CHAPTER 111: THE HELPER’S PROMISE

Chapter ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN

**OLIVER WEST**

"I will trust you this time," I said with a small grin, wrapping my arm around his neck and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

But apparently, a hug and a peck on the cheek weren’t enough for Kieran. Before I could react, Kieran shifted his weight and we both tumbled with my back landing on the bed, and him hovering over me with that wicked smile I’d come to know so well.

"Kieran!" I shrieked, immediately trying to wiggle away from him like a worm. "No, no, no!"

"Come on, we have time before your tutor gets here..."

"Look at this!" I pointed frantically at my neck, which I was sure was covered in evidence of last night’s movie theater activities.

"Look what you did to me! My neck looks like I got attacked by a vampire!"

Kieran’s grin only got wider as he examined his handiwork. "You look thoroughly claimed."

"I look like I was mauled! You’re completely uncivilized!" I managed to squirm out from under him, putting the width of the bed between us.

"What if your mom sees these? Isn’t it too much? We are going to traumatize her like we did to granny last night!"

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Kieran had picked up my phone. He was scrolling through it with the casual confidence of someone who thinks he had every right to invade my privacy.

I was about to protest when he suddenly held up my screen.

"Did your mom send this?"

It was the security footage from earlier. Kieran pinned me with a stare when I didn’t respond.

"Why didn’t you tell me about this?" His voice had gone serious again, all traces of playfulness disappearing.

Geez, it wasn’t that deep that I didn’t let him know of my family’s problem, what was he being tensed for?

"I didn’t want to disturb you with my family drama." I said defensively, reaching for the phone, but Kieran pulled the phone out of my reach, his grey eyes flashing with something I could only interpret as hurt.

"Personal problem? Since when is every one of your issues not my concern?"

The intensity in his voice made me feel small and guilty. "I just... I didn’t want to worry you."

"Come here." His voice brooked no argument.

I moved closer reluctantly, and he pulled me down to sit beside him, his hands framing my face with surprising gentleness.

"From now on, you tell me everything," he said firmly. "I don’t care how personal it is, I don’t care if you think it’s not important. Everything, Ollie. Do you understand?"

The seriousness in his eyes made something flutter in my chest. "I understand."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

He studied my face for a long moment, as if trying to determine whether I was telling the truth. Finally, he seemed satisfied and leaned back, but he didn’t let go of my phone.

Kieran watched the footage again, his jaw tightening as he saw the destruction. When he looked up at me, his expression was softer than I’d expected.

"How much will it cost to fix everything?" he asked quietly.

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant even though the number made my stomach hurt. "Mom says probably around thirty thousand. Maybe more, depending on what the insurance doesn’t cover."

"I’ll pay for it."

The words came out so matter-of-factly that it took a moment for them to register. When they did, my mouth fell open.

"What? No, Kieran, absolutely not."

"Why not? I have the money, your family needs help..."

"Because it’s not your responsibility." My voice came out sharper than I intended, but the thought of owing him that much money, of being even more dependent on him than I already was, made my chest feel tight with panic.

I’d already lost so much of my independence by moving in here. If I let him pay for our house repairs too, what would I have left that was truly mine?

"Ollie." Kieran’s voice was gentler now, like he could sense my internal spiral. "It’s just money."

"It’s not just money." I pulled my knees up to my chest, making myself smaller. "Thirty thousand is also not a small amount of money."

Kieran was quiet for a long moment, just watching me with those perceptive grey eyes that seemed to see too much.

"You don’t want to owe me," he said finally. It wasn’t a question.

Yes. His mercy was making me feel like a kept boy!!

I’d always been proud of my family’s ability to handle our own problems, even when money was tight. We weren’t charity cases. We didn’t take handouts.

But looking at Kieran’s confused, almost hurt expression, I realized he genuinely didn’t understand why I was refusing.

"It’s not just about not owing you, my mom would never accept it anyway, she only let me live with you because she accepts our relationship and she trusts you wholeheartedly," I said softly, the ghost of a smile forming on my face.

"But she’s too proud for anything more than that. She’d rather work three jobs than take money from... from..."

"From your boyfriend?"

I nodded again, feeling the familiar weight of guilt settle on my shoulders.

Here was Kieran, offering to solve all our problems with a generosity that should have made me grateful, and all I could think about was how trapped it would make me feel.

"I’m sorry, I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate it, I really do" I whispered.

"I get it," Kieran said, though I wasn’t sure he really did.

His hand found mine, squeezing gently.

"But if you change your mind, the offer stands. Always."

The sincerity in his voice made my throat tight once again. "Thank you so much, K" I murmured, resting my face against his shoulder when he gathered me close.

Kieran studied me with an emotion so intense that my stomach felt squishy, but then that look was gone in the next moment as he flashed the screen at me with a wicked grin and heat burning within his eyes.

"Good. Now that we’ve established that, can you tell me what exactly is this?"

I stiffened in his arms as I saw my web search history displayed in all its mortifying glory.

Terms like "gay sex for beginners" and "how to prepare for first time" stared back at me in accusatory black text.

I jumped from the bed startled. "WHY DID YOU GO THROUGH MY SEARCH HISTORY?!"