Chapter Thirteen: Terribly Obsessed
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Tessa closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of her chair.
The class hadn’t started yet.
She was trying to clear her mind, but the more she tried, the more restless she became.
A few minutes later, the classroom door opened.
Billy walked in.
Almost immediately, several girls turned their heads toward him. A few even shifted their bags from the empty seats beside them, making room for him.
Billy barely noticed.
He entered through the back door and stood there for a moment, his eyes scanning the classroom.
He wasn’t looking for a seat.
He was looking for someone.
Then he found her.
Tessa was sitting beside the window, her head tilted back, her eyes still closed.
Billy’s gaze lingered on her.
Without hesitation, he walked past the girls who were watching him and headed toward Tessa’s row.
He stopped beside her desk.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
Then he leaned down slightly, looking at her face.
Several girls nearby noticed.
The excitement on their faces slowly disappeared.
They exchanged confused glances, watching Billy as though they couldn’t understand what he was doing.
Tessa remained unaware of him.
Until she suddenly felt warm breath against her face.
Her eyes flew open.
Billy was standing far too close.
Tessa jolted upright.
“Billy!”
Her voice came out louder than she intended.
“What are you doing?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.
Oh God. Why did I say that like that?
She immediately regretted it.
But Billy didn’t look frightened or embarrassed.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if he were genuinely confused by her reaction.
“Billy?”
He glanced around before looking back at her.
“Who is that?”
Tessa stared at him.
“What?”
Billy leaned slightly closer.
“Your boyfriend?”
Tessa’s eyes widened.
“My—what?”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“You should stop looking for your boyfriend everywhere.”
His voice dropped into a teasing murmur.
“Obsession is a pretty dangerous thing.”
There was something strange about the way he said it.
Almost as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.
Before Tessa could respond, Billy straightened, walked past her, and took the empty seat behind hers.
A few girls nearby let out quiet laughs.
Tessa stared ahead in complete confusion.
What was wrong with him?
She slowly sat back down.
A few minutes later, the professor entered, and the class finally began.
Tessa pulled out her notebook and textbook, forcing herself to concentrate.
She could feel Billy behind her.
She tried not to think about it.
For several minutes, he remained unusually quiet.
Then she heard his voice.
“Tess?”
She ignored him.
A few seconds passed.
“Tess… are you listening?”
Tessa kept her eyes on her notes.
She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
Billy looked around the classroom.
Everyone was focused on the professor.
No one was paying attention to them.
He slowly leaned forward.
“Tess.”
Still nothing.
His gaze shifted briefly around the room.
Then, without drawing attention to himself, he lowered his hand beneath the desk.
Tessa suddenly felt a hand touch her waist.
Her entire body went rigid.
She immediately stood up.
The sudden movement caught everyone’s attention.
The professor stopped speaking.
“Tessa?”
Every head in the classroom turned toward her.
The professor looked at her with mild confusion.
“Do you have a question?”
Tessa’s mind went blank.
She glanced down for half a second.
Billy was sitting behind her, his expression completely unreadable.
He didn’t look at her.
He didn’t say a word.
Tessa swallowed hard.
“N-No, sir.”
The professor raised an eyebrow.
“Then?”
Tessa forced herself to speak.
“Sir… can I go to the washroom?”
The professor looked slightly confused by her sudden request, but nodded.
“Yes, you can.”
“Thank you.”
Tessa hurried out of the classroom.
She didn’t look back.
⸻
The moment she reached the washroom, she gripped the edge of the sink.
Her hands were trembling.
She turned on the tap and splashed cold water over her face.
Once.
Then again.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror.
“Calm down.”
Her voice barely came out.
“Just calm down.”
She wiped her face with trembling hands.
She knew that touch.
She knew exactly whose hand it had been.
Billy.
There was no mistaking it.
But he hadn’t reacted.
He hadn’t even looked at her.
As if nothing had happened.
That somehow made it worse.
Tessa took several slow breaths, trying to steady herself.
She couldn’t stay in the washroom forever.
Eventually, she returned to class after the lesson ended.
When she entered, she immediately noticed the crowd around Billy’s desk.
Several girls were standing around him, talking over one another.
“Where do you live?”
“Your eyes are so pretty. Are they naturally that color?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
Billy sat calmly in his chair, answering almost none of their questions.
Tessa walked toward her seat without saying anything.
As soon as she sat down, Billy looked at her.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
He said nothing.
Neither did she.
Tessa quickly looked away and began arranging her books.
The girls continued questioning him.
“So? Do you have a girlfriend?”
Billy leaned back slightly.
“No.”
The girls immediately became more interested.
“No girlfriend?”
Billy shook his head.
“No. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
One of the girls smiled.
“But…?”
Billy’s lips curved into a faint smile.
His eyes moved toward Tessa.
“There is someone I’m terribly obsessed with.”
Tessa’s fingers stopped moving.
For a second, she forgot to breathe.
She slowly looked up.
Billy was still looking at her.
And this time—
he didn’t look away.
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