Intertwined Destinies

CHAPTER NINE

ABIGAIL

The kiss gradually intensifies, and I am faintly aware that I shouldn't be doing this, not just because my bodyguards are outside waiting for me to come out, but because this is precisely the same guy who treated me as his second choice just a couple of weeks ago, and here I am letting myself be carried away by him again, as if I don't have neurons in my brain that can help me rationalize what happens every time he approaches me.

"No, stop," I tell him, breaking the kiss and lightly pushing his chest with my hands.

"What's the matter?" he asks me, leaning back to me to continue the kiss.

"The matter is that you have no right to lock me in the bathroom and kiss me like that," I reply, beginning to feel annoyed.

"But you want to do it too," he replies, not releasing his grip on my waist.

"No, I don't want to, why don't you go find the girl that you went to the party with? Or is it that you are tired of her and that is why you come to look for your second option? Well, you are very wrong with me,” I tell him.

“You left first, what was I supposed to have done? Look for you and go after you like one of your trained monkeys?" he responds in a scathing tone, and I have to fight the urge to yell at him, because I don't want to get Al and Charlie's attention.

"Don't come near me again," I tell him through clenched teeth and force his hands off my waist, then I turn towards the cubicle door to leave, and he tries to stop me.

"No, wait, I didn't mean to say it that way, but you can't expect everyone to be there for you whenever you want, I wanted to be with you in a more private place, but you just left me alone there," he tries to explain himself, as if that would make the situation less unbearable.

"I left because it was clear that I was interrupting something that you had clearly started before, and as I already told you, I AM NOT ANYONE'S SECOND CHOICE!" I answer him raising my voice, and immediately there is a knock on the door.

"Abby, everything in order?" I hear Al calling me.

"Yes, Al, everything in order, I will be out in a moment," I reply quickly.

"Abby? Does he call you by your first name? Boy they are confident,” Ezra says mockingly, and I shoot him an annoyed look before turning to the door.

“No, don't go, I was just kidding, can we meet after class? I will help you escape the monkeys if you want,” he asks me, and I look at him in surprise at his audacity.

"What is your problem? You treat me like any silly girl and then expect me to go out with you? I would never date someone like you,” I reply scathingly.

"Oh sure, I am too poor for your majesty," he replies, and I can see in his face that he is really hurt by my comment.

"I didn't mean that ..." I start to say, but he walks past me and heads for the door.

"No, don't come out yet, they will see you," I say frantically.

"I don't give a s**t if your monkeys see me," he replies in a scathing tone as he opens the door, and it's clear from Al and Charlie's shocked looks that they both heard what he said and are trying to stop him when he is about to leave, but I wave my hand at them to indicate them to let him go.

"Please don't tell my mother any of this," I ask Al and he looks at me sadly, before nodding at Charlie, clearly indicating that he is not the problem but the new bodyguard.

“Charlie, you know you don't have to report absolutely everything that happens in my day, right? Your job is more to take care that nothing bad happens to me, so if I am fine, there will be no reason to tell my mother about every little event, don't you agree?" I tell him with a tight smile, and he frowns slightly, then looks up at Al as if waiting for his approval, and finally nods.

Charlie is clearly a man of few words and that is why I have not disliked him at all, despite the fact that his very presence here implies another one of my mother's crazy ideas, at least I am grateful that he is not a grumpy guy and now I hope he really isn't going to tell my mother any of this, because she will surely try to change my university, or worse, she will try to get Ezra transferred again.

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A week has passed since the bathroom incident and Ezra has not tried to approach me again, he has not texted me, and since I avoid any area of the university other than my classrooms, I have only seen him for a couple of occasions, and in all of them, he has been accompanied by Chloe, the girl from the party, who seems more than happy to be hung from his arm like a leech.

I have tried to ignore them, but it is almost impossible, because she seems to be the type of woman who pretends to be foolish with men but in reality, they are quite astute, and it is clear that she is already perfectly aware that something happened between us, because every time she notices my presence somewhere, she changes her attitude and begins to be even more clingy with him, hugs him, kisses him, laughs out loud, and then looks in my direction, as if she wants to leave her point clear, almost as if she expected an annoying reaction from me, and although I cannot deny that it does bother me to see them together, her childish attitude makes me laugh and I do not hesitate to show her how pathetic she seems to me, so after the third time I saw them together, she not only did her little show, but ended it with a murderous look in my direction.

"You need to take care of her, Abby, she doesn't seem to like you very much," Al tells me in a concerned tone as we walk out of the cafeteria and see Ezra and Chloe sitting on the grass.

"Don't worry, she is just a silly girl trying to get attention," I reply and he purses his lips, clearly disagreeing with how lightly I take his concerns.

"Abby!" I hear someone call and I turn to see who it is, I see Alec approach me and out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Ezra sits upright and looks in this direction.

"Alec, hi," I greet him.

"How have you been?" he asks, coming to my side and trying to catch his breath, as he seems to have come running.

"I am fine, thanks for asking me, how are you? I haven't seen you in the last few days, and you missed your last two tutoring classes,” I tell him, and he seems a little sad all of a sudden.

"My grandmother passed away and we had to travel to her funeral," he replies, and I feel bad for asking him.

"Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to be intrusive, excuse me," I tell him, and he shakes his head.

"Don't worry, in fact, I wanted to ask you if you have free this weekend to make up the tutoring classes I missed, it can be here at the university, or at my house if you want," he tells me.

And I hear someone cough, when I turn to see who it is, I see Ezra red-faced and clearly trying to catch his breath after choking on his drink, while Chloe taps him on the back, and says cheesy things to him, something that makes my blood boil all of a sudden, and without really being aware of what I am doing, I turn back to Alec and say:

"Why don't you come to my house?"

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