Emily was thankfully in none of Thomas’ lectures. But he had taken to pestering her through lunch. It became so annoying that she had half a mind to take the matter to Theodore and let him deal with the persistent guy.
But then, she remembered the murdering glint in Theodore’s glint the last time they had crossed paths, and she kept her whining to herself.
“Emily,” Thomas called for her attention, from where he was seated next to her, while she was absentmindedly chewing on a slice of pizza. “You have bad eating habits. Yesterday, you ate muffins for lunch, and today you’re only having a slice of pizza.”
She let out a noncommittal sound in response before saying sweetly, “I didn’t know you were concerned about my diet.”
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll become fat?”
Now, that irked her. But she wasn’t about to tell him she was pregnant and thus had different cravings for different days.
“I’ll be fine,” she told him dismissively.
“Aren’t you afraid the great Theodore King will tire of you if you lose your figure?”
Now, that remark did more than irk her. She felt her eyes about to change and thus closed her eyes in frustration.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Don’t cry,” he patted her shoulder and she had to repress the urge to growl at him. Why was he touching her so casually? “Whatever happens, I’ll always be by your side,” he carried on.
“I’m not crying,” she bit out. She then glared at him, having regained her calm, and stated flatly, “I am merely thinking of the many different ways I could use to torture and kill you.”
He retracted his hand almost as if he had been scalded.
“Why the sudden animosity, Em?” He asked in a tone that spoke loud about his bewilderment. “I thought we were friends.”
“When did we become so close?” She retorted, an eyebrow raised in question.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” he tried to play it off. “You know how much I care about you. I know you care about me just the same.”
“Delusional,” she drawled before finishing her pizza and rising to her feet abruptly.
Sam and Alex stood up as well.
“Something the matter, Ms Nill?” Alex asked, probably sensing her annoyance.
“Let’s head over to my next class,” she said simply.
“It doesn’t start until about half an hour,” Sam supplied.
She glared at him and he almost flinched.
“I am aware,” she told him calmly as she tried to reign in her anger. Why weren’t they helping her get away from Thomas? “I just want to be there early.”
The two men nodded.
“I never asked,” Thomas said as he rose to his feet. “What do you need bodyguards for?” He asked, eying them suspiciously.
“What do people usually need bodyguards for?” She retorted icily before walking away.
His persistent ways and his hurtful remarks made her see red… so much that she didn’t wish to see him again.
And yet, almost as if trying to irk her some more, he walked next to her, and said, “Is it his way to keep an eye on you?”
She had to grit her teeth at that, “Theodore and I love and trust one another. He only hired bodyguards to ensure my safety.”
“Right! What could possibly happen at our old boring local college?” He scoffed and he was about to reach out to her when Alex stopped his hand mid-air.
“Samuel, Alexander,” Emily called for their attention at that.
“Yes, Ms. Nill?” They responded in unison.
“Kindly do not allow Thomas within a ten feet radius of me in the future.”
“You can’t do that,” Thomas spat out indignantly.
“Why not?” She tilted her head to the side quizzically. “You asked for it.”
“Can’t stand the truth?” He asked in a tone that was somewhere between baffled and angry as he shrugged off Alex’s hand.
“What truth?” She bit out angrily. “You’ve been spouting nonsense for the past 3 days, and I have tried to bear with your presence… but now, I know for a fact that I don’t want to be friends with you.”
“You don’t mean that,” he rolled his eyes. “I know you don’t. You love me after all.”
She giggled humorlessly. “How overconfident can you be?”
“You’re just trying to get my attention by dating that despicable Theodore King,” he claimed hotly.
Almost as if her body moved out of its own accord, she soon had his collar in hand, and she was glaring at him. “Do not speak ill of Theo. I won’t allow you to talk nonsense about my m… lover.”
Alex urged her to calm down and let go of Thomas, which she did begrudgingly. And then Samuel kept him back while she and his coworker walked ahead.
“This isn’t finished,” he shouted after her. “I know you love me!”
She rolled her eyes again.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Emily walked out of her last lecture, feeling slightly tired but oh so full of ideas for her first assignment.
She and her bodyguards were walking silently since as per usual, it was hard to make a conversation with them.
And she heard some fan-girling of sorts.
“Look at him. He looks positively edible.”
“Did you see his car? I bet he rolls in money. There’s more to him than his good looks…”
She looked ahead of her and saw Theodore leaning back on one of his sports car.
She had to agree with the girl that believed he was edible.
He was indeed ravishing… but he was hers.
And her jealousy surfaced slightly. “He’s mine,” she said over her shoulder as she passed the three girls who were standing on the sidelines watching him.
Upon seeing her, he straightened up and closed the distance between them.
Oh, how he looked good in suits!
He grabbed her by the waist and hugged her to him.
“Dorogaya,” he let out huskily as he inhaled her scent deeply. “I missed you.”
“I want to kiss you,” she blurted out.
“Be my guest,” he smiled at her knowingly.
She kissed his lips and then bit down hard, almost drawing blood.
He groaned.
“Behave,” he told her. “Do you want to drive mad with lust?”
She whimpered as her core throbbed at the blatant threat.
“You,” he then said tersely as he glared at someone behind her.
She turned around and followed his line of vision.
Oh damn, did Thomas have a death wish?
“You’re kissing my girl,” he said angrily.
“I beg your pardon?” Theodore scoffed indignantly.
“That’s my girl you’re kissing, old man,” he repeated.
Emily could sense that Theodore was a hair away from snapping the foolish boy’s neck.
“Let’s go, lover,” she urged him. “Don’t mind him. He’s crazy.”
“Crazy? Crazy?” Thomas echoed after her incredulously. “How dare you say that when you were so obsessed with me back in high school?”
She had to keep herself from rising to the bait. “Right. Is that why I never made any attempt to even get to know you? Had I been obsessed with you as you claim, don’t you think I would have tried to get your attention at least?”
He clicked his tongue at that before saying, “Well, you’re definitely trying to get it now by shagging this old man.”
She sensed that he wasn’t done with his nonsense and thus told Theodore pleadingly, “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Thomas bellowed. Then, in a slightly softer tone, he said, “Come back to me and I’ll overlook this.”
“You have totally lost it,” she shook her head negatively at him.
“Can I kill him?” Theodore asked matter-of-factly as he nuzzled her neck lovingly, seemingly attempting to calm down his inner beast.
“No,” she told him firmly. “I think he needs help,” she said in a whisper.
Theodore allowed a noncommittal sound out in response. And then, looking at the bodyguards, he ordered, “Keep Romeo here away from Emily at all times.”
“Can’t take the competition?” Thomas chuckled darkly.
“There’s no competition at all, boy,” was his answer. “I just don’t wish to hurt you because Emily would be upset with me if I do. Besides, you’re obviously deranged. I’d say it isn’t fair to kill a man who isn’t in his right mind.”
“Are you threatening me?” Thomas all but spluttered.
“I don’t do threats, boy. I am just giving you an honest advice here. Get help!”
And with that, he grabbed Emily’s hand, and then said, “Let’s go, dorogaya.”
“Let’s,” she agreed with him readily, leaving behind a shouting Thomas Carlington.