16 Chapter 16

"E-excuse me?" The blue-uniformed man turned around slowly, gulping at the sight of Aiden. His eyes stared at him in a cowardly manner and his body was suddenly frozen on sight. "W-who do you think you are?" He stammered again.

Aiden didn't hesitate to take a step forward and shame the man further by towering over him.

"Someone who you don't want to piss off." He said through a clenched jaw. "So, janitor, I suggest you open that door." He tightened his hands around the broom.

"I... well I'm not allowed..." The janitor explained, swallowing the anger that poured out from Aiden's eyes.

"Aiden, it's fine... I can come back tomorrow." I tell him in a weak attempt.

"I believe this pathetic excuse for a man owes you an apology, Emma." He stepped closer to the man the same way the janitor had stepped to me. "Don't you think?"

"Please, let's just go." I try again.

The next thing I knew, the janitor was crying out in pain, begging to be let go as his face turned red and closed in a grimace. I followed the man's eyes to the ground where a heavy black boot was crushing the tip of a blue running shoe. Aiden twisted his heel further and the man cried out louder, holding onto his shirt like some kind of plea.

A glimmer filled the waterline of his eyes as they looked up at Aiden.

"Fine, I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He screeched out.

Like a large wave crushing his body, he was released. He clutched onto his bruised foot and swore under his breath.

"The door." Aiden scorned down at him.

The man fumbled around while trying to reach for his pocket and hold his foot at the same time. Before he could even pass up the keys, Aiden snatched them from his hand, and in return, the broom was dropped on the floor, bouncing a few times until it rested still.

Aiden moved from behind me to the door and twisted the lock open on the first try. He went inside but I couldn't bring myself to follow him. Instead, I stood silently, watching with empathy as the man lay on the floor.

Seconds later Aiden was by my side again, clutching my textbook with one hand. He strode toward the janitor and held him by his collar.

"You ever look at her in the wrong way again, and I will cut out your eyes. You so much as mutter a single word in her direction, and I will cut out your tongue. Do you understand me?"

The janitor nodded repeatedly. Then, Aiden gripped onto my arm and pulled me away. He forced us through the building doors and led us outside where I could finally tug my arm away from him.

"What is wrong with you?" I called out at him. "You didn't have to hurt him!"

"That is hardly a way to thank me." He said stiffly while walking away from me.

"Thank you?" I followed him. "You did nothing to be thanked!"

"I hardly think so!" He stopped abruptly and I almost bumped into him. His breaths were now coming out in huffs. "He probably would have taken advantage of you! Or, would you have preferred I let him?"

"You are cruel!" I yell at him.

"And you're naïve!" He barked back, loudly. "A stupid, naïve girl who can't do anything for herself unless someone does it for her!"

At this point, I was on the brink of my own tears. I felt my throat closing up and squeeze for air as I stared into the pit of his grey eyes.

"Thank you for my textbook..." I whispered and slowly removed the heavy book from his hands. I didn't want to fight with him anymore; I didn't have it in me to hold back from crying in front of him. "Have a good day." Jerk, my subconscious added.

He watched me quietly, dumbfounded by my unexpected reaction.

"Where are you going?" His tone had changed almost in an instant once he realized I was leaving, and his eyes were no different.

I looked down at where his thin, long fingers had laced around my skin and brought me closer to him. His chest was inches away from mine. I looked up and my eyes connected with his pink lips for a brief moment. There was something about the way he was holding me now that was different. He was gentle and it felt like I was suddenly short of breath. My stomach erupted with a butterfly-like feeling. His fingertips grazed against me and goosebumps were left in their absence.

I pulled my arm from him and stepped back, purposefully creating space between us.

He inhaled and then sighed, looking around us shortly before settling his gaze on me again.

"Are you okay, at least? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine," I said.

"Then why are you glaring at me?"

"I'm hoping you'll spontaneously combust," I told him as we started walking.

"Well then, do it quietly. I can't hear myself slowly losing the will to live."

