Chapter 26
Jake knew that Sam was not an expressive type, and Chloe was pushing him to the limit with her antics. He had noticed this for some time now and didn't interfere because he thought it was just Chloe's personality to be touchy-feely with her family.
Moreover, Sam always tried to avoid or ignore her whenever she got too clingy. So Jake never had any reason to be jealous or suspicious of their relationship.
"Provoke him? Pfft, what nonsense are you talking about? If anything, he's the one who needs to loosen up. I'm just trying to help him feel more relaxed around girls," Chloe said defensively. Yet she knew deep down what she wanted, even if she denied it.
"Yeah? What if Diana finds out about this? How do you think she'll feel when she sees you clinging to her potential boyfriend like that? She knows that you two are step-siblings and not blood-related, so it's only natural for her to assume something more is going on between you two." Jake stated calmly.
But Chloe didn't respond to that. Instead, she leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a sultry smile.
"Speaking of which, what about you? Seeing me acting all intimate with Sam doesn't make you jealous or anything? Because if it does, I'll make you even more jealous."
"Yeah, yeah... Stop with threats. Let's go."
Jake rolled his eyes at Chloe's playful attitude and kissed her lips. He knew Chloe loved teasing and messing around, so he decided to drop the subject for now.
Meanwhile, Sam was already in his classroom, taking out his laptop and notebooks absentmindedly. He kept thinking about the conversation with Chloe, feeling conflicted about how he acted towards her. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he also didn't want to continue this confusing and dangerous situation.
'Chloe is so damn persistent. She's not making this easy for me. And Mom... Damn it! What the hell am I supposed to do? How can I act normal around them after what happened?' Sam groaned and buried his face in his hands. 'I should focus on Diana and start a relationship with her. Maybe once I start spending more time with her, things will settle down between me and Chloe and Mom. I hope...'
Lost in his thoughts, Sam didn't notice how time passed by until the classroom was already full of students and the professor had arrived.
Throughout the session, Sam paid little attention to what was being taught and instead stared at his phone. He kept waiting for a message from Diana but received none. He wondered if she was taking revenge for his late reply to her yesterday's message.
Feeling restless, Sam decided to send her a text.
'Hey, Diana. Are you free for lunch? Want to meet somewhere?'
As soon as he hit send, he regretted it, thinking it sounded too desperate. It would suck if she refused, and he would feel like an idiot.
However, just as he was about to take back his message, Diana's reply came.
'Sure. Where should I meet you? I don't have any classes after morning lectures.'
Relief flooded through Sam at her quick reply, and he felt a smile tug at his lips.
'Is the cafe we went to yesterday okay with you? I'm not sure if you want to try something else. I'll go wherever you want to.'
'My, my. You should take the lead instead of asking me. Show me your manliness, Sam. It's sexy that way.'
Sam almost choked on air when he read those words, and his mind was filled with images of how he would show his 'manliness' to Diana. It made him hard just thinking about it, yet he managed to suppress those thoughts and reply, 'Okay then. I'll take you to my favorite restaurant nearby. They serve spicy foods that will blow your mind. Let's see if you can handle it.'
'Oooh, hot and spicy? I like that. See you at the entrance, handsome.'
After the conversation ended, Sam put his phone away and tried to focus on the lecture again. He couldn't wait to meet Diana and have lunch with her. He even thought about how to hold her in embrace or kiss her again, making his mood lighter than it was in the morning.
When the class finally ended, Sam hurriedly packed his things and rushed out of the room. But just as he stepped out into the hallway, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty room.
Startled, Sam turned around and saw Chloe with a dark expression, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him. He instantly felt uneasy, remembering how he left her earlier with Jake.
"C-Chloe? What the fuck? Why did you drag me here?" Sam asked as he removed her grip from his arm.
"Don't you dare ask me that when you're the one who's being an asshole." Chloe glared at him and slammed the door shut. "How dare you walk away from me like that? Do you know how embarrassed I felt when you just ignored me?"
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? But it was necessary. What were you thinking, hugging me like that in public? Especially with your boyfriend watching? It was too much." Sam tried to explain his side of the story. He wasn't going to back down just because she looked angry.
However, Chloe's eyes flashed with anger, and she got even closer to him. "Don't give me that bullshit. You were just avoiding me because you felt uncomfortable with our physical contact. But you had no problem touching me last night and this morning. How convenient of you!"
"What the hell do you want me to say? Yes, I did touch you. And it felt fucking good. But you were the one who initiated everything. You made it happen. And now you're blaming me when I try to correct our behaviour?"
"Yes, I did! So what? Am I supposed to pretend nothing happened and act normal? Am I not allowed to hug you or be close to you anymore? Is that what you want?"
"I don't know! Maybe yes! I don't fucking know anymore! Why do you have to make things complicated? It's bad enough that we crossed some lines already. Now you're making it even harder for me. What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to fucking hug me back, goddammit!" Chloe yelled in frustration and grabbed Sam's collar, pulling him down to her height. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her cheeks flushed with anger and something more. "Stop running away from me. Stop pretending you don't care about what happened between us. Just admit that you like me too and want to continue being close to me!"
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