Chapter 3: An Unsettling Encounter.

"Can I sit here, if you don’t mind?"

Lily looked up to see the owner of the sweet yet deep voice; it was Ethan, the tall, handsome boy she had been secretly admiring, piercing her existence with his blue eyes.

“Huh, uh-okay,” she stuttered.

Quickly gathering her things, feeling flustered, she moved to the empty seat beside her. Ethan took his seat, flashing her a small smile before turning his attention to the front of the classroom, leaving Lily to wonder why she was so affected by his presence.

But her thoughts were soon interrupted again by the arrival of Mark. He barged into the classroom with a scowl on his face, his eyes searched the room until they landed on Ethan, then it slowly moved to Lily they immediately looked away.

Taking huge steps, he took a seat right behind Lily, throwing his backpack onto the floor with a loud thud, causing Lily to flinch, feeling intimidated by his imposing demeanor.

"Mark," Ethan said, nodding in his direction.

"Eth," Mark replied shortly, his tone icy and hostile.

Lily watched the exchange with curiosity. There was definitely a history between them.

As the class went on, Lily kept stealing glances at Ethan. His aura pulled her in and she did not know why. But she was not the only one focusing on someone that was not the teacher.

Mark too.

Lily was so sure of Mark's intense stare from the back, she could feel his eyes blasting lasers through her soul. She looked back a few times and they ended up making eye contact, which she was always the first one to break. It made Lily uncomfortable and jittery throughout the class, knowing that Mark was watching her every move.

The bell finally rang. Relieved, Lily hastily gathered her things before making her way out of the classroom. She was about to pass the entrance, only to be stopped by Mark.

"You're Lily, right?" his voice froze her at the spot, “the smoothie girl,” he walked from behind her to her front.

Lily nodded, feeling nervous under his intense stare.

"You should watch your back around Ethan," Mark said, his voice low and menacing.

“Huh?” Lily furrowed her eyebrows; she hadn’t even spoken to Ethan.

Mark leaned in.

“I noticed you staring at him during class.” Lily’s eyes widened as she felt her face flush red.

His words made Lily silent. She had been caught, and she knew it, I mean obviously, when he stared at her throughout the class.

She felt a chill run down her spine as Mark made another quick move, leaning in even closer. Her eyes widened and the scent of his cologne intensified, giving her an unfamiliar. She tried to back away, but he followed her, whispering in her ear, "He's trouble."

What?

But before Lily could respond, Mark turned and walked away, leaving her stunned. Her heart drubbed, trying to make sense of what he had just said as she watched Mark slowly disappear into the crowd.

As she made her way through the crowded hallway, she kept wondering what Mark had meant by "He's trouble." Was Ethan really someone to be afraid of? And why was Mark so concerned about her?

* * *

Lily had a free period, but she had not seen her friends all day, considering they were in science while she was in art. As their free periods weren’t the same, she had nothing to do during her free period. So, she went to her music teacher and took the keys to the music lab to play the piano.

She sat on the piano bench and started to play a song she had been taught during her piano lessons. She was so immersed in the music that she didn't realize anyone was in the room until she finished playing and heard someone clapping. The sound came from the front of the piano, and Lily stood up to check who was there.

As she peeked, Lily saw that it was Ethan. She immediately recalled Mark’s warning about him.

Letting out a small gasp, Lily caught Ethan's attention. He looked up at her, and smiled. "That was cool."

Lily blushed and replied shyly, "Ahh, thanks."

Ethan was holding a book. The cover was covered with cardboard paper as if he didn't want anyone to know what he was reading. Curious Lily asked, "What are you reading?"

Ethan looked at Lily and then held up his book, swinging it without saying anything.

Lily was a bit flustered, but decided to start a conversation. "What's a guy like you doing here alone?"

"I could ask you the same thing.”

"…"

“I was on my way to the library when I heard the sound of a piano, so I was curious." He said.

"Oh," Lily said, unsure of what to say next.

"When I came in, you didn't even notice me," Ethan said, standing up.

"I must have been too focused," Lily said, letting out a nervous laugh.

Ethan walked over to the piano and began touching the keys randomly, producing a noisy sound. Lily laughed at the sight of a novice.

"Can you play?"

Ethan stopped and looked directly at Lily's eyes. "Why? Would you like to teach me?"

She let out a shy and nervous laugh. "Uh, if-"

Ethan scooted to the side, tapping the space he had left on the bench, indicating he wanted her to sit with him.

There?

She was wary, but Ethan noticed, "Why? You don't want to?"

“No ahh-“

Lily hurriedly made her way to the chair, trying to keep a distance from him on the small bench, but she was not comfortable. Ethan realized it "Come closer. You might fall." His voice, sweet yet commanding.

Lily immediately obeyed as she moved closer; their bodies were now squeezed on the small bench. Her heart pounded in her chest mercilessly. The universe was on her side today. The feeling of the heat emanating from his body, the scent of his cologne intoxicating.

"Soooo," Lily tried to relieve the awkwardness that only she felt. "Place your fingers like this," she said, as she placed her fingers on the keys of the piano.

Ethan did as she said. He looked at her, but she avoided his eyes as it obviously would make her more nervous than she already was. Ethan placed his fingers on the wrong keys. Lily corrected him. "No, D-sharp, E-Flat, and C-sharp."

