Almost Always You

Chapter 8

It was Monday again. I was dreading it, mostly because I had to face Xander.

I made my way to Literature and sat down in my regular spot. Mr. Tucker came in, and the class began. Xander wasn't there yet.

Mr. Tucker flirted with me, and the girls who were fascinated by him looked at me with disgust. I was feeling uncomfortable.

If Xander were here, I would have felt safe.

I shouldn't think about him. After what I said to him the last time, I didn't think he would try to protect me.

Soon, the class was over. Xander never showed up.

I ignored the possibility that he might have skipped class because of me and went to my next class.

My day finally came to an end, and I went back to my dorm. Mercy was lying on her bed with a book in her hand.

"Hey! How was your day?" she asked.

"It was quiet."

Quiet? Why did I say that?

Mercy laughed.

"Okay, if you say so. Well, my day was really good. I got an A on my assignment, and we didn't get a new one for the week, so I'm going to be free this week," she said happily.

I changed and caught up on my work. I had two assignments, so I was going to be pretty busy.

Mercy went to the showers and came back a little later. She got dressed.

"I'm going to the frat house to hang out with Josh. Would you like to come?" she asked.

I couldn't go because then I would have to see Xander, and I wasn't in the mood to pick a fight with him.

"No, you carry on. I have lots of studying to do. Plus, unlike you, I've got two assignments to submit this week."

"Okay. If you change your mind or get bored, you can come and hang out with us."

Then she left.

I got back to my work, but I couldn't focus. All I could think about was Xander kissing me. His soft lips on mine, how passionately he kissed me, and how tenderly he placed hot, wet kisses on my neck...

I shook my head vigorously.

I cannot work like this.

I got up, grabbed my jacket, and went out, deciding to get some coffee.

I walked toward the coffee shop. As I entered, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee instantly refreshed my mind.

I placed my order and sat down at the very back, where no one could see me. I just wanted some peace.

My order number was called. I took my coffee and sat back down.

I was scrolling through my phone when I heard familiar voices.

I looked up and saw Xander, Peter, Harry, and some other frat boys.

I pulled my hood over my head.

I don't want them coming over to me. I just want some alone time.

But, to my bad luck, Harry saw me and pointed toward me.

Everyone turned to look at me.

Xander's eyes met mine, and for a few seconds, he didn't move. Neither did I.

Finally, he looked away.

Peter made his way toward me, followed by everyone else.

This is not what I wanted.

Peter sat beside me. Xander sat at the far end. He took out his phone and started scrolling through it.

"What are you doing all alone?" Peter asked.

"I just came out for coffee. I was about to leave when you guys came in. I didn't want to be rude, so I waited here until you guys sat down. I should go now," I said, gathering my phone and coffee.

Thank God it was a takeaway cup.

"Wait, sit down. Spend some time with us," Harry said.

"Sorry, but I've got two assignments this week. Not to sound like a nerd, but I don't want to be late with my submissions. I'll hang out with you guys on the weekend. I promise, but I have to go."

With that, I got up and left.

I made my way slowly toward my dorm, enjoying the evening breeze and my wonderful coffee.

I entered my room. Mercy was still not back.

I settled down and was about to continue my work when there was a light knock on the door.

I thought maybe it was Mercy, who had forgotten her keys.

I opened the door, only to come face-to-face with Xander.

"We need to talk," he said as he entered my room.

I closed the door.

"I thought we talked about everything on Friday night. What's left to say?" I asked.

"You talked that night, not me. You didn't give me a chance to talk, so today I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen," he said sternly, pointing his finger toward me.

I stayed quiet.

"What happened between us that night shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry. I hope you'll accept my apology. It will never happen again. I swear, I didn't mean for it to happen."

Hearing him say that made me feel even worse.

He thought it was a mistake, but for me, it was something I'd wished for since... I don't know, forever.

I still didn't say anything, so he continued.

"I promise that I'll never come between you and any other guy. You can date anyone. I'm going to quit Literature, so you don't have to worry about seeing me in class. I'll keep my distance from you."

We just stared at each other for a few seconds.

I didn't know what to say to him.

"Don't quit the class because of me. I don't think you quitting the class would be a solution to our problem. Mr. Tucker doesn't like you, and quitting would make things more problematic for you and your career. If you want, I can quit and take the class next semester."

