CHAPTER 106: THE DATE I

Chapter ONE HUNDRED AND SIX

**OLIVER WEST**

Thirty minutes later, I looked presentable enough, I’d combed my hair until it obeyed, the clothes Kieran had bought for me the last time fit my body perfectly.

The pants made my legs look longer, and the forest green sweater brought out my eyes.

I felt...attractive, maybe even handsome if not for these freaking dark eye circles!

Natural eyeliner, so who cares?

The under-eye circles were my battle scars, I had survived Kieran. So, I was going to wear them with pride!

Taking a deep breath, I opened the bathroom door and stepped into the bedroom.

Kieran was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone, but the moment he saw me, he went completely still.

My stomach felt taut as his grey eyes traveled slowly from my face down to my feet and back up again, and I watched something shift in his expression - surprise melting into something warmer, more intense that made my stomach squirm.

"You look..." He pushed off the wall, moving closer until he was standing right in front of me. "God, Ollie. You look incredible, and you look mine!"

My cheeks heated, but for once I didn’t want to hide from his possessive gaze.

I studied him openly as well and my next breath got stuck in my throat.

He was wearing a crisp white silk shirt beneath a tailored black blazer, the kind of effortless luxury that made him look like he’d stepped out of a magazine.

The fabric clung to his frame perfectly, highlighting every line of muscle I’d been trying very hard not to think about.

Bad boys had never attracted me before. I’d always preferred something safe. Until him.

"You make me feel like I’m the luckiest bastard alive," Kieran said quietly, and the sincerity in his voice made my heart skip.

This was the problem with Kieran. One moment, he could make me so annoyed that I wanted to explode, but he could also make my heart melt like candle wax.

"Come on, it’s just clothes, I don’t look that good," I muttered.

Instead of answering with words, he reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my forehead, his fingers lingering against my skin.

"Kieran..." I started, but he was already leaning down, pressing the softest kiss to my temple.

"Come on," he whispered against my skin. "Let’s go before I change my mind about leaving this house."

We walked outside to where his expensive-looking car was parked,

"How about we grab dinner before the movie? I hear the cinema has a restaurant" Kieran suggested as he started the engine.

"Fine with me."

The drive was filled with the low hum of music.

I couldn’t help but note that this was our second date. I had gone out to the movies with William about once or twice, but I hadn’t felt as nervous as I did now.

I tried to avert my gaze each time I caught Kieran staring at me, it was because I couldn’t look straight at him without my whole body burning with awareness.

It felt like just yesterday when he’d lied about being my boyfriend. That’s right. My boyfriend.

This meant that I didn’t have to feel embarrassed each time I stared at him because of that freaking blowjob!!

William even had sex, and guess what? He’s still alive!

"You know," I said, fiddling with the radio dial, "I never thought I’d be doing this."

"What, going on a date?"

"Going on dates with you." I shot him a sideways look. "A year ago, if someone told me we’d be here, I would have checked them into a mental hospital. Some days it still doesn’t feel real,"

Kieran chuckled, and then his free hand came to rest on my thigh where I felt warmth seeping into my skin through my pants.

"I know, some days I feel like I’m dreaming, but you’re real Ollie, aren’t you?"

"Of course, I’m real..."

"Then you’re mine, because of you my life is realer than it’s ever been. In this world, I only care about you,"

My gaze held his as he spoke, with my heart thumping too fast. Maybe it was the way he spoke those words, or the deep conviction in his eyes that formed a knot in my stomach.

Kieran still had no idea about his father’s condition - the terrifying low success rate of the surgery.

His mom had made me promise not to tell him until after it was over, but keeping this secret felt like betraying him.

What if something went wrong? What if he never got the chance to see his dad again?

What if I was denying Kieran the right to reconcile and care for his father? They were still blood related, a small part of him must care even if he acts tough.

Actually, some days, I understood his possessiveness which stemmed from his deep fear of abandonment. For this reason, as his friend, I couldn’t let go of him, even when the boyfriend part of me was terrified of how territorial he was.

Would he blame me if he lost his final chance of reconciling with his father?

"Are you okay?" Kieran’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "You look upset."

"I’m fine," I said quickly, probably too quickly from the way his eyes narrowed with suspicion

His gaze lingered on my face with growing concern. "Are you having second thoughts about going out with me?"

"No,!" I rushed out. "It’s just... well forget it"

"Is it our birthday then? Is that what got you thinking so hard?" He grinned and I glared at him.

He didn’t have to slap me with reality like this, I still haven’t thought about how to escape from the trap he had dug and pushed me into.

Soon we pulled up to the cinema complex. The restaurant was on the ground floor, bustling with weekend crowds.

As we walked inside, several teenagers from our school waved at us. Well, at Kieran mostly.

Kieran was walking with that easy confidence that suddenly made me wonder if this wasn’t his first time in this place.

Who did he come here with?

The thought suddenly hit me that made my stomach twist with jealousy I definitely wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

"How many times have you brought other girlfriends here?" I blurted out, before I could stop the words.

Kieran’s gaze snapped to mine, he arched a brow that made me immediately want to crawl into a hole.

Don’t tell me he thinks I’m jealous! Well, I was, but he shouldn’t know!

"I mean, I don’t want to bump into any of them or anything! I’m not jealous if that’s what you’re thinking!" I added quickly.

"I never said anything," he replied, still raising an eyebrow.

His grin transformed into a low chuckle. "But for your peace of mind, I’ve never brought any girl here before, you are the first."

Liar!

I wanted to scream at him. I definitely remembered Amanda’s conversations with her friends, about the places Kieran had taken her to and how they had so much fun. She definitely mentioned the movie once.

I wanted to use this against Kieran, but he would definitely ask how I knew, then, he might guess that I had actually stalked his relationship gossip at one point.

Ugh.

It hurts knowing but having no way to let it out!

"But you’ve been here before," I said still, unwilling to just let the topic die.

"Yes," Kieran didn’t deny. I stared at him, waiting for the details but he was chuckling again.

His fingers brushed my hair and lingered on my forehead. "Easy, Ollie, you’re turning green,"

"I already told you I’m not jealous, I’m just curious, your friends just don’t seem like the movie type to me!"

I tried to swallow the unease that stirred in my stomach. He’d dated so many girls before me. What if he decided sex with a guy was too different from what he was used to? What if he got bored and went back to Amanda?

My brain was spiraling into panic mode when Kieran suddenly grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together as he led us to an empty table.

"You’re thinking too much about this, if you wanna know why I came here the last time, I came looking for you."

I scoffed at his obvious lie, did he think I was five or something?