Chapter 7

ery and DUNCAN POV

Amethyst! Crystal!

She's such a little fox! Just hiding right here under our noses! Fun fact, no one would ever have known it was her. Heck. I wouldn't have known it was her. But that tattoo, that unknown, invincible string that pulled me toward her, the sudden rush to dominate her and give her all the pleasure... 

It can only be one person. Her.

There can never be such a coincidence in this world. There's a coincidence, and there's this. I know life is full of surprises and mysteries, but this…

It didn’t need the genius to figure it out. The truth was staring me right in the face.

I found her again!

~~~

CRYSTAL POV

“Yoh Crys…”

A very familiar voice called out from the farthest region of my mind before big arms circled from behind me, then pulled me back into a wall of muscle. I let out a startled scream at being suddenly pulled back to reality, then turned my head to stare at the invader. I gave out an exasperated sigh, and chunked an evident roll of my eyes when I found none, but Jack, with his stupid ass smirk. He was such a ladykiller, and he never lacked female attention. 

I so wished I wouldn't be seeing him almost every now and then.

“I’ve been calling you for like, 10 minutes now? What’s up?” He planted a huge kiss on my cheek before unwrapping his arms around me, only to drape one heavy weight around my shoulders and walked by my side. I halted in my steps and stared out into the open, blue sky. I was no longer in the corridor outside the professor’s office, I was outside nearing the cafeteria. I was really losing it. But who wouldn't? 

After what had just happened?

“Crys… are you okay?” Jack asked, and this time, I could hear the concern in his voice. I settled with being less of a prick and decided to give him the attention he so badly wanted. 

Fact, I was never really friends with ex-boyfriends. Call me petty, but once we were through then there was no point in acting as though we were close. It just... It wasn't my kind of thing to do.

“I’ve seen better days,” I said begrudgingly before tearing from his embrace, then started taking angry strides towards the cafeteria. Not angry at him... Just to be clear.

“Whoa whoa.” He ran to match my pace, then planted himself in front of me, blocking my way, and sadly, my view of the cafeteria. I so wish he wouldn't. Because he only promoted himself into being the top 1 on my list of the least favorite people.

“I am not the bad guy here. I just want to know if you’re okay or not. Is there anything I can do to help?” I decided to glance at his face for the first time since he sprung back from unknown worlds. And I should say, he looked great, just like how I remember him. Even though we were classmates, I made sure to keep a good distance from him and not see him, unless I had to. But he always had other plans...

“I…” I paused, then stared to the side.

“Is everything alright? I have never seen you this listless since… the beginning of forever.” He crooked his index finger underneath my chin, coaxing my face to look at him. I so wish he wasn't touching me. His amber eyes held so much concern, and I remembered all the good times we used to have. If only he hadn’t…

“I am just confused. That’s all.” I added a small smile, trying to get him off my case, but he sure was hell not-convinced. Not even a tad bit. But thankfully he didn’t press on the issue any further. I was going to bury him cold if he did.

“What did that dick say to you? He looked rather pissed that you were late for his first lecture. Seriously, I have never seen such a stuck-up suit. He should loosen a bit.” Upon hearing his words, the skin around my wrist tingled deliciously, causing the sparks of heat to spread all around my body. The memories of the weekend came tumbling to the front of my mind wanting attention and acknowledgement,

“Uhm…” How could I say it? He looked at me like he wanted to devour me Right where I stood? Or he looked at me and then whispered ‘interesting’ and now I was stuck trying to decipher what it was he was trying to get on with that? Right now my mind was reeling with all kinds of scenarios as to what he was insinuating. 

Interesting to be carved into an art and be hung on his wall? 

Interesting to be cooked in a double boiler and be served hot and steamy for his dinner?

“Just the usual. What the professors say when their students are late.” The lame response left my mouth even before I could think of it, and this time, he made sure to let it known.

“I don’t buy that, Crys. That dick said something to you and it's bothering you. I can see that. You don’t have to be so guarded against me, you know that right?” He corked a brow, making him look even more cooler. I will admit, Jack my douch ass ex-boyfriend was, without a doubt, a real panty dropper. But he was a bundle of unsolved phantoms and unbidden wantons, chunk a bundle of anger issues and insecurities like I did not have my own. Not to be sardonic or anything, I was seriously in no position to date someone like him.

He had a lot of soul-searching to do, a long journey of introspection and navel-gazing, sadly for him, I was not up to be his tour guide.

He was a fun guy, all loving and shit… But he was way too fucked up to actually be in a serious relationship. I had my own problems to worry about. And Jack’s just didn’t seem like a good addition to all of it.

“I know… It's just…” I don’t want you to think that I am still interested in you or something by spilling things that are related to me. 

I finished the sentence in my head. 

“Come on.” He pulled me into a one-sided hug and started walking us to the café. I decided to let it slide. The inside was not so packed since it was still in the morning, and there were only a few people who didn’t get their morning fixes, just like me. Jack stuffed me into our former favorite booth before straightening up.

