Troy And Athena (Forbidden Love Series Book 15)

Athena didn't say a word and just walked silently with him, her hand in his. She really felt that she was engaged to him. Her heart knew somehow that this was real, something she had never felt for the past four months while being engaged to Brandon. She might have known Brandon since childhood but she couldn't connect to his heart as a life partner should. They never held hands, they never went for walks. In fact apart from a few hurried minutes, they hardly met in the last four months. Contrary to her belief, the engagement wasn't doing Brandon any good. He was a good friend before being engaged to her. 

"Athena," said Troy softly, leading her towards a stone bench beside a small lily pool in the park. 

"Hmm?" She responded. 

"Are you mad at me?" He asked worriedly, tightening his hold over her. They sat down on the bench, side by side, close to one another with Troy's hand still holding onto hers. Athena shook her head.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just confused, " said Athena. "I don't want to deceive your parents. They love you so much. They would be hurt when they find out the truth, when we break off the engagement, " she pointed out.

"You didn't get my point, it seems," said Troy, shaking his head. "We're never breaking off our engagement. I want to marry you. We will get married and I'll show you how a real relationship works. What you had with Brandon was fake! Give me a chance to prove it to you, Athena, " he told her. Athena stared at him with her mouth hanging open. She didn't know how to respond to that. A part of her wanted to believe in Troy and trust him while the other part didn't want to betray Brandon. 

"I don't know if it's a good idea, Troy. We don't love one another, our wedding would be a disaster," she pointed out.

"You and Brandon too don't love one another yet you were willingly marrying him. How is this any different than that? I care for you more than he does, I like you more than he does," Troy pointed out. Athena knew that he was right. She didn't have any answer to his words. Maybe she would give him a chance after all. It was what her heart wanted. Couldn't she just follow her heart for once?

Troy's arm went around her shoulder and he pulled her closer to his side. Athena lay her head on his shoulder, almost on his warm, broad, muscular chest. A strange sense of comfort, a sense of belonging engulfed her. It felt as if her body knew that this was the man who would worship it for life. 

"Troy," she said softly. 

"Yes?" he asked.

"Did you ever have a girlfriend before? Why didn't you marry anyone when all your friends have?" She asked him. Troy sighed. 

"No Athena. I never had a girlfriend before but I had a very bad experience when I was at college. It has set me off women ever since. Then I met you and you seemed just the opposite of what she was. I was instantly attracted for the first time in my life," he said and Athena waited to hear more about what exactly happened to him but he didn't say a word further.

"What happened to you when you were at college? It's okay if you don't want to tell me," said Athena. Troy pulled her closer and she was almost on top of him. Troy sighed and closed his eyes. That was a topic he didn't want to discuss but Athena was engaged to him and she had the right to know. 

"In my college days, I was a carefree soul. We were a huge group of rowdy boys who used to indulge in every vice possible. We used to go to bars, casinos, engage in mindless s*x and what not. My parents had given up hopes of me. Then one day, I met a woman, Jessica Maine at a casino. She was six years older than me and was a drug addict. I had no idea and I had a night of fun with her too. Without my knowledge, she recorded the whole thing. I continued with my life not knowing what she was up to. She found out all about me and started to hound me everywhere, threatening to make the video viral on social media if I didn't pay her. I was young and scared. My family's reputation was at stake. I paid her whatever she asked for. But this continued as she started demanding more money from me. All my pocket money was exhausted and I stopped going to college out of fear but she located my house too," said Troy with a sigh. Athena stared at his gloomy expression as he focused on some distant object. She could feel the warm, rumble of his voice as she lay her head on his shoulder, listening to his life story. It made her feel connected to him, as if she could feel what he had been going through at that point. 

"She started coming over to my house for money. This continued for a year and then mom and dad found out one day and dad's friend who's a police officer agreed to help us. He raided Jessica's house and confiscated her mobile phone. They deleted the video and arrested her. After that, I stopped everything. I graduated from college and concentrated on dad's business. I broke all ties with those boys and found new friends who were different from them. And then I found you," said Troy, looking down into her eyes with a small smile on his face, relieved to have it all out of his system. He hadn't told anyone about it, not even to Laurence. He didn't know why he felt the strange urge to confess to Athena about everything that had been buried deep in his heart for so long. He desperately wanted her to know the real him.

Athena was shocked at what he had gone through. "I'm glad that it's all in the past, Troy. Let's forget about the darkness of our past and look forward towards our future, right?" She asked him. Troy nodded, staring into her eyes as a look of pure desire reflected from his. 

"I'm doing exactly that, trying to make a future with a girl who I like. Is it so hard to be with me, Athena? Can't you like me for a change?" Asked Troy in a desperate tone. Athena's heartbeats increased at the desperation in his tone. Could she tell him that she liked him already? Could she take the plunge? Could she break off a non-existent relationship and be with the one she wanted to? Maybe Brandon too had realized that they were a misfit actually. Maybe that was the reason why he had been avoiding her like a plague, not having the heart to tell her on her face. 

"It's not that I don't like you, Troy, " she whispered into his neck, lost in the intoxicating smell of him. 

"Then?" He prompted, his breath stuck in his throat. He was feeling too overwhelmed to say a word more. The knowledge that she too liked him made him feel hopeful. 

"I'm scared to commit. What if I fail you like my parents failed? What if you abandon me like them?" She whispered, tilting her head backwards to look into his eyes as she confessed her deepest fears. She had never said them aloud, not even in front of Brandon. It was strange that she was able to talk to Troy so freely about the deepest fears that she had been hiding in her mind for years. 

"You won't fail me, Athena. I'm sure of it. You're not your parents. They were different people. Don't compare yourself with others. Rest assured that I will never ever abandon you. So, let's take one day at a time and see where our relationship leads us to? If you don't like being with me, tell me honestly and I'd release you willingly, Athena. There's no force but atleast give yourself a chance to know how it feels to truly belong to one another?" Asked Troy, his fingers caressing her hair, tenderly in a circular motion. Athena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had made up her mind.

"I want to belong to you. I'll give us a chance," she whispered. Troy released the breath that he had been holding. A happy smile broke out on his face, and he kissed her forehead. 

"You won't regret this, I promise you that," he whispered back. Athena wrapped her arms around his shoulders and embedded her face into his neck. She could feel the flutter in her stomach and the quickening of her heartbeats. His arms went around her waist and he pulled her closer to him. Wrapped in his warm embrace, Athena felt like she had come home!