The Soft Whispers of Love

On the day Andrew Zelenski confesses his feelings to the pretty transfer student, everyone thinks I'll break down. They expect me to come running while crying and trying to stop him. I don't show up even after he confesses, though. Andrew has no idea that while he's busy confessing, I'm wearing his roommate's hoodie and sitting on his roommate's bed. I look at his roommate innocently and ask, "How are we going to sleep tonight now that I've wet your bed?" Spencer Lithgow looks away from me as his Adam's apple bobs. He throws a towel at me. "Go dry your hair. You can sleep once I've changed the sheets." Chapter 1 Andrew Zelenski was planning on confessing his love to the pretty exchange student. He went around and made sure everyone would keep this a secret from me. What he didn't know was that a meddling classmate had informed me long ago. After all, everyone knew I liked Andrew, and it was a dream of mine to marry him. It was love at first sight for Andrew. He had serious feelings for that girl from the start. People assumed I was going to make a huge fuss—cry, throw a fit, or even threaten to hang myself. This kind of drama-filled love triangle was catnip for everyone, basically. So, they were all waiting for me to cave and go kick up a stink. Sadly for them, I never made an appearance. Not even after Andrew had successfully professed his feelings. A huge crowd had gathered to watch the proceedings but was now starting to lose interest. Even Andrew's face was looking a little glum. With one arm around his new girlfriend, he took out his phone. He frowned when he saw that there was not even one call or message. Then, he turned to address the crowd, "Dinner's on me. Everyone here's invited." The crowd of students shouted with joy hearing this. Finally, I, who had been standing behind a tree, walked out. An eagle-eyed student spotted me and immediately yelled, "It's Kaylee Johnson! Kaylee's here!" "I knew it! I knew there was no way Kaylee could stay away!" Andrew raised his head. The moment he saw me, his lips curled up ever so slightly. I ignored those waiting for a show and walked straight up to Andrew. "Kaylee," said Andrew as he tugged his new girlfriend even closer to him. "You can't force matters of the heart," he said airily. "We've known each other for more than ten years, so I don't want to be too harsh with my words and sully our previous relationship. I'll still see you as a younger sister, and if you need something, you can still come to me." Then, he lowered his voice before adding, "There are a lot of people watching, so don't make a scene. Leave, quickly." "Andrew," I interrupted him and took a step forward. He frowned again. "Kaylee, behave." I smiled, then removed the bracelet from my wrist and handed it to him. "I came to return this to you." Andrew's face fell upon seeing the bracelet. "What are you playing at, Kaylee?" "Take this bracelet back, and I won't bother you anymore." Andrew fixed his gaze on me, and his voice grew colder. "The money it's worth is nothing to me. If you don't want it, then just throw it away." The moment he finished his sentence, I turned around and threw the bracelet into a nearby trash can. "You can throw away the things I gifted you previously too." With that, I walked away without sparing him any more glances. Andrew stayed glued to the spot, even after my shadow had disappeared from sight. His expression was still cloudy. A friend, who wanted to appease him, sighed. "Kaylee's just protecting her pride. She's just doggedly holding it in. Just watch, Andrew. She'll regret it before the night even falls." "She might even come back to dig through the trash can before we've even left," another said. Andrew chuckled. "She can go ahead and act up however much she wants." Chapter 2 "If it weren't for the reputation of the two families, who would even bother with her?" "Alright, alright. Don't be mad. You need to be celebrating tonight. Don't let her ruin your fun." Andrew turned his gaze toward his gorgeous new girlfriend and promptly discarded the thought of the annoying Kaylee from his mind. After all, by tomorrow, he thought I would be acting as if nothing had happened again. He thought I'd be waiting for him at his dorm and pestering him to go to class together like usual. He had already seen similar antics from me in all these years. ... The rain was pouring down while I was walking along the riverside. I stood under my umbrella in the rain, thinking about the dreams I had a few days ago. In these dreams, I had caused a huge scene when