Mine

Chapter 3

All her anger came bubbling back. Oh, so you just conveniently forget the people you molest in the darkest hours of night? Must be a frequent practice huh? She furiously thought.

It was dark…a small righteous part of her meekly defended.

Not the point! The unrighteous, stubborn part countered.

You had trouble recognizing him too…

Whose side are you on?! Her internal monologue continued.

‘You.’, she accused in a low whisper, fed up of her sleep deprived brain.

He blinked and then slightly c****d his head, still waiting. In the daylight, she could easily say that the dim light in the dorm hadn’t done his features justice. If he hadn’t messed up her life, Aria cold very well be seen fanning herself with a dreamy look in her eyes. Rich, long eyelashes which could give any girl a serious complex framed his ocean green orbs; high, chiseled cheekbones that traced the path to sculpted soft lips that were at the moment slightly pressed, contemplating on her accusation.

‘I’m sorry. I’m being rude. I’m the girl you groped in the dead of night. Ring a bell?’, she said sweetly through clenched teeth. Aria was now aware that his friends had ceased all conversation and where now watching the exchange unfold in fascination.

She could see the moment recognition hit. His eyebrows shot up slightly on his otherwise still impassive face. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a-

‘So you’re the chick.’ One of the guys from behind him declared. Aria’s death glare shot to him; her eyes scanning her next victim. Victim number two, sat on the courtyard embankment; a wide amused smile playing across his friendly face. Usually it would have come across as an easygoing gesture but at the moment it only added to Aria’s irritation.

He caught he murderous glare and his smile faltered as his eyes darted to his friend who stood stone faced, before awkwardly getting up and extending a hand to Aria.

‘I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Will. Will Spencer.’, he began, attempting to reduce the tension.

Aria ignored his outstretched hand and turned her attention back to the one who rightfully deserved her anger.

Blake sighed, ‘Look, it really was a misunderstanding-‘

‘I know it was a misunderstanding. I saw the look on Claire Redding’s face.’, Aria said through clenched teeth.

‘Good. I apologize for groping you, which I didn’t, just by the way.’, he stated in a condescending tone that clearly overshadowed his pathetic attempt at an apology.

‘You were the one who started attacking me.’

He has the nerve to look astounded! She amazed.

‘I’m afraid I don’t speak creep. What would you do if someone starts feeling you up in the middle of the night?’, her voice significantly rising for her own soft spoken self.

The corners of his mouth twitched up and he opened his mouth to say something that Aria knew would be a cocky reply.

‘Don’t answer that.’, she interrupted and he features pulled into a slightly amused expression. Her hazel eyes were shooting daggers at him.

‘I came here to inform you that your little trespassing session has significantly ruined my life-‘, his eyebrows pulled up questioningly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

‘-because Miss Morris kicked me out for unorderly conduct!’

A surprised expression crossed his face as he blinked once, ‘She really kicked you out?’

‘No, I just get a kick out of telling people that she did. Yes, she kicked me out.’, she almost yelled.

He absorbed what she was saying for a moment, before bursting out into a fit of laughter. Aria was left shell shocked at his reaction.

‘You think this is funny?’, she seethed. She shot a glance towards his company, who were looking anywhere but at the two of them.

‘And what do you expect me to do?’, he asked composing himself.

‘I expect you to fix it.’, she crossed her arms.

‘How? You think that dragon would listen to me? If you didn’t pick up on it last night, I’m not exactly her favorite person.’, he retorted.

‘I don’t know. You did this. Now fix it.’

Aria knew he was becoming irritated. Good, feel it, she mused. He ran an exasperated hand through his hair.

‘What about the other dorms?’, he asked.

She shook her head, ‘Everything is taken and the one’s that aren’t are too expensive.’

‘Off-campus?’

‘Same, either it’s too far or really expensive. I’m here on a scholarship. It’s way out of my budget.’, she sighed.

‘Parents?’

Aria paused for a moment. ‘No.’, she simply stated.

‘I don’t see how I can do anything.’, he countered frustrated.

‘I’m homeless! Take some responsibility!’, she threw up her hands.

‘What do want from me?!’

‘Talk to her. Tell her it was nothing!’, Aria flung helplessly.

‘You could move in with Blake.’, a disinterested voice murmured.

‘What?’, both of them turned to Will in unison.

William Spencer was still leaning against the wall, only now looking up from the phone in his hands. He suddenly realized he had spoken his thoughts out loud as he looked up to find two pairs of annoyed eyes directed at him.

‘Uh… never mind.’, he said sheepishly, realizing he had spoken out of turn once again.

