E L L O R A
"Wakey wakey sleeping beauty."
My eyes flutter open tiredly at Willy's voice, and the tremendous amount of light that fell on my face.
I cover my face immediately with a groan.
"Uh...Willy, what time is it?" My voice comes out raspy.
"8:45." Willy says opening the last curtain in the room. "And if you are not ready in," she glances at the bedside clock, "fifteen minutes, he is going to come up to make you ready himself."
I was in the middle of pulling the blanket all the way to my head, when my eyes widen. Sleep gone immediately, I get up.
Willy chuckles as she sits beside me on the bed. "The way you're scared of Abraham, it's amusing."
"Not to me." I mumble into my pillow. "By the way isn't he usually gone by 9'O clock?"
"Today's Saturday."
"So?" It dawns on me then. "Oh. Saturday."
"Yes hon. Saturday."
For the last few weeks, he has been taking me to the Coven every Saturday. In the beginning it was Mondays and Wednesdays and Saturdays. But later he's ceased it to only Saturdays. And I am so freaking glad of it. I'd rather rot here in this huge mansion like a soul less ghost, then be there amidst those men who-
Do not go there Ellora.
"Now get ready quickly. Keep sometime for breakfast..." she was about to get up, when I grip her wrist stopping her.
She looks down at me, "yes hon?"
"Um, can I ask you a question?"
She frowns, her sweet smile still intact, "Anything, hon."
"Where do you live?"
Confusion breaks out in her face.
"Why, I live here."
"No I mean, you're not around much. I only see you in the mornings when you make food for the entire day, and that too not all the days."
"Oh I work." She says, the confusion now clear from her face. "I work in Belleville boarding school. I teach the highschoolers Physics and Mathematics. It takes over two hours to drive back and forth on good snow days. And on the bad snow days it takes double the time. So I usually stay over with the children and only travel when it's absolutely necessary. "
I bite back further questions. There are thousands of them, but Willy is so sweet, I am not sure if I should.
She clears my dilemma, as she seems to read my mind. The sides of her eyes crinkle with a soft smile, as she says, "Go ahead. Ask those questions I know that are eating you from inside."
And so I go for it.
"Are you- are you his mother?"
The smile immediately disappears from her face replacing it with a far away look.
"Like a mother." She says quietly.
"But, you're not?"
"No." She shakes her head, "I am not." Her voice turns wistful here as she says, "I am- was a good friend of his father. My husband died within a few years of our marraige. And I didn't have any kids. I've known Abraham since his early teens. I know him better than his biological mother."
Something struck my heart at the tone of her voice. She not only adores him, she loves him. Most mothers don't love their biological sons the way Willy does Professor Langdon it seems. And it amazes me and surprises me all at once.
"So his father...?"
"Dead." She says her voice turning wistful again. She clearly misses her friend.
"I am sorry." I say keeping my hand on hers.
"Its alright. It's been years now." She says focusing back on me with a small smile.
After a pause, I add quietly, "And his mother?"
It clearly was the wrong thing to say.
Her smile disappears. She places a hand on my cheek, "Love, we don't speak of her. Especially infront of your professor. Do not ever speak of his mother, okay?"
I frown, but nod nevertheless.
I don't press on this matter anymore because this clearly seems to be a difficult topic even for Willy.
"Um, Willy? You wouldn't by any chance consider telling me why I am kidnapped would you?"
And I shoot my shot.
She smiles at me. "When it's time he will tell you himself. Just..." she pauses again with that faraway look, "...just do not misunderstand him. Whatever he is doing, he is doing for a good cause."
Her eyes turn away from me with a distant look towards the window. "My Abraham has always been doing it for a good cause, but has always ended up being misunderstood."
She turns back at me again, her hand patting my cheek. "Do not be the next person on the unending list of people who misunderstood him. Trust him. Well he is an idiot so he won't make it easier for you to trust him. And I am so, so sorry that you are caught up in all this. I am so sorry you're a casualty, that you have to go through this without any fault of your own. It isn't fair to you at all. But I can tell you this, that if he had a choice he wouldn't have involved you either."
I immediately look away. Because something she said struck me like a slap on the cheek.
Do not be the next person on the ending list of people who misunderstood him.
My meeting with Marshall last night was me doing exactly the opposite. Marshall's ring on my finger burns through my skin.
I avoid Willy's eyes.