Andrew confessed his love to Sienna Slangdon. I even jumped into this river that very night in order to force him to break up with her. In the end, I nearly lost my life. Andrew only stayed with me for five minutes at the hospital before leaving resolutely. The Johnsons, my adoptive family, found my attempt to end my life to be a stain on their reputation. Furthermore, because of Andrew's attitude, they concluded I was of no more use. So, they forced me to drop out of school and sent me back to my biological parents—parents who were involved with every imaginable vice one could think of. My life continued to spiral downward from there. In the end, I died a horrible death in a foreign land. After I died, the one who took care of my body was the one who I had always kept a distance from and was afraid of. In the meantime, Andrew was in his honeymoon period and enjoying life. Not once did he make an appearance through it all. These past few days, the events from the dreams were materializing one by one. If it were not for them, I would have already started spamming Andrew's phone with calls and eventually tried to force his hand by jumping into the river. I was very thankful for these dreams. It felt as if I had been reborn; I could make changes so I did not end up with the same horrible fate. Finally, on the third try, my call was picked up. I held the phone tightly and held it close to my ear. The name "Spencer" rolled across the tip of my tongue multiple times before I was able to say it out loud. The rain was still pouring heavily, and it muted the surrounding noises. Only Spencer Lithgow's voice, with a hint of tiredness, rang out, "Kaylee?" "Spencer, it's raining heavily right now. I'm stuck by the river and can't get back. Can you come pick me up?" The person on the other end of the phone fell silent, and I clutched tightly onto the umbrella. My palm was damp with sweat. In my dreams, it seemed as if Spencer had cried when he took care of my skeletal remains. His tears dripped one by one onto my decomposed body and exposed bones. I could feel the burn of those tears even through my dreams. Afterward, he would carry a tiny bottle of my ashes with him, and it would remain with him for the rest of his life—a life that he spent by his lonesome as well. I could not help but tear up, and a sob escaped from my throat. "Why are you crying?" came Spencer's voice suddenly. It was still the same indifferent tone, with just a hint of exasperation. "I never said I wasn't going to get you." "Then when are you coming?" "Wait there. I'll be there in 20 minutes." "Okay. I'll wait for you, Spencer." He hung up the call without another word. 15 minutes later, I handed my umbrella to a mother and son pair who were waiting for the rain to stop. So, by the time Spencer arrived, I was already fully drenched. When he came out of his car, his lips were pressed tightly together, and his expression was as icy as a cold winter's morning. I ran my fingers through my matted-down bangs, raised my head, and beamed at him. "Spencer, you're so punctual!" "Kaylee, you might as well die from stupidity." With a stony expression, he tugged on my arm and shoved me into his car before throwing a plush blanket at me. "Wipe yourself clean. Don't dirty my car." He peered at me using the rearview mirror, then swiftly turned his car around. Chapter 3 "Okay," I answered before obediently wrapping the blanket around myself. I could not help myself and stole a look at him while he was focused on driving. Whenever he had a blank expression, it always appeared as if he was very aloof and unapproachable. There were a lot of girls at our college who liked him, but none dared to let him know their feelings. He was roommates with Andrew. I often went to Andrew's dorm. Every time I went there, Spencer always acted as if he hated me. And like now, even though he came to pick me up, his attitude was still cold and stand-offish. When he shoved me into the car earlier, he had not been gentle. My wrist was still aching, and there was even a red ring around it. There was no way anyone could tell that he secretly harbored feelings for me. I slowly lowered my eyes. The events in my dreams were slowly coming true. But now because of the changes I had made, a lot of things were changing in response too. In that case, would Spencer still like me? If he did not have those feelings, then would I not just be causing him a lot of trouble by doing all this? "Going back to the dorm?" Spencer asked while turning around to look at me. My heart skipped a beat. I do not know what came