The lie 2
936 Words
"Which one is it Lena? boyfriend or roommate?"
Lena felt sick to her stomach. Her mind was racing, desperately trying to find a way out of the trap. She took a quick step away from Ivan’s chest, clearing her throat and trying to force a normal smile.
"He was my boyfriend," Lena lied immediately trying to make her voice believable. "But we broke up, and now he's just... my room mate." She continued, seeing they didn't try to interrupt her.
"Housing department made a mistake with his accommodation, so we're sharing... believe it or not, it's quite complicated."
Chloe raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing a single word of it. She looked Ivan up and down, staring at his broad shoulders and that tight white shirt.
"Sharing? At Kingsford? Since when do they put guys with freshmen?" She stepped closer, a mean look in her eyes. "And if he's your ex and only a room mate, why did you hug him just now?"
"I tripped!" Lena snapped, trying to contain her anger and nervousness at once. "Look, Chloe, we have to get to class. Excuse us."
"Sure, whatever you say, Lena." Chloe replied, finally putting her phone down.
"See you during lunch." She waved lazily and walked past them, her group whispering and giggling all the way down the hall.
The second they stepped out, Lena turned around to face Ivan. She was very furious for trying to make her look like a liar.
"Are you insane?" she started, keeping her voice as low as possible. "Why the hell did you say you were my roommate? I had it covered!"
"You had nothing covered," Ivan said smoothly, totally unbothered by her yelling. "Saying I'm your boyfriend makes me a target for anyone looking for you." he continued, "A roommate could have saved you all the unnecessary explanation. It keeps people from asking why I'm always following you."
"Well, now she thinks I'm a liar!" Lena muttered, shoving past him and walking fast away from him.
Ivan hurriedly took his bag from the couch and locked the door. He easily caught up, his long legs matching her fast pace.
"Let her think what she wants. My job is to keep you alive, not popular."
"And why would you be friends with girls like that?" he asked.
"We're not friends!" she snapped.
The morning sun was bright, and students were everywhere. As they walked, Lena noticed something immediately; every single girl they passed openly turned around to stare at Ivan. Even in dark jeans and a plain t-shirt, he was a total magnet.
George and Diane were already waiting at the school gate. George, a medicine major, was holding a massive textbook with his bag on his shoulders, while Diane was looking over her psychology notes.
"Damn, Lena," George muttered, looking Ivan up and down with a whistle. "How did you get a boyfriend overnight?" he asked, "Seems Chloe's words really got to you." he added
"Don't start, George," Lena warned, her cheeks still red from the morning's disaster.
"Sweet jeez, who's this hottie Lena?"
Lena rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourselves guys, he's just a bodyguard."
Diane leaned in, giving Lena a little nudge. "Good luck in Law, babe. Try not to let him distract you too much."
Lena said goodbye to her friends and walked into the grand Law building. Ivan was right behind her. Because she was studying law, her father had pulled enough strings to ensure Ivan's fake transfer papers placed him in her exact schedule.
The lecture hall was completely packed when they entered. The moment Ivan stepped through the door, the girls in the front rows sat up straighter, their eyes glued to him.
The professor clapped his hands for order. "Quiet down, everyone. We have a late addition to our constitutional law section. This is Ivan Voss, a transfer student. Ivan, take any empty seat."
Ivan didn't say a word. He just nodded and walked down the aisle, every girl in the room tracking his move.
He passed several open spots until he reached the row right behind Lena, sliding into the seat directly behind her.
As the professor turned to the board and started talking, Lena tried to focus. But she suddenly felt a familiar, uncomfortable wetness in her underwear.
'Great. What an excellent timing' she thought.
It must be her ovulation cycle, but the timing couldn't be worse.
Within fifteen minutes, the dampness became completely unbearable and sticky against her skin. She couldn't sit still.
Unable to take it anymore, Lena raised her hand.
The professor stopped mid-sentence, looking over his glasses with a heavy sigh. "Yes, Miss West? Don't tell me you need another bathroom break. You always seem to have an excuse to leave my lectures early."
A few girls in the row next to her started whispering and laughing loudly.
Behind her, Ivan leaned close. His deep, smooth voice brushed right against the back of her neck, making her shiver.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
Lena turned her head back slightly, her eyes filled with annoyance.
'If he keeps talking to me, the whole class is going to realize he’s not just a regular transfer student'
"Nothing, stay out of it."
Determined to get out of the room before it grew any worse, Lena grabbed her bag, pushed her chair back, and stood up to walk out.
Some students started giggling and whispering at once. Lena stood confused, she looked around and her heart literally stopped as she realized every single eye in the room was staring directly at her.
'Okayyyy, what is going on?'
- Writer
