Chapter 11

“Why the hell are you guys looking at us like that?”, Kai asks as he plops down on his seat, scowling at everyone else at our usual table.

I sit down beside him silently. I can’t blame everyone for staring at us like we have grown another head. It’s a normal reaction considering I have never been to the cafeteria with Kai. He’s the one who insisted on tagging along with me. As usual, I finally gave in after his countless pleadings.

“You will have this reaction too if you are in my place. I mean, you and Hanna are here together”, Evelyn answers him.

Making a small smile to Evelyn, I take a glance at Luna after that. Surprisingly, she smiles at me back with no hint of curiosity on her face. When I look at everyone else, it seems only Luna, Violet, and Asher don’t look at us like we are committing a crime.

“So, what’s the damn problem? Is there any law that states we can’t come here together?”, Kai’s voice filled with anger as he furrowed his eyebrows together in annoyance.

I turn my head towards him. When our eyes meet, I slightly shake my head at him to show my disapproval at his tone of voice towards Evelyn.

He sighs and leans his back against the chair. His arms crossed against his chest. Although he doesn’t say anything after that, his stare towards Evelyn is enough to tell me that he is angry at her.

I don’t know why he is so upset about this. Of course, I also don’t like the fact that other people are gawking at us like we are sinners, but I don’t mind them as I did before. I don’t know how to describe this feeling. I just… feel safe when he is with me. It feels like he will protect me and will never let anyone hurt me. To be honest, it scared me. I don’t want to depend on anyone else, especially him.

“Evelyn dear, I suppose you want to say something to Hanna?”, Luna breaks the tension around us.

In an instant, Evelyn looks at me. Her mouth curves downward, and she looks like she almost cried her eyes out.

“You owe an apology to Hanna”, Kai’s annoyance grows deeper as he looks at Evelyn.

I’m frowning as I turn my head to look at Kai. An apology? Why?

“I’m sorry, Hanna. I’m really sorry for telling you about… You know, the things on the university board. I don’t mean to hurt you, I swear. I just think that you need to know about it. Please forgive me”, her teary eyes make me feel bad.

I shake my head at her.

“You don’t have to apologize to me. It’s alright”, I smile at her.

She nods her head gratefully to me.

I’m not blaming her. If it’s not because of her, I will know nothing about it.

“It’s her mess, of course, she should know about it. Why blame somebody else when she is the one who causes all this trouble? This is so damn annoying!”, Andrew speaks from at the end of the table.

He looks chill, although Luna and Violet are glaring at him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”, Kai roars in anger.

Andrew raises one of his eyebrows at Kai's outburst before smirking at him.

“Kai Adler is angry because of a woman? Is this real? Can you guys freaking believe this?”, he teases Kai.

“You…”

“Luna, I have to go now”, I cut Kai off and quickly gathered my belongings, successfully gaining their attention on me.

I have always known that Andrew doesn’t like me. No, he actually hates me. I don’t blame him, though. If anything, I understand him.

After Luna nods her head, I stand up and give a small smile to Evelyn and Violet. I quickly walk away, refusing to be a reason for their fight. Like I had said for the umpteenth time, it’s not worth it.

“Damn him”, Kai mutters under his breath as he walks beside me.

“You should go to your friends, Kai”, I say, feeling guilty for making him ditch his friends for me.

“You’re my friend, too”, he says. “Besides, Andrew is being an ass and he pisses me off so badly. Ask me and I’ll kick his damn ass so hard. Just ask me to do it”, he begs me.

I smile at his childishness. Of course, I will never ask him to do such a violent act. My smile instantly dies when my gazes accidentally fall on a group of girls who are walking towards us. If looks can murder someone, I must be six feet under already.

To be honest, I noticed other people's murderous looks the moment we stepped out of the cafeteria. It suffocates me, making my head dizzy.

“The hell are you looking at?”, Kai’s angry voice makes me look at him. I can tell he is annoyed by the way his face is twisted in displeasure. For a moment, they look like they want to argue with him, but they choose not to do it.

I know why. Because he is Kai Adler. No one dares to go to his bad side.

“These people are so damn annoying, right?”, he said. “I’m sorry I don’t do enough to protect you from them”, he seems so frustrated about it.

“It’s alright, Kai. They stare because Mr. Most Handsome and Hot is here with me”, I say without thinking. I only realized what I was saying when I saw his eyes widen at me. “I mean… I mean… I…”, I don’t know what to say.

I’M PANIC!

“God, Hanna! Why do you have to be so cute? It’s bad for my heart”, he smiles at me. A smile that makes my heart skip a beat. “You think I’m handsome and hot?”, he smirks at me after that.

That annoying smirk. Ugh!

Everyone has been calling him like that. So, I didn’t really put any thought when I said it out loud. Hanna, why are you so stupid?

“I… I…”, I try to find an excuse, but I fail miserably.

I tried to hide my blushing cheeks, but he saw them already.

“I don’t know what I will do if you keep being this cute”, the tone of his voice suddenly sounded so serious.

I look away from him when his intense gaze bore into my soul.

“How…”, I clear my throat. “How do you know Luna?”, I ask him all of a sudden, trying to change our conversation.

I have embarrassed myself enough for today. Then, I hug my books against my chest tightly, afraid that he might hear my beating heart.

There is a long pause before he answers, “I’m glad you asked. It means you are curious about me, right? Well, I didn’t know Luna until Asher introduced her as his girlfriend. To be honest with you, I thought that those two won’t last long. You know, Asher. But I was wrong. I was totally wrong. Luna is different. I have never seen him smile that much in my life before. Luna changes him to be a better person, and I'm forever grateful to Luna”, he is smiling throughout his words.

Unknowingly, I smile too. I know how he feels because I saw it too. Asher is so different when he is Luna.

“You think I will meet with someone like that, too? Someone who will change me to be a better person?”, he asks me.

“Of course you will, Kai. You are a nice person, a great friend too. I’m sure Asher, Luna, and everyone else are grateful to have you as their friend”, I smile at him.

“You’re the only person in this world who thinks nice of me. People told me I am a bad, annoying, and stubborn bastard”, he told me.

“And of course, I agree with those people”, I tease him. When he looked at me with an upset face, I let out a small laugh. It is nice to tease him once in a while. “It was before I got to know you. And I’m certainly sure that those people don’t know you too. That’s why they’ve been talking like that about you”.

“So, that means you don’t find me bad, annoying, and stubborn anymore?”, he asks excitedly.

“I have never thought of you as a bad person. Annoying and stubborn, yes, but not a bad person”, I say sincerely.

“Hanna... “, he calls my name gently.

I love how my name rolls off his tongue so perfectly. Wait a minute, love?

I lock eyes with him. His intense gaze makes me totally shut down. I forgot to speak and move. He takes my breath away.

“Err, Hanna?”

I instantly tear my eyes away from him to look at a girl in front of me, blocking my way. As soon as my eyes landed on her, I finally realized that we were surrounded by other people. I have always forgotten our surroundings when I'm with him. It is like other people don't matter at all when he is with me.

"Hanna?", the girl in front of me called out my name once again when I just stared at her dumbfounded.

I knew her. She is one of my classmates. Weirdly, she is talking to me when almost all of my classmates don’t even bother with my presence. So, what is she doing here?