Protecting Her

Isla’s POV

The hiss of the espresso machine was the soundtrack of my college life. Not glamorous, not exciting - just steady. Safe. My part time job at the coffee shop wasn’t much but it paid for books and rent, and for a few hours a day, I could feel normal.

“Double latte for Sam,” I called out, sliding the cup across the counter with my best customer service smile, as “Sam” walks…or waddles over looking like he really could use the shot of caffeine.

“Of course, he wouldn’t leave a tip.” I stifle a giggle as I watch Sam try to walk straight out of the shop.

“Come in here smelling like booze.. the nerve”

I turn around with a humorous look on my face to see my best friend and coworker sneering at poor Sam with a look of what one would think is disgust but is really just jealousy.

Evan hasn’t been able to party for a few weeks now trying to meet a deadline for a school project so he has been pretty miserable and projecting on other people.

“what are you doing out here? You’re going to get in trouble if you burn anything again Ev.” I glance towards the entrance to see if our boss was close. Evan bakes the best cookies and cupcakes but he burns a whole lot because he can get so easily distracted so he’s on thin ice with the boss. And I can’t afford to not have my best friend at work,

“come on, we have that new club to check out tonight remember? So get back in there.”

He gasps dramatically “I absolutely can’t wait! I would have spent all day getting ready if it wasn’t for you dragging us to work, I’m telling you”

I laugh and catch sight of our boss walking towards the shop, “Okay now gooo” He blows me a kiss and scurries off and I smile and go back to work.

I met Evan when I first moved to New York after getting a scholarship to study arts at NYU. I replied to an ad for a roommate and when I went for the physical inspection of the apartment and interview, it turned out to be sweet, really gay Evan and we just clicked since then- it’s been a year since and I couldn’t have wished for a better roommate.

As I wiped the counter, a prickling sensation crawled up the back of my neck. That uneasy awareness that I’d tried to ignore for days now- like someone was watching me, waiting for me to slip. I shook it off again and told myself it was nerves, stress, maybe even paranoia. I didn’t get to dwell too much on it as I got a few customers and got busy.

-----

“No. No. No!” I sigh as I watch Evan go off in front of the really empty club, “Tonight was supposed to be The Night…” “Ev, let’s not get dramatic now”, it turns out that the club was closed for tonight for some reason they couldn’t tell us and Evan has been devastated since he found out 20 minutes ago. “I mean why announce the opening if you weren’t fucking ready yet!?“ Oh my,I rub my temple.

“It’s my first day off in ages for fuck’s sake, I deserve to get drunk and have sex!”

This outburst catches the attention of a few passersby and I have to intervene again, “We could go to another club. Come on, you know like several great party places around, let’s just go crash one of them huh?” I try to reason with him because I was starting to get a headache and boy are my headaches bad.

“And it’s Thursday night anyway, let’s just go and then come party like crazy tomorrow.”

“Let’s just go home, cook for me…?” He looks at me with those devilishly pretty eyes and I give in, “what do you want? Let’s stop by the grocery store.” He just nods dejectedly and loops his arm around mine.

-----

Carter’s POV

I check my watch for the billionth time tonight before sighing and walking up to the bloodied guy tied to the chair in the empty club that was supposed to be open tonight but had to be set back because of the now sobbing stronzo, “He’s refusing to say a word.” One of my henchmen say.

I grab a knife from my coat pocket,” Is that right?” I stop directly in front of the tied up thief, “I met your daughter the other day. Bright kid, very pretty .”

His eyes widen and he starts frantically shaking his head. “What? You think so too huh?” I look back at the guards behind me with a maniacal smile, “If you guys saw her, you’d want to have her for sure.” I laugh and turn back to the nearly wailing man. I pull down the gag in his mouth and he starts screaming, “please! Not her, please!” I look at him quietly, then tilt my head to the side with an amused expression, he looks dejected before saying the digits I want to know,” ..that’s the pin. Please leave my daughter alone.”

I lean in and whisper “you never should have stolen from me, it’s such a shame.”

I stand up straight and turn to my right hand man, “he didn’t tell me the pin on time and delayed my new club opening. Guess that means we still do what we please with his daughter.” “No please! Please! Spare her! Ple— “ I stab him straight in the heart and twist it, watching him lose his life.

