CHAPTER 97: GIVING HIS ALL

Chapter NINETY-SEVEN

**OLIVER WEST**

’...What lessons?’

Kieran’s voice was quiet in that dangerously familiar way that made my stomach curl with unease, and I felt him move closer until his chest was nearly touching my back.

Xander’s posture straightened, but he met Kieran’s gaze steadily. "Oliver and I have been assigned as study partners. We’ll be meeting twice a week for tutoring sessions."

"Is that so?" Kieran’s arms crossed over my shoulder, and I resisted the urge to squirm, and could practically feel the hostility radiating from him in waves.

I gazed at William, screaming for help with my gaze, but that leech relaxed against a locker, seeming to be having quite a time while my bones were threatening to melt.

"Mrs. Osborne’s orders, I’ll be helping Oliver with his overall grades," Xander said calmly.

I saw Kieran’s jaw clenched from the corner of my eye "I can help him with his grades."

"I’m sure you could, but the teacher specifically assigned me as his tutor," Xander replied, his tone remaining polite but firm.

I couldn’t even breathe when the tension in the air was so thick, I unconsciously grabbed Kieran’s arm, sensing that things were about to get uglier than they already were.

"So, your place or mine?" Xander continued, turning his attention back to me.

I felt Kieran’s eyes boring into the side of my head like laser beams. My throat felt completely dry, and I couldn’t seem to form any words under the weight of his stare.

"Oliver?" Xander prompted gently.

I looked up at Kieran’s face and immediately wished I hadn’t. His expression was thunderous, his grey eyes dark with something that almost looked like a dare.

"I... I..." I stammered, trapped between Xander’s expectant look and Kieran’s increasingly murderous glare.

"My place, " Kieran’s voice cut through the tense silence like a sharp knife. "Oliver lives with me."

I blinked up at him, my mouth falling open in shock.

Wait. What?

I had been bracing myself for World War III. I’d expected Kieran to explode, to tell Xander exactly where he could shove his tutoring sessions up his ass or maybe even to physically drag me away from the conversation entirely.

Instead, he was... inviting Xander over willingly?

"It’ll be more convenient, my house has a good study space." Kieran continued, his tone casual, and gone was his hostility from earlier.

Xander looked as surprised as I felt, but he seemed to recover quickly.

"That works for me. Saturday afternoon?"

"Perfect. We’ll see you then" Kieran’s slight smile didn’t relieve me at all, instead, anxiety crawled down my spine as I studied him.

This was wrong. This was so, so wrong. Kieran didn’t do friendly. He didn’t do accommodating, and he especially didn’t invite people he saw as threats into his personal space.

So why was suddenly having Xander over for our study section?

"Great, I will bring some of my notes. We’ll get your grades up in no time, Oliver."

I managed a weak nod, still too stunned to form actual words.

"Come on, Ollie, let’s go home." Kieran’s voice breaks into my trance, I waved goodbye to William and then I suddenly realized, I’d forgotten to ask him what happened with Vince the other day.

He no longer looked depressed, did this mean that something had happened between them again?

As we walked toward the parking lot, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that Kieran had given in too easily. Was I overthinking it?

I turned back once to see Xander still standing in the hallway, watching us leave. There was something in his expression that I couldn’t quite read—concern, maybe?

But why was he so relentless? Was it really true that he’d asked the teacher to tutor me specifically? Since he knew Kieran and me were together, what did he stand to gain?

The drive home was quiet, which only made my anxiety worse. Kieran seemed completely relaxed, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting casually on my thigh. He even hummed along to the radio at one point.

It was terrifying.

By the time we reached his house, I couldn’t take it anymore.

"Kieran, are you really okay with this?"I said as soon as we were inside his room.

"With what?" He sat on his bed, pulling me down beside him. I gazed at him, he knew damn well what I was talking about!

"The tutoring thing. With Xander coming here. You seemed... fine with it. Too fine." I studied his face carefully, trying to see if he might be playing a game or plotting something, but his expression gave nothing away.

"I’m completely fine with it," he said smoothly.

"But you hate him..."

"I hate him being alone with you, this way, I’ll be here the entire time. He won’t get a single chance to attempt to make any move on you,"

Maybe I was overthinking it, if Kieran had any secret intentions, he wouldn’t have allowed Xander to come to his house in the first place.

"Don’t allow your little brain to think you much about it," Kieran’s hand shot out to cup the back of my neck. Before I could react, his lips crashed against mine in a kiss that was anything but gentle.

It was possessive, demanding, hungry. His tongue swept into my mouth like he was claiming territory, and his grip on my neck tightened until I couldn’t pull away even if I wanted to. Which I didn’t. God help me, I didn’t.

When he finally broke the kiss, I was breathless and dizzy.

"You’re mine," he said against my lips, his voice low and fierce. "You like me a lot, don’t you, Ollie? You chose me."

I nodded weakly, still trying to catch my breath.

"Good. Then I’m going to trust you" His thumb traced my bottom lip.

"Trust?" I let out a slightly hysterical laugh, pushing at his shoulders. "Kieran, it’s not like I have a choice here! I don’t want Xander tutoring me either! I wanted literally anyone else!"

"But you got him, and now he’s coming here. To my house. Where I can keep an eye on both of you."

The way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. I realized that this wasn’t about trust at all like he’d said.

This was about control. He wanted Xander where he could control whatever he did.

Well, so long as no one fought or got hurt, I supposed it wasn’t so bad.

"Just make sure you aren’t planning anything," I said and Kieran’s smile widened, giving me a glimpse of his pearly white teeth.

"I’m planning to make sure my boyfriend passes his class. Nothing wrong with that, is there? I care about you more than you know," His gaze held mine and I swallowed at the lump of emotions in my throat.

So this was the reason he gave in?

Because Kieran wanted to see me succeed. IN THIS CASE, I WILL GIVE IT MY ALL!!!

Before I could respond, Kieran’s phone rang.

It was Heath calling, and I heard him mention forgetting something in Kieran’s car.

Kieran sighed, pressing one more quick kiss to my lips. "I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere."

As if I had anywhere else to go.

After he left, I flopped back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Whatever Xander’s intentions were, I’d try to make the most of it.

Maybe he was the right person to help me. I couldn’t even study with William because we usually end up gossiping the whole day rather than actually studying. But William was naturally smart, unlike me who finds every exam a struggle to survive.

Thinking about it, the college entrance examination registration will begin soon. If I could even hope to get into the same school as William or Kieran, then I need to get my grades up.

I pumped my fist into the air with renewed determination. "I CAN DO THIS!"

A soft knock on the door interrupted my spiraling thoughts.

"Oliver? May I come in?" Mrs. Morrison’s voice came through the door.