Ethan chuckled and placed his fingers on the wrong keys again.

"No!" Lily was now getting impatient. "Here, this one," she said, grabbing Ethan's hands and placing them on the piano. Then she took his other hand and placed it on the right keys. Lily was now holding both of Ethan's hands, but she didn't realize it as she was too immersed in him getting the right keys.

Ethan's eyes met Lily's, and she felt a jolt of electricity run through her. His eyes were so blue, so captivating. He chuckled, "You’re a good mentor," his lips curved a little, as his eyes sparkled.

Lily hesitated but looked at him again, and now there was an alluring smile on his face. Her hands gently squeezed Ethan’s as butterflies filled her stomach. Immediately she realized that she had been holding onto him for much longer than necessary. She quickly dropped his hands and looked away, trying to hide her blushing face.

Ethan laughed at her reaction as he thought she was cute, “You’re done?” he asked Lily, who stopped teaching him mid-way.

“No uhm…” Lily said, placing her hands on Ethan’s again as she guided him to the correct keys.

Lily's fingers tingled from the sensation of holding Ethan's hands. Her heart pounding in her chest as Ethan's hands were now locked in hers. She tried to steal a glance at him, but their eyes met yet again, and her knees weakened. His eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue, she found herself getting lost in them.

“I’m getting better at this…” Ethan said, his lips tipping off to a smirk as he started playing the piano effortlessly.

Puzzled, Lily watched in shock as he played the same song she had just finished playing, but so much better. Her jaw dropped in awe as she felt a twinge of jealousy.

Ethan continued to play smoothly.

Feeling a pang of embarrassment, Lily had been so sure that he was a beginner, but now she realized he had just been playing along.

"How... why... you-lied," Lily spluttered, her lips upside down.

"Lied?” Ethan tittered. "I only asked if you wanted to teach me. I never said I didn't know how to play," he said, getting up from the piano bench.

"But... but you acted like you didn't know the keys and all," Lily said, unconsciously pouting.

"Yeah... I was just wondering how you would teach someone, and you're surprisingly horrible at it," Ethan snickered.

She rolled her eyes at his teasing. Lily had never been good at teaching, and Ethan had clearly seen through her act.

"I'll be leaving now," Ethan said, picking up his book.

No!

Lily nodded, feeling disappointed that their time together had come to an end. "Yeah, me too," she said, looking at the wall clock. "It'll be over soon, anyway."

As they walked towards the door, Lily's heart raced with anticipation. She didn't want this moment to end, but she knew it had to. He opened the door for her, and she quickly passed through, not realizing his gesture.

She turned to thank him, feeling foolish. “Oh no, uhm… thank you, thank you… there was no need.”

Ethan closed the door and smiled at Lily reassuringly. She felt her heart skip a beat as she met his gaze again.

When they came out, Lily's friends Sarah and Emily appeared, rushing towards her. They were in awe as they saw Lily and Ethan walking out of the music room together. Sarah and Emily clung onto Lily, barely containing their excitement as they both waved hi to Ethan.

“Hi!” Emily and Sarah smiled brightly at Ethan.

“Hi,” Ethan replied shortly, then pointed in the hallway and nodded at them before taking a leave.

Sarah rushed over to the door of the music room, peering inside to see if anyone else was there. "Are you sure nothing happened there?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Emily let out a squeak. "Were you guys alone in there?" she asked, eyes wide.

Lily felt her face growing hotter by the second. "Yes, we were alone," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sarah rushed back to Lily. “What happened? How is he? What were you guys doing in there?”

“Tell us!” Emily pleaded.

Lily’s heart skipped a beat. "Nothing happened. We were just playing music."

Sarah and Emily exchanged knowing looks, but Lily didn't want to think about what they might be thinking.

"We were just playing the piano. That's all," she said, rolling her eyes at them, hiding the fact that she felt something more with Ethan.

"We should get to class," Lily said, trying to change the subject.

The bell suddenly rang for the next class. Lily rushed off, her head filled with the images of the way Ethan looked at her. Was there something more? Something that went beyond just playing the piano.

As Lily walked towards her next class, her eyes caught sight of Ethan and Mark standing outside the Economics classroom. She watched them exchange a few gestures, wondering what kind of friendship they had. Mark tapped Ethan on the shoulder before they both disappeared into the classroom.

Disappointed that she wasn’t having the same class as them, Lily entered her own classroom, her mind drifting to Ethan and Mark. There was obviously something off between them. Perhaps it was the way Mark looked at Ethan with a mix of admiration and envy, or maybe it was the subtle tension she felt whenever they were in the same room.

It was later that afternoon she finally got some answers.

* * *

Lily intentionally missed the bus to enjoy a walk home in solitude, and she also had nothing to do at home, so why rush? As she walked home alone, a car suddenly pulled up beside her. Her heart raced as she kept a safe distance, wary of the vehicle's intentions.

It was a grey car with tinted windows which prevented Lily from seeing who was inside, making her even more uneasy. Despite living in a safe neighborhood, the horror stories she had heard about kidnappings and assaults lingered in her thoughts.

The car's engine revved, and Lily picked up her pace, only for the car to catch up with her again. Her fear turned to confusion as she heard her name. Her heart stopped beating for a second, her feet glued to the ground. Whoever it was, he knew her name and that could be good or bad news.

“Lily, is that you?" an unrecognized voice called out.