One… two. One… two. A ticking sound — faint, distant, as if coming through a thick layer of water. It seemed far away, yet somehow close at the same time. A sharp smell of alcohol hit my nose, making me want to exhale as quickly as possible. Disgusting. My head throbbed with unbearable pain, as if I'd been struck hard with something heavy not long ago. I let out a weak sigh before finally forcing my eyes open. My eyelids felt like they were filled with lead. The blurry shapes slowly became clearer, and I managed to make out my mother sitting beside me, lost in thought.
"Sweetheart," she said, noticing my confused look and squeezing my hand tighter. "Thank God you're awake."
"What happened?" I asked, vaguely recalling the last events, hope flickering in my eyes.
"You were in an accident," she replied quietly, glancing nervously toward my legs before looking back at me. "You fell off your motorcycle."
I suddenly coughed, then nervously licked my dry lips. Mom immediately brought a glass of water to my mouth. I noticed a tube running from my hand to an IV drip filled with medication. I hated hospitals. Everything was so sterile. It almost made me want to throw up, just to ruin that irritating cleanliness a little.
"You only broke your leg," Mom reassured me with a relieved sigh. "And you have a mild concussion. The doctor said your helmet saved you from more serious injuries."
"When can I go home?" I asked, slightly moving my index finger, looking at her with a spark of hope. I didn't want to stay in this place any longer. It felt awful.
"I don't know yet," Mom shrugged helplessly. "I shouldn't have given you the keys…"
I was about to reassure her that it wasn't her fault when someone knocked softly on the door. The visitor made me smile.
"You see, the teachers sent me to check on you. They're worried about their student," Christopher explained briefly. My mom nodded and left us alone in the room, saying she needed to talk to the doctor.
"How did you even manage this?" Collins asked, placing a bag of fruit on the bedside table and settling casually into the chair.
"You'll think I'm paranoid," I said quietly, focusing on him. "But I don't think this was an accident."
"You think…?"
"Ever since that message on my window, I've felt like someone was watching me. And now, suddenly, my tire bursts on an empty road and I crash," with each word, I became more convinced that what I was saying made sense. I tried hard to get Christopher to understand.
"But you could have…" he trailed off, staring somewhere past me. "Dora wouldn't do something like that."
"Are you sure?"
"No."
I pressed my lips into a thin line, nervously inhaling through my nose. I could see Collins doubting, see his jaw tighten, muscles moving as his chest rose and fell heavily. I wasn't entirely sure myself, but it was still a possibility worth considering.
After a moment, he put on his usual cheerful mask again, took a large green apple from the bag, and handed it to me.
"You need vitamins. Help your bone heal faster."
"Of course," I said, taking the fruit and biting into it. Sweet — just the way I liked it.
"I'll talk to Dora," he added seriously, sitting back down and studying my hazy eyes. "Because this is starting to look like something criminal."
A moment later, Chris stood up and gently kissed my forehead, almost fatherly. But I grabbed his sleeve in protest, and he leaned down, softly pressing his lips to mine in a brief kiss before pulling away.
"I have to go," the teacher said goodbye, just as he ran into my returning mother. The next moment, she brought me good news — in a week, I'd be as good as new. Or at least, I'd be discharged from the hospital. My leg would continue healing at home.
***
"Have you completely lost your mind?" — Christopher shouted, jumping up from the chair so abruptly that it crashed to the floor. He clenched his teeth tightly, trying to keep himself under control.
"What are you even talking about?" Dora blinked rapidly, directing a confused look at the man.
"You know exactly what I mean," Collins hissed angrily through his teeth, clenching his fists and glaring murderously at the girl.
"No," she replied indifferently, casually flipping through the pages of another trendy magazine.
"Have you fucking lost it completely?" The teacher suddenly yanked Women's Stuff from Dora's hands and threw it aside, then leaned on the table, breathing heavily. The girl, in turn, flinched in fright. "Do you even realize you nearly ruined someone's life?"
"Someone? Who are you talking about?" Dora sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair, hoping to relax a little, briefly admiring her new manicure. "That redhead?"
"Yes, that redhead you almost killed!"
"I didn't touch her, idiot," she hissed in her usual poisonous manner, like a snake. But Christopher knew Dora was lying. And she didn't even blush while doing it. Her best trait, damn it. But he wouldn't let anyone harm Lily. That girl had become far too important to him. She was the only one Christopher was living for now. Lily Stryker — a ray of light in his already miserable life, which Dora had tried to make even worse.
"Who else could have hurt her," Collins muttered, not believing her, grabbing his head, "if not you?"
"If I wanted to kill your little girlfriend," her tone suddenly turned cold and indifferent, sending chills down his already cold skin, "she would already be dead."
"Your plans don't always work out."
"You're mistaken."
"Were you following her?"
"To find out she's your student, I don't need to follow her," Dora smirked, standing up. "Got a thing for minors now?"
"What's it to you?"
"She's not right for you," the girl stated sincerely, pouring herself a glass of sparkling red wine — probably very expensive — and taking a sip. "You need someone more experienced…"
Unbuttoning one button of her snow-white shirt, Dora stepped closer and closer to Collins, staring straight at him. She took another sip of wine, then suddenly pressed her lips to his, pouring the liquid into his mouth. He instinctively swallowed, feeling the familiar aftertaste on his tongue.
"Bitch," Christopher breathed against her lips and shoved her away sharply. "If anything happens to her…"
"What? What will you do?" Dora shot back defiantly, scoffing in disappointment. This wasn't how she had imagined the rest of the evening.
"I'll destroy you," Collins threw over his shoulder, slamming the door loudly behind him.
Rushing down the stairs, he locked eyes with Kate, who was coming out of the kitchen. But he had no desire to talk to anyone right now. Only to her — only to Lily.
It seemed he was slowly beginning to fall in love. In such a short time, Stryker had become so dear to him that Collins was ready to protect her at any cost — even at the cost of his own life, if necessary.
That strange, mysterious feeling in his chest was growing at lightning speed, filling his entire soul. Lily was slowly becoming the man's addiction.
The only question was — where would this lead to?