Page 36 of Colton

Besides, I want more time to focus on Avalon.

◆◆◆

The Academy brings sense of nostalgia. Not only from the time I attended as a student, but more recently, all the times I have seen Ms. Evans loitering around with her group of friends. Nowadays, I even seem to catch a whiff of her scent across the grounds, and my ears seem to catch her laughter in the wind.

Everything points straight to her, it’s as if I cannot get my brain and heart to cooperate with one another. I realize how stupid, and naive it would be to think that Avalon and I have a good chance together, especially while she’s a student.

My head is pointing in the other direction, telling me the best course of action would be to simply walk away. To turn around, and act the way I know I should, entirely and completely professional, before all of this goes burning down.

My heart, though, tells a different tale. It could be my wishful thinking, but she wants this to happen, as much as I want it. Of course, I did my best to find out everything there is to know about Little Miss Shy, and I found quite a lot.

The evidence of what she’s been hiding is sitting in my desk drawer, locked up. It’s for my eyes only, and fuck it — I need it to be for me, only for me. It’s one of the reasons I can’t give this up, not without truly giving it a shot first.

With a deep breath, I lean back in my chair, closing my eyes. It’s a rather quiet day, and most of the students are between classes, either having lunch at the cafeteria, or studying at the library.

Either way, Avalon is nowhere to be found, and neither are her friends. Sophia’s definitely cramming, and the other two are completely irrelevant to me, so I don’t care where they are headed.

It’s odd that Avalon isn’t in the halls. She’s probably in her dorms.

I get out of the office quickly, the door closing behind me. Ever since she was in my home, she’s all I’ve been thinking about. I could barely concentrate on this morning’s board meeting, and deliver everything the Headmaster has asked of me. Thus, I’ve come to realize that I need to find a way to test the waters further.

Walking through the premises of the Academy, I come to a stop when I spot Avalon sitting underneath a tree, reading one of the books I had given her. She’s immersed into the book, her brows narrowed slightly. She’s using her finger to read, gliding it over the old pages.

Slowly, and silently, I approach her, until I’m standing mere inches away. As if sensing my presence, Avalon’s eyes snap up to meet mine. At first, she’s surprised, but then, the surprise morphs into something soft, as a smile gracing her features.

“Sir,” she greets, and the word stirs something inside of me, something I’ve kept locked up for way too long. “What brings you here?”

“Just taking a stroll,” the lie falls from my tongue with precise ease, and I take a step further. “Enjoying the book, I’m assuming?”

Avalon nods. “Yes. I had no idea Saint Valley had such a rich history. Sure, I’ve heard rumors, but it was nothing in comparison to the real thing. I’m very excited to read the other four books, too.”

“I’m glad you seem to be enjoying it. If you do have any more interests, feel free to tell me. I can always have Emiliano send me more books.”

She shakes her head. “That won’t be necessary. As soon as I’m done reading these, I’ll return them.”

This small, simple interaction is enough to have my mind spiraling, to have my self-control threatening to falter. Just seeing her, even if only briefly, brings me peace I never knew was possible. Avalon has me wrapped around her little finger, and she doesn’t even know it.

“You know where to find me,” I offer a polite smile, then turn on my heel, ready to walk away.

“Wait,” her soft voice makes me halt. I turn, glancing at her over my shoulder. Avalon chews on the inside of her mouth, and my excitement is at an all time peak. Then, hesitation strikes, and she shakes her head. “Nevermind. Have a lovely day, Sir.”

“You too, Ms. Evans.”

The disappointment is hard to hide in my voice, and at the moment, I don’t think I want it hidden, either. With a nod toward her, I walk away, and this conversation leaves me wanting so much more.

Soon enough, she’ll come to me on her own. Once she does, I’ll ensure she has no regrets, and she can allow the hesitation to vanish entirely. She’ll never feel it while she’s with me, ever again.

That much I can promise. To her, and to myself.

13

The books I got from Colton have been incredible. Just as I’d expected, the rumors were correct — for the most part. Some of the things; such as how the town came to be exactly, are a bit blurry, though I’m assuming that it’s nothing legal, even by standards of that time.

It’s been a while since I truly enjoyed a book this much, let alone four. I managed to read all of them in under three days, which has to be a record. Even when it comes to history books and assignments, I often procrastinate a lot, before forcing myself to actually get to work. This, though, kept me engaged entirely.

Now, I know how Sophia feels when she finds a good book to read.

Well, that’s an exaggeration. No one reads as quickly as she does, and she always has a good book to read. I don’t want to have her brain, even for a second. It seems like such a small box, filled with too many pieces of information. How the hell her head doesn’t explode, I will never know.