I'm Yours Only, Sophie J Brain [i am malala young readers edition txt] 📗

intently. Every so often she would stop and look off into space with a terribly sad look on her face. Chris couldn't leave it like this, that night was the leaver's ball and after that they weren't likely to see each other again and he didn't want there to be bad feeling.

He knocked on the door and almost winced as the smile on her face quickly disappeared, it couldn't have been easy for her to see him with Maisy.

“Hello Sir” she said curtly “I'm allowed to be in here by the way”

Chris inwardly groaned at her sharp tone “I'm sure you are. What are you doing?”

“Last minute coursework to go in today, as this is the last day of school” she pressed the mouse and the printer sounded “did you need me for something Mr Williams?”

“Damn it Nicky” he burst out her cold tone cutting into his heart “You know I don't need you for anything, I'm here to make things right, I want us to be okay”

Nicky's eyes widened and for the longest moment she didn't say anything and all he could do was stare helplessly at the lurking pain in her eyes, pain that he had caused. After what felt like hours she said “tough”.

“Tough?” he echoed

“You broke my heart” she said matter of factly “So no we're not okay, that's just how it is”

“As I remember the facts correctly, you were the one to end things” Chris replied his guilt over her words turning to anger.

Nicky stood up so suddenly her chair almost fell over “and as I remember correctly you had a girlfriend. Anyway I did you a favour surely, you know, since you seem so happy”

He flinched it was true that he was at least contented with Maisy. He might not be as happy as he had been with Nicky but when it boiled down to it he honestly thought they could be happy for the long term.

Nicky scoffed at his silence and walked over to retrieve her work “I am happy Nicky” Chris murmured “but you had no right to just end things, you don't get to be the only one involved in that decision”

Nicky stuffed the coursework into her bag and walked over to Chris so they were mere inches apart “And you don't get to be the most wonderful person in the world and then have a girlfriend”

Chris signed his guilt building fast “You're right it was unfair”

“I'll tell you what's unfair” she said her voice breaking softly “What's unfair is when you go through the greatest transition of your life, when you decide that you are ready to give yourself to someone fully and then once you've gone through all that you don't get to have the person at the end of it. That is what is unfair Chris, so unless you need me for anything I need to go”

Not giving him a chance to answer, Nicky signed out of the computer, picked up her bag and walked right past him out of the room, the door slamming slightly in the process. Chris groaned and sat down, that hadn't gone very well she would never forgive him now, he had hurt her too badly that much was clear from just a close glance at her.

Nicky was a proud person, she would never let someone see how upset she was but then he knew her too well and could read her like a book, it was one of the reasons they had worked so well. Sighing slightly he stood up and left the room. He should have realised this was going to be a fruitless endeavour but he had this need to make her feel better, to make her feel happy. Now it was clear in his mind that that could never happen again. After all how could he make her feel better when he was reason for the upset? He walked to the car and got out his brief case, just one more day and then she would be gone he just hoped it would be as easy for his guilt to go away.

 

She came wearing a long while dress, a bit formal perhaps but Nicky didn't care; it was one of the few things she had left from her brief relationship with Chris. They had been on a weekend trip in Kent and there had been a market stall out on the Saturday and she had seen it, a magnificent white dress with a triple layer skirt, thick straps and a lace bodice, and had immediately fallen in love with it.

“Go on then, buy it” Chris had said to her.

That was all the persuasion she had needed, she had bought the dress and worn it out to dinner that evening. She blushed as the memory of her being slowly stripped out of it that night skipped through her mind. When she had got home after her break up and had seen it hanging on her wardrobe door a small part of her heart had jolted painfully but she had decided that she shouldn't let her heartbreak stop her from wearing it, like it had with so many of her other outfits, so there she was at her leavers ball wearing her new favourite dress.

“Nicky!” Eloise screamed from across the room as she dodged people while running across to her, Greg in hand “Fabulous dress”

Nicky looked up and down her dress “Thanks, I like it anyway”

Eloise nodded to over her shoulder “Oh look Dominic Hill is giving you the eye, maybe you should go chat to him”

Nicky scoffed and turned around but as she did so she saw Chris and Maisy sat together laughing about something. He looked fantastic in a nice black suit and she looked annoyingly pretty in her blue evening gown. At that moment Chris looked away and their eyes locked for a second before Nicky turned back to Eloise and Greg “Come on I want to get absolutely drunk tonight”

About an hour or so later Nicky sat down in the chair she had claimed, in the back of the ballroom so that she could spy on everyone and get some time for herself when the constant presence of Chris and Maisy looking lovingly at each other became too much. Greg came over and joined her “So what's going on with you?”

