7 am, Tuesday morning, and naturally, Annya was asleep at her desk during a lecture that was the textbook definition of dull. Some classes really weren't meant to be morning classes. One of which is economy101, taught by the driest fucker, Mr. Scatzman was very well known around the university for his quiet and monotone voice. Annya's head was laying on her outstretched arms on her desk when all of a sudden, she felt something hit her prompting her to jolt up, ready for attack. Looking around, she was brought back to the present where everyone around was either falling asleep or working on homework for other classes.
There was only one guy that was making eye contact with her, clearly waiting for her to notice him. When she did, he gestured to the front of the room where her professor was looking dead at her waiting for an answer to his question. Of course, this was the time he decided to host class participation. She took a quick look at the slideshow that was projected on the screen behind him and correctly guessed the question as well as the answer. Mr. Scatzman looked impressed but shot her a warning look before he went on with his lesson.
Annya let out a sigh of relief, going back to her previous position, but didn't miss the small chuckle coming in the direction of the boy who she was sure threw whatever woke her. She held herself up with her elbows on the desk and ran her fingers through her straight blond hair; there was a whole hour left before they were to be dismissed. She let out another sigh, again silently declaring that she would slaughter her brother when she got home. Whenever the hell that will be. She thought, and opened her textbook to the page the professor was addressing. Another paper plane landed gently on her desk with the phrase "open me" written on it. Cute. she wanted to smile, but she was taught by the best to keep her face expressionless except around loved ones.
With an eye roll, she did as the paper said only to see the numbers 184, which she assumed to be the page number when she was correct. She looked back at the boy waiting for him to look at her and gave him a slight nod of thanks, to which he gave her an attractive smile.
The next hour seemed to last eight, and as soon as they were dismissed, she was the first one out the door. Before she could get out of the building, she heard a honey sounding deep voice call out after her. She was hoping he wasn't referring to her but turned around non the less. It was the boy who helped her.
He was about a head or so taller than her with his dark skin glowing like it was photoshopped and a smile to match. His eyes were a light brown and she guessed he had a nice physique based on how the shirt was tighter around his biceps and shoulders and hung loose everywhere else, he goes to the gym frequently. She mentally concluded. His knuckles seemed callused and slightly injured. Fighter, she thought. probably street fighter, based on the damage. He moved gracefully. Too grateful for his size. He's a fair fighter. She's seen better, of course, but she doesn't pass up a chance to admire. She kept her face blank and unimpressed, turning to fully face him.
"Hey, thanks for the heads up" she paused looking away before meeting his eyes again. "twice" she didn't want to prolong the conversation. She didn't want friends, but enemies are dangerous; especially now.
"Yeah, no worries. You just always run out of this class like a bat outta hell I never got the chance to say hey" his voice was deep and husky, and very smooth. He was attractive, but not worth getting involved with for more than a night.
"Well, regardless," she said shortly and turned back around to walk to her car.
"Hey wait. Where are you from?" he asked, chasing her. No doubt he heard her slight Russian accent.
"Up north" she was impressed that he was able to keep pace, but not surprised. He runs, she looks back to check his endurance. A mile a day, at least. she noted. Maybe for a scholarship, but she didn't feel comfortable assuming details, when she didn't have enough information.
"Yeah, but where?" she hated how easily he was able to keep up with her
"Jersey"
"Okay, but where are you originally from?" he specified.
"Jersey", she repeated. She couldn't stand this conversation and quickened her pace, making sure he knew she didn't want this conversation to proceed, but he was persistent. There's a dense forest not too far- she kept the thought from progressing. This was america. She had no power here. She huffed in irritation, trying to figure out how she could get rid of the stray puppy following her around.
"What's your ethnicity?" he kept probing. To which she suddenly stopped, turning around. Rather than bump into her, he stopped just as fast. excellent reflexes, she noticed. Really good fighter.
"Can I help you?" she asked impatiently. She needed to get out of the open.
"I mean, since you offered." he chuckled as he pulled out his phone, played around
with it for a bit, and gave it to her on the 'new contact' page. She silently commended him on his quick wit, but made sure her face didn't give her away. She looked him right in the eye and said "No" turning to leave again.
"You got a man already, huh." Again, he had no problem keeping up with her pace, and didn't seem to be bothered by the rejection.
