The Billionaires' Darkest Secret

Three

What?

Did I hear him right or am I just an ambitious girl who’s tricked by this young man in front of me. He flushes his sweet smile and points it out to me.

“Did you just say you like me?” I asked him, so confused.

I knew that he would never, maybe he’s just playing some tricks on me. You rich ass man!

He just shook his head out of shyness. I knew playing some tricks on a smart girl will never be easy. You fooled a not so foolish girl, oh boy you’re bad.

I smirked and threw him his sketchpad and walked through the library again. I sat there and studied without even telling him even a single word.

“Hey? Why are you acting like that?” he asked me silently while we were here in the library.

I continue to read and analyze all the possible answers I might get here in this book for our debate competition. I browsed and did my best to find a similar one in other books.

I didn’t realize that I was with someone the whole time I was in this library. I glanced on my side and saw him sleeping while the book he’s reading was still in his hands.

“Even when you sleep you look so annoying, rich kid ass,” I murmured when I turned to him and observed him while sleeping.

The week has passed and we are still reading books that will help us a lot to do better in the competition. The books that we need to finish are so many and we can’t even handle it with much time.

“Wow! This is frustrating, my mind can’t get over the other book and I am moving on by the other,” he demanded and put his face on the table and looked at me.

I can see in my peripheral view that he’s just observing me while I am striving so hard to read more books and to complete my goal for this day. We stayed here at the library most of our time in school and we will just go out here when we need to pee or to buy something.

I think the library is my home now. I gave him a stare that he can’t stay with and looked at the book he's reading.

“Why are you looking at me, Liam? Just read and analyze the book, tss” I said in an authoritative tone.

He lets himself focus more on what he is reading and as time goes by I observe him that he can pursue things on his own. Sometimes, I think that I envy him.

Why?

He’s handsome, he’s smart, he has a good attitude, he’s a good boy and lastly, he’s rich.

I look at him while he’s still busy reading the textbook he’s holding while eating his food. I sipped on the orange juice that I only bought in the cafeteria.

He looks at me and I raise my two eyebrows to say ‘what is it. He didn’t utter any words, he just gave me the burger that he ordered and the other fries he had. I thought he ordered it all for him because he’s going to have stress eating but I’m wrong.

“I’m full,” I excused him.

“Don’t fool me, Iris, just eat this. Please don’t argue with me, I’m studying,” he said, he smiled at me, and then he focused again on what he was reading.

For the past weeks that we’ve been together, we are the partners in the debate competition that our University decided to throw us, I observe many things from him. He points out himself without uttering any words, he’s just using his actions to speak louder. He made me believe that I am wrong about the rich ones.

That they are not all the same, that they are rich people who know how to value friendship and value the study. I smiled for a moment while I realized all those attitudes from him.

He indeed changes some of my perceptions about life in just a week of being together.

“Why are you smiling? Are you thinking about something or someone?” he teased me.

I stared at him and gave him a ‘you don’t care' face reaction and he just smiled. I can say that if we are always with each other, I can learn more about him.

He didn’t know that he teaches me every day by just analyzing his actions.

“Where are you going?” I asked him when he followed me while walking home.

“It’s late and we read a lot. I just don’t want you to pass out of the street. I just want to know if you can go home safely,” he uttered beside me.

I look at him and look away too. I am embarrassed because each night that I asked him that question, his answer changed and I don’t know why he is doing this.

Do his actions really speak?

“Uh, can I ask you a question? I asked him and looked down in embarrassment.

“Sure, what is it?” he asked and looked at me.

I stopped walking at the moment and he noticed it and he stopped in front of me too. I looked at him and I didn’t know if I should ask him this.

I only concluded in a week of evaluation that he used to do more than just saying it but I realize that action without words is super confusing and that is how I am feeling right now.

I am confused.

I don’t even know if he truly likes me like what he had said on the soccer field. I don’t want things to get blurry that’s why I just want to clarify this thing to make the deal closed.

“Do you mean what you said a week ago on the soccer field?” I asked him and looked down while waiting for his answer.

He sounded so confused about what I was asking for. He seems to forget what it is and it’s totally embarrassing when he doesn’t know what I am talking about.

“Uh, nothing, don't mind my question. Goodbye!” I said and walked towards the gate of our house.

I am embarrassed for what I am asking him, I am not like this. I didn’t know this kind of stuff before and here I am influenced by my good best friend Danaia.

