Beyond Good and Evil

Chapter 7: Rivalry

An electronic sound woke Alicia from her sleep. She clenched her eyes shut and rolled, right onto the hard floor.

She yelped, sitting up, seeing a pair of bare feet on the carpet, toes twitching every now and then. The sounds changed and became higher, lower, and different. Some of the sounds were familiar to Alicia, only without the guitars, drums and bass being layered on top.

"Moooooorning," Robert smiled, looking up from his laptop. He was perched in a black leather armchair, wearing a pair of ripped jeans and no shirt. That smile was Alicia's weak point. He didn't smile often, but when he did, he could light up all of Stockholm at night. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your sleep."

Alicia rose to her feet, yawning and stretching her arms behind her head. Her blazer was neatly folded on the back of a kitchen chair, alongside her tie and stockings. She raised an eyebrow.

"I undressed you," he smirked. "Well, not fully, but you were sweating pretty heavily."

The chip tunes ceased, and Robert rose from his comfortable place, looking her up and down. The bright sunlight filtered through the windows, catching his blue-grey eyes. Alicia made a mental note of the morning, and the environment. So far she had observed that his eyes were greenish in the evening, and now blue-grey in the morning, inside.

"What time is it?" she yawned, covering her mouth with one hand.

Robert took a brief glance at his phone. "7 am."

"Fuck!" Alicia cussed, hastily ripping her folded clothes and pulling them on, halfway through stumbling through the front door. "I have to go! I'm sorry!"

Before she could make it out the driveway, Robert tackled her onto the grass, pinning her down. "Oh no you don't."

She struggled underneath him, but he was far too heavy. She slapped his arms in protest, giving him the dirtiest, most disgusted look she could manage. Around them, birds chirped and flew across the sky, their wings flapping loudly in the still day. Kids rode past on their bikes, almost crashing into fences as their attention was emphasised to the two.

"I have uni!" She protested, fake crying. She sounded like a whiny child. "Robert!"

He leaned forward, his lips merely inches from hers.... And whispered in her ear. "I knew I could make you call my name, one way or another, Ms Stellar."

Just then, the sprinklers turned on, drenching them both with water. Alicia squealed, feeling the cold sensation on her sensitive areas through her thin layered blouse. Robert on the other hand chuckled, lapping it up, tilting his head back with his eyes closed.

"I hate you!" Alicia bellowed, half stumbling to her feet. "I have to go to uni looking like this!"

Robert shrugged, snickering, his torso now damp with droplets of water. Alicia urged to fling herself at him, and take him on the grass for everyone to see. If only she could run her tongue over his chest, to feel the texture of his hair on her taste buds. She became hot and flustered just thinking about it.

Robert sobered, pulling on a black Rise of A Digital Nation t-shirt. "Alright, I'll drive you to uni."

"Thank you." she glared, wrapping her blazer tighter around her frame in an attempt to dry off. It too was soaked, much to her exasperation.

The dark blue Volvo blinked orange, alerting her that he had unlocked it. Hesitantly, she pulled open the passenger side door and slid in, checking herself over in the small mirror. Her aqua blue hair was soaked almost ocean blue, hanging in damp straggly waves over her shoulders and chest. Her face was pale, no evidence of the foundation she had applied yesterday masking her features. Curious brown eyes blinked back at her, serious thick eyebrows drawing together in thought.