Page 111 of Delilah In Discretion

Five Years Ago

Delilah walked into class and sat at her desk. She had just finished dance class and took a quick shower before making it to her biology class. Opening her bag, she noticed the class was more silent than usual, most of them giving her side glances. She began to stop questioning it, thinking it was because they’d she was alone and not with Kimiko, who was still in violin practice or—

“Hello, Princess,”she heard beside her, and she sighed as she looked over to the seat that now sat the boy who made it his goal to make her absolutely hate him.

“Archer,” she said with no emotion, and he chuckled.

“What... that’s all I get? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Yet,she thought to herself but stayed quiet as she went back to ignoring him.

Their professor entered the room, and Delilah listened in as he began teaching. She started writing notes in her book, occasionally swatting Archer’s hand as he felt it was his right to begin twirling her hair in his fingers.

“You all will also be able to choose a partner for this upcoming assignment on DNA cloning and replication,” she heard the professor say, and as he continued, she could feel Archer’s gaze on her once again.

“No,” was her answer, and although he hadn’t asked her a question, it was a general statement for anything he was thinking of at the moment.

“Why not?” he asked, and she blushed as he tilted his head at her almost mockingly as she felt his hand being placed on her knee.

“You can ask one of your friends to be with you,” she whispered, and he rolled his eyes.

“Sterling isn’t even in this class—”

“I don’t care what his name is or where he is. Ask him, not me.”

He sighed as he pulled away from her, and she was ready to release a breath of relief, but her heart dropped as he single-handedly pulled her chair closer to his. The screeching sound of the chair prompted their classmates to turn their heads toward them in confusion.

Delilah put her head down in embarrassment as she tried to make it seem as if she was writing something in her book, but she flinched when he whispered in her ear, his hand pushing a strand of hair behind it.

“But I want to be with you, Princess.”

Delilah’s hand shot up, catching the attention of her professor.

“Yes, Ms. Russel?”

“Can you choose my partner for me, please?” she sputtered, and Archer froze in his seat.

The professor nodded his head and looked around the room. “Ryan, you won’t mind being partners with Delilah, would you?” he asked, and Ryan looked petrified as he side-glanced at Archer, who was now glaring at him. Receiving no response, the teacher nodded. “It’s settled then. Delilah and Ryan will be partners.”

Archer let out a low, dangerous chuckle as he sat back in his seat. He twirled a piece of Delilah’s hair between his fingers possessively, and she gulped softly, not daring to push him away again.

“Wrong move, Princess,”was all she heard before the bell rang, allowing the students to go to their next class.

She exited the classroom in haste and took a deep breath. She felt liberated for the time being, but she knew that it wouldn’t last for long.

A few hours passed, and as Delilah stood by her locker ready to leave, Ryan came up beside her. She looked over to him as she closed it, and he pushed his hair out of his face.

“Delilah. We can’t be partners.” He spoke quickly, and Delilah watched as he walked away from her without saying another word.

She sighed as she leaned her head against the locker and closed her eyes. It allowed her to hold back the tears that wanted to surface, but it also distracted her, causing her not to see the person now approaching.

“What is it about me that actually makes you not want to—” he started, and she shook her head as she cut him off.

“Everything, Archer. From your personality to the way you treat me, to who you are. I-I just want to be happy.”

“You don’t think I can make you happy,” he stated rather than asking as he towered over her, and she shrugged.

“All you do right now... is make me miserable.” She opened her eyes, and he could see the small, unshed tears in them slowly going away.

---