Chapter Twenty

Sebastian had seemed more reluctant to leave me at the door of my classroom. I had to remind him that his class finished earlier than mine did this time, and then it was lunch, so he could be outside the door as soon as class had ended. He frowned, but had agreed and left. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and let out a frustrated groan, there were people around me.

This time, I had gone to the far back of the class, so I could see everyone who entered, and no one could sit behind me. I played with the cap of my pen and chewed my bottom lip, my eyes glued to the class door. Every time someone entered, I felt myself jump a out of my seat a little. I knew I was waiting for Adam, but I didn't want to admit it to myself.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax, but it was no use. My heart still jumped every time someone moved. I moved my eyes around and tried to focus on anything but the door. The class filled up quickly, which made it easier to avert my eyes. But it also made it harder to spot out anyone sifting through the aisles and people. I was so distracted; I didn't see Adam slip into the back booth with me.

I almost jumped out of my skin when he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said and held up his hands. I blinked away the shock and offered a small smile.

"It's alright, I'm just a little on edge." I admitted it before I thought about it.

"Any particular reason why?"

I bit my lip. It was a bad idea to start talking to him, I had a feeling I wouldn't stop.

"It's just, everything is so new to me. I haven't been out to socialize in a while, I guess I'm just a little anxious."

Adam opened his mouth to say something, but the professor had arrived and called everyone's attention. I was glad to see her enter with a handful of art supplies, and I tried to get a good look at them as she wrote her name on the board and told a little about herself. I started to get excited as I saw little notebooks and pencils on her desk. Finally, a class where we were going to be hands on.

"Do you like art?" Adam asked. I wanted to tease him, and point out that it was an art program, but one look into his eyes, and I choke up again.

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly. He looked a little taken back, but didn't question it further.

"I suppose this is the best way to find out. Are you at least a good artist?"

I didn't know how to answer that, I wasn't sure. Sebastian had told me I was a good artist and liked to draw in the past, and I had found a lot of drawings in my desk that were pretty good, in my opinion. Was that enough to say I was a good artist though.

"I guess, I can't really say what a good artist is." It was the best answer I could think of.

"That's fair, there are many different types of artists. Some say art is a visual creation, others say it is a written," he paused and looked at me intently. I tried to keep my focus on the teacher, to make sure she didn't hear us talking through her opening lecture, but it was hard to look away from him for even a fraction of a second.

"Every person has a different definition of perfect beauty," he continued in a quiet, husky tone that made my skin crawl.

The professor interrupted us by clearing her throat. It was obvious it was directed at us, with the way she glared daggers across the room, before she resumed explaining. It was then I realized she was talking about a major semester project.

"Don't worry, it sounds big, but you will have all semester to work on it, and all the classes from today onward will be angled towards helping the final product. This project will interrupt your image of art. Even as a visual artist, everyone creates differently, has their own style. You will paint, draw, sketch or use whatever other method you wish to create one grand project. Along with it, you will explain why you created it, and what you think your style of art is. You can connect it to a specific kind of genre or style, or you can create one of your own if you think it is unique to any other. But you need to explain why you think so, and make it convincing."

She continued to explain that she didn't want half-assed assignments, but I tuned it out. It was a coincidence that she was giving us this assignment, given what Adam was just saying to me. I could see him looking at me from the corner of my eye, but I refused to meet his gaze. I had a feeling he had a smug look on his face.

I took notes for the rest of the class, to make sure I got the full understanding of what the assignment was, and what I was to expect from the rest of the semester. I looked around, and saw that a few groups of people were already buzzing with excitement about the new project. I could hear mutters and whispers of ideas, and I couldn't help but get a little excited myself. Even though I wasn't conversing with any of them, or even sitting with them, I felt like I was a part of something bigger, and it felt nice.

I could still feel Adam's eyes on me, but his gaze felt more intense this time. I could feel the back of my neck become hot and my face flushed. What was he staring at? Was he not interested at all in what the teacher was saying? This guy was weird. I wasn't sure yet, if that was good or bad.

