The Unsuspecting

Chapter 6

*Annabelle's POV*

    It's now Monday and I still haven't found any evidence of arrests for the guy who attacked me at the club on Friday. What if those guys gave him a warning and let him go? What if he goes back to find another victim? I'll need to go to the police station to give a statement so they can at least use it for evidence if he ever assaults someone else. Mondays are my busiest days packed with classes and I have a split shift at the tutoring center, so I do an hour before lunch then a couple more hours before my night class. I'll have to report it tomorrow.

    I've already attended my first two classes today and was running late to my first shift because someone in one of my classes wouldn't stop asking me questions about one of the assignments for chemistry. I quickly grab my name tag out of my bag and am putting it on as I approach the tutoring center when I run into a brick wall. I'm about to fall to then ground when a couple of hands reach out and catch me. A familiar tingle zips through out my body and as I look up I'm caught in the most soulful green eyes. I had been staring so long that someone had already picked up my dropped name tag from the floor and was trying to hand it to me. 

    "Ma'am. You dropped this." I look over and I realize it's the guy who opened the door to the club for me and stayed behind to help out. I reach out to grab it from his hands and stare at it dumbfounded and not knowing what to do next. I look between the two guys wondering what's going on.

    "Thank you" I say and start to pin it on for a second time, but with trembling hands from the pressure of their stares. I finally get the needle part through my shirt, but as I'm about to put it through the hook I prick my finger and noticeably jolt from the sudden pain. The tall handsome man immediately finishes putting on the tag for me. I stand there holding my breath and trying to hide my embarrassment. He then reaches for my hand and he rubs the pad of his thumb over my injured finger. I forget how to breath completely from the level of electricity entering my body. Why am I acting like this? I've always had problems with day dreaming about random guys I've met, but I never actually expect to have a relationship with them. Never have I ever fallen this hard for someone that I've never even had a full conversation with. Maybe I need to start going to therapy because I've obviously lost my mind.

    "Bell!! Thank goodness you're here! The other person who usually tutors for trig called in sick and everyone else can only remember the absolute basics. Can you start with the kid in the corner table? He's been here for a couple hours." I slowly turn my head from the two strange men and see Jamie an overdramatic senior standing in the doorway. I nod my head in acknowledgement and mumble an excuse me to the two men and I leave them to start my shift. 

    As I pass by Jamie he crouches down to my level and excitedly whispers "Who are the hotties?" I look at him in surprise and follow his line of sight to the guys I was just talking to. I should've guessed that he was gay, but I usually try to stay out of everyone's personal lives. "Umm... I don't know. They just seem to pop up." I say then proceed to the table with the student who needs help.

    It was a long hour as I answered many questions and other students joined because they were assigned the same problems for their class and were also struggling with them. Since it's still the beginning of the semester, they didn't ask any questions that were complicated enough to distract me. I've always loved solving a good equation because no matter how hard it is, you know there is a way to get the correct answer. Just follow all the steps and rules and you'll get it eventually. And with math, it is either right or wrong. I always despised taking English classes where they grade your writing based on their opinions.

    Finally my hour is up and the next tutor comes to take my place so I can go get something to eat. As I walk through the doorway my eyes land on the handsome stranger sitting in the study area across the hallway. He's typing up an assignment and you can see his eyes switching between the computer to his textbook and his notebook. I'd like to ask him about what happened to the man in the alley, but every time I'm near him I end up turning into a puddle. I don't know what it is about him but every time I look into his eyes I feel like I'm seeing his soul. I have these weird instincts about him like how he loves to be outside and he's reckless in a playful way. I know that he's broken several bones when he was younger and he also has a haunting look like something devastating happened to his family. Did my mind just make all that up? Did I dream it at some point?

    I really want to talk to him, but I only have an hour to eat and I'm starving. As I'm thinking about whether I should go talk to him or get something to eat, his head rises and makes eye contact with me. I see a hesitant but genuine smile cross his face and I can't help but smile myself as I'm filled with this gooey happy feeling. Now that I've been caught staring at him, I realize that I have no other choice but to go talk to him. And there's also the fact that my feet were starting to move in his direction with or without my consent. 

    "Hi" I say as I finally reach him. Why couldn't I think of something better to say? I'm severely lacking in my social skills. "Hi" he replies and I realize that he's just as bad with communicating as I am and I almost let out a nervous giggle. 

    "Umm... I have an hour before my next shift. Have you had lunch yet?" His face illuminates with happiness and he has a look like he wants to run to the cafeteria so we can start eating now. He rushes to gather all of his stuff so fast that he drops an assignment. I pick it up and see that he got a hundred in what appears to be a mythology class of some sort. And then I realize that it says his name at the top of his paper. "Sean" I accidentally read out loud and see his head snap up at the sound of my voice. I nervously pointed to the paper "You're name was on the paper you dropped. I'm Bell by the way" I say as I hand the paper back.

    "I know" he says and I'm set back a little bit. His eyes widen as he realizes the implications of what he just said and recovers by saying "It was on your name tag. I know your name because I helped with your name tag." I relax as I realize he has a perfectly non creeper reason as to why he knew my name before I told him. 

    As soon as he has all of his stuff collected we head to the cafeteria on campus. We walk the entire way in silence with a couple awkward pauses and glances when he opens all the doors for me. Eventually we make it to the buffet style cafeteria since I live on campus I have a dining plan with enough swipes to last a lifetime. I did the math and I would never be able to use them all before the end of the school year. "I'm paying for him too" I tell the student worker as I hand her my card. 

    "You don't have to do that. I can pay for us." He actually looks a little worried like I just stole all of his masculinity with the one simple action. I can't help but laugh at his worried expression. He looks a little confused by my reaction and I start to feel bad for it. 

    "Don't worry, it's charging my prepaid meal plan that I was required to get to live on campus. I could never use all of it on my own. I promise that you can pay anytime we're not on campus" I said with a slight smile on my face then I realize that I just implied that we'll be going out together in the future. I looked at his face to see his reaction and he just had a smile with a knowing glimmer in his eye. He nodded his okay and we proceeded through the buffet and picked a table in the back corner. 

    As he's arranging his silverware and cup on the table I start searching for something to talk about but all I can come up with is to ask him about what happened on Friday night. But it's a topic that I feel really uncomfortable bringing it up. Finally I just decide to talk about it now anyways because it's been driving me crazy all weekend.

    "So... Do you know what happened to that guy in the alley at the club on Friday?" He immediately stops what he's doing and looks up at me. I can see him start to shift uncomfortably and his mouth opens and closes multiple times like he wants to say something but feels uncertain with what to say. I could tell that he was trying to come up with a lie too. What could've happened after I left that was so bad that he wouldn't want me to know about?