over me, but I answered, "Yes, back to your dorm." Spencer gripped the steering wheel and snorted. "Andrew won't be coming back tonight." "I know." My hands that were clutching the edge of the blanket slowly tightened. "I'm not going there for him." The car abruptly pulled over to the side. Spencer turned around to look at me. The iciness in his eyes gave me a chill. "Kaylee, don't you dare involve me in your games." "I'm not…" He stared at me for another beat, then took out his phone. "I'll get you a cab. You can go back by yourself." "Spencer…" I bit down on my lip and lunged for his phone. "Kaylee." He stared at me, but there was no anger or disgust in his eyes. However, they appeared bottomless, as if they were hiding all sorts of emotions. I was suddenly overcome with an indescribable sadness. "Spencer, I don't want to go back to my dorm room. They'll all laugh at me. I don't dare to go home either. Can you let me stay in yours for one night…" I said in a small voice while hiding his phone behind my back. "But, if you really hate me, and don't want to see me, then… never mind." The moment I finished speaking, tears started to fall soundlessly from my eyes. Spencer did not say anything else to me, but he started his car again. The car headed in the direction of the campus, and, finally, he parked in front of his dorm. I followed Spencer into his dorm room. He went to the closet to get me a clean hoodie and said, "The bathroom is over there." Spencer was quite tall, so the hoodie was rather big on me. It just about reached my knees, like a dress. After a shower, I put the hoodie on and came out with my bare legs showing. Spencer glanced at me before averting his eyes. I walked past Andrew's bed and went to sit on Spencer's. My hair was dripping wet, and soon enough the sheets had turned damp. The fragrance from the shampoo and body gel I had used all smelled of Spencer. In that small place, similar fragrances started to diffuse and swirl, causing an unspeakable sense of romance to burgeon. Spencer grabbed a box of cigarettes and lightly cleared his throat. "I'm going to go smoke," he said as he headed out to the balcony. I studied his bed out of curiosity. The bed sheets and blanket were a light gray color, and everything looked clean. There was a computer and books on the desk. They were also arranged nicely. I was about to go look at the trinkets on his desk when my phone suddenly rang. The name flashing across the screen was none other than "Andrew." Chapter 4 I did not answer. Soon enough, the phone started ringing again, and it appeared as if the other person had no intention of stopping anytime soon. I simply muted my phone and placed it back into my bag. "Spencer," I yelled out to the balcony. He quickly turned around, put out his cigarette, then walked over. "What's wrong?" I was sitting on the bed and had to lift my head to be able to look at him. Spencer locked eyes with me for two seconds then looked away. However, I managed to catch how his earlobes were turning slightly red. "I've gotten your sheets wet. They can't be slept on now." He glanced at me, then at the wet patches on the sheets. His Adam's apple bobbed forcefully before he turned around and handed me a towel. "Go blow dry your hair first. I'll change the sheets so you can sleep." With that, he went to grab clean sheets from the closet. I clutched onto the towel and could not help but smile while thinking about how his ears turned red earlier. After I finished blow-drying my hair, Spencer had also changed the sheets. "You go ahead and sleep." "What about you?" He pulled out his chair, and without even glancing back, he said, "I'll be gaming." "Okay." I sat on his bed feeling a little disappointed. Spencer was just about to put on his earphones when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced down at the screen, then glanced over at me before picking up the call. "Andrew? What's up?" My heartbeat quickened, and I unconsciously held my breath. "Yes, I'm in the dorm room. "You're saying someone saw Kaylee come into our building?" Spencer turned to face me again. "I…" Out of desperation, I did not wait for him to finish his sentence. Instead, I walked right over, straddled him, and hooked my arms around his neck. Right when Spencer was about to push me away, I leaned in and whispered right into his ear, "Spencer, tell him I'm not here." My hands, which were still on his neck, could feel his skin suddenly burning up. I could see the veins that were running down his neck popping, while his Adam's apple bobbed vigorously. Even his