Chapter Fourteen

Lily • Rosa • Jeanine • Park

Dark.

Darkness was the only thing that I saw.

After a quick realization of the situation I found myself being stuck in, my brain offered very fast and intensive cooperation. Collaboration.

Even though the one and only thing I was noticing was the darkness, the sensations were telling me something completely different. Intimidating. My half-open eyes didn't give me much chance or privilege to understand the situation, but my perceptions did. They told me everything that I was able to understand and perceive. Hearing. Smell. Internal and external feelings, understanding.

Sixth Sense.

I lay calmly and nonviolently processed the information. The presence of a person. Except for Léo, whom I insisted about managing to register with a quick, brisk but risky look, I discovered a dangerous knowledge. Someone was leaning over, watching me from a distance of about thirty centimeters.

At this moment, I was worried about the following. The person didn't seem the least bit interested in stopping.

I turned to the side to find out if Léo is where I last saw him, or at least if he is in the room. This gesture seemed very risky to me, but I had to undergo it if I wanted to work towards some closer, more concrete knowledge.

He was there. He was lying there as I had last seen him. Turned to face me. He slept soundly. Totally as if killed. Peacefully. At least he was fine. But this fact worried me. I could not predict the next events, which occupied my brain.

I could hear and feel the person's breathing and heartbeat. I felt a gaze fixed on me, which was penetrating me.

A sudden, as if disappointed, sigh.

A male.

My whole body froze. I've heard it before. That sigh. But I don't know where. It now echoed in my ears. Where did I hear that before?

He sat next to me as I faced Léo on the floor. I saw a shadow. His eyes were still fixed on me. Without launching them. I decided to act. Tired, I crouched to the other side. Now face to face with an unknown man. I registered his body's heat distribution on the bed. He was sitting leaning against the fabric headboard of the bed, one of his knees extended, the other bent, on which he was probably leaning. His breathing suddenly quickened.

He straightened up and looked away when I took advantage of the situation, quickly opened my eyes and measured him. He was quite muscular and his silhouette matched the attractive structure of his face. But I didn't recognize him in the dark. There was only the street light which penetrated from the outside.

His muscular hand worked its way up to my hair, which penetrated my face and covered it. He uncovered my face as he moved my fallen hair away from my face, he moved them behind my ear. My face now being fully visible.

I felt a strange wave of peace and the smell of men's cologne.

When I suddenly felt a gentle breeze around my face, I realized that he was very close. Dangerously close. His face inches from mine. I felt that something was off when he just approached my face for no reason and without meaning. I sensed the suspense in him. And I sensed it right.

He discovered that I was perceptive. That I wasn't asleep. That I was conscious. That I was up.

In the blink of an eye, he pulled away and jumped off the bed. And suddenly he's gone. I still relatively managed to register it, but I didn't see him entirety, only a figure disappearing into the darkness of quickly opened and suddenly closed doors.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

What was that?

• • •

The next morning, I tried to ignore what happened. The reality of that event. The mysterious experience that left a significant mark on my safety. Those piercing eyes caught my attention. That smell. I've already smelled it somewhere, that smell...

"What're you thinking about so intensely?" Léo asked unexpectedly, snapping me out of my thoughts. He saw me sitting on the bar chair, thinking, with my hand placed up right under my chin, near the neck. This position of my hand leaves questionable must of feelings.

"Oh, it's nothing... Just some unnecessary and uninteresting thoughts coming across through my mind."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" He asked with interest and tenderness. It sure has landed on his mind.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's okay. But thank you."

"There is nothing to be thankful for."

I smiled at him as he released these simply comforting words. But I saw that it layd on him. He secretly longed to find out more.

We have already started walking to school to catch the second class since we both missed the first one. We parted our ways at the split into different classes.

I walked into the classroom and sat at the empty seat, placing my laptop on the desk in front of me, finally comfortly seating myself after the sleepless night of mine.

"Is anyone sitting here?" When a known voice approached me, I immediately knew who asked.