“The usual?” He asked with half of his lip tucked upwards in a knowing smirk. I just hated how he seemed so invested in me, even after half a year of a breakup.

“Of course.” I nodded and smiled. He pointed two fingers at me before running to the counter, leaving me alone with my thoughts. 

Before I could even cushion myself, my brain waltzed back to that unholiest encounter in the professor’s office. From the blurriest pits of my mind, I recalled a small sign on his desk that was written Prof. Griffin, so I took the liberty to assume that it was his last name, considering that our last Law professor was not a Griffin. 

So Griffin, if angels and demons truly existed, would be a fusion of both. I have never, not even for a single point in my life came across someone who was so sinfully hot yet holy like him. He was a cross between weary, the kind where you would throw caution to the wind as long as it meant having the small taste of him, at the same time, he was someone that rattled the shit out of me. I was genuinely terrified by his ability to force my being to my knees the way he did. No one has ever had that kind of influence in my life. 

Ever.  

He didn’t even have to speak, just his intense gaze, and I was willing to sweep the floor with my eyelashes. Even lick it.

He was intense, more than words can say. And there was this aura of mystery that swilled around him, making him even more domineering than he could ever be. A very dark part of my mind found that absorbingly intriguing, more than I should probably allow. I should have been terrified of the idea of one person knowing about my double life, a professor to add. But I was slightly excited for all the wrong reasons. I swear my brain was not functioning properly. A major part of it was not. And that part was slowly creeping around, causing its dark fog to cloud my entire mind. I couldn’t allow that, I couldn’t even let such an encounter happen again.

What happened was enough, because I sure as hell had no idea of what I will do next if I were to be left alone in a room with him. And no, I will not be held responsible for my actions even if they included accidentally roping him down and falling onto his dick. 

“Crystal?” A firm hand gripped my hand, causing me to sprint out of my seat. My heart leaped into my throat and I found myself clutching my chest as I took calming breaths, while staring at Jack who remained seated opposite me, with brows furrowed.

“Seriously, what is going on?” He said this with his eyes pinned on me. Slowly, I fell back into the seat and then cleared my throat.

“I didn’t sleep well last night.” That was not entirely a lie.

“Okay?” He probed, urging me to continue.

“The cubbies. They were not okay.” I said while watching him add ketchup to the French fries, then popped one into his mouth and then nodded, as if he was approving the taste.

“What was wrong with them?” He added some oregano to my eggs and sausages before sliding the plate across the table till it stopped in front of me. 

I sighed heavily.

“We couldn’t find Rosey’s bunny. And Jace thinks someone robbed his piggy bank.” I replied defeatedly before taking one sausage and biting into it. Hmmmm… Tastes like heaven.

“Urgh…” Jack exclaimed before falling into a fit of serious coughs. His whole bloody flushed, causing his face to turn crimson while his shoulders rocked violently at the brutal force of the coughs. I reached for the bottle of water and unscrewed it, then placed it in front of him.

“Wrong pipe.” He wheezed like an asthmatic donkey before reaching for the bottle quickly, then downed a good amount down.

“Sorry,” I said with a small cringe, then went back to chowing my own breakfast. Wrong pipe situations were always messy. Glad he wasn’t dying though.

“So…” He said while catching his breath.

“The cubbies…”

“Hmmmmm… It doesn’t make sense though. Because there's no way those things could ever leave the house. Unless a robber enters and well… But then again, who would rob a kid’s blanket and a piggy bank and leave everything behind? Weird.” I said shaking my head at the thought of it, then glanced across the table at Jack whose ears were insanely red. His eyes looked anywhere but at my face, but I decided to look outside the window instead.

“Enough about me. How have you been?” I quickly changed the topic, thankful that it was the perfect distraction from the epitome of my thoughts.

“Nah. Nothing new. Just the good ol’ stories.” He said with a small shrug of his shoulder.

“How’s work?” He was a part-time mechanic at his uncle’s garage. Earned a few pennies that got him by.

“Like I said, nothing new. My life is just a long series with long 45 minutes episodes of Boredom.” He said, causing me to chuckle. I almost forgot him and his sense of humor.

We sat there for a few more minutes until I had to excuse myself for the next lecture. The rest of the day passed by uneventfully, and I barely got to see Anna. It was only after lunch did I learn that her class took a field trip and that they won't be back till later yadah yadah. Nothing really enticing. But, I was highly gratified because everything seemed to be back to normal.

After my 3 pm class, it was time to go home since my schedule wasn’t so packed. I drove my big truck and stopped at the store to pick some snacks for the cubbies, at least they would be a perfect distraction while I try to locate the bunny and Jace’s piggy bank.

All of this made me want to curl into a ball and cry. Honestly, being responsible for other humans at my age was just so torturous. But I wasn’t complaining. I couldn’t complain, because, without them, I wouldn’t be where I am. They were what made my world spin, and what made me forget all my problems.

And for them, I would travel around the world on a bicycle.