For the rest of the class, I tried to ignore the intent gaze of Adam, and get as much info as possible. I had barely paid attention to the last class, and it was my first one. I didn't want to start falling behind during my first week, or else my parents were going to get the impression that it was a bad idea to send me here. I knew it wasn't, and I was just letting myself get distracted by the new and exciting feelings Adam made me feel. It was the first time in a while that I felt something new and foreign, and liked it.

I also couldn't shake the sense of familiarity when I was around him.

I was once again relieved when the teacher ended the class, and everyone started to pile out of the room. This time, I didn't hesitate to shove my things in my bag, make sure it was closed, and jumped up from my seat. I was almost at the door, when a hand grabbed me from behind, and stopped me in my tracks. My head whipped around to see Adam, a slightly desperate look on his face.

"Will you have lunch with me?" he asked, his voice rushed.

I bit my lip. I knew I had to turn him down, I had a strong feeling that Sebastian wouldn't let him, either out of hostility or jealousy, I wasn't sure.

"My friend is waiting for me outside the class," I admitted quietly. Adam sneered and retreated his hand. My heart ached a little at the disappointed look on his face. "Can I take a rain check?" I asked quickly. The look disappeared from his face and he frowned for a moment, before it was replaced with a soft smile.

"You know where to find me," he muttered, and took off quickly like before.

That wasn't what he had said last time.

***

It hadn't taken Sebastian and I long to find the cafeteria, the entire school was one big building, with one or two stray buildings for the construction trades and classes. The place was relatively packed when we had arrived, but there were enough tables that there were still some that were empty. Sebastian grabbed us a table, and told me to wait while he grabbed us food. Given what was there, he said he was confident he would bring back something I would like.

I looked towards the front, and saw there was a monster of a line, and Sebastian was all the way at the back. I let out a little breath and settled in the slightly uncomfortable seat. It was going to be awhile. It was times like this, when I wished I had a phone, or at least had asked my parents before I left for one. I stared up at the wall in front of me, and tried to pass the time by reading the art and advertisements.

This time, I felt him sit down next to me before I saw him. I turned, and was met with Adam's wide grin, as he leaned on his fist.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I spotted you and thought I'd come and say hi. Where's your friend?" He had remained still, but his eyes darted around the room.

"He's getting us food, but I have a feeling he's going to be awhile," I said and looked back at the line. It had maybe moved a foot.

Adam scoffed and moved his chair closer. I wanted to move away, but I was frozen.

"The food here is terrible, trust me. I know a great place on campus that has the best pizza and desserts. It isn't a far walk from here…" he trailed off suggestively. Though I had heard what he said, there was something else that was bothering me.

"Do you mind if I ask where you're from?" I asked. He blinked and backed away.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't help but notice his change of tone.

He sounded cautious.

"It sounds like you have a slight accent, I was just wondering if maybe you were born somewhere else. Sorry, I didn't mean to be so blunt." I hadn't realized how abrupt I had sounded, until I the question was already out of my mouth.

Adam cleared his throat and smiled tightly at me. "I was born in America, but my mother was from England, so I may carry her accent sometimes."

His answer made sense, but felt off. I didn't have any reason to question him, so I bit my tongue. I looked back towards the line. Sebastian was just at the counter, and was ordering the food.

Did I really want to ditch him, and run off with a stranger? I didn't have to question if that would make him upset. It would make him panic. He would probably call Alex or Daniel the second he realized I was gone, and it would be a complete lockdown around the entire school.

How the hell was I supposed to explain that to Adam, without freaking him out? I had to come up with a good enough lie, that wasn't going to make it seem like I didn't want to spend time with him, and that I wasn't crazy.

"As tempting as that sounds, I can't just leave my friend. We came to this school and promised to stick together, I can't ditch him on the first day." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it did sound like a lame excuse. Adam frowned, but didn't look thrown off or impatient. A smile was soon back on his face.

"I can't help but feel like you're playing hard to get."

That caught me off-guard, but I retorted without thinking.

"Depends on what is chasing me."

