DRESS SHOES|CHAPTER 56

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Briskly walking back to my dorm was difficult. It was dark now and I had very little understanding or idea of my surroundings when we were leaving let alone now. Eyes down. Head down. Walk fast. That's the plan. That was the plan yet here I am looking up into Jack's eyes. They're blue but not cold... strangely.

"Oh shit sorry!" Is my reflex sentence that I blurt out as soon as I bump into the then unknown person.

"Clarise!"

"Jack." My voice falls and so does my face. Probably very obviously.

"Are you alright?" He sounds bewildered.

"No, I'm... I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"Ha, could ask you the same thing. I'm on photography for the next few weeks around campus for advertising." He says, lifting the camera that hangs around his neck. He brings it up to his eye, squints, and photographs me before I can even react. The flash goes off, stunning me.

"Oh. Um." I stumble over my words, feeling put off. "I'm just heading back to my dorm."

"Great, I could use a good cup of tea." He says and suddenly I realise I can't get rid of him. I just nod and start walking in the direction of my room. I'm glad I'm alone but I hope he doesn't think that it's ok for him to join me for the night.

We walk in silence until I've unlocked the door and we make our way inside. I pop on the heater immediately, which seems to be a gateway for him to start running his mouth again. With the way tonight has gone I've learned a lot about myself.

"Thank god for heating am I right? It's freezing out there." He idly chats as I put the kettle on to boil. I busy myself with the tea and I feel flashing upon my back. He's taking more photos of me. I just want to get changed into comfy clothes again, instead, I have to entertain a guest that invited himself over here.

"Hey, no more photos. I'm shy." I whisper, turning to him with a mug in my hand for him. He accepts it and thanks me.

"So... you and Brad? I mean it doesn't take a genius to have seen that that was never gonna last." His comment cuts straight through me and I'm unsure of how to react without blowing up.

"I beg to disagree," I reply bluntly, looking down into my tea instead of facing him.

"Mmmm? And why's that?" He pushes.

"I think we had something good going on there. We were great." I shrug.

"C'mon Clarise. You're... well you're you. You're gorgeous and rich and from a certain breed of people. You're like me and he's well he's himself." He's extremely straightforward and I feel scared.

"I don't... I never saw it that way. I saw us as equals. He's gorgeous and talented and I didn't deserve him..."

"C'mon you know that's not true. Anyone could see it's the other way around and that he was desperate to be with you. It was almost sad. Look I hate to sound harsh but anyone could see it from a mile away and it's the truth. I'm sorry. I just wanna be honest with a good friend." He strokes my arm, sending shivers up my spine.

"I appreciate your honesty but it sounds brutal and untrue. What happened between you and Bradley? I know that you guys went to school together but... why is there so much between you two?" I ask but I know. I just want to know if he's going, to be honest, or not.

"Well, we were best friends in high school. Inseparable but then I showed interest in this one girl who, mind you, was absolutely stunning. And he wasn't happy about it. He thought I was giving more time to her and I tried to be fair about it but one day he punched me over it and that was when I knew we couldn't be friends. He had always been jealous."

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