Older Brothers | Mafia Overprotective

chapter nine - group project

It was Saturday, and my friends from Economics were supposed to come over later for the group project. The group chat was buzzing as usual, filled with the usual banter and last-minute checks.

"Hey, Isa, you got your part ready?" Amaya texted.

"I'm good," I replied. "Just need to finalize a few things."

"Same," Amaya responded. "Prepared as much as I could."

"I'm good too," Ethan chimed in. "All set for the first part."

Then there was Marcus: "I'll finish mine at your place."

I laughed softly to myself. Marcus always left things for the last minute, though it didn't surprise me. I rolled my eyes as he asked, "What's your address?"

"Sending my location now," I texted, before sharing my live location in the chat. A chorus of "We'll be there in a few hours" followed.

With that settled, I had some time to kill. There wasn't much else to do until they arrived, so I headed to the library. Over the past few days, I'd worked my way through most of the books on the lower shelves. I was spending so much time in here, getting lost in the pages, that it had become my sanctuary. Today, though, I needed a book from the top shelf, and that was proving to be a problem.

I stretched up on my toes, jumping to reach Don Quixote. My fingers barely grazed the edge of the spine before I lost my balance. Letting out a small huff of frustration, I tried again—this time, missing it entirely. My groan of annoyance echoed in the quiet library. Turning around to find the ladder, I bumped straight into someone.

A soft laugh filled the space, and my heart leapt in my chest. I looked up, eyes wide, only to meet Xavier's amused gaze. His smile, the one that always managed to unravel something deep inside me, lingered there—gentle, almost teasing.

"Which one were you trying to get?" he asked, voice smooth and easy, like he hadn't just completely thrown my thoughts off track.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Why was it that every time I was around him, my mind turned to mush? I hated it—how the air between us always seemed to shift, how my stomach twisted in ways I couldn't control. Having a crush was maddening, really. It made everything more intense—the fluttering in my chest, the way my breath caught when he looked at me like that.

"Don Quixote," I finally managed to say, my voice a little too quiet.

Xavier chuckled, reaching up effortlessly to grab the book. "I've heard it's a complex read."

I smiled, trying to keep it casual, though my pulse was racing. "I hope so."

He handed it to me, and instead of walking away, he took a seat opposite me. I felt my heartbeat quicken, and I cursed myself inwardly for how nervous he made me feel.

"Why do you sit on the floor?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in genuine curiosity.

I shrugged, looking around the cozy library. "I like being surrounded by the books."

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You're strange, you know that?"

I rolled my eyes, pretending like his comment didn't make my stomach do a flip. As I shifted to sit with the book in my lap, he smirked, eyes dropping to my outfit.

"You should probably put on some pants," he said, a teasing glint in his eyes.

I frowned, glancing down at what I was wearing—a large, oversized sweatshirt that completely covered the shorts underneath. Paired with my thigh-high boots, the shorts were pretty much invisible.