Stop wearing skirts to class
Stop wearing skirts to class
He was obviously not in her department or class so she looked at him in confusion as he hurried to stand beside her.
"Hi! I'm Alex." He said with a warm smile as he clutched his backpack tightly.
"O-kay?" Mia asked as she waited for Alex to explain what he wanted. It was rare for people in school to approach her since she didn't dress well and obviously didn't look rich.
Alex was a bit flustered. He looked like he hadn't expected her to react that way but nonetheless, he kept a smile on his face.
"Second time seeing you around here. Love your new look. You are pretty by the way." He complimented making her narrow her eyes the more.
"Is this what I think it is?" She asked in surprise. Although she had seen people admire her from afar, she hadn't imagined they would come approach her like this.
"What?" He asked in confusion.
"Sorry.. what do you want?" She asked impatiently. She already had Benjamin and Leo to deal with, she didn't want another guy.
Besides, she was hurrying out of the school premises since Benjamin had been calling her phone. She wanted to get to the house first so she would apologize and say she was already at home because she was pretty sure he would want them to meet. After his confession last night, she was very uncomfortable being around him.
"Friends. To be friends with you. And I'd like to know your name." Alex said while looking at her up and down.
"Sorry, she already has a lot of friends." A voice said
Mia turned to look in front of her and was surprised to find one of the King brothers standing right there. She had to look again to make sure this was really Leo and not Louis.
"What... are you doing here?" She asked in surprise before looking around her.
Leo was not dressed in a flashy way to draw people's attention, he wore a plain blue hoodie and black jeans. Really simple and could fit in but she feared if people took a closer look, they may recognize him.
"Sorry.. you are?" Alex asked curiously.
Leo ignored him and looked at Mia who was still waiting for him to tell her what he was doing in her school.
"How do you feel whenever you see her?" His psychologist had asked him earlier.
"If possible... I want to swallow her." He answered with a short laugh.
He continued to look into her confused eyes as he remembered his conversation with Charles.
"I just want to know she is there with me always... for us to be merged into one... and I do not mean in the sexual way." He quickly added.
"I understand what you mean." Charles nodded.
"I want to hug her. To place my chin on her little head and shoulder. To comfort her.. to show her all she had never seen before. I just... want to be there for her. And wipe away all her unhappiness."
"Truthfully, most times when I see her, I always have this urge to... cry."
"Because whenever I try to take a step towards her, a force just pulls me five steps backwards and I feel she may eventually... not be there when I have the courage to finally complete the race." He said with a sad sigh.
"What's the hidden word you think you want to say to her whenever you see her?" Charles asked.
Leo shook his head after thinking about it for a long time
"I feel I have a lot to say... but... it's not coming out."
Alex stood there like an idiot with a frown when neither Mia nor Leo was giving him any attention. He shook his head before walking away to leave them.
"What's wrong? Why are you dressed like this? Are you sick?" Mia asked and touched his forehead.
"Your temperature is high. You are sick? What are you doing here?" Mia asked quickly but he just continued to look down at her face.
He really wasn't sick. It was only happening because he poured his heart out to his friend. It usually left him that way after every session with his psychologist. It always began with a cold which emanates from inside his body while goosebumps rose on his skin and then he would gradually begin to feel sick.
"Why aren't you saying anything? You are scaring me." Mia said with worry in her eyes.
"I am going to advise you as a friend and not as your psychologist." Charles had said.
"You don't need to push yourself. You need time. All you have to do is let things move smoothly. You don't have to say the 'L' word now. I know it may throw you into a frenzy. But... you should at least talk to her about this if you trust her."
"I can't tell her. It's too embarrassing."
"Leo, everyone likes to know where they stand in the lives of those they care about. Even if you show her you love her everyday through your actions, she would still need you to affirm it with your words one day or else, she may think you are playing with her."
"Charles.. I want to do this... I want to fall in love and live a normal life. But it's too difficult."
Leo smiled a bit at Mia who looked very worried.
"I'm fine." He assured her.
"You don't look fine. Why are you here when you are sick?" She scolded.
"I came to pick you up."
"Pick me up? I told you this morning that I didn't want that."
"You told me you didn't want me to drop you off, not pick you up."
"Are you... being serious right now?" She asked incredulously making him chuckle a bit.
"The weather is changing so we better get going. You know we have to go meet Mr Timothy this evening."
Mia sighed before nodding. It was pointless arguing with him anyway.
He held out a hand for her and she looked at it in confusion.
"What is it? You want to shake hands?" She asked innocently as she shook his hand.
"That's not it dummy." He chuckled lightly as he pulled her so she was really close to him. He said nothing else and began to walk towards where his car was parked.
"What... are you doing?" She asked with an embarrassed voice.
"You are in college Mia Lucas. People walk around holding hands."
"I am not people, I am Mia!" She snapped at him and tried to free herself from his grip but he squeezed her hand making her yelp in pain.
"Are you crazy? Do you want to break my fingers?"
"Wow! Sounding this way, you remind me of the first time I met you." He said and quickly cleared his throat when he remembered how she had actually met him.
"Just stay still." He said seriously.
"Why are you... doing this?" She asked as she tried to hide her face in his arm.
"You should stop wearing skirts to classes. There are a lot of flies staring at you." He said indifferently as he continued to walk without breaking stride.
"No one is staring at me."
"Really? Well, you should keep thinking that way. Remember, you are here to study. You have to focus on your academics and stay away from boys."
"Wow! What a good brother you are to me." She said with a sarcastic smile before rolling her eyes at him.
~~
Chloe who was heading towards the parking lot with Jeremy saw the both of them and stopped in her tracks as she watched them. Even though it was his back and he was wearing a hoodie which covered his head, she knew it was Leo.
"You see.. that's how two people in love are supposed to act. How is David ever going to believe we are in love when you do not even want me to hold your hand in front of him?" Jeremy asked her.
Chloe turned to look at him with a cocked brow.
"We are not 'in love' we are pretending to be dating... there is a big difference." She lectured him making him pout.
"Aren't you going to say hello to your big brother?" He asked when he saw Leo open the door for Mia and turned to get on the driver's seat.
"There's no point. We're going to meet at home tonight anyway." She said remembering her mother had called to tell her not to go to the office after classes and to come straight home since Leo was coming over to have dinner with them. She could guess it had to do with the picture he posted of Mia.
Chloe's phone began to ring and she raised it to show Jeremy it was David calling.
"We have to leave now before he does something crazy." She said and began to head towards her car after Leo drove off.