I squinted my eyes at him. "Psychopath."

"I prefer creative."

Before I could hit him back with another smart quip, my phone started to ring from the inside of my bag. I ignored it at first but it persisted until Aiden finally had enough.

"Please, get the damn phone, Emma."

I took out the device and unlocked the screen while Aiden returned to his resting glare-face.

'Hey, what's taking you so long? Is everything okay?'

'I've got the coffee, text me.'

I saw the missed call and read Will's messages a few times in my head, deciding how I would respond, when Aiden opened his mouth and spoke through his evened lips.

"Who's that?" He asked, coldly.

"None of your business." I put away my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and made a mental note to respond later.

"Oh come on, I won't bite." He flashed his pearly white teeth.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be?" I ask him, but he doesn't respond. "Why do you care, anyway?"

He took his time to answer.

"I don't." He answered, glancing sideways at me.

"Right..." I shake my head and press my lips together.

As we continued to make our way past buildings, I observed him from time to time. His face was no longer tensed or twisted in any specific way, which put me at ease. However, his presence had the opposite effect. It seemed to linger around me like a bad perfume that never went away.

It felt like everything he did, every moment, every breath, every word, somehow had an effect on me, though each time different than the last. With him, it was almost impossible to know what he was going to say or do next.

"Stop staring, Emma." He said, sternly.

"I-I- wasn't."

"Are you going back to the apartment?" He changed the subject, entering the parking lot.

"Y-yes."

"Did you get the spark plug fixed like I told you?"

"Y-yes."

"For the love of God, Stop stuttering." He closed his eyes momentarily while the annoyance dripped from his tone.

"I'm... I'm sorry- I don't mean to..." I stumble over my tongue, cursing at my incapability to speak like a normal human being.

I was almost sure that by now, there wasn't a single part of me that Aiden didn't already loathe.

We stood there on the campus lawn looking at each other while my phone continued to going off in my pocket.

At first, I thought it was inconvenient to be interrupted by my phone so many times – and with anyone else, it would have been – but then I reminded myself that I was with Aiden and gladly changed my mind.

'Hey! It's Elijah. I was wondering if you were interested in going out for coffee with me tomorrow? Maybe we could talk more about the internship? Anyways, let me know! I'd love to catch up with you again.'

I pressed on the screen with the full intent of replying back when I heard a scoff. I spun my head and dipped my brows, confused as to why Aiden was now looking both uncomfortable and annoyed at once.

"What's with you now?"

"Elijah?" He blurted. "You're hanging out with that pathetic thing?"

"Excuse me?" I cocked my head back, realising he had been looking at my screen.

"He's an imbecile," He paused quickly, "I'm sorry, that's unfair of me... he probably doesn't even know how to spell that word."

"First of all, he is my friend." I defended Elijah. "And second of all, he is not an imbecile."

"Oh, really?" He said sarcastically, infuriating me from head to toe.

"Yes, really." I mimicked his tone.

"And what exactly, is so great about him?" He shoved his hands in his pockets like earlier and leaned his body forward. "I'm dying to know."

"Well. For starters, he is much nicer to me than you have ever been!"

"Nicer? He's nicer than me?" He threw his head back, bursting in laughter. "You have no idea who he really is, do you?"

I clenched my fists at my side.

"I know him well enough to see that he is definitely better than you! All he has done is help me! He has in no way hurt me or made me feel worthless. So you can keep your opinions because I certainly never asked for them." I basically stomped away from him.

"Perhaps when you find out I'm right about him, maybe then you'll be more inclined to listen to my 'opinions'."

Of course, he had to have the last word. If he didn't he would probably explode from the inside out because he didn't get his way.

God, I hate him! I hate the way he always finds a way to hurt me! I hate that I listen to him! I hate that he can say whatever he wants and get away with it! I hate that I find him so attractive and I hate that I can't seem to get away from him! Not even in my own head. But most of all, I hate myself for the fact that I can't entirely hate him.