Chapter 107 Stay With Me
"Finally, you're awake!" Lank beamed with joy upon seeing her stir in her sleep.
"Lank?" Gia muttered in confusion.
Taking her hand in his, he nodded his head in affirmation.
"What happened?" She held her head, trying to sit up straight.
Talking in her surroundings, the white drapes and tiles on the wall and floor, coupled with the smell, she could easily tell this was the infirmary.
"You passed out due to the strain on your magic during the umm..." he coughed on the last part, unsure of how he could describe the spar she had with the other female gift user.
"Did I win?" She looked up to Lank.
'You nearly got yourself killed and you ask me such a stupid question?!' Lank facepalmed.
"I think where you are should tell volumes on the outcome." Lank rolled his eyes.
Gia looked disappointed with her abilities. If this were to continue, she would never be able to graduate and be one of those specially picked to be in the organization.
"I'm a failure." She muttered to herself, fiddling with her fingers.
Picking up on her words with his augmented hearing, he had chosen to stay silent so he could give her a moment to wallow in her sorrow.
Feeling things were going to get awkward soon, he got up, ready to leave.
"Wait." She held onto his hand.
Lank froze upon the strange feeling of being held back.
Looking over his shoulder and to her side, "is there anything else I can help you with?" He said through gritted teeth.
Gia's heart thumped, unsure of what her heart persuaded her to say. Her pupils dilated with every passing second as she continued to stare at him.
Feeling self-conscious, he pulled out his hands from her grip. The silence wasn't helping in any way.
"Could you please stay with me?" She looked up to him expectantly.
Ba dum!
Ba dum!
Lank shook his head while trying to get a grip on the reality of what he had just heard.
Taking the shake of his head as a no, Gia looked down at her hands while biting down on her bottom lip, feeling dejected.
"It's okay, I understand if you don't want to." She turned around, pulling the cover over her head. "Let's just forget I ever asked."
"What?!" Lank exclaimed in confusion. He was yet to answer but she had outrightly canceled his one chance?!
"You don't need to feel any pity for me, thank you for bringing me here."
Gia bit on her fingernails, she began to wonder why she felt terrible the moment he had rejected her offer. Moreso, the ache she felt in her heart made her conflicted about her feelings.
"I never said I wouldn't agree." Lank blurted out. He was done hiding his feelings for her, if this was the first step, he would gladly take it.
Gia pulled down the cover, and a mixture of shock and confusion spread on her face. "But... But you shook your head the moment I had... you know." Her cheeks were flushed in embarrassment, unable to bring herself to say it again.
'So that was her conclusion?' Lank realized the mix-up and drew circles on the side of his forehead.
"I was just in a moment of disbelief. No one had ever requested my presence before, I was used to being rejected, ostracized, and called all sorts of names because well... you know what I mean?" He gave a bitter laugh at what he had endured while at the academy because of his strange abilities.
Gia's heart ached at what Lank had said. He had been right about all age had said and to make things worse, she had been one of those who had contributed to his reasoning.
Even though she hadn't acted on it like the others, she had tried to keep her distance and pretended a lot while around him.
"But you aren't like them, you have stood by my side on numerous occasions, spoken on my behalf, and most importantly kept me in check, and I appreciate you for that," Lank said with a smile.
Gia closed her eyes, grimacing at his words. There was just a hint of truth in all he had said, all those others were due to her being told to do them by the authorities.
His smile felt like a slap to her conscience. She was unsure if she could do so if she wasn't ordered at the time.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, but enough for him to hear.
"For what?" He cocked a brow.
"I was never really into being kind to you on the onset. I was–"
Lank held out his hand, shaking his head with a smile. "What were you going to say? You were given the task to be like a guide to me? Keep me in check because you were ordered?"
Gia's mouth gaped open in shock at how accurate he was in his guess.
"They could have chosen anyone, but they chose you, why is that?" He gave her a body scan, wondering what made her special.
"Unless..." He rubbed his chin, moving closer to her one step at a time.
Gia's eyes doubled in size at what he was going to say, this was something she had never told anyone. Shaking her head at the thought, she wasn't all confident anymore that he didn't know that little detail.
"You chose to do it willingly." He said with a smirk, pulling her chin up so he could search her eyes.
Gulping, she shook her head, trying to deny that fact. She merely chose to do it when no one wanted the task, thinking of it as a challenge and a way to seek dominance over the school's bully.
'It was his looks that drew you in at first, silly!' Her thoughts scolded.
"No!" She exclaimed, immediately closing her mouth at her outburst.
"No?" Lank repeated, bringing his face dangerously closer to hers. His eyes stared at her eyes then trailed to her lips, then back again to her eyes.
Gaining on what he was doing, her heartbeat quickened at the proximity and intention.
'Do it, you know you want it!' Lank's thought teased.
"Lank?" Gia called, worried about the way he shook his head slightly while he closed his eyes. It looked almost like he was in a battle with himself.
Immediately he heard his name, he opened his eyes, to which they glowed a deep red before dampening. He had finally made his decision.