Chapter 3 – Na Na Na
We've got a bit of love/hate, you take me to the edge then you hit the brakes… We're like na, na, na… then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah… No, we can't make up our minds.
** EMMA’s POV **
(Emma’s Highschool Year)
“Notes. Pens. Nose stuck in books. Typical Watson.”
And the devil’s back again. Why wasn’t I surprise that he’s here? Oh yeah, because he was like part of my daily routine. There’s never a single day that he wasn’t here to annoy the hell out of me.
“Arrogant. Irritating. Infuriating git. Hmm. Typical Tomlinson.” I drawled, not looking up at him and just continued my scribbling.
Seriously, I didn’t have time for this. Could he at least try some other time? But who am I kidding! This is Tomlinson for Pete’s sake. Asking him to go away is like inviting him more for a feud-fest.
And that guy has a serious thing for mockeries and fights.
Then so just as I thought, instead of him leaving me alone, he pulled out the chair in front of me and sat down. I didn’t look up. I willed myself not to look up and ignore him.
“Nice. You’re learning, Watson. You’re finally learning the art of mockery. I’m impressed.” I just continued to be silent, wishing that this creature would go away and leave me alone with my homework. “So tell me, which one of these books taught you how to be such a badass?”
“Actually I don’t need books for reference. Just by looking at you make the words come out naturally.” I said with a smirk.
I gave myself a virtual pat on the back for slaying this git.
But of course, we’re talking about Tomlinson here. So instead of shutting his loud mouth, he laughed out loud. “I haven’t got any idea that I’m more useful than your books. To think that they’re the most important things in your life? My, my Watson. I didn’t know you find me more inspiring than those books. Oh, someone’s got a crush.” He teased in a singsong voice.
This guy really knows how to turn an insult into flattery, huh. God Tomlinson. What kind of cell does your brain made of?
I couldn’t take this anymore. I reached my limit. So instead of ignoring, this time I dropped my pen and looked at him. And of course, he was smirking like an idiot like he won an award or something.
“First, there’s no need to use a comparison. You’re nothing close to my books! You’re more like a waste of time.”
“Sounds like books to me.” He commented in a proud tone.
I rolled my eyes to this but willed myself to continue. “Second, you don’t inspire me at all. You infuriate me. You annoy the hell out of me. You---“
“I bring out the best in you.” He finished with a triumphant grin.
“No! You bring out the worst in me.” I groaned out in frustration.
“Na. More like I set fire to your boring life.” He challenged.
“Yeah right! You set fire to my nerves!” I bit out with rage.
Jeez I was trying to contain my anger and not to fully shout on him, lucky for him that we’re at the library because if not, I would totally have a full-blown wrath on him.
Tomlinson let out one of his famous smirk. God I wanted to wipe that smirk off his damn face. “You mean like a burning passion?” He wiggled his brows at me playfully.
I gasped and furrowed my brows in absolute disgust. “Eww! You make me sick, Tomlinson!”
“Love sick?” He supplied.
Oh this is freakin’ useless!
“This conversation is going nowhere. Let’s cut this crap off.” I said. But in reality, I just gave up. Once Tomlinson opened his mouth, there’s no way you could stop him, not until he claimed to be the victor.
And as much as I hate losing, I just felt that this wasn’t one of those times that I have to do my best to win. I still have homework to perfect here.
“Why, why, Watson? We’re having a lovely conversation here.” He said with a smug look. I just raised my brow at him. “I’m the lovely and you’re the conversation.”
And what’s that even supposed to mean? Sometimes I wonder why this guy was even one of the smartest in his batch. Clearly he has a twisted way of thinking.
I rolled my eyes to him one more time. I grabbed my pen and resumed my writing. I guess it’s best to ignore him and pray that he would get bored and decides to annoy someone else.
“That’s it? No more smart comeback from the smartest bookworm?”
Ignore him, Emma. He’ll eventually get tired.
I continued with my scribbling but then Tomlinson snatched my pen from my hand.
I closed my eyes and took deep calming breaths.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Focus Emma. This is what he wants. He wanted you to shout at him and embarrass yourself to the librarian so that you’d be kick out again of the library again. Just like what happened before, remember?
Yes. And I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction again. No way. Not again.
So with that, I held my chin up high and meet his gaze. But what I saw literally made my heart skip a beat.
Both of his elbows were at the table, his chin was at the palm of his hands. He’s smiling at me, like really smiling at me with his eyes! And his eyes were focused to me.
Why am I thinking that he’s kind of cute?
Eww! What was that?
Devils are not cute!
