THIRD PARTY

~~THIRD PARTY~~

~~ALICIA~~

Since the blackout, the past few days have been pretty chill, just small talks between me and Xavier, little passing comments that sometimes makes me laugh or just smile. The room has been a comfort zone for me for a while now, which is a lot compared to how things were at the beginning. I get up from my bed, pick up my bag and do one last take round the house to make sure that everything is in order, after feeling satisfied with what I was seeing, I headed out to the library. I greeted the security men at the school gate with a smile on my face and continued walking to the library. I am quickly welcomed by the smell of books and wood as I head to the staff room behind the counter to drop my belongings.

I greet Mrs. Pat and began organizing everything that wasn’t in order, I clean the shelves, put the new books that just arrived on the shelf all the while listening to songs on my headphones. When I was done with everything, I went around the library and discovered a hidden room at the end of the library, barely visible to the human eye. I decided to ask Mrs. Pat what was in there, “It’s just an empty dusty room dear. Tell you what, you can clean it up and use it for whatever you want. Now let’s leave that, I have to leave to do something urgent so I need you to keep an eye around, alright?”, I told her thank you for the room and assured her that everything was in safe hands. Before she leaves, she tells me to lock up in thirty minutes if she isn’t back, because the staffs of the school have a meeting, when she leaves, I’m about to seat down when I see someone step in, looking straight at me, he walked up to me and smiled, a smile I think to him was sexy or charming, but to me was straight up creepy. I immediately started feeling uncomfortable, I gave him a curt nod as he greeted me.

I don’t like the way I feel when I am around him, he has been coming here everyday for the past week since that night he came in to take a book and honestly, his presence is starting to scare me. The guy just doesn’t stop showing up, when I think he will get tired of my impassive replies and uncaring attitude, he still persists thinking, am sure in his delusional mind that I am going to like him or something. At first, I was trying to convince myself that I was imagining it, but then, he starts timing his visits. Always near, always lingering. His eyes linger longer than they should every time on my body. He always seems to know my schedule, like today, how did he know I will soon close. I’m not even going to say maybe it was a coincidence, because with him, I don’t think anything is. I feel my heart start beating faster and my palms become sweaty.

~~XAVIER~~

I drive my motorcycle inside the school and decide to stop by the library to see when Alicia is going home since I didn’t know what her work schedule was like - not that she asked, but because I was nearby. I go in and immediately my eyes catch her tiny frame behind the counter, a guy was in front of her. Her body language wasn’t giving me what it always does, she was so stiff and I could see the look of discomfort on her face. I quickly walk up to the counter.

“Everything okay?” I ask casually, sliding an arm onto the counter. I see the other guy visibly bristles and leaves without a word and immediately knew I had him by the neck, I literally tower over him with my frame. I see Alicia let out a breath of relief, before she switches and turns to me, “I didn’t need saving”. I immediately snap back, “I wasn’t saving you!”. But we both knew the truth, we just didn’t want to admit it – she needed saving, I on the other hand was a little bit irked to see another guy hovering around her like a fly. Jealousy is not a language I speak so I immediately ignore everything I’m feeling and head out to my bike and headed home.