บท 27: Chapter 27
*****
"What you doing?" Everyone was surprisingly calm, especially considering that we were one day away from the Thursday Kyle and his friends were talking about.
It surprised me how we could brush off our run-ins the way we constantly did.
"Studying." I replied not looking up from my books.
Kyle had not been at school, my lecturer was back so I figured he wasn't coming back – well, I hoped he wasn't. I felt safer with one less gang member to worry about. Especially one that was told to kill me. I was still being cautious around the building though in case he was still there... somewhere.
"Oh? Need help?" I turned to see Sergio lying on his back on my bed and I almost laughed at the fact that that was the first time he had his shirt on on my bed – and it wasn't about to come off.
"Help?" I asked, "With this?" He looked at me, tilting his chin up since the top of his head was facing me.
"Right. I can't help. Not with law; my brother only rambles on about engineering."
"You have a brother?" I asked surprised. I watched his mouth gape open but he said nothing, obviously he had told me that by mistake. I waited to see how he would cover it up but instead I saw him give a slow nod as he looked at his phone while he twisted it between his fingers.He decided not to retract it. "What's his name?" I asked.
He thought about it for a few seconds, like he was trying to decide whether to tell me or not so I smiled when he answered, "David." Oh... Dave. The guy who called the other day... Now I felt like an idiot.
"Relax, I won't kidnap him." I said. He gave a short laugh. "I probably couldn't. He's probably savage."
"What?" he laughed sitting up.
"Yeah. For all I know he's more gangster than you are." He laughed again making me grin.
"No, not even a little bit actually." He chuckled.
My brows rose. "Really? He's older?"
"Younger, five years." He said. "He's twenty." So Sergio's twenty-five... I knew he was somewhere in his twenties.
"I wish I had a brother." I mumbled, or a sister. It was a selfish thought; I used to wish I had someone who felt the same pain I did when I was younger so I would not have been alone in losing my parents. "What do you want?" I asked suddenly.
"Right," he sat up and turned to me, "Seeing as your exams end this week, there's going to be tons of parties. You know what you have to do." He said.
"And then I'm done?" I asked hopefully.
"We had this conversation yesterday." He said.
"That was a conversation?"
"Yes. Not my usual conversations. Usually I talk and the other person shuts up, listens and does what they're told." He said. I frowned at him.
"You're an asshole, Sergio." He gave a smile and I rolled my eyes, "I'm gonna take a shower." I got up and he followed my lead before he walked up to me, blocking the entrance to the bathroom. I furrowed my brows looking at him.
"Want me to join you?" he asked.
"Definitely not." I replied seriously as I stared into his amused hazel eyes.
"Really? It's definite?" He asked.
"Yes." I replied.
He laughed and I froze feeling my breath hitch when he brushed his lips over mine lingering for a moment before he pulled back leaving me feeling rather cold. "That's too bad... Goodnight." He winked giving me a smirk.
I didn't move as my door shut behind him once he had walked out of my room.
Why did he just kiss me?
I didn't like how much I liked it. I mean, my heart was practically running a marathon by itself right now.
What the hell are you thinking, Alexander?
Oh. I'm not. Forget that, what the hell am I feeling?
I shook my head trying, unsuccessfully, to get Sergio and his kiss from my mind before I made my way to the bathroom.
=====
I walked through the library looking for a book that would help me with some work I felt like I needed to run through today before I left campus. Sergio and I hadn't mentioned the kiss since yesterday; in fact, I had not even seen him since last night before he left my room.
Usually, I would have been grateful...
I had seen Ben though, and I had decided to keep a clear distance from him because his glares towards me were beginning to look a little too murderous. I wasn't ready to die. I had no idea what I had done to him this time but I wasn't going to focus on it, I mean, when wasn't he pissed? And then there was Kyle. I thought he was gone, but apparently I was wrong. I'm not going to lie, I was very afraid he would actually swing a gun out at any time and fire at me. Rodrigo only helped so much. He was not faster than bullets.
I had other things to worry about , I had school. I couldn't constantly be worried about how safe my friends are, how safe I was. I couldn't constantly be looking over my shoulder. It was beginning to make my head hurt almost as much as Sergio was.
I just couldn't push him from my head. Somehow he had gone from barely being a thought in my mind to being almost every thought. I couldn't be doing this, I couldn't be thinking about him. I couldn't be... attracted to him... for more than just his body. I couldn't.
But...
I frowned up at the shelves realising my eyes had been grazing over at the names of the books but I had not taken a word in. Great. Here we go again, from the start of the shelf.
"Alexander." Damn it. I had never felt so happy and annoyed at the same time at having someone say my name. Can't he just stay in my head?
