Iridescent

38| Paranoia? Or Good Instincts?

For the past few days, I always felt like someone was following me and watching me from the dark. Up to the point where I was convinced that I was being overly paranoid.

"What are you looking at?"

Another lunch session with Jaxton, he had been asking me out quite a lot — not quite a lot. He was asking me out EVERYDAY. But, he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend yet and made it official.

Yes, I care about this sort of stuff, okay?

"This might sound weird but I always feel like someone's following me."

He leaned back and sipped on his iced drink. "Paranoid much?"

"Hm, that's what I thought," I said, meeting his gaze only to realise his gaze was not on me, he was scanning the café with a glint of alertness in his eyes. I allowed a sly smile to slip onto my lips and quickly hid it by bringing my drink to my lips.

"Maybe I'm just tired. Exams are giving me a headache," I paused, watched Jaxton carefully. "Speaking of exams..."

I watched him cringe.

"How did you go with your Shadows thing."

He didn't say anything.

"Jaxton."

"I failed."

"Damn."

He let out an exasperated sigh, "I have to retake the whole course again next year. I really want to scream."

"With sympathies, my dude."

He laughed.

"Do you know Professor Allistar well?" Out of curiosity, merely, because I was asked to go to his office after lunch. "Besides the fact that you know he's Yoan's dad."

"I've only talked with him a few times. I've never had him as my Professor. How is he?"

"Smart, cunning and nice."

"Hm."

From the expression on Jaxton's face, I knew he had something on his mind. For some odd reason, even though we had kissed and we were moving towards this 'relationship' thing, there was this distance — awkwardness — that settled upon our shoulders. I didn't really show it, I knew the comfort and safety I felt with Jaxton was still there, the need of wanting to touch him, hold him and kiss him was still there, but I also felt like Jaxton was still hiding things from me. But there was one thing he was doing better — whenever I asked, he told me.

So I asked.

"What's on your mind?"

He looked at me softly, contemplating. Then, he sat up, leaned his elbow on the table to come close to me. I tried my best to keep my eyes on his, though there was an urge from my shyness to look away.

"I've had this thought on Yoan ever since our conversation that night."

"Which night?"

"Don't act like you have amnesia," Jaxton smirked and touched his lips with his index finger, pretending to make a shushing gesture, but the twinkle in both of our eyes already defined the moment. He glanced to the side and whispered. "It's not that convenient to talk about it here but I kinda have a theory about Yoan."

There were only a few topics that could be rendered 'inconvenient' in a public setting like this. One of them was Iridescent. And the reason I thought about Iridescent was that Yoan made me think of Professor Allistar and how he was the only Professor who knew about my powers and my real name. Professor Allistar also happened to be Yoan's dad.