CARNIVORE [MxM+]

Chapter 3

Alexei Abbots.

Studying is much harder than it looks.

It's such an endless and irritating cycle that at this point it's harder than actually studying. At first, I'm so invested in what I'm learning because it's learning and its interesting, then somehow I'm too targeted on the conversation happening across the coffee shop that I shouldn't be listening to at all, and now I'm back to square one- trying to get invested in the first place. 

That's it, I don't care anymore.

I shut my laptop with enough force to shake the table (hopefully not enough to shatter the screen) and let out a quiet sigh in frustration. All at once I'm hit with all the doubt that's accumulated over the past 3 years of this damn degree and just like that I want to quit. For a second I feel overwhelmed and I panic, but then I remember what Dr. Salem told me. 

So I pick up my phone and make a call. The answer is nearly instant. 

"Hey, love. What's up?" Riley's tired voice floods my ears and I'm immediately met with ease. A few seconds go by before I remember I have to reply to him.

"Oh uhm, not much. I'm just stuck at the café. There anything you want while I'm here?" Riley's low laughter comes to life and I can't help the softening of my bad mood. 

"Slow down a bit, Alexei, I just woke up. But if you could just a coffee would do well, thanks." I smile at his request. I'll save the debate on dark or light coffee for later. 

"Done. Thanks for answering, Ri. I love you." 

"I love you too baby," he lets out a yawn. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What's up?"

"You're okay, Alexei. I believe in you." My body warms at his words. Of course, he knew, he always does. 

"Thanks. Thank you." After that, I hear the sound of the call ending, and I shut my phone off. Although the doubt still runs rampant, I can't help but take his words into consideration. Because when has Riley ever been wrong? 

... 

It's nearly four hours later (around 11 a.m. now) and I'm walking out of my beloved coffee shop with two coffees in hand and my earbuds in. After the conversation with Riley, I grew the confidence to keep going, so I did. My confidence came in the form of twenty-something pages of notes, fifteen dollars worth of coffee drank, and a slight headache. But I was extremely glad to have it done. 

One step at a time, Alex.

Thankfully the walk between the house and the coffee shop is only fifteen minutes, so it wouldn't be long before I'm in my bed resting. Maybe Riley is still asleep so I'll have some company. 

Unexpectedly, I collide decently hard with someone else and fall backward onto my ass. The reason I didn't even try to save myself was that I knew it'd hurt a whole lot more to have Riley's black coffee spill all over my front. After making sure that was secure, my mind immediately goes to the person I had run into, and I flip. An apology meets my lips before I even look up.

"I'm so sorry, Sir, are you okay?"

As soon as I'm on my feet I look up at the face of the man and freeze in my steps because the uniqueness of his face captures me completely. He's definitely good-looking. I stop and stare for a second as I take in the man's blank slated eyes paired with his thick eyebrows that are furrowed into a permanent look of anger. My look travels down his face as I take in his would-be straight nose if not for the slight crookedness of it, indicating it had been broken before. Just as I find his lips I notice the other unique aspect of his face- the fact that it's absolutely covered in damn near black bruises. My interest turns into alarm as I find the discoloring around his right eye and all over his cheekbones and jawline. Pair that with his split lip and a slightly swelled nose and he's got just the excuse I need to ask what happened to him. 

He's just about to keep walking when I ask, "Hey. . . What happened to you?" He stops again and his lifeless stare makes its way to my face. That's when I realize I recognize him. He's our college's halfback, I think. Tycho Black. 

I grow slightly nervous at his void-like expression. "Hey, I recognize you from the games. You're uhm, Tycho Black, right?" Just as I begin to think he can't hear me, he surprises me by contorting his face with anger. And the nervousness hits me full force. His jaw clenches hard and he nearly spits out the three words he says to me.

"Fuck off. Now." He shocks me so much that I barely notice him start to walk away. My legs are locked in place and I can hear my fucking heart beating through my fucking chest and I feel like I'm gonna explode by any second- 

but I breathe. 

And I breathe again. 

And then I get angry. So fuckin' angry.

I turn around and put my hand around his forearm. "Hey! You can't just be a dick, Man, I didn't fucking do anyth-" 

CRACK

I can't see as I fall backward, flat on my back this time. Riley's and my coffees fly through the air and explode on the sidewalk around me, some of the steaming liquid reaching my skin and leaving it sizzling. My head pounds and I just sit there for a second not knowing what happened but terror hits me full force and I start to crawl away from Tycho. 

What else is he going to do to me?

I finally look up at him and the pure fury in his eyes has me flinching away and crawling farther back. He's still got his fist in the position where it collided with my cheek and I can see it shaking with his anger. My heart stops as I'm not sure if he's gonna come at me again. He brings his arm to his side and I can see his entire body is now affected by his anger, his chest rising and falling quickly and shakily with his hands clenched into fists. 

Then he talks. Almost too low for me to hear it. 

"Stay the fuck. Away from me. Faggot." And I flinch again. My eyes drift down to the sidewalk next to the spilled drinks and I don't move until I'm sure he's left. My vision blurs as the pain in my face and arms worsens and Im so fucking overwhelmed that I just cover my head and lay down, not wanting to get back up. I pretend not to feel the tears dripping down my face onto the concrete. I really should have known. 

So what if I'm late home. 

Riley will just have to wait.