"It's not time for me to leave yet." I replied glancing at Sergio, he looked weird but I couldn't put my finger on it. Whatever, I still had three hours of school left before they were supposed to pick me up.
"I know." He replied.
"And?" I asked feeling my heart race again.
Stop it. Stop. Damn it, Alexander. What's gotten into you?
"I came to – did you cut your hair?" I frowned glancing at him before I looked back at the shelf absentmindedly lifting my hand to run it through my hair.
"Yeah. Why are you here?"
"It looks good..." I looked at him again when he paused and saw him staring at my hair with a smile on his face, "Oh, I came to –"
"Don't you dare say you're giving me more to sell." I cut him off in a hiss.
"I'm not here for that."
"Then what do you want?" I snapped. He looked slightly taken aback by my tone and I felt bad before he regained his composure and his face turned to its normal straight look. "Sergio, I'm not leaving now, I have work to go over, I have classes left. I've sold enough shit for you already!" I hissed.
Also, it was hard enough trying not to think about him when he wasn't around me. God, how did I let this happen? I should have listened to Shiloh, but no. I always think I'm right, I always think I can handle things.
Maybe if I just don't think about my attraction to him, it would disappear.
"I know, but like I said; I'm not here for that -" he was saying.
"Why are you here then? I'm fucking chin-deep in shit that you made happen. Can I please just be alone?!" I asked.
He raised his brows and I bit my lip getting angrier because he made no move to leave.
"You're stressed." He mumbled.
"Am I? No shit, Sergio. Is there another useless, blatantly obvious observation you would like to make?" I asked turning to the shelf to grab my book before gasped as it resulted in the short shelf shaking. He grabbed it to steady it before he took the book I had tried to pull from it and I sighed trying to calm myself down. "Why are you following me around if not to give me more illegal work?" I asked, my voice still hushed.
"I... Uh... Well, Claire told me –"
"Claire? You speak to Claire?" I asked slowly, narrowing my eyes.
"No, no, no –" I looked at his hands as he grabbed my shoulders. I almost laughed, is he trying to keep me calm? "I just... ran into her." he dragged it out, "She told me you were... stressed so I thought maybe... I could – Well, we could..."
"What?" I asked.
"Um... we could –"
"Alex?" He was cut off by a familiar voice, "Alexander Richardson?" No...
I turned and my eyes widened as my heart dropped. I blamed what was happening on Sergio. He's bad luck...
"James?" I asked shocked.
"Look at you! It's been forever!" He said hugging me. I chuckled pushing him back a little awkwardly. He either didn't notice or decided to ignore the motion as he grinned at me. "Hey, you got rid of those massive glasses -" he began.
"Shut up!" I cut him off laughing before I stopped remembering who he was and cleared my throat, "Uh... what are you doing here?"
"Not expecting to find you, for one." He chuckled. "But I'm happy I did. I'm applying here for next semester, part time since I've been working across town. I moved back here last year." He smiled. Why was he acting like we were old friends? A throat clearing had us both turning to Sergio, who I had almost forgotten was there...
"Oh, uh..." I said looking between them nervously as I tried to figure out what to do.
"Well, I see you haven't lost your awkward." James chuckled at me before he looked at Sergio, "Sergio."
Wait...
"James." Sergio responded flatly.
"You... You know each other?" I asked surprised.
"Family... friend." His tone suggested the opposite as he stared at Sergio with a frown.
"Something like that." Sergio said.
"Oh... What did you want?" I looked at Sergio.
"Nothing." He gave a tight smile. "Well, nothing big. I just wanted to ask if you would be going to that party later."
"There's a party later?" I asked.
James laughed. "Yes. Even I know that."
I sighed. My last exam was tomorrow morning...
"Sure." I knew from Sergio's chuckle that he knew I meant, 'It's not like I have a choice.' If it was up to me, I would spend all night studying,
"Right. See you later." Sergio said, "James." He repeated glancing at James before he left.
I turned back to James to find him still grinning at me.
"I almost forgot how good you look."
"Ha. I... have a class." I said feeling uncomfortable and slightly annoyed being near him and talking so casually after what happened.
"Of course. We'll catch up later." He said.
"Look, James. I don't I want to 'catch up'. It was cool seeing you, though. Good luck with everything." I said backing away from him.
"I heard about your parents." His voice stopped me. He had left just before the incident.
"Yeah... That was a while ago." I shrugged.
"Still, above everything that happened between us... and then that happened... I am really sorry." He said.
I nodded giving him a smile. "It's not like you could have predicted it. Like I said, I'm late."
His grin finally wavered but I just turned and left. I let out a breath of air once I was out of his sight. What the hell is he doing here?! I felt a wave of nostalgia run over me, and it didn't come with any good feelings or memories.
Campus was huge; I wouldn't be running into him again. Hopefully.
*****
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