Tell Them I Was The Warmest Place You Knew, And How You Turned Me Cold.

Someone Once Told Me The World Was Gonna Try To Kill Me

   "I-I promise it's not what it looked like." I sputtered, beginning to trip over my own voice and my own feet. I had to catch myself on Leslie's shoulder as he traverses through the lobby towards the front desk, not slowing down for a second. So therefore I'm forced to try and keep up with his assholeness, which is about to result in me falling and flattening myself on the perfectly polished linoleum because he's too caught up in his mental cheating accusations to hear me out.

   "Ryleigh, you were in his arms. What do you expect me to think of that?" He exhorts with a shrug. 

We reach the front desk and I'm still left staring at my fiancee, dumbfounded by his irrevocable ability to be so oblivious and in his own world that I can't even explain what happened. Aghh! I didn't even want to be in this engagement. I've known the guy for two months! And we didn't even meet until the day our engagement was revealed! Which just like the fact that I'm attending Brimstone, came from nowhere and I knew nothing about! When I tried denying it and fighting the whole situation, my dad pulled me aside and told me that Leslie was the son of a Corporate CEO that he needed to be partners with to save the company because Drimm Inc. was "going down the drain". But that's not why I agreed to it. He also told me that after the wedding, he would help me find her. I'd finally see her again and he was the only one that had that kind of power to do that. So that's why I'm doing it. Not for the business. For her. So yeah, I have to deal with this pain in the ass until the day I die. Someone once told me the world was gonna try to kill me, I just didn't think it would be this painful. 

     I sigh and lean against the counter. The front lobbyist turns around to retrieve our individual apartment keys, and that's when I take my moment to speak.

    "Leslie," I said, making sure he was looking at me, "He caught me. I was about to scratch up this pretty little face you like so much and if it wasn't for Kel- *cough* that guy...it would've happened." I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for the save. "So if you would get it out of your head that I am going to do something to jeopardize this engagement, it would be highly appreciated."

    Leslie loosened his tense jaw and his eyes darted around my face for a few seconds, before letting a small loose smile curve his lips upward in forgiveness. "Yeah you're right."

That's it? Seriously. This guy needs some social lessons because since the engagement, he has literally said maybe 80 words to me. He even applied for a separate apartment! Not that I mind! But dude! Are you even a guy? Who wouldn't want to live in an apartment with a chick?

Maybe he's secretly gay.

  No no no. I've seen him at parties. Definitely not gay.

I give him a chuckle and a slight peck on the cheek (for show), before grabbing my key from the lobbyist and heading to the elevator. Haymich by this point had invested in a few busboys to help bring my things up, and I know he's not about to let me help him, so it'd probably be best for me to just head up to the apartment and get ready to tell them where to put things.

    Once inside the elevator with the doors closed, I let out a huge burst of breath that I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. God, first I bump into the guy I gave my v-card to, and then my arranged fiancee spots me with said-guy, looking like we were about to have sex in front of the building. Such a great start to an amazing school year! Small bits of laughter bounced off of the elevator as I thought about the situation and how if it weren't so serious, how funny it would actually be. Once my giggle fit was over, I glanced down at my apartment key to see the number 9 engraved into the base. Holy shit. My dad really got me the penthouse apartment. Man...really? I groaned and pressed the "9" elevator button. The cart jerked slightly before moving up. I've always had a thing with elevators. They make my stomach queasy, so I always hold the railings. And yes, that is still happening in this case. The slowness of the cart got my anxiety through the roof and right when I was about to have a full blown panic attack, the "9" button lit up, signalling my arrival. Then a small robotic voice spoke through the speakers, "Please input passcode to enter."