Page 27 of Obsessions of the Heart

“I love the sweet smell of fruit in the morning. That must mean my peaches has arrived.”

We whirled around to a grinning Elio, his shining emerald eyes scanning me from head to toe. It felt like his eyes could see through my clothes, but it wasn't a lustful gaze, no. It was more like he was searching, and when he didn't find what he was looking for, his smile widened.

Cin barked, “Quit it! Her name is Layrin. Get it through that thick skull of yours.”

He lazily put his hands up in surrender, swaggering over to us like he didn't have a care in the world. At first, I thought it was an act, but the more I was around Elio, the more I learned that this was his state of being. “Layrin. Sorry, cuz.”

Cin huffed, looking like she was ready to rip him a new one, so I put my hand on her shoulder. “I’m fine. It's just Elio.”

She sputtered, “Just Elio? Just Elio?!”

Elio cooed, “Yeah, Cin. Just little ol’ Elio.”

Cin vibrated with fury the second before she stomped up, yanked on his ear, and whispered something I couldn’t make out. Elio’s eyes darkened, then he yanked his ear out of her firm grip. “Don’t, Cinzia. I’m on your side now, but if you keep that attitude up, I might be crazy enough to steal away into the night with a sack full of goodies and never look back.”

Laughing something fierce, Cin looked up at him like she could take him on right now. “And you don’t think I could track you before you took a step off our soil? Please, you would leave a mile-long trail before you even made a move.”

They looked about ready to kill each other, but I really couldn't tell what they were talking about, so I stepped up next to them and whispered, “So, um, while this is interesting, we all have class in about two minutes.” Two sets of eyes looked at me in unison, and I took a step back at the sheer force.

Elio was the first to break the serious tone. “Layrin is right. We all need to get to where we’re supposed to be. Right, cuz?”

Cin’s nose crinkled before she gave me a soft smile. “See you in Art History, right?” I nodded, and she grabbed Elio’s arm. Through clenched teeth, she said, “And you will take her, right?”

He faced her, smiling, and tucked back a piece of her hair. “Yes, Cin. I’m going to do right by her. We’re on the same team.”

She let go and stalked off, waving at me before she quickly made her way to class. I glanced at Elio, who was absently rubbing the spot she’d just had in her hands. “She’s a tough broad, I’ll give her that.”

Then he held out his arm like a gentleman. “May I escort you, my delectable and delicious sweet fruit?” When I raised my eyebrow, he shrugged. “She didn't want me to call you peaches, so this is my substitute.”

Chuckling as I rolled my eyes, I looped my arm through his. “You know this doesn't mean anything, right?”

With a giggle, he opened the door for me. “I’m sure it means nothing to you, and I’m fine with that.” He motioned for me to go in first.

Chapter 10

Iknew I had told myself to shove last night out of my head, but it was harder said than done. This English class wasn’t enough of a distraction to keep my mind from wandering. Why did someone drug me but not take advantage? Did they want to scare me? Did someone find out that I wasn't some rich kid and wanted me gone? I hadn’t been here long enough to make an enemy. None of it made any sense.

Elio kept trying to catch my attention, but after the fifth shhhh, he settled in his seat, crossed his arms, and pouted like a child. I didn’t want to bring attention to myself.

The fact of the matter was that I didn't feel safe anymore.

I wasn't kidding myself; I had never truly felt safe anywhere, but I was always confident in my abilities and instincts to get myself out of situations that could be harmful. I prided myself on knowing who to hang around and what not to do while around other people, but look where I was now—missing memories like any other girl, feeling lost and alone, feeling like I couldn’t trust myself.

I already didn’t trust others, so if I could no longer trust myself, how was I going to get through all this? How was I going to survive this place and set up a better life for myself?

These thoughts plagued me until the end of the class. I was on autopilot when I started to pick up my stuff, and it was only when the professor spoke louder that I finally heard him.

“Before class is over today, I wanted to assign partners for your semester project.” The room collectively groaned, but the professor only spoke louder. “Yes, yes. Group projects are not usually fun or enlightening, but it is a precursor to working in the real world. You may have to work with someone you don’t like, someone who is the opposite of you, or someone who doesn't think or agree with your way of life, but guess what? That's your problem!” He aimed his gaze at everyone like we were to blame for the state of the world.

“Now, for this assignment, you will need to meet up outside of class to discuss. I want you and your partner to come up with a business, but I don’t want anything to do with numbers or schematics or anything about the regular day-to-day operations of a business. No, I want this to be a fantasy, a dream. I want you to explain your business—how you thought of it, how it makes your customers feel, and how, in the end, it enriches your life.” He went to the chalkboard, and everyone remained quiet as we wrote down what he’d said.

“I want it to be three pages, turned in before the end of the semester. If you are a superstar and want to turn it in early, you go and do that, but the firm deadline is December fifth. There will be no extensions, exceptions, or late submissions. Get it done, and do your best.” He paused and looked around again as if to drive that point into those who’d smirked at the project.

Then he flipped the script, his sudden smile jarring. “I have done a lottery to pick your partners for you.” Sliding on some reading glasses, he picked up a sheet of paper and belted out, “I will call out your last names, and you will be partners. Avelin and Brown. Becket and Callen.” He continued to name people one by one.

“So, what kind of business do you want to start, my sweet and sassy nectar?”

Not wanting to draw any attention to us, I whispered out the side of my mouth, “We don’t even know if we’re going to be partnered together.”

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