Love Unsaid

Chapter 4 - Related

Chapter 4 — Related

He took a single menacing step closer, his troublesome smile unwavering. "And what if I don't listen to you?"

"If you tell anyone I-i'll-" I choked out the warning, the fear twisting in my gut a tangible thing. My mind raced, searching for a more convincing threat, but coming up empty.

Anthony tilted his head, his smile twisting into a smirk. "You'll what?" he drawled, his voice laced with a dangerous softness.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, a cold sheen against the rising heat of panic battling in my mind. Scrambling for a response, for anything, I blurted out the most idiotic thing I could think of.

"I'll never forgive you!" The words exploded from my mouth, the emptiness of the threat echoing in the silence. Forgive? Did I seriously think he cared about forgiveness?

This was worth the laughing stock and I mentally slapped myself for my reply.

I watched as Anthony bore the hardship of trying not to burst. This was officially peak humiliation. Never had I felt so utterly mortified, not even when Harvey used to unleash her public mockery routines on me.

"Seriously?" A snort escaped Anthony's lips, followed by a strangled laugh.

"Do you actually think that would faze me? Oh, hey," he added, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "you dropped something."

He dangled the lost page of my novel in front of me. I snatched it back, the anger a slow burn in my chest. Fantastic. Apparently, the universe had decided to replace Julian's brand of irritating arrogance with...well, another arrogant jerk.

I drilled Anthony with a glare, willing him to understand the depths of my irritation.

"Ayza!"

I felt the amount of tension decrease as I heard Roshelle call out to me. I turned my head around to be met with two of my best friends who were catching their breath. They looked like they'd run a marathon.

My focus shifted back to Anthony, who cleared his throat. Our meaningless conversation wasn't over yet.

"Alright, Blondie, I'll let this one slide," Anthony chuckled. "But don't think you can always pull that stunt, comedian."

With a final whirl on his heel, he strode off in the opposite direction, his pitch-dark hair swaying in the easy breeze."

"Since when did the two of you get close?" Denisse stood by my side.

I tutted. We were as far from the word 'close'; we were worlds apart. I can't even imagine breathing the same oxygen with him in one room. Encountering him was the worst mistake of my life. Something that was within Anthony got me so worked up, and I can't figure it out.

"How about we go to the bookstore? There's a sale going on there," Denisse chimed, changing the topic.

"We know you've been wanting to get that bestseller for weeks now," Roshelle intertwined her arms with mine with a wide grin, "and I think it's about time you treated yourself too."

"Bookstore sale?" A delighted gasp escaped my lips.

They knew exactly how to push my buttons! I feigned deep consideration for a moment, humming thoughtfully. "Well, well, well," I drawled, trying to sound mysterious. "If you insist...alright, let's go!"

Leaving campus, Roshelle, Denisse, and I walked along the street, the golden light of the setting sun painting the scene with an exquisite view. The memory of my earlier encounter with Anthony flickered in my mind, but I shoved it back down. He was a minor annoyance, not worth dwelling on.