“What you mean?”

“You skulking in the back of the room” he smiled “Who you hiding from?”

Nicky's head snapped up “No one, I'm fine but you know how people get sometimes and I'm not really in the mood for long goodbyes”

“Eloise told me about the guy you were seeing” Greg commented

“She had no right to do that” Nicky replied a little too furiously “I told her in confidence”

“We're supposed to be friends too, Nicky. Why didn't you tell me?” he asked

Nicky sighed “Because I didn't want to get him in trouble and I was ashamed of myself for getting myself so emotionally invested in him”

“That's nothing to be ashamed of; it's a good thing to let yourself love someone”

Nicky glanced across the room and nodded towards Eloise, who was talking to one of the teachers “You told Eloise that that you love her then?”

Greg shrugged “Is there any point?”

Nicky, who didn't feel a need to answer, leaned back in her chair. Greg and Eloise had started a 'No Strings Attached' sexual relationship a month earlier however Greg had fallen in love with her. After a minute of silence Nicky asked “Where you heading off to first on your travels?”

“Russia” Greg replied before standing up “hello, look, here comes that new teacher Mr Williams and his sexy girlfriend”

Nicky jumped up in panic and glanced around urgently but it was no use there wasn't any chance of escape. “Hello” Maisy smiled “It's my tour guide”

“Nicola Bennett” Chris murmured sounding so formal she wanted to cry “and Greg Bryant”

Nicky glanced down at the floor “Hi Maisy, Mr Williams”

“Speak up girl” Maisy beamed “you off to university now need to get some confidence”

“I'm sorry” Nicky said looking up “actually I'm a bit hot in here I'm going to get some air”

Striding past them Nicky walked out of the building and slumped down on a bench just outside the entrance. A lone tear touched her cheek but she quickly wiped it away she had already wasted enough tears on this whole situation.

“Nicky what are you doing out here on your own?” Eloise had followed her out of the building and was now sat beside her

Nicky shrugged “Felt like some air”

Another tear must have started in her eye because Eloise quickly hugged her “That guy missed out on something special with you Nicky”

“Maybe he will realise that” Nicky muttered.

Eloise looked behind her “Oh Mr Griffin wants our attention”

Nicky stood up and smiled “This is probably the whole 'you have all grown while here with our helping hands' speech”

She only made it to the front entrance before she heard what her headmaster was saying; he was stood with Chris and Maisy on a small stage platform and was saying proudly about how the pair had got engaged. At that moment Nicky was sure her heart had been ripped out, her wide eyes watering as she stared at the man she loved happy with his intended bride. Chris saw her and for a moment he almost looked heartbroken at her heartbreak but then someone spoke to him and the moment was over.

“Oh gosh” Eloise exclaimed “That's fantastic, I need to congratulate them”

“I'll be there in a second” Nicky called as her friend ran into the building but she just couldn't, this was too much she needed to get out of that place. Running out of the gate she barged into a man, who looked nearly forty years old.

“I'm sorry” she blurted out eyeing the man up “I'm escaping, fancy hiding me? We could get a drink”

“Of course dear” the man muttered “I would be happy to oblige”

Nicky took his hand “Fantastic” she said as they walked off together, thus the next chapter of her life had begun.

Chapter Six

Four years later.

 

 

He didn't usually take that way home but he had been avoiding his usual pub since he had spotted several students in there. He might spend every weekend in there getting drunk out of his face but he could at least avoid letting his students see him in an unfit state. That explained how Chris managed to be walking past a side road at the exact same time a woman let out a high pitched scream, Chris ran into the side road and found the location of the scream. There were a gang of three people surrounding a woman who was trying to back away from them but she had managed to back herself into a wall.

“Leave me alone” she was saying “I told you I'm engaged”

“Why did you flirt with us then you big tease?” replied the man stood directly in front of her, who was obviously the leader of the gang “I think you just need some persuading”

Suddenly the woman kneed the man in the groin “Shut up you dirty bastard, you think you're the only one to make an advance on me?”

Another man stepped in front of her and slapped her across the face “Shut up, you stupid cow”

Chris had had enough, his first thought was that it might have been a bit of spat, something that would sort itself out but now it was obvious that these men wanted to cause this young woman harm. He step forward and spun the new man around “She said to leave her alone, maybe you should do that”

The girl's eyes widened and she mouthed “Thank you”

The third man came and pushed him away “Get lost mate this isn't your fight”

Chris came back and punched him in the face “That's for me to decide not you”

The first man was still on the floor groaning from his injury and the third man was holding his eye after being punched so all that was left was