Foolosophy

Chapter 05

"Blake?"

"Arya." He stated, almost as if he was testing how her name would roll off his tongue.

She gave him a firm nod, confirming that it was her. He took an inviting step forward, but almost as if on instinct, she took one back. Perhaps it was his highly intimidating figure or the fact that he had previously been completely oblivious to her presence- she didn't know which.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I swear." He raised his hands up in defense.

"I know," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. On the contrary, somewhere inside her, the reassurance she gave him seemed to falter. Arya was not afraid of him physically hurting her, but emotionally damaging her. It had taken her months to get used to the idea of her first love being happier with someone that wasn't her, and she wasn't sure she could handle another commitment. Standing before the guy whose picture she had stared at for days together seemed nothing short of a dream, and yet, Arya found herself slowly easing into the comfort he radiantly oozed.

"So....what brings you here?" Blake asked in an attempt to fill the momentary gap.

"University. First year," she stated, oddly proud of herself for getting into a prestigious institution.

"University College London? Holy fucking shit. That's amazing!" He laughed, fascination glinting his eyes.

"Thanks, I guess. It's not that big of a deal, considering how you go there too."

"Have you been stalking me, Arya?" he said, raising a brow. She caught the playfulness in her voice and resisted the compulsion to roll her eyes.

"Are you trying to be funny, Blake?"

"I'm not trying. You know I am- don't deny it." He chortled, before adding, "Would you like to walk with me?"

The confidence Blake emitted was enough to have Arya sheepishly nodding her head, accepting his offer. She took a step around curb, soon finding him walking perfectly in sync with her movements. Arya kept her head up straight, fighting the urge to look at him.

It was not a surprise that he was just as perfect as she had imagined him to be. Perhaps not a perfect human being, but a simple derivation of the same in her eyes.

"Arya?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"I'm glad I found you."

The rawness of his words left her baffled, engulfing her into a sense of warmth and security. She looked up at him in awe as words escaped her. Arya gave him a small but genuine smile, before gleefully hitting his arm.

"Sure, because you recognized me so well at the club, right?"

"That was a genuine mistake. Please believe me. I swear I'll make it up to you." His apologetic expression coupled with his dazzling oceans made Arya cave in, accepting almost immediately. She rolled her eyes as she skillfully avoided a puddle and came back on track beside him.

"I believe, Mr. Blake, you owe me a favor."

"That's Mr. Wilcox to you, little one. Apparently I do. What would you like?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Unless you own an extravagant apartment and have a butler, I'm afraid you're just Blake to me." She winked, before continuing, "As for the favor, I aim to cash it in later, when I truly need you."

"Ouch. Truly need me? That's goodbye for now, then, huh?" He faked a heartache, before stopping dead in his tracks.

Arya chuckled and continued her strides, before noticing the absence beside her. She turned around to watch him stiff as a statue, right where he had initially stopped. Blake's face was drained of all emotion as a frightening glare replaced his seemingly lost playfulness. Confusion clouded her senses, making her unable to perceive whether he had been joking of not.