heartbeat was racing. I tilted my head upward to look at him while he lowered his eyes to look at me. Deep within the recesses of his eyes, a hint of desire was swirling. "No, I've been here the whole time. "She's not here. Yup, you should ask someone else." With that, Spencer promptly hung up the call. He tossed his phone, then he wrapped his fingers around my waist. He gripped me tight and then enveloped me in his arms. I suddenly, and very clearly, felt a fiery volcano beneath me. My ears rang loudly, and my first thought was to run away. However, Spencer only held me even tighter. "Kaylee," he rasped. His warm breath fell on my ear and on the side of my neck. I shrank away wanting to hide, but his lips fell straight onto mine. "Don't tempt me… I don't want to do anything to you in a place like this." "Spencer…" I shifted a little, wanting to adjust how I was sitting, but instead felt the volcano becoming so ferocious, it seemed as if it was about to erupt. When we finally came up for air, I grabbed the opportunity to ask, "If you don't want to do anything to me, then why are you kissing me?" Spencer slightly tilted his head, then pressed his forehead against mine. While our breaths interlaced, he closed his eyes, as if trying his best to calm himself down. "Also, do you even know how to kiss? My lips are all swollen." "Kaylee," Spencer said without opening his eyes. He loosened his grip on my waist ever so slightly. His fingers were long and powerful, and even though he was holding my waist over the hoodie, it still felt both painful and torturous. "Spencer…" I could not help but frown and wanted to push his hands away, but Spencer just grabbed hold of my fingers. Chapter 5 "Kaylee, stop moving." His hands immediately fell on the small of my back. "I'll be more gentle this time." My whole torso was gathered tightly into his arms. This time, the kiss was long but also tender. Toward the end, he slightly lost control and deepened the kiss considerably. "Spencer…" I thumped him lightly as we broke the kiss and gasped for air. Then, I opened my mouth and bit down on him. "Kaylee," mumbled Spencer in a very scratchy voice. His whole body was tense, and the skin under my hands was so hot that it felt like my body would melt because of it. Suddenly, Spencer buried his face in my neck and gave a low grunt. The volcano had erupted and was now slowly calming down. But soon enough, it was on the verge of another eruption. Spencer gently pushed me off him then helped me to stand up. I could not help but notice that he had an odd expression on his face, and that there was a mysterious smell in the air. My curiosity got the better of me. "Spencer, what happened to you just now?" His ears were so red they looked as if they were bleeding. Though he was normally aloof, his eyes were now flooded with heavy lust. "I'm going to go take a shower." He stood up, lowered his eyes, and adjusted my hoodie that had ridden up. "You should sleep first." I did not have a chance to say anything before Spencer rushed into the bathroom. When the shower started running, I was rolling around in Spencer's bed and using the back of my hands to cool my burning face down. I could sort of guess what had transpired earlier. It was just that Spencer was statuesque and played a lot of sports, so there were defined muscles all over his body. He also had a high-bridged nose and a sharp jawline. Even his fingers were long and powerful. That was all to say, he did not seem to be the kind of guy who finished so quickly. Unless he never had a girlfriend or been intimate with a girl before? Joy seeped through my body as this thought occurred to me. While laying on Spencer's pillow, my hand suddenly located a pearl earring under it—a very familiar earring at that. It was part of the pair that I loved wearing on a daily basis. I had accidentally lost one when I came over to see Andrew previously and could not find it no matter how much I looked. As it turned out, Spencer had picked it up. This caused me to suddenly remember that Spencer had this earring with him constantly in my dreams as well. I lay dazed for a beat, then I shoved the earring back under his pillow. The sound of the hair dryer stopped. When Spencer walked out, he was wearing navy-colored loungewear. After being in the steaming shower, his skin was now as clear as porcelain. His hair lay flat on his head, and this caused his usual icy demeanor to soften. I did not know how to explain it, but this Spencer looked kind of docile. I was just about to call out to him, but voices suddenly rang out