“You broke us,” I continue evenly. “And you still have the temerity to act nonchalant, to look for fights, to provoke me. You are the only one at fault in this story. You should be ashamed.”
She smirks, though it never reaches her eyes. “Not my style.”
“Fuck you.”
For a moment, she almost looks hurt.
But I don’t care. I turn and walk out into the cool, rain dampened air.
I decide to walk to the academy today instead of calling a driver.
I need the space before the day begins, before I have to socialise, and, more importantly, before I spend hours resisting the urge to stab Markev.
I sense someone behind me, and my spine straightens instinctively.
A hand lands on my shoulder, tugging me in as if for a side embrace. I react without thinking, catching the wrist and twisting it back hard, managing it even with my coffee cup still in my other hand.
“Ah, fuck,” a familiar voice groans. “Did I ever tell you how perfectly suited you are to me?”
“Markev,” I grind out.
“Yes, baby.”
“Stop with the nicknames,” I snap, tightening my grip.
“When you show me that violent side,” he says calmly, “it only makes me hard, and these jeans are already doing me no favours.”
I release him abruptly and step back. “You’re disgusting.”
He straightens, towering over me, dressed in nothing but a sweatshirt and denim, his hair a total mess, obviously on purpose.
I start walking, and he falls into step beside me, his stride so long that three of mine barely match one of his.
“I wanted some peace this morning,” I mutter.
And don’t be fooled, this psycho follows me every morning, from the dorm to the academy and back again.
Usually, he has the decency to give me space and keep his distance. Apparently, today is not one of those days.
“How so?” he asks.
“I was walking,” I say, “taking slow breaths, counting them, trying to gather the patience required to sit in a room with you for the rest of the day.”
He chuckles, entirely too pleased with himself.
“Oh, also,” I add, glancing at him, “I did a ritual last night, midnight on the dot. Candles, witchy books, red lipstick. I summoned someone to get rid of you. Clearly, it didn’t work.”
He smiles darkly. “I suppose not.”
“I’ll try again tonight.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
I keep walking. This stretch suddenly feels considerably too long with him at my side, when it is usually over entirely too quickly.
I can feel his attention on me constantly.
He doesn’t look ahead even once, only at me, as though the world exists solely in my direction.