"Or who," he shot back quickly. Now, I was speechless. He had said that as a joke, but his tone was serious, and his eyes intent as they drilled me. They were so beautiful. How could someone be blessed with such beauty? How could he go through life, and note get mauled everywhere he walked?

His eyes shifted, and I could see Sebastian had turned away from the counter, and was making his way back to the table through the growing crowd. Adam looked back at me and offered me a small smile that still made my heart flutter and my stomach erupt in butterflies.

What is he doing to me?

"I'll see you around, gorgeous," he whispered, and was gone like the wind. My heart was still racing when Sebastian returned to the table with two deflated pieces of pizza, and a cup of jello looking pudding. I tried not to cringe at the food, and suddenly wished I had taken Adam up on his offer earlier.

I was glad Sebastian hadn't noticed anything when he returned, and immediately dug into his food. I tried to distract myself by doing the same, but my eyes kept wandering around the room. I knew I was searching for Adam, but something told me he had already left the room.

Had he only shown up to see me?

I was thinking too high of myself. He wouldn't go out of his way to find me, when there were so many other attractive girls to choose from in the cafeteria room alone. I slumped my head on the table, which finally notified Sebastian that there was something wrong.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" he asked and touched my arm. I waited to feel the same electric feeling I had felt when Adam first touched me, but there was nothing but slight warmth.

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired. This has been an exhausting day."

"We can see if you can maybe skip the next class. Your father told the Dean about your condition, I'm sure he can make your teachers understand."

As nice as a nap had sounded, but I wanted to prove to my parents that I had the ability to handle this. I shook my head at Sebastian and sat upright.

"I'm fine, I don't want to fall behind now."

He nodded, but didn't look convinced. We finished eating, and Sebastian led the way to my next class. As we wandered through the halls, I caught myself looking for Adam. I knew he had the same class as me next, so there was a chance I was going to run into him in the hall the closer we got, but he was nowhere to be seen.

A young boy had suddenly rushed up to Sebastian, and started enthusiastically praising him for some question he had answered in class. I could tell Sebastian wasn't used to the attention and was a little more then uncomfortable. He kept telling the kid to relax and said it was no big deal.

"We have a few minutes before class, and I was wondering if you could help me with something. You see, I have been tinkering with…" the kid launched into a full explanation of something that was beyond my understanding. Sebastian shot me an apologetic look, as it seemed like the kid was trying to lead him away. I smiled at him to let him know it was okay, and held up the map we printed off from the internet.

I waved until he was out of sight, then returned my eyes to the paper and started walking again. I had thought I was alone in the hall, until someone cleared their throat, and almost caused me to jump out of my skin. I spun around and saw Adam, who leaned casually against the corner of the wall.

"Stop scaring me like that. Do you always creep around the halls?" I cried and slapped a hand over my hammering heart. Adam chuckled, but remained where he was. I was able to take in his full appearance this way, and I liked what I saw. It looked like he was built, but not overly muscular. Just enough for me, honestly. He was tall, but didn't have super long legs, and wasn't too tall.

I stopped myself. I was literally breaking him down, and almost undressing him with my mind.

"Well, in order to get five minutes alone with you, it seems that's the approach I have to take," he said softly. I thought about it, and looked back down the hall where Sebastian and the kid had gone. I had quickly pieced together what had happened.

Adam set the whole thing up.

He had asked the kid, or paid him, to distract Sebastian and carry him off, so that would leave me alone. Why else would he be right there next to me, seconds after Sebastian took off? It was a little more than a coincidence, for him to have just ran into me.

I wanted to call him out, but it was hard to think let alone speak, with the way his eyes followed my every movement. I felt like he was trying to undress me, with the way he looked at me. It looked much like the way I had felt I did, when I tried to do the same. I bit my lip, and decided not to say anything. We still had a few minutes until class, and if the map was correct, I was only a few doors down, but for some reason, I felt anxious.

Adam gestured with his head for me to come closer, but I was glued to the spot. A smile curved his beautiful lips and he stepped closer to me. Everything in me was telling me to turn and run the other way, but I stayed frozen on the spot, my legs unable to register what my brain was telling them.

