They All Saw

Play list for this Chapter: Delicate by Taylor Swift

I couldn't focus. At all. All I could think of was the feeling of Nicholas' lips on mine. His hands on my waist and face. I shook my head, coming back to reality and trying very hard to focus on the matter at hand. Abby gave me a confused look and I reassured her I was fine, looking down at my notebook where I was supposed to write notes. Instead, I had doodled a certain someone's name all over it.

I quickly tore out the page, crumpling it and stuffing it in my back before someone saw. Abby looked at me, raising her eyebrows questioningly, but I gave her a small smile.

I guess she saw.

At lunch, I carried my tray towards our usual table where Cole was already seated, scrolling on his phone. I swear the two were inseparable. He looked up as we approached and smiled like a Cheshire cat.

Oh he knows too.

I sat down, ignoring the dirty looks the girls threw towards me and focusing on the faces in front of me.

"What?" I sighed, picking up my apple juice and stabbing it with a straw.

"So rumor has it... that Dove Winchester came to college in a very sleek black car, with her sugar daddy." Cole spoke and I choked on my apple juice.

"What?" I said between coughs and Abby rubbed my back.

"You could've told us you wanted to come with someone else. Why lie, huh?" Abby looked at me skeptically and I put my hands up in surrender.

"I didn't, I swear! He was already there when I went out of the house. And then he insisted he take me to college or he would carry me to his car." I told them both in one single breath and they both started laughing.

"Boy that would've been a sight.." Cole exclaimed, wiping a fake tear from his eye and looking at me still smiling. "Why'd you kiss him though?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "I swear, I didn't intend to. He just pulled me towards him and kissed me in front of the whole freaking college!" I whisper screamed and Abby giggled.

"What?" I asked them and they both shook their heads. "He started it! Like he did last night!" I spoke and realized what I just spewed and froze. It dawned on me that I just announced that he stayed over last night. Not that he did, but it sure sounded like it.

Both Abby and Cole looked at me with horror.

"He stayed with you last night?" Abby asked me in disbelief then looked towards Cole. "Hand over my fifty bucks."

"No!" I exclaimed and both their head turned towards me, so I told them everything. How he came last night at 2 A.M., completely unexpected and then kissed me, and I even told them what we talked about. Both of them listened to me without blinking an eye.

"And then he dropped me off here in the morning, and even asked me what time I would be free." I sighed, running a hand over my face.

"And you told him?" Cole asked me and I nodded.

"Even if I didn't, he would've stayed here the whole day and that would've been even worse." I explained and he nodded his head like he understood. "And you know the worst thing?" I told them and they both leaned in closer to listen. "Derek was there this morning too. He uh... He saw me with Nicholas." I whispered so no one would hear and both Abby and Cole looked at me as if I'd committed a murder.

"Really?" They both asked me at the same time, and I nodded, slurping the last of my juice and moving on to my chocolate chip cookie.

"Isn't that good though? Maybe he'll realize you're over him and happy, so he'll stay away from you now." Abby pointed out and Cole nodded.

"Yeah.. I guess it is a good thing.. Oh and before I forget, I've got a gig at the bar today.. You both are coming, right?" I asked them hopefully. They were great support.

"It's today? Shit." Cole spoke and looked at Abby who looked at me.

"We've got evening classes today, remember Dove?" She told me and realization struck me.

"Oh... yeah.. I completely forgot... That's okay..." I told them.

"You sure? We could skip if you want.. It's no problem." Cole asked me and I shook my head.

"No guys, you can come there after class, okay? I'll be fine, I promise." I gave them a wide smile but there was a sinking feeling in my stomach. Nerves. So many of them. We went back to class after lunch and at exactly 3 P.M., I walked down the steps of Callington, the cold air slapping my face, until I looked up. I sucked in a deep breath.

He's here.

He stood there, leaning against his black car, typing something on his phone. His black hair slicked back neatly, and him dressed in a grey suit, the front of his jacket open, revealing the white dress shirt underneath that stuck to his flat stomach. A watch in his hand glistened under the small amount of sunlight that fell over him and light reflected from the black metal shades on his eyes.. He was a Greek god. An Adonis, and my breath caught in my throat when he looked up at me, a smirk tugging at his lips. It's like he could feel my gaze.

He stood straighter, putting his phone in his coat pocket and putting his hands in his pant pockets. The tension was palpable. It could be cut with a knife. And I walked towards him, slowly, measuring each step I took as the electricity dissipated around me. It was like he pulled me towards him. He stretched out his hand and I took it, the thrill engulfing me as he pulled me towards his chest and placed a lingering kiss on my lips, his hand tightening around mine as he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine.

"Cosi bello. Quindi mio." (So beautiful, so mine.) He whispered and looked into my eyes. The moment looked so intimate, like no one else existed. I raised my right hand and stroked his cheek lightly, tracing his jaw, until someone cleared their throat behind us. My hand froze mid air, and his came up, taking mine and kissing my knuckles lightly before pulling it down, he looked behind me and the warmth in his eyes disappeared, coldness replacing it like it was always there. Like the warmth was never there a second ago.

I turned around and frowned.

"So this is your sugar daddy." She spoke to me, but looked at Nicholas.

"And who might you be?" Nicholas asked her and she gave a fake smile, like she always did.

Ugh.

"Emma. Emma Winfred." Emma told him, inching closer to us, but stopped short when Nicholas' gaze became a warning.

"What do you want?" I sighed, pulling away from Nicholas' grip.

"Oh nothing, I just came to see your infamous boyfriend." She told me with poison laced in her words.

"He's not my boyfriend." I deadpanned, putting a hand on my hip and looking at her to see what she really wanted. This was Emma for crying out loud. Queen Bee, Emma. Gossip girl, Emma. Basic bitch, Emma. And now, I was under her radar. The last thing I wanted.

"I'm not?" Nicholas asked me and I turned to him.

Oh. I forgot he was standing here.

"No, you're not." I told him and turned back towards Emma, opening my mouth to say something but he beat me to it.

"Yes I am." He said and I turned to look at him with my eyebrows raised.

"No." I told him.

"Yes." He spoke more firmly, pinning me down with his gaze.

"No." I narrowed my eyes at him and he glared right back.

"Yes. And don't make me make you say it." He warned and I realized now was a good time to shut up. I had no idea of what he could do and I had a feeling it wouldn't look good for me. He gave Emma a look of indifference like she was just a cockroach in his way and looked back at me. "Come on. Let's go." He took my hand and pulled me towards the car.

"Wait, I'm not done talking yet!" I told him but he didn't listen, only opened the passenger door and threw a glare my way that said 'sit down or I'll make you'. So I sat, folding my arms across my chest. He closed the door and walked over to the other side, settling in and starting the car. he threw a lazy glance at me and drove out of the college, leaving a gaping Emma standing very still. I saw her smirk in the side mirror as she walked back inside.

I'm going to be in a lot of shit because of you, asshole.