"No"
"Why" he kept going like he didn't notice her obvious attitude. she was starting to get irritated and letting it show through in her expression
"You're not used to being turned down, are you." she stated, letting her temper show in her voice. He let out another chuckle in response.
"I call it self-improvement. I like to know what is wrong with me so I can work on it. Besides, how do you know I'm making an advance on you? I could just want your number for the class. Lord knows you need some help in it " his laugh was cut short when he saw the car Annya was heading to. It was a matt, black Ferrari, nothing showy, but he could tell it was fast.
"Nice car", he called out behind her. "Your parents must make bank" he complemented
"Please. This was all me." and with that, she got in her car and drove away. She looked in her rearview mirror to see an impressed smile on his face before nodding to himself and walking to his next class.
Annya drove into her decently sized driveway making a mental list of all she had to do that day. She was never one for showing off, which is why she bought such a large house. If people were to come looking for her, this would be the last place they would think to look. She walked in and immediately took out her computer and started tapping away on the keys sending out work emails, making sure the tracking signal was scattered with each one.
The only thing she hated more than being on the run, was having nothing to do, so she settled for doing her job like three months ago never happened. She was just about to finish up her last email when her phone rang, bringing her out of her trance-like focus.
Looking over, she recognized the number and answered it like she always did.
"Don't forget the peanut butter this time" the voice on the line stated. Since Annya was a baby, her father would always tell her and her brother to start every phone call with a secret phrase to make sure you know who you're talking to, regardless of the situation. This phrase identified her brother to which she responded: "you're allergic, dumbass. I'm not taking you to the hospital again." With that, both Annya and Alex were free to talk.
"Annya. It's good to hear your voice. How are you adjusting?" her brother's deep voice was as authoritative as always but has always given her a sense of safety.
"Everything is good here. I had everything finalized three weeks ago. It's good to hear from you, too." she said in the same stern voice.
"I'm sorry I didn't call last week. I had a big deal to close. He apologized in his native tongue" It was good to hear some Russian after so long.
"I figured." she said with a chuckle. "How much?" she leaned back in her chair, finally feeling normal.
"Nine, figures, baby!" he celebrated with a victorious laugh. Since their parents died last year, Alexander was next in line to inherit the throne of a Russian mafia at the age of 19. He seemed to also inherit their father's dedication to the job, working around the clock, blocking out the rest of the world until the job was done. Annya rolled her eyes at her brother's child-like enthusiasm. It was good to hear that he still showed his age every once in a while. "So what have you been up to since you left New Jersey?" he asked, his voice sobering with concern.
"I got a house, a car and I'm in university. Actually just came back from class a couple hours ago"
"Nice! What are you studying?"
"Business management, and economy." there was a booming laugh that exploded through the phone, Annya had to back the phone away from her ear.
"That's my girl!" his voice was so proud, it made her heart swell. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I've been getting your emails. I didn't think you would keep working. Did you run out of money? I can help."
"No," she stated, as she went to the kitchen, looking for snacks. "I needed at least some consistency with everything going on or else I would lose it." She held the phone between her face and shoulder as she tried to open a bag of chips, silently cursing at her failed attempts of opening it.
"Okay, well, good job, Annya. I'm proud of you. Stay safe, watch your back and remember I'm always a phone call away." She had been hearing that line since she was a child from both her parents, brother, and uncle. Now it was Annya who laughed while Alex let out an exasperated sigh.
"Thank you, Alex. I will call you when i can." and with that, the line went dead. Annya put her phone in her back pocket, letting out a sigh at her failure at opening her snack and went to look in an empty fridge. She threw her head back in a loud groan before she turned to attach her holster back to her leg and jacket and walked out the door.
Once she arrived at her local sweet hut she got in line, staring at her phone while waiting for her turn to order.
"What can I get you, miss bank" the familiar voice brought her attention to the man in front of her. The same man from her class.
"Just a green tea please" she acted like she hadn't seen him before, hoping to end their interaction.
"Right away. Name?" Annya raised an eyebrow at his constant attempts.
"You don't take names here" she said, catching on to his motives.
"We do now. Actually, you know what? We also take numbers so we can text you when your drinks are ready. You know, so we don't disturb students that use this place to study." He said with a wink and a small smile creeping upon his face. Annya tried not to smile at his smooth response. Grandfather would be proud, she thought to herself as the man's smile faltered but was still evident in his face.
