Chapter 4. Ruined Reputation

Dylan muttered this while trying not to stare at her. He was shy for no apparent reason, yet he couldn’t help but feel nervous whenever she was around this woman.

“Did you eat yet?” Dylan’s eyes opened as he heard Penelope’s response; he expected her to be unconcerned, but his expectations burst like bubbles.

“Have you eaten yet?” While placing a band-aid on Dylan’s cheeks, Penelope inquired.

“No, I have not.” Dylan shook his head and sat in front of Penelope on the chair. Penelope handed Dylan a lunch box and a bottle of pomelo juice she had been holding earlier, and his eyes twinkled with excitement.

“Did you make it for me?” Dylan taunted Penelope, but she only nodded and returned her focus to the book she was reading.

Penelope’s care for Dylan was palpable. He wasn’t that far up that he couldn’t reach the walls she had been erecting whenever he was around. Instead, she was beginning to accept him into her life.

This was the first time someone had cooked for him and planned a small gesture that might melt anyone’s heart.

They grew closer over time, and Penelope couldn’t help but notice that she was falling for Dylan. Dylan had been a terrific boyfriend to her once she had agreed to him being with her.

“Look at this; I passed the horrible topic that keeps failing me.” While he sat in front of Penelope in the library, Dylan flashed his Mathematics test result.

“Come here,” Penelope said, spreading her arms.

Dylan grinned from ear to ear as he ran to embrace his girlfriend like a puppy. “You did an outstanding job.” Penelope couldn’t help but smile as she felt Dylan’s heartbeat hammering rapidly because of her.

Three months passed, and their bond became stronger; some questioned whether Dylan had changed, but Penelope didn’t care. Dylan shifted from being the playboy to becoming a caring partner for Penelope.

“You were expecting me?” Penelope sat in front of Dylan, tapping his fingers on their customary table and singing. Dylan’s face brightened as he saw his girlfriend. He drew Penelope in for a hug. Penelope laughed as she wrapped her arms around Dylann’s neck.

“Um. I feared I’d have to go into your room and force you out with threats and intimidation.” Dylan snickered, turning Penelope’s cheeks the color of a rotten tomato.

“Hey, you’re becoming more shameless by the day!” Penelope saw and was going to walk away when Dylan quirked a beam and held her in his arms.

“Dylan!” Penelope issued a warning.

“My name sounds sexy from your lips. Your lips make my name seem appealing,” he said. It wasn’t their first kiss until Dylan dragged Penelope in for a kiss, but it felt the same to Dylan from the moment their lips touched.

During their first night together, Dylan sensed that the woman had already fallen into his trap, and she was willing to give up her virginity. Penelope was unlike any other woman he’d slept with; she was warm, vulnerable, and beautiful. She might go silent from time to time because she was thinking about something, but she always shared her dreams with him. Penelope was an open book; once someone became a part of her, she was willing to share every page of her life with them.

“E-Dylan, ngk…” He stole her purity under the sheets. The heat between them was warm and different from his previous relationships. Penelope smiled as he placed his palm on her face. “I’m yours, Dylan...” Despite her suffering, Penelope’s eyes misted in tears at the thought of losing her virginity.

“Don’t cry...is it still painful?” Dylan inquired, caressing the tears that had stung Penelope’s gorgeous eyes. He could feel her internal tension.

Penelope huffed for air and shrugged to reassure Dylan that she was well. Dylan kissed her on the collarbone and the back of her neck until his lips touched Penelope’s. Their kisses were hot as if they were the only ones capable of making each other feel that warm.

Penelope’s muffled murmurs gradually became weak moans, and she could feel the pleasure of their bodies clasping together. Dylan was giddy with ecstasy till he reached his climax.

“Penelope…” Dylan groaned till his seeds were released inside her. Penelope whimpered softly as Dylan kissed her passionately on the lips.

Dylan couldn’t help but caress Penelope’s face as she fell asleep from tiredness. After owning each other, they hugged until Penelope fell asleep in his arms. Dylan drew her in closer and shut his eyes.

“Erin, please, I’m begging you, don’t leave us!” A woman brushed off the hand of a man kneeling on the floor.

Dylan and his brother were in tears. “Mom! Don’t abandon us!”

However, the woman did not listen and turned away. After their mother left, little Dylan saw his father’s changes; he was sitting by the door, telling them their mother would return.

Till one day, his father began to cry, laugh, and only say their mother’s name; his brother rushed through his room, crying. And the next thing his brother said caused him to tumble to the ground on bended knees.

“I tried to wake Dad up, but he’s still cold! He didn’t even bother to open his eyes!”

Dylan awoke, recovering his breath and wiping the tears from his eyes with the sweat on his brow. As his sight was drawn to the woman beside him, he moaned heavily.

His recollections of the woman beside him were shattered when he learned she, like his mother, would abandon him one day.

“It could never happen to me,” he reasoned as he stood up and dressed.

He left a letter on the table and gave Penelope one last look before locking the door and leaving her life.