Page 62 of The Predator

He doesn't argue and shoves out of the chair quickly, following me out of the lecture hall. We make it to the coffee cart stationed in the quad, and I'm relieved to notice hardly anyone seems to be watching us. I mean yes, students are looking but not in a way that makes me feel singled out. The line is longer than I remember, but we stand together, my own impatience intensifying my anxiety. Sebastian reaches for me and links his fingers with mine lazily. My insides warm from the gesture and touch. He’s never shown me off before, and I’m not really sure how to handle it.

It’s nice, but it also makes me feel like the spotlight is on me.

"Well, isn't this fucking cozy," A mocking voice cuts through the warm cuddly feelings, tossing me deep into shark infested waters.

Whirling around, I spot Tanya as she ambles towards us.God, please kill me now.I try not to stare at her, but it’s damnnear impossible when she looks like she walked off the page of a magazine, a fur wrapped around her upper body while her legs are encased in skin tight denim. Her dark hair is straight and hangs down to her waist, shimmering in the sunlight.

There’s a shift in the air around me, a sudden rush of cold, and I look at Sebastian, watching as his features change in an instant. Releasing my hand, he takes a step forward.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Tanya?"

She shrugs. "Whatever I want. It's a public campus, and I'm a very generous donor. No one is going to stop me from getting a coffee."

I clench my fists, suddenly returning to that night where I watched her straddle him in the study. I hate her and not because of what she’s done to him but because of the shitty person she is.

Her hard gaze shifts back to me, judgment building with every blink as she takes in my features and the love bites Sebastian left on my neck.

"Oh, Elyse, you look tired." She leans in and brushes her lips against my cheek. "It won't be long until he gets tired of you, too. Just wait," she whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear.

Seb circles my waist with one arm and hauls me backwards, putting distance between Tanya and myself. She smiles like she expected him to make that move."Well, I'll leave you two love birds. I have a meeting with the dean that I need to get to. I’d hate to be late when he’s always so accommodating.”

Taking a step back, she tightens her arms around her fur coat and turns before walking away. The sound of her heels tapping rhythmically on the concrete steps rings in my ears as she disappears from sight. She’s up to something..

"Why would she need to talk to the dean?"

The look of horror in his eyes remains for a few more seconds, and then, as if realizing he’s safe, he recoils into himself, his body relaxing slowly.

"What did she say to you?"

I shake my head, closing the space in the line we'd left while dealing with Tanya. "Nothing. She is just trying to rile us both. As usual."

I'm a heartbeat away from asking about that night, about what happened with her and about their past, but as I consider it, I realize it's not something I really want the details of. The main points seem obvious enough in context. And I especially don't want to talk about it here, with so many of the campus' eyes on us.

We make it to the coffee cart, and Seb orders for us, handing me a hot paper cup when the barista is finished. As we move away, I spot a bench and head to sit.

Tanya’s arrival stirred everything into hyper focus. It’s all too much…the sound of students talking, the scent of the coffee in my hand, even the burn on my tongue. When I realize my hand is shaking, I lower the coffee to my lap and try to steady myself before I have a panic attack.

It takes me a second to notice Sebastian is speaking to me. "...you have one more, right?"

I quickly try to fill in the blanks. "Class?"

He nods, studying me more intently. "Yes, one more class, right?"

I try to keep cool, because letting him know my internal system is going haywire will not help any. "Yes, one more."

Something in his eyes changes, and I watch as darkness fills his eyes. "Elyse," his voice becomes stern. "Talk to me. What the fuck did she say to you? And don’t tell me she saidnothing,because you look like you saw a ghost, plus you’re shaking, and before she showed up you were fine.”

I take another sip of the coffee. "She didn’t do anything. I think it’s just the sudden change. Returning to class, feeling everyone’s eyes on me. It’s going to take some time to get used to again.”

He white knuckles his coffee cup, and I worry it's going to collapse in his grasp and spill hot liquid over us both. "Really, it's fine. I'm fine."

"No, obviously you're not. Maybe we should go home. We can go to your other class tomorrow or whenever it's held next. This has been enough for one day."

I shake my head and stare at my lap. "No, I can do this. I want to do this." I don't add...I want to prove I can do this. That I'm not this fragile broken creature now. Especially when it’s how everyone keeps looking at me. Like at any second I'm going to lose it and run away screaming.

"I promise I’m okay. Just give me a minute to caffeinate.”

"Coffee isn’t going to fix your reaction to Tanya showing her face here."