"For real, though, we do take names, now. We got a new Starbucks down the street and we're trying to stay alive." he said in a serious face, and she wasn't able to hold in her giggle, which brought on a large victorious smile. Sorry, granny.
"Annya," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, Annya, your green tea will be ready soon, " he said, writing her name on the cup.
When she went to the end of the counter to get her order, something drew her attention to the black writing on her cup. The name Sean with a phone number below it. When she looked back at him, he caught her eye and winked and she wasn't able to hold in her smile anymore, but still rolled her eyes at him. She could see the flash of victory in his eyes which earned him a display of her middle finger, but he just chuckled in response before getting to the next customer.
She chose a tucked away table outside and took out her computer and textbook and started working on her homework. The brisk November weather reminded her of Russia and gave her a small sense of home.
A few hours passed before a man took the chair across from her, turning it around so he could straddle it and put his arms on the back of the chair. She tried to ignore him but he just stared at her waiting for an acknowledgment.
"What are you doing here?" she asked without looking up from her work.
"Some of us need to work to survive" that comment brought her anger fueled attention as he thought it would, but she still kept to her work with a blank face.
"Bold of you to assume I don't." she grumbled. Do you need to be at this table?" Annya asked, letting her impatience coat in her tone.
"There she is," he joked. In response, she let out an annoyed breath before she started packing her stuff up to leave.
"Wait, wait. I was just joking. I'm sorry. You just don't see too many 18-year-olds who make that kind of money." Annya walked up to him slowly letting her anger radiate from her. Even though she only came up to the bridge of his nose, she was still able to look intimidating.
"What the hell do you want?" she seethed.
"I just wanted to get to know you, Jesus. Who are you?" Annya scoffed and turned around to walk off, throwing her cup in the trash and made her way back home, grumbling to herself.
The next day in class, Annya made sure to pick a seat further away from Sean's than the day before. As the class started filling up, the professor started his lecture. Halfway through she zoned back in when a rubric landed on her desk. "....it will require you to pair up in groups that I assign" she wished she had started focusing sooner, but asking about the project would just further prove that she wasn't paying attention. As she was trying to figure out the assignment herself, a large body scooted past her desk to sit next to her. "Fuck me!" she silently exclaimed to herself, sinking deep into her chair. "Why are you everywhere?" she asked. ""It's like you're following me or some shit." she knew he wasn't, but she really didn't like him anymore.
"We have the same class, you were the one that came to my workplace, and now we have been partnered up. If anything you would be the one following me." He chuckled, still not bothered by her treatment. When he saw the blank look on her face, a small smile that she would never admit she found attractive, spread across his face as he clarified.
"We have to pick a brand and look into their finances and stocks and make a project and paper about it. You are not a morning person, are you?" she waved him off with a small grunt. She looked back at the class and saw that they were all pared up and focused on their task at hand.
"We're starting now?" she asked
"Definitely not a morning person" he said with an amused smile.
"No, I'm just not a you person." Annya grumbled as she put her head down over her arms on her desk like the morning before. She could feel the man staring at her but she ignored the heat overcoming her face. With a sigh, Sean stood up and held out his hand to help her up but just like her blushing, she ignored it and stood up on her own, carrying her bag as they made their way out of the classroom.
"So, your place?" Sean asked as he opened the school door for her.
"Why not yours?" she asked skeptically. She promised her brother that no one would see her house or even know where she lives until it was safe enough for her to go back home.
"You don't want to see my place" he tried to cover his embarrassment with a chuckle.
"Okay. We take our cars and meet at the library. First one there reserves a study room." he looked down, refusing to meet her gaze.
she let out a breath then waved him over to follow her. After they were both in her car Sean's eyes were full of fascination, as he looked around, pressing a button he correctly assumed was the seat warmers.
"Shit. this is nice as hell"
Annya couldn't help but smile at the fact that a large man was acting like a child discovering his surroundings. Without another word, she sped to the agreed-upon library and set up for their assignment. To avoid conversation, Annya assigned each party a set of tasks that would keep them both busy. They both worked in silence with Sean occasionally looking over at her. She noticed every time but didn't give any evidence of it. They both jumped when Annya's phone rang and she went out to take the call.
"Don't forget the peanut butter this time"
"You're allergic, remember?" she breathed in fake annoyance before locking her computer and walking out of the room.
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