That's all I could say.

I didn't want him to jeopardize his career because of me.

"Okay. I'll come to class, but you don't have to quit," was all he said.

The next day, Xander was back in Literature. He sat beside me as usual.

There was an awkwardness and tension between us.

The class began soon after.

Mr. Tucker was not happy to see Xander, so he targeted him as usual. Xander was about to react, but I held his hand under the desk, indicating for him to stop.

He looked at our hands and then at me.

The way he looked at me was so intoxicating. I got goosebumps all over my body.

I pulled my hand away and focused on what Mr. Tucker was saying about our new assignment.

"So, your next assignment will be done in pairs. The list of your partners has been displayed on the notice board, along with your assignment topic. The pairs have been selected by the administration, so before any of you ask, no, you cannot change your partner. Work with who you've been assigned. That's it for today. You have two weeks before the submission. You can all leave."

Mr. Tucker dismissed the class.

We all made our way toward the notice board to see who our partners were.

I was secretly wishing for Xander and me to end up together because it would help us clear up the tension between us. And I didn't think Mr. Tucker would fail both of us.

So, it was a win-win situation.

I hoped my partner was Xander.

I was excited when I saw the list, but one look at Xander's face made it clear that he wasn't happy about something.

I walked toward him.

"Now that we're paired, we should decide where and when to do the assignment. I don't want to wait until the last moment, and don't expect me to do your work too."

"Fine. We'll meet every other day at my place."

"Why your place? Why not mine? Yours is always filled with strangers. It would be hard to focus," I said.

"Okay. How about this? Tonight, we'll meet at my place, and the next time, we'll do it at yours. Is that alright, my princess?" he said, smiling.

His smile disappeared when he realized what he'd just called me.

The awkwardness was back.

Before it became unbearable, I said, "Okay. I'll be there by six-thirty. You better be free, and I don't want anyone disturbing us while we're studying."

"Trust me, no one enters my room without my permission. I'll tell everyone not to disturb us. But they'll think that we're going to have s*x," he said with a smirk.

I was happy to see him back to normal.

I just rolled my eyes and walked away.

After my classes, I went back to my dorm. I decided to take a nap before heading to the frat house.

I slept for about an hour.

I woke up and took a shower. I was ready by six, but I didn't want to show up early, as it would give him the impression that I was eager to spend time with him.

I was making sure that I had everything when Mercy came in.

"b***h, I'm going to kill that librarian. She's so rude! Like, I'm not talking, and she's like, 'Shh! Don't talk!' I'm not talking. I'm not the one talking!" she shouted.

She then noticed that I was dressed and ready to go.

"Where are you going? You're all dolled up."

"Mr. Tucker gave us an assignment. My partner is Xander, so I'm going to the frat house to work on it with him."

"Oh, really?" she asked, smiling weirdly at me.

"Yes. And why are you smiling like that?"

"Nothing. It's just that when Xander has a study date, it means it's a s*x date. That's how it always works. I mean, girls ask him to study with them because they know they'll end up having sex."

"Well, it's not going to happen with us because I'm not like those dumb girls who would do anything to have s*x. I'm serious about my studies, and I have dignity."

I paused.

"I'm not saying having s*x means that a person doesn't have dignity. It just means that if they want to have s*x, they should ask for it. I'm sure Xander will satisfy them, so why use studying as an excuse?"

"Alright! Alright! Ella doesn't take every little thing seriously. You have to chill sometimes. Now, I suggest you leave. I have a major headache because of that librarian, so I'm going to take a nice, long nap. See ya."

I left the dorm and walked toward the frat house.

I thought about what Xander and Mercy had said about people thinking we were going to have s*x.

I mean, I was attracted to Xander, and I did have a crush on him, but that didn't mean I was going to have s*x with him.

It's not like I wanted to be in love before having s*x. I didn't believe in waiting until marriage and stuff, but the person I was going to have s*x with should know what they were doing and should satisfy me.

I reached the frat house.

Xander was sitting on the couch. He stood up and walked toward me.

"You're on time. Let's go upstairs to my room," he said.

"Where are you going, babe?" Nikki asked.

I hadn't noticed her sitting there until she spoke.

"We're going to work on our Literature assignment. You know how much I want to pass this class. So, no one disturbs us," he said.

He made his way upstairs, and I followed him.