"Okay chop chop now." Willy says, thankfully dropping the topic, as she gets up from bed. "You've officially got five minutes to get ready before he comes up. I already put the geezer in the bathroom. Move along now." She says as she leaves the room.
I sigh.
There are so many pieces of professor Langdon. Yet so many of them are still missing. I just need to find them all and piece them together to understand this man.
I take a bath and dress myself in record time. My outfit of the day is my trusty jeans which I wear like four times a week, a cream coloured full-sleeved t-shirt under a black sweater vest. And because it is a particularly chilly morning, a jacket to top it off.
(Picture belongs to its rightful owner)
I glance at the watch. Okay I'm officially ten minutes late. It's a wonder he still hasn't come up to force me down. He is the punctuality king if nothing else.
Shutting the door behind me, I rush out of my room. Then down the stairs, taking two at a time.
As I near the landing, I slow down.
Professor Langdon is sitting alone at the head of the table, sipping from a cup of tea. All his attention is on a paper...there are other thousands of papers and books scattered around him on the table.
Trust him to work even at the breakfast table.
Does this man know what taking a break means?
I scoff internally at my thoughts. What do I care.
Very slowly taking a step a minute, and tiptoe from behind him towards the kitchen.
I take very soft steps.
I don't want a confrontation with him right now-
"If you think you're escaping my attention by walking like a camel, you're not succeeding. But, by all means continue, don't mind me."
Shit.
I stop and glare at the back of his head, for he still hasn't turned back to look at me.
Seriously, does he have eyes at the back of his head?
"I wasn't walking like a camel." I snap at him. "And neither was I trying to avoid you."
"Its cute how you're delusional."
That bastard-
I glare at the back of his head.
Then rolling my eyes, continue walking towards the kitchen- this time in normal strides.
"If you want breakfast it's served on the table."
"Where's Willy?" I ask instead of moving towards the table.
"She has left."
"What? When?"
"The world doesn't revolve according to you Ellora. Not everyone can afford to waste time."
"I am ten minutes late. That too for freaking breakfast-!"
"Your point?"
How badly would I be judged if I slap this man right now?
I open my mouth to let him know exactly how I feel, but I stop. There's no point arguing with him.
Not taking heed to his earlier words, I stomp my way to the kitchen.
He interrupts again. "Coffee is on the table too."
Is this man a freaking warlock? How did he know I was going to get coffee from the kitchen, beacuse he mentioned breakfast but not coffee?
Might I add, he still hasn't looked my way even once.
I sigh frustratedly, as I walk towards the table finally.
There's a plate kept infront of the chair beside his.
I pick it up, and carry it to the farthest chair from him.
"There's a reason I kept that plate for you here Ellora."
He has finally deemed it necessary to look at me from his precious papers.
I stand infront of the chair farthest from him, with the plate in my hand.
"Screw. You." I say before keeping the plate infront of me. Then pull the chair and get in myself cooly, before picking up the coffee pot to pour myself a cup.
He raises a brow. "You would?"
I freeze with the pot mid-air, "What?"
He calmly repeats, "I asked, would you screw me?
The pot drops from my hand, splattering coffee everywhere.
I stare at him shocked with my mouth open.
Time seems to stop completely.
"Professor..." I whisper at him, seemingly at a loss for words.
He on the other hand seems to be having a really gala time as he tries to control his smirk.
Yes that's right. Control. His. Smirk.
"You-you cannot talk to me like that! I- I am your student!" I hiss.
He raises a brow. "When has that ever stopped you from-"
"Do not. Finish. That. Sentence." I interrupt sharply.
Because it is clear by the glint in his eyes what exactly the rest of his sentence was going to be. It is clear from the glint in his eyes that he is picturing the airport. It is clear from the glint in his eyes he is thinking about the veranda overlooking the secret garden.
"As you wish." He says back to his cool facade. "Now, you come here."
"What?"
"I believe it's going to take us the whole day to complete our conversation if you keep asking 'what' after every sentence and I keep repeating."
This bastard-
I purse my lips looking at him haughtily, "I am perfectly fine right here, sir."
"If I have to repeat myself one more time, I am coming there to pick you up myself."
I ignore him, as I pick up the coffee pot and keep it back in its proper place.
From the corner of my eye I see him move to get up-
"Okay fine!" I say giving him the dirtiest of looks as I get up from my seat, more like jump up from my seat.
Then pick up my plate and walk towards him, planting my butt on the chair he had kept my plate in front of, previously.
