving us behind.

"That will never happen Jayden." I tried to say that as icily as possible.

"Ah, we are back to Jayden then."

The nerve of this guy, he had no idea who he was toying with. Suddenly something happened that has never happened to me. I tripped on my open shoe lace. I never fall, I always stay alert and stable.

My hands jerk out of my jeans pocket in the air in an attempt to escape the fall. But it was too late, but before I could hit the ground, his hands went around my waist pulling me close to him. My hands, my insides, my brain , my everything froze as I kept my hand close to me making sure not touch him.

For that moment I was not a warrior, I was not someone behind the cold exterior. I was just a girl in desperate search for someone to love her enough to break the damned curse.

"I said to fall in love Frozen, not fall in my arms." His warm breath tickled my face.

And he didn't look like he cared I was bloodied and dirty after the fight.

"But I guess it works for me." He smirked at the speechless me.

Little did I know, in that moment his fire did melt a tiny part of me.