‘Oh would you look at the time.’, he looked down at his non-existent wristwatch. He swiftly shouldered his bag pack before scurrying off in the direction of the building and the rest of his gang followed suit, leaving the two staring each other down.

‘Fine, I’ll figure something out.’, he finally said, running his hand through his hair again.

‘Thank you.’, she murmured, relaxing her aggressive stance as she turned around to leave.

‘Wait.’, Blake called.

He shuffled uneasily as she stopped to face him a few feet away. ‘I umm…I don’t know your name.’, he said awkwardly.

‘Aria.’, she offered before turning around and walking towards her classes.

I can’t believe I’m doing this, Blake shook his head in disbelief. He was leaning against the front wall of the Design Centre waiting for Aria Roberts. He had cut out early from his last class of the day to try and solve this mess he had gotten himself in. Correction: Claire and alcohol had gotten him in. He still had trouble believing that he had actually fallen for her little vindictive scheme. It was a two way street, the games between Claire and him, but he had never before fallen for one. She had lured him in last night at the party with an I-want-you-for-just–one-more-night façade inviting him back to her dorm room and Blake, unable to keep it in his pants had danced along to her tune. The rest well, he didn’t want to relive. She clearly hadn’t gotten over their break-up and played on Blake’s attraction to her body as leverage to plot his ruin. Poor Aria had only been collateral damage and a very unfamiliar sense of righteousness was driving him to do the right thing.

He had spent the last hour trying to find suitable accommodation on and off campus. The ones left off campus were mostly coed, and something told him Aria wouldn’t go for it. The other off-campus accommodations, he had to admit, were pretty expensive. In his desperation, he had even returned to the dragon, trying to explain how it had all just been blown out of proportion. Morris had taken that as an offense, assuming Blake meant how she had blown it out of proportion, and she did not like that. Not one bit. The fact of the matter was that she had in fact blown it out of proportion, but unless he wanted to suffer a slow death in a barbeque pit, he wouldn’t dare say it to her face.

Disregarding his protests and clarifications, she had proceeded to lecture him on the general inability of his generation to respect order and rules; a lecture that seemed well rehearsed. By the end, Blake had somehow managed to make the woman angrier and he wasn’t quite sure what Aria was going back to that day. He winced. Well, she was the one who suggested I go talk to her, he defended stubbornly.

That left only one immediate option. He swore to clobber Will the next time he saw him for his oh-so helpful inputs that morning. He looked at his phone for the time; the last classes for the day would end in moments. He had been forced to go to the Administration Office to obtain information about Aria as he knew absolutely nothing about her but her dorm room, of course. No contact details, no last name, nothing. Facepalm. He had forgotten to ask her any of it during the encounter that morning.

Aria Roberts; majoring in Design and Applied Arts; first year student on an honour scholarship, which basically meant she had a 4.0 GPA in high school-

Just as his thoughts wandered in her direction, she walked out of the building among other design students. She wore a pair of dark slim fit jeans that molded her lean legs perfectly and a cut-off denim shirt in a lighter shade, leaving those toned, pale arms bare. He had noticed her that morning in a completely different light, no pun intended. Her rich chocolate hair tied up in to a ponytail; a few stray strands framing her perfect oval face; high cheekbones sheathed by flawless pale skin which didn’t hold an ounce of makeup; and finally those expressive hazel eyes that had pinned him to the spot that morning.

‘Aria.’, he called as she started walking ahead. She turned, taking a moment to spot him through the crowd, before walking towards him clutching some files to her chest. Blake looked over her to see a boy in thick rimmed glasses walking reluctantly behind her. Blake shot him a weird look, and the boy looked away Blake realized he had been walking with Aria.

She must’ve caught the exchange and politely introduced, ‘Oh, this is Jack.’

‘Blake.’, he returned tightly before turning to Aria who had an oddly hopeful look in her eyes.

‘Did you talk to her?’, she asked, her aggressive stance from this morning had long disappeared.

‘Define talk.’, he began cautiously.

Her face fell, before a sympathetic look crossed her features, ‘Did she yell at you?’

‘And then some.’, he admitted wearily before adding, ‘She might also have shortened your forty-eight hour grace period to say, I don’t know, twelve hours.’

Aria’s eyes widened in horror. Then she let out a deep sigh and looked down at the ground dejectedly. ‘Great.’, she murmured toeing one of her converse clad feet in a surprisingly adorable gesture.

‘Anything else?’, she finally asked.

‘Not really. There are some dingy coed dorms off campus-‘, she shook her head. ‘-Yeah, I didn’t think so.’

‘So-‘, he took a deep breath as she looked up waiting for him to continue

‘-move in with me.’