Page 8 of Her Cruel Bodyguard

I sit beside Paul, and Professor Dumbleton steps in. He has a cherry-topping smile, thick glasses on the brink of his pointed nose, and his signature rumpled baby blue shirt on khaki pants. He steps to the platform and claps his hands together the way he usually does when he is about to begin his class.

Forty-five minutes later and a slim nudge away from stabbing my stylus pen through Paul’s cheeks to keep him from leaning down to whisper in my ear, the class comes to a stop. I sink into my seat.

“I was annoying, wasn’t I?” Paul chuckles, and I shake my head, “No need to sugarcoat it, Eva Teso.” I circle my eyes at his way of calling me. He has been addressing me by my full name throughout class.

Gloria turns, folding her arms to rest her elbows on the desk in front of me, “Hey, star, ready to kick ass for this last semester?” she winks that annoying wink again.

“Hey, the one who gave the star up for a stranger,” I smile at her “I can’t wait for this master’s to be over already…”

“I am here,” Paul slips himself into the conversation.

“Yeah, and I am wondering why,” my smile is still on my face. His talking throughout the class and asking certain questions about lighting wasn’t all that bad. I can sense he has been trying to flirt with me, and as much as I don’t share the same vision as him, it won’t hurt to treat him a little better.

“What can I do to make my presence less irritating?” He rests one elbow on his desk, slanting to the side. “Someone please help me here,” he darts his eyes between Gloria and me. He’s got an accent that reminds me of someone, but I cannot place it. And his eyes look sort of familiar.

“Have I seen you somewhere?” I squint my eyes.

“Maybe in another life. We could be star-crossed lovers; I would not be surprised,” he winks now, and although his wink is better than Gloria’s, it does not affect me.

“You wish,” I shove my laptop in my bag.

“I do,” he picks up his notepad. “Lovers is impossible, but study partners doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”

“Hey,” Gloria clips her teeth at him. “The more, the merrier,” she beams, which is a clear sign that she is all in for us studying together and that what he is saying should not be taken seriously.

“I am hustling for better grades,” he says, leaning forward. “I am here for it, but I didn’t think my tutor would be this breathtaking,” he points with his eyes at me. “I will try not to mix duty with pleasure, I promise.”

Gloria leans forward towards me, biting her lower lip as she tries to tuck in her smile, her eyes pleading like a puppy’s.

I sigh as I throw my strap bag across my shoulder, “I guess… we could help you,” my eyes drop to the coffee cup on my desk. Gloria claps repeatedly, and then she is off, packing up at the speed of a camera flick.

“Thank you,” Paul stands. “We can study over lunch,” he picks up his backpack and I nod.

I was going to say no or ask for us to reschedule but another exciting thought darts through my mind. My stomach is biting in excitement at the thought of what Fabio will do when he sees me with Paul.

I should thank the universe.

I needed a boyfriend, and voilà, I might have just been handed the perfect fit.

Brace up, Fabio.

CHAPTER FOUR

FABIO

Bad liar. That’s me.

The more I try to act detached, the more I struggle to breathe. She sees through me, and it’s the most infuriating part of all of this. I cannot lie comfortably to myself when I am around her.

I swallow a deep breath as I type the transaction description into my phone, “Jake”, and then hit send. I swing my eyes between the rearview mirror and my phone as I wait for the transaction to go through.

I aim to toss the phone on the dashboard but then pull it back to type a quick text to Mindy.

Me: Let me know if you need more.

She never does because I send more than necessary. I prefer to keep it this way, but the last thing I want is to be found slacking.

I toss the phone on the dashboard and lean into the leather seat, an unintentional scowl masking my face as I stare at the schoolgoers sprinting around me. It makes me thing of the days of my youth. Emanuele and I have never been known to be anything less of rogues. We maintained our lanes, but you could tell the charge around us was dangerous.

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