Just then we hear a commotion from outside the club and i signal to one of the guards to check it out. I pull out my knife and one of the guards hands me a piece of cloth on which I wipe it. My second in command, also my best friend— Dom, orders the rest of the guys to dispose of the body and clean up. I leave with him following behind me. I get to my office and set my knife down.

“You realize his daughter is only 8.”

I look up confused for a second before it clicks and I chuckle, “it’s not like I’m really going to put her to work at the brothel. The threat worked and that’s all that matters.”

Dom just laughs and shakes his head. “I..” he gets cut off by the arrival of the guard that went to check out what the commotion was all about.

“It appears to be nothing serious, boss. Just two college students whining about the club not being open. They left already.” I nod and wave to dismiss him. Dom settles down on the couch in the room, “I got kicked out again.” I look at him for a while before suddenly getting up and picking up my knife, tucking it safely back in my coat pocket.

“I’m heading out. Make sure the boys clean up good.”

“Wait, what?”

He follows me out of my office.” I just said I got kicked out, you’re supposed to ask me what happened and I don’t know, offer to let me crash at yours for a while?”

“You always get kicked out and every time I accommodate you, you eat all my food and then the “girlfriend” that kicked you out will come over to my place and you guys will have a big fight and trash my house. Sleep on the streets.”

“Oh come on, it’s just for tonight this time. This bitch is crazy so I’ll get a new apartment tomorrow.” I laugh at that.

“Still no.”

We get to my car and he gets in, “ get out”

“stop by the 24 hour grocery store, let’s get some noodles. I’m starving.” I sigh and start the car.

-----

Isla’s POV

We circle the store endlessly as we still haven’t decided what to eat, “should we just order in?” I ask the grumpy man-child beside me and all I get is a shrug and a huff.

I roll my eyes, “alright then, let’s go. We’ll get Chinese.” I move to roll my cart around him and I hit someone.

“oh no, I am so sorry”, I say as I look up to find myself staring at Mr Winston, my art history professor and I stand frozen in place. I’ve had the most embarrassing crush on him since he joined us a few months ago and I’ve tried so hard not to be in close contact with him because I know for sure that I’d give it away.

“I’d like to accept your apology but your cart is still in my way.” That smooth firm tone he always took in class snapping me out of my trance as I move the cart.

“ I am so sorry…sir?”

“You don’t have to address me as that in public, miss Freeman. Just be more aware of your surroundings, will you?” He says with a smile but i recognize the scolding tone he uses and I look away in embarrassment while he nods at Evan, who has been surprisingly quiet throughout this interaction.

I watch him walk away when Evan suddenly exhales, I look at him worried, “Are you okay?” He looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head, “That’s him!?” I sigh.

“Girl omg I see why you have a hard time concentrating in his class. If he was my teacher, I’d have a hard time learning anything for sure.” He practically drools while I look around in a panic, “shhhhh!”, I whisper yell, “Don’t let him hear you!”

”Girl I’d let him use me as a canvas, dirty me all up and then write our history because my oh my”, he carries on shamelessly ogling my professor who was just a few feet away. I face palm myself for telling Evan about my crush.

Yeah so I have a crush on my professor, sue me. I remember seeing him for the first time in class at the beginning of the new semester — he stood at the door way, just watching us. And I watched him. Our former professor had just had a baby so she got replaced but we didn’t know who our new professor would be and he looks so young but had this air about him that made me think he was just a snobby new student. But he still intrigued me. And I thought, I’d like to get to know him. So I made up my mind to talk to him after class, for the first time, I’d try to get something for me.

And so I might have made a sketch of him —that he’s absolutely never going to find out about now. When he walked to the middle of the class and spoke, introducing himself, my heart sank. There goes doing something for me, I put away the unfinished sketch.

“I see you’re prone to getting distracted regardless of where you are.”

I snap out of my flash back and look up to see the same man I was just thinking about standing in front of me. Talking to me. Again!

“Huh..? Wha..?” I look to Evan who looked super guilty. Oh no.

“ I’ll see you in class, miss Freeman.” He nods and then turns to leave again.

“What. Did. You. Say?” I all but growl at Evan. He shrinks,” I swear I didn’t know he was standing right there but I don’t think he heard a lot.” “Ughhhhh”, I groan.

He looks bashful, “Sorry but you know how I am around good looking drop dead gorgeous men.” I groan and tug him away “whatever, dinner’s on you now.”

I feel eyes on me as we leave the store and I look back and I see him. Just staring at me.