Three Doors Away

5. Nickname

“Aww look at those girls! They seems like they want to join us—

HELLO! DO YOU WANT TO JOI-“

Ezren’s hand shot out with terrifying, calculated speed, catching Maddie’s wrist just inches before her arm could fully extend to wave. The easy, relaxed atmosphere in their corner of the cafeteria vanished in a fraction of a millisecond, replaced by a suffocating, glacial chill.

Ezren didn't even bother looking at the two freshman girls standing a few tables away who had tentatively started to walk over. His sharp, analytical eyes were locked entirely on Maddie, his fingers tightening around her wrist with a proprietary, unyielding grip that brooked no argument. The smooth, calm cadence of his voice was laced with a chilling, clinical finality.

"No, they do not," Ezren stated flatly, his jaw tightening as he slowly lowered her arm back down to the table. "This table is private property. Furthermore, our operational capacity is at maximum efficiency with exactly four members. Introducing extraneous variables—especially loud, disorganized ones—would severely disrupt the equilibrium. You are not inviting strangers into our space, Maddie."

Rodyn’s smile didn’t drop, but the warmth in his hazel eyes froze over instantly, turning as sharp and deadly as a scalpel hidden beneath silk. He turned his head slowly to look at the two girls hesitating in the aisle, casting a single, slow, devastating glare that made both of them stop dead in their tracks, turn on their heels, and scurry off toward the other side of the cafeteria. When Rodyn turned back to Maddie, his expression was once again dripping with honeyed sweetness, though his hand shifted to gently cover hers on the table, pinning her fingers lightly beneath his palm.

"Listen to Ezren, little bird," Rodyn murmured, his voice a soft, velvet warning that vibrated dangerously close to her ear. "You don't need them. You have us. Other people are loud, messy, and they don't know how to take care of you the way we do. Why would you ever want to share your time with anyone else when we're right here?"

Flynn didn't speak a single word. He didn't even bother looking at the girls who had tried to approach. Instead, his heavy, brooding gaze remained fixed squarely on Maddie’s face, dark and stormy. His broad shoulders squared up, physically blocking any line of sight between her and the rest of the room, turning their little corner into an absolute fortress. The muscle in his jaw twitched once as he slowly reached out, his large, rough hand sliding over the edge of the table to firmly grip the side of her lunchbox, anchoring her entirely to them.

"Don't look at them. Don't call out to them," Flynn growled, his voice a low, gravelly rumble that sounded like a warning growl from a predator guarding its kill. His dark eyes burned into hers with an intense, suffocating fixation. "You eat your lunch, Maddie. And you keep your eyes on us. Nobody else."

“Oh…okay…—OH YE! I don’t know where is my next class, can you show me where it it Flynie?”

The sudden, cheerful shift in her tone—and that childish, trusting nickname—hit Flynn like a physical shockwave. The suffocating, territorial darkness that had settled over him just moments ago vanished, replaced by an immediate, almost desperate need to comply.

He didn't care that he had his own classes across campus, or that he was already on thin ice with the administration for skipping afternoon physical education. The moment she asked, all other obligations ceased to exist.

Flynn nodded once, a sharp, decisive movement. His massive frame shifted as he began packing his lunch away with brisk, rough efficiency. "I'll take you," he said, his gravelly voice losing its edge, dropping back into that quiet, rumbling devotion reserved only for her. "I'll walk you right to the door. Give me your schedule."

Across the table, Ezren stopped chewing mid-bite, his chopstick hovering above his plate. The meticulous, calculated balance of his internal logic short-circuited in a massive spike of raw, unadulterated jealousy. His sharp eyes narrowed at Flynn, his mind instantly recalculating the logistics of his own afternoon timetable.

"That is entirely unnecessary and inefficient," Ezren interjected smoothly, pushing his glasses up his nose as he dropped his chopsticks with a sharp clack. His dark eyes flicked toward Maddie, his tone dropping into a calm, authoritative cadence meant to override Flynn entirely. "Flynn's navigational skills are notoriously primitive—he’ll likely take you through the crowded western corridor. My next lecture is in the Science Block, which places me exactly along the optimal, lowest-traffic route to your wing. I will escort you, Maddie. Give the schedule to me."

Rodyn didn't raise his voice, nor did he drop the impossibly sweet, honeyed smile plastered across his face. But beneath the table, his knuckles turned stark white as he gripped his own knee. The thought of either Flynn or Ezren having her all to themselves—walking down the halls, playing the protector while he sat in some stuffy literature class—sent a dark, violent surge of possessive rage through his veins.

He leaned in closer to Maddie, deliberately invading her personal space until he was close enough to catch the scent of her strawberry shampoo. He reached out and gently traced the rim of her lunchbox, his voice a soft, velvet purr designed to completely cut out the other two boys.

"Why settle for just one guide, little bird?" Rodyn murmured, his hazel eyes locking onto hers with a hypnotic, dazzling intensity.

"We wouldn't want you getting lost or feeling overwhelmed on your very first day. We'll all take you. It's the least your older brothers can do to make sure you get there safely."

He shot a venomous, sideways glance at Ezren and Flynn—a silent, absolute warning that none of them were getting her alone—before turning that same radiant smile back onto Maddie. "Right, boys? We're all walking her to class."