Chapter 300
WILLA
I felt a slight nudge on my side. Seeing he had gotten my attention, Lucian shifted so our heads were almost touching.
"It's a long trip back," he said.
"I guess..." I said before I could stop myself.
Annoyed with myself, I bit down on my tongue. I was really going to work on making complete sensible sentences when Lucian was this close. Not stumbling over my words like an idiot.
Lucian tapped my wrist.
"Take it," he said.
With a start, I realized he was holding out an earbud from his earphones to me. Our fingers brushed as I took it from him.
He screwed the other earbud deeper into his ear.
"I've found music helps shorten the distance when you're travelling," he said. "I've listening to the best playlist on my music app if I do say so myself. Go on. Listen."
I put the earbud in my ear. The smooth soft strains of a beautiful female voice accompanied by a violin floated through my eardrums.
I was startled. I didn't know what I had been expecting. A death metal band, maybe, with screaming and the electric guitar screeching in the background.
Somehow Lucian had seemed like the kind of guy that would listen to that sort of music.
"Surprised?" Lucian said, correctly reading my expression.
"Something like that," I said with a grin.
"So? What do you think?"
"I think it's beautiful," I said and meant it.
It occurred to me then that there were a whole bunch of things I still didn't know about Lucian. He seemed to have... depth.
Yes. That was the word. There was more to Lucian than the part he showed to the world.
He nodded, pleased. He handed me his phone, invited me to go through his playlist. I saw some songs I was familiar with. Most, I didn't know.
"I'll share my playlist too," I said.
We spent the remainder of the trip listening and talking about music.
I didn't know we had reached Worchmount's campus's parking lot not until students started to move around.
"We've arrived," Lucian announced.
On his way out of his seat, he touched my shoulder and then went to supervise the offloading of the sample cases.
There was a crush at the door. I stayed put until those in front had left the bus. Then I grabbed my boxes and got down.
There were students, lots of them, waiting outside for their friends. I was surprised to see Theron among them.
He spotted me around the same time I saw him. His face split into a grin.
"Willa!" he called and waved.
"Theron," I called back, dropping my bags on the floor. "I didn't know-"
A girl dragging along a heavy suitcase almost half her size nearly cannoned into me. When she had walked past, I saw that Theron was gone. The next moment he was in front of me.
He had his arms wide open. Before I could protest, he pulled me into a bear hug and lifted me off my feet.
"Theron!" I said, laughing. "Put me down!"
Lucian stepped out of the bus, took in the scene at one glance. He scowled. First at Theron. Then at me.
Theron put me down but didn't let me go. I suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Things in the last couple of days had happened so fast that I hadn't even spared a thought for Theron. What would Lucian think, seeing us together?
Theron's gaze flickered to Lucian.
"I've missed you so much, Willa," he said loud enough for everyone to hear.
The only warning I had of what Theron was about to do was the sudden mischievous glint in his eyes. The next second he was kissing me.
He cupped the back of my neck so I wouldn't pull away. When he finally did, he was grinning. A couple of guys wolf whistled.
"I've been wanting to do that for days," he said in the same unnecessarily loud voice.
I forced a smile, quickly stepped out of the circle of Theron's arms. I was half afraid he was going to kiss me again.
He seemed to be in that kind of mood. I forced myself not to swipe at my lips. Theron and I were pretending to be a couple after all.
I wanted so badly to tell Lucian that the kiss had meant nothing but I couldn't do that with a lot of people watching.
Lucian grabbed a sample case off the floor. He held it so tightly I thought he was going to swing it at Theron's face.
Lucian stalked past Theron. He deliberately slammed his shoulder into his as he went. Theron stumbled and nearly fell over someone's suitcase.
Theron turned to glare at Lucian's retreating back.
"Arrogant son of a bitch," Theron cursed.
I stood, wringing my hands and wishing that the last few minutes had never happened.
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