Breathe

Chapter Four

The rest of the week continues uneventfully, that is if you consider Seth not leaving my side except for when his own classes clashed with mine and bathroom breaks uneventful. I don't know who he thinks he is, but the way he has been hovering around my lately like a guardian angel confuses me. Don't get me wrong, I find myself loving his company, but that's also the problem, I don't want to become too reliant on him because it means it will only hurt all the more when he turns me away soon.

On Thursday, my last class of the day finishes at one and as is now a ritual, Luce and all the guys congregate in the cafeteria. Seth however, who I'd recently discovered was studying a degree in business, has a class until two.

After the first day, I'd begun making salads and other meals to take to be safe when it came to lunch, I figured a turkey sandwich would get dull pretty quickly. Today, I brought a simple salad with cucumber, capsicum and chickpeas strewn through the lettuce and to be fair, I wasn't too keen to eat even this.

I prepare to take off the lid of my salad but before I can its snatched from my hands and in its place is something wrapped in alfoil. There's a napkin with the green words 'Zambrero' on a diagonal.

Someone whips a kiss onto my cheek and as I turn I notice Seth backing away with my salad in his hands. "Eat it, love it, you'll thank me later, Doe!" He spins on his heels and runs out the doors, obviously in an attempt to make it to his class before ten past. Tingles spread through me at the name, which has grown on me. It's a bittersweet feeling the way my body warms but my heart stings every time the nickname escapes his lips.

The occupants of the table all stare at me in shock while I stare in confusion at the place Seth was a few seconds ago.

"Did that really just happen?" I ask, bewilderment written all over Mason's face. "Did Seth 'Stone' King just do something for someone else and not expect anything in return?"

Everyone around the table from the several lacrosse guys, Charlie, Luce and Mason burst into laughter but you can tell they are still in shock and to say the least, so am I. Whilst Seth had shown me that he had a kind side from the way he looks out for me and the respectful way he treats me, he had never done this before, or kissed me on the cheek for that matter.

I look around at the rest of the cafeteria and see most of them are staring at me with confusion adoring their own faces. I'd heard the rumours about Seth from Luce and Charlie, he was—is—a man-whore, has an endless line of women waiting for the opportunity to score a relationship, hell a fuck, with him. The last rumour I'd be told is that he doesn't kiss anyone unless they're fucking, and even then, it's never the lips. But that's only what I've heard, it is yet to be confirmed. I flush, oh if only I could confirm it without being thrown away the next day. I shake my head, forcing myself to stop thinking about how rapidly my heart is expanding as his warmth fills me gradually each day that passes. Soon, my heart would not belong to me anymore and that isn't the best when you've already lost your mind.

As I look around the cafeteria, my eyes catch those of someone glaring at me with such hatred in those fiery pits. I nudge Luce nonchalantly and murmur, "Who's that?"

As she follows my gaze to the dark-haired chick who continues to stare daggers at me, she sucks in a sharp breath. "Don't worry about Naomi, she used to have a thing with Seth. I could imagine she's pissed all Seth's attention has been on you the last couple of days and now he's also kissed you. It's more attention than she ever got from him. I would do my best to stay away from her though, she's drama."

"That's going to be hard..." I say slowly and as Luce turns to me asking 'why' I continue, "... because she's walking right over here."

Naomi saunters over, exaggerating the sway of her hips as she does so. It's undeniable that she's eye-catching as the guys turn their heads in unison and check out her ass in the pink lace-up skirt she wears as she passes.