"It is a temporary, not very occupied seat, obviously, as you can see, this seat could be possibly occupied by your presence, if no one else. Pleasantly and truly spoken, dear sir."

"Oh, is that true, what you mean, dear lady, perhaps your civilized manner of conversation, not to say unflattering, would the lady be interested in sharing the time spent together, during the course of this lecture?"

"Very much, yes."

Tai. Léo's chinese 'best friend' from the early start of his studies. Even though them saying being best friends, not even the dumbest would think differently from me. They can't be just best friends! At least, I don't believe it. If someone would look at someone the way Tai looks at Léo and vice versa, it can't mean anything else expect love! They can't fool me on this one!

Tai sat next to me, his beautiful sparkly eyes landing on my face.

"How did you spend yesterday?" he asked, almost expecting me, to surprise him. "I'm sorry I can't control it, but I have a feeling that something is off..."

My eyes caught his worried, focused look that told me he felt my discomfort. He really could read me like an open book. Effortlessly. But the truth was that he was the person who was there for me, no matter the circumstances. He was always happy to listen to me. After coming here, he was my biggest support, along with Léo. I could be myself with him. Not pretend anything. I could be real. To myself AND to him. Tell him things that laid on my heart, even if I often didn't have the courage to confide them to Léo. He was like my guardian angel. I knew I could open up to him. Even if it'll be totally fucked up, and he still wouldn't judge me.

There was silence. We were both waiting for what would come next. I breathed every second, and determined how to confide in him clearly. If I told him in a confused way, he would still find a way to understand it. That's what assured me. Our gazes met. He waited patiently. Leaving me space and time. He placed great emphasis on trust and calm emotional support.

"There actually is... something." I broke the silence, but I couldn't look at him. As a result, I stared at the notebook, writing useless notes.

"Perhaps you want to talk about it?" He respected my discomfort, so he looked away from me.

"Yeah, that'll be great." I snapped instantly, unexpectedly, it surprised even myself.

"Just the two of us?" He almost whispered.

"Yes, please." I responded even quieter, but also making sure he still heard me.

Tai shared a dorm with Léo. The one I spend last night at. Yesterday Tai had some 'program', as the reason for him not being present in his dorm. So we agreed on meeting at a café.

"Firstly, let me tell you that I slept in your dorm yesterday," Tai furrowed his brow questioningly and waited for an explanation.

"Yes, let me explain. Yesterday, I agreed with Leo that I would come to him so that we could go over the current curriculum in school, right? So, we studied for a little bit longer than I expected, and Léo suggested on spending the night. Which seemed reasonable to me, as it was really late and truthfully said I really didn't want to walk home in the dark. So, basically, as a result of that, I spent the night."

"Okay, firstly, reasonable, I have to admit."

"Thank you!"

"Secondly, don't get me wrong, but WITHOUT me? Like, you two alone, in one room, the whole night? Your first night at our dorm? Like I'm sorry? What about me?

"I know, I'm sorry!!!" I apologized and hid in my hands in shame.

"And thirdly, I feel a huge BUT." He somehow guessed or asked... something between that.

I signed. "There is. Bigger than huge."

"Lily! I hope Léo didn't do anything to you!" He suspected.

"No! No, don't worry, he's not that kind of guy,"

"Well, we can talk about what kind of guy he is..." Now I suspected. I indicated with my mouth: WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. He laughed. When he stopped, he released.

"Okay, go on."

After careful consideration, I made a decision.

"Someone was there."

"What? Where?"

"In YOUR DORM!" Tai didn't understand, he only wondered and thought carefully.

"Yesterday, it was already past midnight when we lay down and prepared for sleep. Léo fell asleep instantly, because of exhaustion I reckon, and I did too, until an unpleasant presence pulled me out of my dream realm again."

Tai looked incredulous and taken aback. Even though he tried to do the opposite, I knew his expressions too well. I looked his way, and blurted out.

"Someone was watching me."

His mouth dropped.

To be continued...