He, very calmly takes a sip from his coffee cup before very sliding it towards me.
I stare at the cup as if it has personally offended me, then back at professor Langdon who has gone back to his papers.
When I still stare at the cup after a few seconds, he sighs. "Ellora, drink."
"What?"
"What did I tell you about asking 'what' after my every sentence?"
"You- I- I cannot drink that. It's yours."
"Its just a cup of coffee Ellora. You cannot function without coffee in the morning and become extra cranky throughout the day. I have too much work to do today to deal with your attitude. And it's going to take atleast half an hour to make a fresh pot, the time we do not have. So stop throwing this childish fuss, and drink the coffee."
I stare at him open mouthed. Well he is not wrong about the coffee and cranky part. But that means he has been paying attention to me these past few weeks.
That makes me feel something, I can't quite put my finger on.
But wait, did you just say I have an attitude-
"I do not have an attitude."
He picks up and brow, "Childish fuss then."
"I am not throwing any childish fuss-"
"The fact that you're arguing with me over a simple coffee proves my point."
I give him my dirtiest look.
Then without any further question, pick up the cup and take a slow sip.
Then set it back down again, sliding it towards Professor.
Without a word he picks up the cup towards his mouth, as his eyes falls on mine.
His eyes darkens as he turns the cup exactly where I had put my mouth on, and takes a sip from right there.
My breath hitches, as I freeze, transfixed under his gaze and the implications of his actions.
I bite my lip hard, my eyes hyper focused on his plump lips around the cup where my lips were not a second ago.
The look in his eyes changes to something predatory the moment his eyes lowers to my biting lips.
Holy shi-
I grip the sides of my chair hard, clenching my thighs together involuntarily.
Suddenly one chair apart seems too close. I need distance from him.
To breath.
I can't breath.
I can't move.
I can't think.
He slowly lowers the cup, his dark eyes still on my lips.
There is no way this is legal.
His Adam's apple bobs as he glances at my lips for the last time before finally looking down at his papers.
I sigh.
That was freaking-
"There are some calculations I need you to do for me," he says sliding a bunch of papers and a pen towards me. "Some people are going to come today from the Coven,"
I stiffen on my way to flicking the papers.
He glances at his watch, "in about ten minutes. I assume you do not want to confront them. You can take these up to your room. I'll seek you once I am done with them."
That explains why we didn't go to the Coven.
"Thank you for the warning." I mutter before taking another huge sip from his cup. Then pick up the papers, the pen and my plate of buttered toast and almost flee from the spot.
I have considered confronting the men in the Coven who had...tried..touching me.
But that day is not today.
I spent the next ten minutes on the floor of my bedroom working on the calculations. They are challenging. But probably, definately cakewalk for professor Langdon. That's probably why he has given me to complete them while he handled other important stuff.
I also notice, these are energy calculations of some sort of nuclear machine.
And considering everything it's probably for the nuclear machine, the group of scientists had been working on in the Coven. The one he had made me assist him with in the initial weeks.
I immediately store this information for telling Marshall later tonight. Because apparently this whole deal has something to do with that machine. I am pretty sure about it today.
I hear the calling bell.
Then professor Langdon's deep muffled voice as he greets the men.
Another shaky, but hard voice greets back.
Shit. Vittorio is here. He is another man I have thought of confronting one day, but that day for sure is not today.
And then a female voice. Gigi.
And a bunch of other men voices I do not recognise.
And then the men walk inside and out of earshot.
My curiosity is at its peak right now.
I need to gather as much information as possible. That was my and Marshall's plan.
Very quietly I get up and out of my room shutting the door silently.
Then tiptoe down the corridor as the men's voices become clearer.
"Ellora? What the fuck are you doing here?"
I freeze at my spot at the all too familiar voice.
My mouth parts open with shock as I turn around slowly.
My eyes meets hers as we come face to face.
"Isabella?"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Hey everyone.
Thank you to all who wished for my finals. You guys are the best.
Since I disappointed with Marshall last chapter, here this chapter is a compensation.
I hope it met your expectations ;) ;)
Also you guys' disgust towards Marshall is hilarious.
And to everyone who fears this is a love triangle, I swear it is not. It's never going to be.
Just...just wait for sometime is all I ask ;)
Do not forget to vote and keep the damn comments coming.
Until next time
Yours truly,
Ms.WhatsYourFavrouteBook?