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They grew closer than they would ever care to admit.
Strolls turned into walking to class together, and that turned into studying together. It's almost as though they had forgotten that they were supposed to be planning each other's demise.
Tom realized this first.
They were in the library, Tom bent over a stack of parchment and Octavia next to him, her own pile in front of her. Despite the distraction they each provided, they were still tied for the position of top student.
"What score did you get on the essay?" Tom asked suddenly, looking up from his work and turning to face Octavia, snapping her out of the trance she went into while writing.
"Hundred," She responded, eyes never leaving the parchment in front of her. What she didn't know was that Tom was watching her carefully, the way a killer watches it's prey. What she also didn't know was that this was the first time she had gotten a better score on something than Tom, who had gotten half a point off for misspelling a word he didn't intend to.
He was meant to be distracting her, yet he was only distracting himself. He needed to change his plan before he accidentally caused his own demise.
"Look me in the eyes when you talk to me," And at this, she stopped writing. She looked up, turning in her seat to look at him as she raised a brow. He needed to command her attention, he didn't know why.
"You don't tell me what to do," She said in a tone that made him think for a second that he truly did not have the privilege to tell her what to do.
He moved closer to her, mimicking her raised brow with his own, and she took this as a challenge, moving closer as well.
"Why is it that you're kind to everyone but me?" He inquired, standing now, taking another step closer so he was now towering over her. She didn't falter. He didn't like that.
"Why is it that the only attention you thrive off of is mine?" She replied, looking up at him before standing as well. Their height difference wasn't grand, but it was noticeable enough. The way she had to tilt her neck to look him in the eyes said enough.
She was close. Closer than she had been before. He could get a grasp of her scent.
Lavender. The plant that littered the floor of the woods.
He was close as well, a lot closer than she'd let him get in the past. She focused in on his scent as well.
Pine. Like the woods they walked in.
They just stared at each other then, neither one wanting to break eye contact, because that would mean that they were giving up.
Her lips were a deep red, he never noticed that before. He didn't know why he noticed it now.
His cheeks were pink. She was sure it was from the chill that he spent the day walking around in. The open windows of the library most probably also played a factor.
No. They were pink because Tom realized this was the first time he was close enough to a girl that he could get ahold of her scent. He felt odd. He didn't know why.
She felt odd as well, because that's when it clicked for her. He was trying to distract her, whether he realized it or not, and she was letting him. She wanted to let him, at least for the time being. She didn't know why.
A gust of wind came through then, sending the papers around them into a frenzy. His curls barely moved, but her hair grazed his cheek. It was then that she looked over his shoulder and caught sight of his essay, and saw that she'd gotten a higher score than him. She held back a smile at this, she didn't want him to know that she was aware.
Her plan was working. So why not take it a step forward.
"Tom?" She asked, tilting her head up the slightest bit. Any closer and she would have to give into the temptation that she didn't want to admit she had.
"Hm?" He responded, her quiet voice breaking him out of the trance he wouldn't admit he was in. The wind carried her scent.
She simply put her hand on his chest, more specifically above his heart. He didn't even realize how fast it was beating. Not until she brought it up.
"If I was kind to you, your heart wouldn't beat this way."
And she was right, because as much as Tom hated to admit it. He had begun to crave her presence, and he knew why now. Not because he liked her, but because she treated him differently, and he was born to be treated differently. She fueled his complex, and she had known this from the beginning. He didn't.