Our eyes never left each other, with each step he took. It was like I was looking into a whole other world when I gazed into his bright blue eyes.

I never wanted to look away.

"Go to dinner with me," he said abruptly, and stopped a foot away from me. I was struck speechless. He wanted to go to dinner with me? Was I dreaming? Why in the world would he want to do that? He had just met me that morning, and we had barely had a conversation since then. What intrigued him so much? Was it a joke?

Or maybe, he had felt the same electric connection I had felt when I first saw him, and touched his skin. Maybe he felt the same familiarity as me, and was drawn to me, as I was to him it seemed. Since the moment I had laid eyes on him, they have searched for him every time he was gone.

He closed the small distance between us, and leaned down towards my ear.

"Just know, if you reject me again, I'm still not giving up." His breath tickled my ear and sent shivers through my body.

"Why do you want me to go out with you so bad? You just met me." I knew I sounded like an idiot, but I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want to be made a laughing stock, and gullible towards the entire thing. But a part of me wanted to slap the voice in the back of my head, whispering to me that it was all just a joke, and hoped that he was genuinely interested in me.

He lifted his gorgeous blue eyes to meet mine, and like every time I had looked into them before, I was mesmerized.

"Because I think you're beautiful, and I can't give up."

Something about the way he said 'I can't give up', made it seem more than he had tried to make it sound. He had a playful smirk on his face, and tried to sound teasing and sweet; but I could hear the hint of raw determination in his words.

What was he so determined for?

"Can I call you? I have to clear it with my, uh, guardians." I was referring to Alex and Daniel, since they had technically been my guardians while I stayed in school.

It might have been a trick of the light, but when I said that, it looked like Adam sneered slightly. But when I looked at him, he looked neutral.

"You mean that friend of yours, right?"

"No, he's just a roommate, I guess you could say." I looked at the clock on the wall, and realized class started in a minute. I was going to be late! "We should probably head to class," I said and gestured to the clock. Adam made no attempt to look at it, his eyes stayed glued to mine.

"You still haven't answered my dinner request. I'm not leaving until I get one, love." I stiffened, when my ears heard a hint of an accent. It had to have been my imagination. It was hard to convince myself of that, the voice at the back of my head continued to nag me as I bit my lip.

"I'll let you know after school, I promise. I really don't want to be late for class on my first day."

Adam frowned, but took a step back and let out a small breath.

At first, it looked like he was going to walk right past me, but he stopped just as his shoulder brushed mine. He looked at me from the corner of his eye, but this time, I couldn't meet his gaze. I felt his hand reach down and touch mine, and the same electric shock from before zapped between our skin and sent tingles through my body.

I felt something slip between my fingers, and then he was gone. I watched as he walked away in the opposite direction of class, and wanted to call out to him, but didn't want to be late for class, and possibly be locked out. I stuffed the paper in my pocket and rushed towards the door. I got there just as the professor had put their things down, and was about to take attendance and address the class.

No matter how hard I had tried to focus in class, I couldn't stop thinking about Adam, and even though I had only known him for less than a day, I was already insanely attracted to him. He was handsome, fit, mysterious and possibly a romantic.

He could also be dangerous, controlling, abusive. I had no idea who this guy was, and I was already fantasizing and daydreaming about him, when I should've been focused on class and showing my parents that I could handle this on my own. Why was I being such a love-struck teen? It was just a guy I happened to find attractive. I shouldn't be this strung up on him.

Sebastian was a good-looking guy, and even if we had had a solid friendship before, I didn't remember it, yet there was still nothing beyond a mere physical attraction.

Yet I had almost felt like I knew Adam from somewhere, like a face you saw in a crowd or on TV, and though they had significance during that time, it wasn't enough to make you remember them. Every time I had looked at Adam, a sense of familiarity washed over me, and something rattled in the back of my head. It wasn't the voice that had constantly nagged me. I had imagined it was almost like a little black box, and every time something felt like it was reminding my mind of the past, the box rattled.

But I could never remember exactly.

I had that feeling every time I had been with Adam.