Quincey: Have you heard from Isaac? I messaged him about his practice but he didn’t respond.
Ezzy: No :( We were meant to hang out but he cancelled. Seems to always be busy with the boys at the moment.
Esme had a few exams over the last week, and I hadn’t gotten around to telling her about my conversation with Isaac. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t really sure how to bring it up without wading into a topic that really didn’t concern me. I was hoping that Isaac was suffering from a temporary stress-induced lapse in judgement. Whilst this wasn’t typical behaviour, I wasn’t surprised. They both had such busy schedules that it was difficult to find time for each other. But they had been together for years–a few disagreements now and then were bound to come up. They’d come out stronger for it in the long run.
I couldn’t help but feel a little dejected about it, though. It was just another point on my long line of reasons to avoid seriously dating anyone. Relationships were difficult and messy and unpredictable. And other than my grandparents, they seldom ever worked out alright.
I looked up from where I had just pulled my nose from my phone to find Thallor’s eyes locked on mine. Andhisjaw on the floor. Nerves fluttered about my stomach as I offered up a shysmile in response. I had left my hair down, and it currently billowed down my back in cascading brown waves. It was one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime occurrences when my curls decided to cooperate and my outfit came together just as I had imagined.
Thallor continued to stare at me. He didn’t speak. He didn’t blink. He barely even moved other than tightening his fists, his knuckles blanching around one of the new books I’d gotten him over the holidays. I wasn’t sure how he felt about my outfit–a series of gruff, unimpressed comments filtered into my mind, and I was all but shaking my head before he’d even had a chance to speak. But somehow, it washisreaction that I cared about. And his lack of response? It made the blood rush through my veins and my heart jitter in my chest.
“I’d ask you what you think, but the last time I did, you said something stupid like ‘you look like you are going to work,’”I laughed tentatively. He shut his jaw and clenched it a moment later as if becoming keenly aware of just how long it had been hanging open.
He blinked again. Once. Then twice as he allowed his eyes to drag down the length of me. From the top of my head to the hem of my skirt, which was, for all intents and purposes, bordering on illegal.
“You…you look…” He cocked his head to the side, and for a fraction of a second, his eyes darkened. “Won’t you be cold?”
“Jude is picking me up,” I pointed out.
I noticed the slight flare in his nostrils and the set of his jaw. He placed his book down and let his fists ball into place on his knees as if he was physically restraining himself from something.
“You’re going out with him again?”
“Yes, that’s why I said he’s picking me up.”
Thallor let his eyes roam over me again, and this timelocked, not on the hem of my skirt, but slightly above it. If I thought his eyes had darkened before, this time they were molten, and the look he settled me with almost melted me from the inside out.
“Are you wearing black underwear?”
Thallor’s eyes locked on mine, and somethingsnappedin his expression. Before I knew it, he had already taken several steps forward and was crowding my space like we had been pulled together by gravity into the same orbit.
“I didn’t have a chance to do laundry,” I moaned, looking down at myself. “This is all I had.”
This wasn’t strictly true. About a year ago, I had made a rather hasty and impulsive order of lacy matching lingerie sets–one in every colour under the sun–just in case.Most of the sets had been left unworn in my drawer, because they were obviously non-returnable, but I’d just had no reason to ever justify wearing them. That was until today. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I was only wearing the thong because of a laundry mishap and not because someone was desperate to undress me.
“You can’t go out like that.”Because you don’t want me to? Or because it looks silly?I knew which reason I wanted it to be. A part of me, an evil, hell-raising little part, enjoyed that he was so perturbed with what I was wearing. I relished the way his tone dropped low and gravelly as he stared at me. Before I could volley back a response, one I was sure would fluster him further, my phone chimed in my hand.
Clark Kent: Hey Quincey, I’m down stairs J x
Note to self: Change Jude’s name in my phone to something more appropriate.
Quincey: Perfect, I’m coming down.
“Okay, Jude is downstairs so I’m gonna go. The fridge is fully stocked, but text me if you want me to grab anything on my way home.” I smiled up at Thallor, who only glared at me in response, his gaze almost predatory.
“He’s not coming to the door?” I wasn’t sure it was possible, but his voice continued to drop in octaves, descending into something cold and harsh. If I didn’t know Thallor better, I’d be a little scared.
But Ididknow him, which just meant I laughed. His discontent and quiet rage was met with a fit of uncontrollable giggles that echoed through the space. I got that he was an immortal being with his own set of beliefs, but I had to say, he was alittlebehind the times.
“No, of course not, it’s the twenty-first century. He came to the building,” I said, after taking a few breaths of air and trying to fight the smirk still tugging at the corner of my cheeks.
“So it being the twenty-first century means that what? Chivalry is dead?” He looked down at me incredulously.
“I mean, I guess? I don’t know. It’s just not what’s done, okay?”
“That sounds like bullshit,” Thallor growled. “You deserve someone who is going to treat you properly.” He continued to glare at me, telepathically hammering in the idea that my notions on dating were just as poorly formed as Jude’s were apparently.
“Yeah, well, beggars can’t be choosers. Jude is nice. I don’t see anyone else lining up to date me,” I scoffed.
