Page 26 of Her Devil

“Man, what a day.” She sighs, the weight of the world seemingly on her shoulders. She grabs her stuff out as I join her, any conversation being hushed as the tutor appears, making a start on the lecture.

I grab my notebook quickly, dropping everything else under the table without thought as the tutor begins her introduction.So much for clearing up who I am and finding out who or what is bothering her.

The lecture crawls on at a snail’s pace.

Maybe it’s just because there’s someone else I’d rather be talking to, or maybe it’s because after our late night and my early class this morning, I’ve had next to nothing of a break, but all I want is for this class to be over, and it won’t fucking end.

The finish time comes and goes, a couple of people making a show of packing up their things or repeatedly looking at their watches. Eventually, the tutor realises she’s been rambling on for an extra fifteen minutes when someone gently apologises before leaving because they’ve got another class to go to.

“Well, that could be awkward if it happens every week.” Ivy chuckles, whatever had been ailing her earlier on seemingly forgotten or pushed to the side.

“Hopefully it was a one-off,” I comment, packing up. “You seem happier, was everything okay earlier on?”

I got most of what the tutor was talking about, but I couldn’t seem to stop my mind from wandering to the multitude of things that could have upset her. What if some guy was coming on to her, or someone giving her shit? It could have been the barista making her coffee wrong, or her tripping over something on the way in.

My brain conjures everything from the inane and mundane to the outright ridiculous. At one point, I’d managed to convince myself it was an issue with a guy and I was going to need to find someone and hurt them. Not that I’d be averse to that.

“Yeah, all good,” she replies, snapping me back into the conversation at hand. “I just had a run-in with my ex. He’s decided to try and run my life again.” She rolls her eyes. “It didn’t work when we were together and it sure as hell isn’t going to work now. Don’t worry though, Leo’s on it.”

“Of course he is,” I mutter under my breath.

“What’s that?” she asks, popping her head back up over the edge of the desk, bag in hand.

“Nothing. I’m just glad you managed to get it sorted. Let me know if he bothers you again.”

“Sure thing. Are you finished after this?”

“Yeah, just meeting Jake and Emmerson before we head back to the house,” I say without thought, grabbing my stuff as we make our way out.

“Jake? That must get confusing.” She laughs, the tinkling sound being swallowed up as people filter from various classes, the corridor getting busier by the minute.

“Well, that’s what I was trying to say when I saw you. I’m not actually—”

“Nick, wait up,” Jake calls from behind us somewhere, and Ivy turns, her confusion clear.

“Jacob’s my brother. I’m Nick.”

I’m not sure if she catches my words in the hustle of the corridor, but he joins us quickly as she stands there looking from me to Jake and back again, gobsmacked.

“Ha.” Her amusement is clear as she looks between us once more. “Well, I’m glad you turned up, I’d have been calling him a liar otherwise and cursing you out for trying to ditch me.”

“Ditch you?” Jacob says with a chuckle. “I would never.”

“Yeah, well, twins aren’t exactly common,” she adds with a small smile. “Identical twins even less so.”

“Less than half a per cent.”

“So, wait, why has it taken you so long to tell me?” she asks.

“I figured you knew?” I shrug as people push past, the three of us an island in the middle of the corridor before we start moving with the rest of the students towards the exit.

“How?”

“We were both in the elevator the other day,” Jacob explains.

“Oh.” She swallows nervously.

She didn’t even see him.

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