from the other side of the door. My expression stiffened, and I completely turned to stone. One of the voices from outside clearly belonged to Andrew. Spencer's expression had also darkened, but his reaction was much faster than mine. By the time Andrew opened the door, Spencer had already stuffed my clothes into the closet, my shoes under the bed, and was in the middle of climbing into bed. There was only one night light on in the room, so it was quite dark. I was hidden under Spencer's blanket, and there was only a slight, mostly unobvious protrusion. Even if Andrew stepped closer, he would not find anything strange unless he really looked closely. "Why are the lights off so early?" Andrew asked curiously. "I got caught out in the rain and have a slight headache now," answered Spencer while he gently held onto my wandering hand. The bed was only a little over four feet wide, and Spencer took up a lot of space with his large stature and long legs. Chapter 6 My whole body was more or less pressed up against him, and my breath tickled across the side of his waist. I could clearly feel his abdomen clenching tightly. "Very well," answered Andrew who then left the lights off. He then sat down on his chair and took out his phone. He placed a few calls, but none of them were answered. It was obvious that he was getting vexed. "Spencer, do you think Kaylee is doing this on purpose?" "What?" "I just professed my feelings to Sienna today, and now Kaylee's giving me a headache. Just earlier, there was news about how a female college student jumped into the river because of her unrequited feelings. "I thought she had taken things too hard, and so I left Sienna behind and raced over. Turns out, when they finally fished the body out of the river, it wasn't her! "I've been calling her all night, but she hasn't answered even one call. I don't even know where she is right now!" Andrew tossed his phone on the table. "She has to be doing this on purpose. She wanted to ruin my date tonight." He then continued with a sneer, "I have a feeling she's going to be obsessed with me for the rest of my life." "Not necessarily," blurted Spencer. Andrew was taken aback. "Not necessarily? Spencer, you've clearly seen how she's pestered me for the past few years. I'm sure you're annoyed by her too, seeing as how you're always so stand-offish around her." Hearing this, I could not help but sink my teeth into Spencer's waist. He jerked in pain and reflexively moved his hand over to cover my mouth, but his fingers ended up brushing over my lips. I decided then to give his fingers a tiny bite. Spencer's whole body tensed as he let out a low hiss. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. I just got a cramp in my leg." Spencer's voice was raspy, and he even needed to clear his throat a few times. "Forget it. You go ahead and rest. I won't bother you. I'll just use the bathroom first before leaving," Andrew said as he stood up. When he opened the door to the bathroom, a thought suddenly flashed across my mind. When I showered earlier, I had washed my socks too. And they were still hanging in the bathroom. As expected, Andrew promptly walked back out with a sly grin on his face. "Spencer, did you bring a girl back here? You sure hid it well. Which gorgeous lady finally landed our Mr. Chic?" "Don't make things up." Andrew walked toward the bed. "Did you turn in so early because you're hiding someone in your bed?" "Andrew," Spencer growled. "Alright, alright. I won't come closer." Andrew halted his footsteps, but he studied Spencer's bed with great interest. "Do you have condoms? I have some extra here if you want them." Under the blankets, Spencer's hand gently gripped my nape. He wanted me to stop moving around and just lie on him quietly. He then spared Andrew a glance, and with an unexpectedly cold voice, said, "Don't say those kinds of things." Andrew was surprised. "It's serious?" Spencer's lips flattened into a line, and his Adam's apple bobbed visibly before he answered, "Yes." If the lights were a bit brighter, Andrew would be able to see just how tortured Spencer was, as he tried his hardest to restrain himself. The thing was, although his hand was on my neck preventing my head from moving, it was not as if I could not move other parts of my body. No one could see what was happening under the blankets anyway. So, I took my time running my fingers over Spencer's abs. Each time my fingers made contact, his abdomen would clench. I slowly moved my hand downward, and when I reached his Apollo's belt, his immense reaction alarmed even me.