His Broken Princess

Chapter Seven

Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath. ~ Eckhart Tolle

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Violet

“Cole!”

I paused and so did the man walking down the stairs beside me as we were making our way toward the car waiting for us in the driveway.

“Yes, Mrs Carter?” He asked as he turned around to face her.

“I wanted to ask you if you would take Violet to the mall. They have a new boutique opened up there and there are a lot of new clothes that I’m sure Violet would love to have.”

I shook my head at her announcement. I didn't need anymore clothes, the last time Bree and Kiara had gone out they had brought me so many clothes, my cupboard was still filled with items that I hadn't even worn once.

But Mrs Carter just smiled and said, “Of course, you need it.” And knowing that I wouldn’t ignore her demand, she was so nice to not give into her, she added, “Do it for me.”

“Of course, Mrs Carter. I’ll take her to the mall after her class.” Cole answered her, his voice soft and smooth.

“You are such a good boy.”

I coughed.

He shot me a look.

Yeah, he was really a good boy. I would've told Mrs Carter to say that to the girl who had mistakenly pushed me yesterday when we were exiting the class and Cole had, being his usual charming self that he was in my company, snapped at the girl to use the two eyes God has given her or go see the nearest eye doctor.

Mrs Carter continued, as if she couldn’t see how he hated me. She said, “And I hope you take her to eat something afterward. She didn’t go out with us last week.”

I opened my mouth and closed it. And tried very hard to gain Mrs Carter’s attention but for the first time she ignored me like I didn’t matter to her. Cole said, “Of course, as you say.”

I gritted my teeth knowing that he'd do it only because Mrs Carter had said and no matter how many times I’d write in my notebook he won't listen to me— but that did not mean I won’t try— and the part that I disliked the most was that somewhere I hoped that he'd do it because he wanted to do it, not because Mrs Carter told him to do it.

I turned around, my fingers curling and curling as I went to the car. I didn’t know why he affected me so. Maybe because he was the only person in this whole house who treated me like he hated me. I opened the door and slid inside. I might have slammed the door too. A few moments later he was slipping inside and settled in the driver seat. He glanced at me inquiringly, I looked away.

“Fine.” He bit out, telling me that he was still pissed about yesterday.

I didn’t know why he was being so testy. It won’t be him going to a mall to shop with the man who hated him. And yet watched him all night like a protector assigned for some princess.

I couldn’t not give him a piece of my mind. And I knew what I wanted to say, Kiara had been a great help in that regard. I pulled my bag open and took out my notebook. I gritted my teeth as he muttered, “Here we go.”

The point of the pen dug into the paper as I wrote in anger. ‘I thought you were angry with me.’

He read my words and answered without a pause. “I am.”

‘Then why did you come to my room last night?’ I knew he read it, his brown eyes with those sparkling gold rings flickered before his jaw clenched and he looked straight at the road.

I wrote again. ‘You don’t have to go to the mall with me.’

“Of course I have to.” His answer made me want to grab his hair.

The thought made me pause for a second as I wondered how those soft looking strands would feel in my hand, between my fingers. I licked my lips and fixed back on my notebook. I wrote, ‘I can ask Mad or Dom.’

My eyes widened as his brows pulled down and he glared at me, even his nostrils flared like I cursed him again. ‘Why do you hate me?’

The car came to a sudden halt as he pushed on the brakes so hard. My whole body jerked with the momentum and I looked at him in surprise. He gritted out, “I don’t hate you.”

I swallowed. Looking into those beautiful eyes and that set of his jaw, I couldn’t help but believe it. I looked down at the notebook and wrote, ‘Then why are you always angry at me?’

It had been more than four months and he still looked at me like I had done something wrong. He never even smiled at me.

He sighed. And the silence that filled the car was too heavy. Finally, he answered, “Because... I don’t know what else to do.” I paused and my stomach tensed. He brought his hand up and then froze when it was just inches away from my face as if realizing that he can’t touch me.

I held my breath, waiting. Waiting and waiting. For what I had no idea.

He said, “I don’t want you to be hurt in any way. You have already been through enough. And I just... want to make everything okay for you.”

A beat passed and my heart clenched painfully. My fingers shook as I wrote, ‘I don't want your pity.’

He barked out a laugh and goose bumps dotted my skin. “I don't pity you, princess. The sparks in your eyes that flare up every time you look at me won't let me do that.”

I didn't know what his words meant. How do I look at him? What sparks? And I wanted to ask, I want to know that if he doesn't pity me, then what does he feel about me?

He looked away, and I so wanted to have his eyes back on me. To understand what he was saying. His eyes fixed on the empty street, he said, “I know you sleep well when I’m in the room.”

Something hot and warm traveled through me. And I felt my cheeks heating up too. I wanted to hide my face in my palms. “Even though you called me a stupid arsehole in your sign language after I yelled at that girl— and I know Kiara taught to you that— I could not stay away.”

Finally, those beautiful eyes came back to me. Dark and hot. “I just wanted to make you feel safe and I didn’t want you to slip away into someplace dark when she stumbled into you.”

My throat felt tight and I blinked up at him. I extended two fingers toward him and then touched them to my chin. Thank you.

His lips twitched at the corner and he said, “Your welcome.”

There was nothing but silence as he drove me to my class.

A.Gupta