I looked away for a while and turned to him again, with a more determined face. “You know what, Tomlinson. I don’t get you. If you hate me, then why are you wasting your oh-so precious time with a boring bookworm like me?”
Tomlinson raised his brow in question. “I never said that I hate you, Watson. Get your facts straight.”
I scoffed and draw my folded arms to my chest. “Yeah right. You don’t hate me but you don’t like me?”
To my utter shock, he stood up and bent forward, making be draw myself back to distance myself away from him. But he continued to lean towards my direction and making my face only inches away from him. My breath caught up in my throat and suddenly it was hard to breathe.
What the hell are you doing!
“Why, Watson? Do you want me to like you?”
He was too close. Damn too close! I could smell his cologne and his minty breath. His blue eyes were zeroed in to mine. That was the time that I learnt that his eyes were beautiful. Now I know why half of the women species were going gaga over this guy!
I bit my lower lip and tried not to lose myself in his scent. Or better yet, I should push him away and stop this madness! But he smelled so damn good! It should be illegal for guys to smell this good! And his eyes, he was luring me with his eyes.
And then it happened, another awkward moment of Emma Watson. I fell out of my chair probably because I was leaning back too much and I lost my balance.
The loud thump from my embarrassing fall echoed inside the library that drew attention from the others and Ms. Lewis, the old maid school librarian.
There was a picture of horror and panic in my face as I saw her walking towards my direction with an exasperated look.
Oh please don’t kick me out. Please, I’m not yet done with my homework!
I looked up to see that Tomlinson was having the time of his life. He was clutching his stomach and covering his mouth from too much laughing. I stood up and smacked his shoulder, hard.
“What is this noise all about, Miss Watson? Mr. Tomlinson?” Miss Lewis asked.
“I’m sorry Miss Lewis.” I hung my head in shame. “I fell out of my chair.” I said dejectedly.
The evil git was still covering his mouth and trying to suppress his fits of laugh!
“One more noise and I’m going to kick you out.” She warned. “You too Mr. Tomlinson” She added.
He just replied with a nod and a full teeth grin.
After Miss Lewis walked away, I gave Tomlinson another piercing glare and sat down.
I opened my textbook and tried to concentrate on studying again. “Seriously, Tomlinson. Go away. You got your entertainment for today so… shoo! I’m trying to study here.”
“You’re always studying, Watson. What’s new?” He teased.
“I have to. Unlike you, I need scholarship for college, okay.” I said irately. Well more like bitterly.
I perfectly know that Tomlinson is wealthy and he could afford to go to college without even shedding a single sweat. And he’s also surprisingly smart. I didn’t see him open a textbook or something but he’s one of the smartest in his batch.
Shocking!
“Where? To the university of your dream that you kept on mentioning for years?” He said in a mocking tone.
I turned to him and scowl. “That university is important to me and it is my dream to spend my college days there, okay. Only on that place. So I will do everything in my power to be there. Only there.” I bit out with full passion.
That university is so important to me. And it was still a mystery to me why I even shared that info to this guy before. Now he’s using it to his advantage to tease me every time he sees me study harder everyday.
“Aren’t you confident with your own brain? What’s with the rush? You still have a year to study, unlike us, this is our last year but at least we’re having fun. Drop the book once in a while. Try to loosen up and enjoy high school for once. I tell you, you can nail that university even in your sleep. It’s not that even hard, you know.” He said with a conceited smile.
My jaw hung open at what he had said.
Wait, what? What was that all about? Was he trying to compliment me or something?
I was out of word. Actually I wanted to tell him to sod-off and leave me alone. But there’s something about what he said that left me speechless.
What’s your game this time, huh, Tomlinson?
He didn’t wait for my reply. Well, he’s not even waiting for it. Maybe he wanted the last words, and because he somehow gave me nice words, I could give him the victory and shut my mouth up this time only.
But yeah, he has something hiding under his sleeves. Again. He stood up and he snatched my book.
“Hey!” I protested, but he immediately turned around as if preventing me from grabbing my book back. By the looks of it, it seems like he was scribbling something.
He’s ruining my favorite book! I knew it!
Before I could even launch towards his direction, he turned around and handed out my book back.
“For inspiration purposes.” He said with a wink before walking away.
What was that all about?
My curiosity got me in an instance. I opened the book to see what he meant by his last words.
And what I saw really got me.
I wasn’t sure if this was irritation or something else. I couldn’t gauge it.
I wasn’t sure why but I could feel my cheeks burning and my heart thumping in a fast beat at the sight of it.
There he wrote his name…
Louis William Tomlinson
With a big smiling face.
--- END OF CHAPTER 3 --
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