Finding Amity

Chapter 13

The group echoed some "goodbye"s as I made my way out of the apartment. It wasn't too far from campus, maybe a 15 minute walk. I pulled the sleeves of my shirt over my fists and headed on my way.

"You walking back to campus?" A thick southern accent sounded from behind me. I turned to see a guy in salmon pink shorts and a white button up, walking just a couple steps behind me.

I laughed nervously, "Uh, yeah." I turned back to my path and continued walking, this time a little bit faster. He caught up to me and started walking beside me.

"Its a pretty far walk. I can give you a ride if you want." I don't know if it was the dim glow of the streetlight or my the fear solidifying in my chest, but his pearly white smile appeared sinister.

"I think I'm okay." I mumbled. My hand reached down to my back pocket, wrapping tightly around my phone.

"No, really. My car is a couple blocks away."

My mind raced, trying to come up with some excuse.

"I don't want to get back before my resident assistant goes to sleep." I suggested. "If I walk I should be back after she's gone to bed. I don't want to get in trouble."

"Oh, well if you wanna stay out later..." He started, his eyes trailing down my body, an action that sent daggers of fear through my chest. "I live nearby, we can go there and hang out."

Maybe he was just trying to help. He only brought up going back to his place after I said I didn't want get back to my dorm just yet.

"No, I don't think so." I uttered cautiously, trying to be as polite as possible.

"But-"

"She said no." A deep voice called out from behind me. I turned to Isaac who was standing with his fist clenched beside him.

"Dude, we're good out here. You can go back to the party." The guy said before facing to me. "Lets just go, it's only a couple blocks away."

"Dude," Isaac growled, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him back, away from me. "You're not taking her anywhere." My eyes practically popped out of my head as Isaac snaking his arm around my waist and guided me forward.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a hushed whisper.

"Stopping you from getting kidnapped." He grumbled. "But you probably won't be grateful for that either."

I bit my tongue and continued down the road. I looked over my shoulder to the guy, who had now left.

"He's gone." I informed Isaac. "You can remove your arm now."

He pulled his arm back in and put his hands in his pants pockets.

"You don't have to miss the party." I explained. "I think I can make it back to the dorm alive."

"Do you understand how dumb it is to walk through a big city at midnight, alone?" He asked.

"Don't call me dumb." I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest to try and stop my hands from shivering. "And don't act like you're obligated to do this. You could have stayed at the party, continued to throw peoples drinks around and be a sourpuss."

"No, I only like to throw your drinks around." He deadpanned.

"Why am I not surprised by that?" I uttered sarcastically. I brought my hands to my mouth breathed a hot breath onto the exposed skin.

"Are you cold?" He asked sincerely. He removed the large sherpa lined black jacket he wore and chucked it at me. I caught it in my arms, but tried to hand it back.

"I don't need it." I lied.

"You look like you're freezing to death." He laughed.

"I'm fine."

Isaac reached and grabbed my hand. He pulled it up and held my fingers between his warm hands. My heart beat raced in my chest.

"You're cold." He stated matter-of-factly, dropping my hand. The small physical interaction sent a shiver down my spine. "Just put on the jacket."

I pulled on the jacket, wrapping the soft lining of the collar tightly against my neck, hoping it was hiding the red blush creeping up to my cheeks. I cursed myself for letting a dick like Isaac make me feel so giddy.

"Amity," He started. I turned to him, awaiting another insulted. "Why are you so bothered by me just trying to be helpful?"

"Helpful? You think you're being helpful?" I exasperated. "Calling me pathetic, reading my diary, scaring away practically every guy that tries to talk to me, that's being helpful?!"

"You're cute when you're angry." Was all he said.

I stopped in place, shock setting in. I shook my head, trying to make sense of what he'd just said. Did Isaac just call me cute? Why did that sentence completely dissipate all the anger I was feeling?

Isaac rolled his eyes and faced forward. I jogged up to catch up to him. "It was a joke; stop over thinking it."

"It wasn't funny." I mumbled under my breath. I turned to him and spoke up. "You did that on purpose!" I realised. "To make me forget what I was saying!" I flipped the conversation back to the original topic. "Why did you do those things?"

"To bother you." He smiled cheekily. "It's pretty funny when your ears go red and you start yelling at me. You're so short, it's kind of like when a chihuahua starts yapping."

We turned a corner to the entrance gates to the campus. We stopped beside the wrought iron fence and I crossed my arms across my chest.

"We don't get along." I noted. "And we don't like each other."

"Correction: you don't like me. I have no feelings, like or dislike, towards you."

The statement was a slap in the face after the joke "cute" compliment. I tried to brush it off.

"But we seem to keep crossing paths."

"That is strange." He thought aloud. "Are you stalking me?" I ignored him.

"So let's just agree to be friendly, treat each other with respect, and remain civil." I held out my hand to shake his, but when he reached to meet it I pulled back to add, "Respect means no more reading my diary and stop scaring off every chance of a relationship that comes my way. Deal?"

His jaw bone tightened under his skin and I tried to keep my eyes from staring at his mouth as he licked his lips. I lied in my diary. He wasn't "cute", he was fucking hot.

"Deal." He agreed, wrapping his hand around mine and shaking.

"Goodnight." I nodded, turning into the gates and walking away from him, fighting with all my might to not look back even though I could feel his eyes burning into my back.

I can't help but feel... drawn to him. Like my gut was telling me that I needed to run back and jump his bones. I'd never felt like this before.

And I couldn't feel like this for a guy who doesn't want anything to do with me, and even if he did, those feelings would be fleeting and I'd end up like one of his many, many flings.

I unlocked my dorm door and flopped onto my bed, my mind racing a mile a minute. I spent all four years of high school never liking someone for any longer than 5 seconds. It was instant attraction, then realisation of all their bad qualities, and eventually losing all feelings.

But this wasn't like that. The more I learnt about him, the more I simultaneously liked and hated him. Everything he did infuriated me and... intrigued me. I felt my heart drop out of my chest.

I liked him.

I really, really liked him.

I am doomed.