9

Kiara felt lightheaded and a little guilty in her chest. She dragged the bags of clothes towards her apartment while thinking deeply over the things that Chelsi had said to her. "No way! That's not possible, It can't be like that, I just feel protective of him," SHe talked to herself and made her way into the apartment where the first thing she noticed was the lights. It was the first time she entered her apartment and it wasn't dark. Oz sat on the couch with a book in his hand, THe sound of the door made him look in her direction with a sparkling gaze. Kiara never expected that and it made butterflies run around in her stomach. She stood petrified at the door staring back at him and all the explanations she had prepared for herself turned into nothing but words. Her long distant stair made Oz worried and he reacted in a flustered manner.

"I didn't have anything to do so I borrowed your books." He excused and hurriedly placed the book on the table as he didn't want to piss her off.

"No-I mean it's okay, You can read that and any other book you like. I don't mind it at all." She walked closer and placed the bags of clothes on the couch beside him and some take-out from the restaurant she had dinner at with Chelsi.

"These are some clothes I bought for you and this is your dinner. I didn't do the groceries last weekend so I can't cook at home." She rubbed the back of her neck while explaining herself. 'I should go shopping tomorrow as it's the weekend again.' she thought to herself.

"Another thing, Don't you have a school or college to attend? I am asking because I was worried you might miss your classes or something like that." SHe asked worriedly to which he gave her a slight nod.

"I am applying for scholarships at different universities, I think I can land an admission in the top universities of the country." His words were full of confidence and his eyes seemed determined. Kiara nodded and smiled. "That is great. You can come with me to go shopping tomorrow and we can get you some study material as well. It would be hard if you only have high hopes and little effort to support it with."

He nodded, Kiara picked up the food bag and took it to the kitchen, and started to serve it on the plates. When she had set the dining table for him she called him there and went inside to get changed and go to bed.

Early in the morning, Kiara was woken up by the alarm clock at the side table and she yawned tiredly before pulling herself out of the bed with great effort. She went into the washroom and freshened up before going out of the room. SHe went to Oz's door and knocked on it.

"Mm… Come in." She heard an unsure voice that seemed to be struggling. Kaira opened the door to see Oz struggling to wear his shirt. His hair was wet and it seemed as if the shampoo hadn't quite been rinsed off his hair as white bubbles could be seen on his head. Kiara frowned and walked up hurriedly and pulled his one hand out of one of the sleeves and his head from the other opening. The fact that he had been struggling with the clothes left him with rosy pink cheeks and Kiara couldn't help but give it a soft chuckle at the sight of his reddened-up face.

"Come with me." After fixing his shirt she took him to the washroom and dragged a chair along with her there. She sat him up on the chair against the sink and placed his head on the headrest of the chair and gently started to rub off the soap from his hair. She then draped his head with a towel and rubbed it on his hair. She smiled blissfully until her eyes met Oz's who was staring back at her with wide eyes. Her hands froze and she let go of the towel on Oz's head.

"The soap is off, you can dry up the rest of them." She looked around nervously and rubbed the back of her neck with a flustered look on her face.``I-I will be waiting for you outside." She said and then rushed out of the washroom with full speed.

He nodded when Kiara wasn't even in there anymore and rubbed his head in confusion and rubbed the towel on his head and glanced at himself in the mirror for a few moments. His lips dropped at the sight of his injuries still not healed. He simply gave out a heavy sigh and walked out of the washroom.

Kiara stood in the living room typing something on her cell phone. Oz came closer and stood beside her obediently.

"Okay, I have made a list. Let's go and do some shopping." She said and led the way. They took the elevator to the parking lot. Kiara paused for a while and looked around with a pondering gaze and then started to walk again. After walking for a few yards She pressed the button of the keys in her hand and the lights of a car in the distance started to blink.

"Oh, there it is," She smiled and walked closer to a night blue Maserati Ghibli. She opened the passenger's door for Oz and asked him to get in. For a few moments, he remained still as he wasn't expecting that despite the fact she lived in an overly priced apartment.

"Come on getting in, We don't have all day." She said to which Oz nodded and walked to the open door and sat in. Kiara bent forwards and fastened his seat belts before closing the door behind him. She then walked around the car and took the driver's seat and started the engine.

Oz looked at her curiously, Kiara felt his gaze piercing her skin and she looked at him and smiled.

"Do you have something to ask me?" At her question, Oz's eyes widened up and he looked away hurriedly and spoke in a flustered manner. "No, Nothing."

Kiara pursed her lips and drove out of the parking lot, After just two minutes of silence she spoke. "Don't be surprised by me having some fabulous place to live or a luxurious car to drive. I got them purely out of luck, It's nothing impressive. You can have it if you want to." She said and drove onto the road with speed.

Oz seemed to be speechless and he looked down at his hands, but then the side of his lip curled up and he muttered lightly. "People are very odd," He said.

Kiara couldn't help but chuckle. "What brought you to this conclusion?"

"My family can't wait to dissect me and sell off my organs to suck out every last penny from me and here you are giving away your stuff to me as if it's nothing but specks of dust." HE spoke.

Kiara's extended smiling face shrunk and her eyes drooped. She licked her lips and spoke in a heavy voice. "Priorities, The reason is priorities. What you have you don't want it, what you don't have… You spend a lifetime running after it.`` She gulped n painfully and a crystal shone in her eyes before it dried up in her eyes once more like many before.