The Beautiful Monster

260  Invitation

Melina attacked him out of instinct, latching her hands onto him and generating a jolt of electricity that stunned him.

She then gasped as they both fell onto the ground. Her back struck the earth as his body tumbled on top of her, knocking the breath out of her twice.

Tyler's body shuddered a few times as the currents passed through him before finally dying. He groaned as he laid on top of her.

"Ouch," he muttered. "You win."

Melina smiled through the ache echoing through her body. She was surprised that she had reacted so quickly, but at least she had good reflexes. Plus, she pulled off the spell well.

She had practiced it so many times that it was a permanent stamp on her brain, ready to be used when she needed it.

Spells used to take her forever to use. Now, she felt like they were already buzzing at the ends of her fingertips.

"That's what you get for underestimating me," she told him.

Tyler lifted his head, slightly pushing himself up so that he could gaze down at her.

"I just wanted to poke the bear. I knew you were strong," he replied with a grin.

Melina felt a blush cross her cheeks as she gazed at him. She couldn't believe that he was basically laying on top of her right now.

Admittedly, she liked the feeling of his body on hers. He was all muscle, and he felt warm on top of that. Her eyes flickered down to his lips automatically, tension crackling between them.

"You don't have to watch over me," she told him. She didn't want him to feel like he had to. If he was going to be around her, she wanted him to do so because he liked being near her.

Tyler gave her a pointed look.

"Can't a guy look after a pretty girl?" he asked her. "I'm not trying to be your knight in shining armor, but I do want you safe."

Melina could hardly remember how to breathe since they were so close to each other. Not too long ago, she didn't trust him at all.

Now, she felt confused all over again. He had proved his innocence and expressed his desire to protect her. It was behavior that she wasn't used to and wasn't sure how to react to. What if it was a trick?

"It just doesn't make any sense. I'm just… me," she said.

Tyler got to his feet to Melina's dismay. He extended his hand out to her, helping her off the ground. Instead of letting go of her hand, he kept it in his.

"I like you, Melina. Maybe we just met, but do you ever get feelings about people? Ones that you can't explain?" he asked her.

"Get to know me," Tyler replied.

Melina nodded. She had those feelings about him. She couldn't explain them, but they made her feel drawn to him, even when she didn't trust him.

"Look… I want to trust you and everything. I guess I'm just trying to be cautious," she explained to him. She was too scared to trust anyone blindly, especially someone who she had just met.

"Get to know me," Tyler replied.

Melina eyed him for a second. Honestly, she wanted to get to know him. He obviously wasn't a threat to her, so why couldn't he be a friend? She believed that she could open up enough for that to happen. She was low on friends and people that she could trust.

"No more sneaking into my dorm," she told him pointedly.

Tyler let go of her hand to put his hands up innocently.

"You got it," he said. "How about we grab dinner sometime?"

Melina shifted on her feet. That sounded too close to a date. She wasn't looking to date. She wanted to do something more in her wheelhouse. She would feel more comfortable that way.

"Let's study together. I have a lot to catch up on," she said, lifting an eyebrow to see if he was still interested.

Tyler smiled and nodded.

"Okay, when?" he asked her.

Melina's eyes widened slightly. She was surprised that he went for that. Maybe he was genuinely interested in hanging out with her. That warmed her a little. Maybe she could make a good friend out of this.

"Tomorrow night?" she suggested. It was a bit too late to do anything together tonight, and they both had classes during the day tomorrow.

"I do have one request," Tyler said.

"What's that?" Melina asked, giving him a curious look.

"I get to pick the place," Tyler said. "And it's not my dorm room or anything like that."

Melina smiled at his quick reassurance. She appreciated that. At least he wasn't acting shallow. He seemed really invested in their study session, which she appreciated.

She could already feel herself warming up to him more, and she enjoyed that feeling more than being uneasy around him.

"Alright, fine," she said with a nod. She could agree to those terms, and maybe a change of scenery would be good for her studying routine.

Tyler held his hand out to her.

"Can I put my number in your phone?" he asked.

Melina nodded, placing her new phone in his hand and watching him add himself as a contact. She felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach. It was that giddy, nervous feeling again that she couldn't shake when she was around him.

"Here you go. Shoot me a text so that I know it's you. I'll tell you the place tomorrow once I get everything ready," Tyler replied as he handed her phone back.

Melina gave him a confused look.

"Once you get everything ready?" she questioned him. This didn't sound like a simple study session like she expected. She had a feeling that they weren't even going to go to the library.

Tyler merely grinned at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told her, flashing her a wink before walking off.

Melina stood there, feeling stunned and warm all over as she watched him walk off. Her skin nearly tingled as she remembered the feeling of his body on top of hers.

She had no experience when it came to intimacy or anything like that, but it was nice having him so close. It made her feel safe, which was how he wanted her to feel. She guessed that he was just a guy with a kind heart.

Feeling much lighter than before, Melina felt like she floated back to her dorm room, unable to shake the smile on her face.

 She wasn't going to mention her meeting with Tyler to Blair, who would just be upset and tell Melina to ditch him. She understood that Blair was just trying to look after her. Honestly, her dad would probably say the same thing, but she had a good feeling about Tyler.

He had that same feeling about her too. There had to be something between them. She didn't fully understand it, but she also didn't want it to disappear.

She wanted to explore it more, to see where it took them. Maybe this was a good thing for her. She had experienced so much pain and turmoil lately that maybe he was the one that could drag her out of this darkness.

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