Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Not Like This

The athletic dorm was completely silent. The only sound in the room was the quiet ticking of the wall clock.

Chloe rested her heavy head against Leo’s shoulder. Her grip on his hand was incredibly tight. She smelled like sweet perfume mixed with spilled vodka. Her breathing was uneven.

Leo sat perfectly still on the edge of the mattress. He stared at the blank television screen across the room. His heart was beating very fast. He cared about her so much it physically hurt. He just wanted her to be safe.

Suddenly, Chloe shifted.

She did not lie down like he asked. She let go of his hand completely. She turned her entire body toward him.

"Chloe?" Leo asked softly.

Before he could even react, she pushed him.

She placed both of her hands flat against his broad chest. She shoved him backward with a sudden burst of energy. Leo lost his balance entirely. He fell flat onto his back against the mattress. The bed springs squeaked loudly under his heavy weight.

Chloe crawled right over him.

She swung her leg across his waist. She straddled his hips. She pinned him completely to the bed.

Leo froze. His eyes went wide in shock. The room was dark, but the streetlights outside cast a soft glow through the window. He could see her face clearly. She was leaning closely over him. Her messy dark hair fell forward and brushed against his cheek.

"What are you doing?" Leo whispered. His voice was incredibly rough.

"You did not want to kiss me," Chloe slurred slightly. She stared down at his lips. Her eyes were dark and full of a wild, chaotic energy. "You pushed me away."

"I told you why," Leo breathed. He kept his hands flat on the mattress beside him. He completely refused to grab her waist. He refused to take advantage of the situation. "You are drunk. You do not know what you are doing."

"I am fine," Chloe argued stubbornly.

She sat up slightly. She reached down to the hem of her black shirt. She grabbed the dark fabric in her fists. She tried to pull it up over her head.

Leo reacted instantly.

He reached up. His large hands clamped firmly around her delicate wrists. He pulled her hands away from her shirt immediately.

"Stop," Leo commanded gently. "Chloe, please stop it."

Chloe struggled against his strong grip. She tried to yank her hands free. "Let me go."

"No," Leo said. He held her wrists securely but very carefully. He made absolutely sure he did not hurt her. "You are not taking your clothes off."

Chloe let out a loud, frustrated noise. She stopped fighting his grip. She looked down at him. Her eyes were glazed. They were full of a desperate, panicked emotion.

"Why?" Chloe demanded. Her voice cracked. She sounded entirely broken. "Why do you not want me?"

Leo felt his heart shatter. "I do want you. I want you more than anything in the world. But not like this."

Chloe did not listen. She twisted her wrists hard. She managed to free one of her hands from his grip.

Instead of grabbing her own shirt again, she reached straight for his.

She grabbed the collar of his plain white t-shirt. She yanked it hard. She tried to pull it up over his chest. Her knuckles brushed directly against his warm, bare skin.

Leo sucked in a very sharp breath.

The physical contact sent a massive jolt of pure electricity straight through his body. The tension in the small room was completely suffocating. She was sitting right on top of him. Her body pressed perfectly against his hips. The heat radiating between them was intense.

It took every single ounce of his willpower to stop her.

He reached up quickly. He caught her stray hand again. He shifted his weight and pinned both of her hands above her head against the pillows.

"Chloe," Leo said. His voice was a strict, low rumble. "Look at me right now."

Chloe breathed heavily. She stared down at him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

"I am not one of those guys," Leo told her firmly. His dark eyes locked entirely onto hers. "I am not going to hook up with you when you are completely wasted. I am not going to use you just because you are feeling insecure."

Chloe stopped fighting. Her whole body went totally limp against him.

"They always leave," Chloe whispered. A single tear slipped down her cheek. It fell and landed right on his shirt. "The guys at the club tonight. They did not even care what I had to say. They just wanted me to look pretty. If I do not give guys what they want, they just leave."

Leo let out a sad, heavy sigh.

He finally understood her panic. She was trying to secure his affection the only way she thought actually worked. She was offering her body because she did not trust that her personality was enough to make him stay. She thought he would abandon her if she did not perform.

"I am not them," Leo promised softly.

He let go of her wrists. He reached up. He gently wiped the wet tear off her cheek with his thumb.

"You do not have to put on a show for me," Leo said quietly. "You do not have to give me anything to make me stay. I just want you. Just Chloe. The girl who steals my hoodies and yells at referees. That is the girl I like."

"You always say that," Chloe argued weakly. Her words ran together. "You say you like me. But why? I am mean to you."

"You are not mean," Leo corrected. "You are just guarded."

"I pushed you away so many times," Chloe sniffled.

"And I came right back every single time," Leo reminded her.

Chloe blinked slowly. The heavy alcohol in her system made her emotions completely chaotic. She looked incredibly exhausted. The fight was finally leaving her body.

"I am so tired," Chloe mumbled. Her head drooped forward.

"I know," Leo said gently. "So let’s go to sleep."

He carefully placed his hands on her waist. He felt the soft curve of her hips. He did not linger. He gently lifted her off his body. He guided her to lie down on the mattress right next to him.

Chloe curled up tightly on her side. She pulled the clean blanket all the way up to her chin. She looked at him through very heavy eyelids.

"You are really not going to leave?" Chloe asked. Her voice was barely a whisper in the dark room.

Leo stayed exactly where he was. He laid down beside her. He stayed on top of the blanket to give her space. He propped his head up on his hand and looked at her.

"I am right here," Leo promised.

Chloe closed her eyes. She reached her hand out from under the blanket. She grabbed the edge of his white t-shirt. She held onto the fabric tightly.

She fell asleep almost instantly. Her breathing became slow and steady.

Leo stayed awake for a very long time.

He watched her sleep. He listened to the quiet sounds of the dorm building. He felt the phantom heat of her hands burning against his chest. The tension in his muscles refused to fade.

It was going to be a very long, very difficult night.

He shifted slightly on the mattress to get comfortable. He did not pull his shirt away from her grip. He let her hold on as tightly as she needed to. He was exactly where he wanted to be.