Obsession - A Judd BirchxFem Reader Stalker Dark Romance

Prologue

It started innocently enough.

A borrowed pencil freshman year of high school. First day of class. Judd turned around in his seat to scavenge one out of his backpack, and when there was none to be found, there you were sitting behind him ready to save the day.

"I got you." You smiled through bubblegum scented chapstick that Judd found himself daydreaming about the sheen of that afternoon.

You began to hand him your own mint green mechanical pencil — the nice ones. The ones that come two to a pack and cost five bucks for a pair. And Judd hesitated just for a moment before reaching up to grab the eraser end of that pencil, only to have it snatched right out of his grasp.

"Wait!" You said, wide eyed and excited. "Hold on, just wait!"

You'd leaned down to pop open the pencil box in your backpack, and maybe it'd been Maury growling in his ear at the time, but Judd couldn't help but to notice the way your hair fell in front of your face. How you looked up at from below and smiled, lighting a fire deep down inside of him that he couldn't extinguish even a decade later.

"Here, take this one." You said while popping back up in your seat and holding a similar but not identical pencil before you.

This one, black. The exact same in every way, but painted black, just like the song. Just like everything else that Judd adorned. You'd taken him into consideration, and no one had ever done that before.

Thus began his obsession.

He took classes he had no interest in. For four years he sat through Creative Writing I, II, and III. Art History was a drag, and Pottery was even worse. He hated the way the clay caked up beneath his fingernails — but it was worth it.

Judd sat directly behind you in every class. He admired the shine of your hair and liked it best pulled back into a ponytail. Then he could see the curve of your neck, how your soft flesh molded onto your shoulder. He watched the muscles in your arms flex and relax as you worked your wet fingers into the clay, determined to create such beautiful masterpieces.

And on the lucky days, when the Gods chose him as their favorite, you'd lean forward just a bit. It felt like you were doing it for him, as it was just enough. Just enough for your shirt to ride up the small of your back, just enough for Judd to catch a glimpse of those two little dimples that were indented above your jeans, just enough to keep his cravings out of reach.

Come college, things escalated.

Judd didn't go, of course. Or at least, he wasn't enrolled.

He hung out around campus, sprayed graffiti on walls and trash cans, attended more frat parties than he ever dreamed of being present for. Any unsuspecting eye would have assumed that he was just a student, and you were unsuspecting.

You didn't seem to even notice him after that first day freshman year, and that made his game all the more fun.

It didn't matter how close he got, you never saw him. Judd was the wolf in sheep's clothing, the sinner amongst saints. He watched from the corners of house parties while you snorted coke off of coffee tables, then followed behind you in his Jeep to ensure that you made it home safe and sound. He peered in through the window of your apartment that you always kept open and watched you undress, always with your back turned to him, and always into that oversized Whitesnake t-shirt that you never seemed to grow into.

The next morning, he'd watch you slap your alarm silent and rush to make it to your nine o'clock lecture.

It wasn't until after college when life really slowed down.

That was when he got to simply admire you.

That was when he decided to make his next move.