Enid is moving across the world to attend university. Away from all that she knows, she soon finds herself at the center of three men's unyielding attention. Three men who are her professors. Inexperienced and innocent, she is the exact opposite...
She glances back up at him with a question in her eyes.
Theodore answers before she can ask.
"Life is a lot like a game of chess. Strategy, planning, preparation. Learning to play will help you in many situations in life." His words spark her interest.
"I haven't played chess in a few years. The last time was probably with my father when I was thirteen. I don't remember it well." Enid bites her lip, memories brushing against her mind.
"No worries. I'm happy to teach you it again." He assures her, leaning forward in his seat.
The soft light of the setting sun stretches across his carved cheekbones, his eyes like crystals as they reflect it.
She can't help but stare for a moment.
His dark hair neat, his glasses perched purposefully on his straight nose.
Her eyes trail down his stubbled cheek, over the sharp edge of his jaw.
A short cough snaps her out of it and she finds his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Enid blushes rosily.
"Sorry." She gives him a bashful smile.
It wasn't her fault he was distractingly handsome.
"You're welcome to stare all you want, darling. I think we should get started with our lesson." He gestures toward the board and she sits up straighter.
Paints a focused look onto her face.
He starts with explaining the pieces and then the rules and for the first few rounds he beats her in under ten moves.
She refuses to give up, though, and begins to study his technique.
Aggressive, yet protective.
By their twelfth round, she's putting up a decent fight.
"Okay, now that you have the hang of this, it's time for your first lesson. A good poker face is vital in many situations. Your face is often quite an open book. While I find this endearing, there may be times in which it would be in your best interest to keep your thoughts and feelings a secret from whomever you are dealing with." Theodore knocks her pawn over with his knight.
Her eyes dance across the board, searching for her next move.
"How do I hide the emotions on my face?" She asks, flickering up to glance at him.
The blue and the green her eyes swirling, swirling.
Curiosity dancing as her long lashes blink.
"Imagine that you're building a wall between your thoughts and the outside world. You have to monitor your expressions and where your eyes glance to. For example, I know you're about to take my pawn with your knight because you've been staring at those two pieces." He grins as her mouth falls open.
"You can read minds!" She accuses, half-playful and half-serious.
"No, darling. But I can read you. Others will have a harder time doing so, but an attentive watcher would have caught that as well. Pretend you've put on a mask. An impenetrable mask." She tries to do as he says.
She knows what he means because she's seen him do it.
He wears his mask often, it only seemed to slip away fully when they were alone.
Cracks would appear as she made him smile or laugh.
Enid loved peeling it back and seeing the real him.
With his mask in mind, she does her best to emulate.
She builds a wall in her mind, her eyes blanking from their usual expressiveness.
Cold and empty like his were as he spoke to the dean.
Her features shutter and close.
"Good. Very good. You don't have to do it all the time, but I'd recommend it when you're in company that you don't feel comfortable with." He applauds her and she grins.
They play two more rounds, her mind half on the game and half on his teachings.
He fills her with more lessons as they play, and she comes closer and closer to beating him.
"We'll cover one more thing before we're done today. Lying. It isn't definite, but there are sometimes ways to tell if someone is lying to you." He moves his rook toward her king.
Enid pulls her piece back, changing tactics.
"Eyes are an important thing to watch. Many people glance away when lying or they may try to maintain constant eye contact to cover it up. You should also be aware of their hands. They may twitch or fiddle when lying. Most people have unique ticks, but those are harder to notice as they are singular to that individual. Someone must lie to you relatively frequently in order for you to pick it up." He explains, shifting one of his bishops.
"What's your tick?" She asks, her eyes on the board.
She leans forward, the collar of her dress falling slightly so Theodore can see the top of her cleavage.
He swallows, quickly makes a move without studying the board closely.
"You'll have to watch me and see if you can find out." There's a teasing quality to his voice.
Enid giggles softly as she moves her knight in position and suddenly, he is checkmated.
His eyebrows raise, pride and surprise lighting his eyes.
"Well done, Enid. You're the first person to beat me in years." He shakes his head in astonishment.
"I was trying out distraction methods like you said." Enid grins mischievously.
His head tilts back as he chuckles, deep and warm.
"You little minx." He motions her to come around the desk and pulls her into his lap.
He presses kisses down the side of her neck, his aristocratic nose skimming and leaving a trail of goosebumps along the way.
"There's one more thing I wanted to mention to you. Halloween is next week and each year we throw a masquerade party here at the estate for our business partners and a few friends. Is that alright with you?" Theodore abandons her neck to look at her seriously.
Enid's mind goes over the words twice before she comprehends them.
She's still wound up and foggy from his earlier ministrations.
"Yes, of course. That sounds fun!" She smiles at him excitedly.
And then she presses her lips to his.
✺ ✺ ✺
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I know he's frequently used on Wattpad, but David Gandy is just too handsome.
Hope you enjoyed some Theodore/Enid time.
We've got lots of time with the four of them coming up soon!