“Iris!” as I opened the gate he called me and I looked at him.

“Why?” I shouted because of the gap we are having right now.

He stands well and places his hands on his pockets and flushes his beautiful smile again.

“Of course I mean it! I like you!” he stated and waved me goodbye.

Out of frustration, I stepped into the house immediately.

I closed the gate and said goodbye to my grandmother. She's waving her hands on me right now and I saw Danaia waiting for me to walk towards her.

“I miss you!” she said to me.

She’s smiling so brightly at me. I didn’t even know what happened to her for the past week we’re not been together.

“How was your week? Did you study well?” I asked and looked at her.

She looked down for a moment and looked back at me with her usual smile.

“Uh, yeah! it was great, I studied a lot because I don’t have you by my side,” she said and giggled.

I am convinced by what she stated and we held on to our University very quickly. Tomorrow is the debate day and we wanted to take a break from reading and studying books. That's why Liam and I decided to take the class in the morning and review in the afternoon.

Danaia and I are walking in the hallway of our Department’s building and it feels weird when we pass by the students. They keep looking at us. I observed every student and looked back to see their reaction very well. They’re whispering to each other.

I look at Danaia but she’s acting weird too. She's smiling at me and doesn't bother to observe how the crowd is acting.

“It’s weird isn’t it?” I asked her.

“Uh? what’s weird?” she stated so weirdly.

I guess I am the one who’s just exaggerating things that are happening today. I look straight to the path we are taking and divert my attention to something.

“Iris!” Someone from the back called my name.

I turned and saw who’s that and the crowd was still the same. I frowned when I saw Liam walking towards us while his hands were in his pocket. He’s like a famous boy here in our University that everyone looks at him and feels amazed.

“Let’s go?” he stated and I fixed my eyeglasses.

We walk towards the stairs but my mind keeps bugging me from something. It does feel weird! I know I am not the one who’s feeling it.

“Isn’t it weird?” I asked him and Danaia looked at me.

“What’s weird?” he stated like Danaia.

I shrugged my head and I think I am just bothered by that thing that doesn’t even make sense.

“Where do you want to eat?” Danaia asked me so excited when we stepped out of the room.

“I’m fine at the soccer field again, do you have your packed lunch?” I asked her.

“Yeah, okay fine!”

We went to the field where we ate our packed lunch. We sit under the tree and the wind blows.

“Wow, I feel so refreshed!” I said and then drank the iced tea I had in my lunch box.

“I didn’t eat my lunch here for the past week,” she said.

“Where?” I look at it here while asking.

“I eat outside the University,” she stated and giggled when she put her lunch box on the mat.

I look at her when she ties her hair up and her arms show something. It is a red fresh mark on her arms. I move closer to her and hold her arms and she’s shocked by what I saw. She takes off her arms to my hands and I look at her.

“What happened to your arms?” I asked her.

“It’s nothing, I am a foolish girl who slipped into the wet floor yesterday,” she explained to me and hid the bruises again.

I just looked at her and analyzed her emotions and she changed the topic. It’s getting weirder.

“Let’s sit, you will read in the library later. You need energy,” she stated and ate her food first.

I just stared at her for a moment and shrugged my shoulders after that. I don’t want to think much and exaggerate things. Maybe she’s telling the truth that she’s just slipped on the floor, or maybe not.

She happily ate her food with me when Liam came and sat on our side and ate his lunch too. I look at her and I can see in her eyes frightened about something.

I will talk to her when her phone beeps and she looks at who messaged her and I can’t help but stare at her slightly shocked expression that she doesn’t want us to know.

She looked at me and she saw that I was looking at her and she flashes me her usual smile again but this time it’s different.

Her eyes are saying something that’s why I can’t help but think differently. She’s not like this, I know she’s hiding something from me.

“Iris! I think I need to go now, I have a friend in another department and she wants to talk to me. I’m going now, Liam,” she stated and she quickly fixed her unfinished lunch and put her things inside her bag.

She ran and turned to us and again she smiled so brilliantly at us and waved goodbye. Liam waves to her goodbye too and smiles at her too.

She didn’t finish her food, and she didn’t do that. She’s weird!

“She’s lovely isn’t she?” Liam asked me and sipped on his juice.

I look at him and look at where Danaia goes.

“She’s acting so weird,”

That’s what I know right now. She’s not in her usual self.

Is she hiding something from me?