You’re mine

Nick’s POV

I had just finished with classes and was about to leave when I was told the dean of student affairs wanted to see me. I already knew what it was about. The extension period he gave me to pay my tuition had run out today, and I was supposed to make a payment. Exhaling heavily, I flung my bag over my shoulder and headed down to his office.

I knocked on the door, and a firm voice answered, “Come in!”

I opened the door and walked in. “Good afternoon, Mr. Shawn. I was told you wanted to see me.”

He nodded, his eyes still fixed on the laptop in front of him. “Yes, Hayes. Please have a seat.” He briefly gestured toward the chair across from his desk.

I sat down, my fingers intertwined while I tapped my legs nervously. After a while, he looked up at me. “I’m sure you know why I called you in here, don’t you?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir, I do.” I paused, meeting his eyes. “I know I’m supposed to make payment for my remaining tuition, and I swear I’m working on it. If you could just give me some—”

He held up his hand, signaling for me to stop. I did, biting the inner part of my mouth until I tasted the faint metallic tang. After leaning back in his chair, he adjusted his glasses before he continued. “That’s not why I called you here, Hayes.” A slow smile crept onto his lips. “I don’t know what you did, but I’d say the universe is finally on your side.”

I tilted my head, looking at him in confusion. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”

He chuckled, a warm, almost fatherly sound that felt foreign to my ears. “I’m saying your tuition for this semester has been taken care of. So you don’t have to worry about making any payment this semester.” He announced it cheerfully, like he was handing me a winning lottery ticket.

I couldn’t believe my ears. “My tuition has been fully paid?” I asked in amusement, as tears began rolling down my eyes. “Oh my God! Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.”

But he shook his head, which only made me more curious. “Oh, that wasn’t me, Hayes. I had nothing to do with that.”

My brows furrowed. “If you didn’t help me out, then who did?”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Well, unfortunately, I can’t tell you that. They requested to be anonymous, and said the only way you can pay them back is to focus on your studies. That’s all.”

I tried to think about who this mystery person might be. But nothing came to mind because I had no one.

“You can leave now!” Mr. Shawn’s voice broke through the endless swirls in my head.

I thanked him once again, and headed out. On the way home, I was so happy and relieved that I caught myself smiling at strangers on the bus. For once, my future didn’t feel like a dark tunnel with no end in sight. Keeping in mind now, I just needed to work harder to save up money for Leo’s entrance exams and admission requirements.

On the way, my stomach grumbled loudly that the woman beside me glanced over. That’s when it dawned on me that I didn’t have breakfast or lunch because I was trying to squeeze any little cash I had to go grocery shopping later on.

When I got home, I dropped my bag on the floor and immediately headed to the fridge. There was food in a plastic plate with a small note taped on it. “I know you probably skipped lunch. Make sure you eat this. Leo.”

I couldn’t help but smile a bit. I quickly heated it up, and went right into it. The first bite made me tear up a little. When I was done, I collapsed on the couch, the weight of today’s activities suddenly came crashing down on me.

As I lay there, my thoughts drifted to work tonight and to the stranger I met two nights before. Whenever I thought about the last thing he whispered to me, I immediately had goosebumps. There was something about him. Something ominous. Something that screamed he was trouble and I should keep my distance. His eyes had lingered too long, his presence too commanding, like he saw right through me. I decided I was going to let Naomi know that I didn’t want to do a private dance for him anymore. No matter how much he was going to pay.

After lying there for a while, I fell asleep. About a few hours later, a knock sounded on the door. I stood up, rubbing my eyes sleepily as I headed to the door. My landlord, Mr. Smith, and three repairmen stood with boxes in their hands. I wasn’t thrilled to see him because I knew what he was here for.

“Mr. Smith, if it’s about the rent, you said I could pay by the month end, so why are you here?” I asked immediately, not wanting for this to drag on longer than it should.

“Hey! Come on, son. No need to act like I’m your enemy.” He said, smiling as he walked in. It felt weird seeing him that way because Mr. Smith never smiles unless you’re handing him an envelope full with cash.

“I just dropped by to see the things you’ve been nagging me about that needs fixing.” He gestured to the men, and they walked in. One headed to the bathroom, the remaining two headed to different parts of the living room.

“You want to repair my broken shower? Fix the leaking roof? And the electrical outlets that have stopped working? All at once?” I asked in surprise, wanting to be sure I heard him correctly.

He nodded, slipping his hands into his pocket. I continued, still processing. “Mr. Smith, I can remember asking you to do all this countless times, and you repeatedly told me that you would only do that after I’ve paid my rent. So far, I’m yet to do that, so what’s with the—”

“Don’t worry about it. That has been sorted out. So I’m here to keep my word.”

I was about to ask what he meant by that, but he continued. “Everything will be sorted out this week. So just make sure someone is around, or better still, make yourself available for whenever they drop by, okay.” He said smiling, as he patted my shoulders, then walked out.

Shortly after, the men walked out too, just as Leo walked in. “Who are those men, Nick? And what do they want?” He asked, collapsing on the couch beside me.

I was still in awe. “Leo, luck is finally on our side. I still can’t believe it. Mr Smith dropped by, and those men are the people supposed to work on the repairs for the house.”

His eyes widened in shock. “For real? I thought he said—”

“Exactly my point!” I interrupted, turning to face him fully. “But when I brought that up, he said I shouldn’t worry about that. So this week, they will begin working on the repairs.” I concluded, as I stared at the ceiling.

After a while of reminiscing, I finally turned to him. “How was school today? I hope you’re not slacking off.” I teased, ruffling his hair playfully.

He laughed lightly. “Not at all. I wouldn’t dare.” Then he paused, his expression turning into something serious. “Although I need to make some payments and get some textbooks.”

I nodded. “Okay. And how much would that cost?”

He hesitated for a while, playing with his fingers before he finally spoke. “About a thousand dollars.”

I inhaled slowly, taking it all in. The number stung, but they weren’t unattainable. “I’m sorry for asking you this. I know how hard it is for you to take care of me, coupled with your tuition and the outstanding debt we—”

“No, Leo. You don’t have to apologize for anything. You’re my responsibility, and I’ll do my best to make sure everything you need is provided for. Okay?” I said, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

He smiled a bit and that made me smile too. “And about the money, I’ll make sure I get it to you before the week runs out. That won’t be too late, right?”

His smile widened as he quickly leaned in and hugged me. “No, it isn’t. Thank you, Nick. You’re the best.”.

I chuckled, holding him tightly too before I pulled away. “Go shower and get something to eat. I have to get ready for work. I’ll leave some cash for you to get some groceries, okay.”

He nodded, grabbed his bag, and headed to the bedroom. I stood up, grabbed my bag which contained my dance clothes, shoes that were already worn out, and headed out. When I arrived, I headed straight to the dressing room, and it was busy as usual. Someone was fixing another dancer’s eyeliner, someone else was stretching against the wall. People were laughing, some were complaining about demanding clients, and last-minute reminders. I changed into my clothes and was now adjusting my shoes when Naomi walked in with a serious look on her face. “Nick! We have a problem.”