As we stand in the middle of the university hallway, waiting for our lecturer to come and open the lecture hall, Elijah pulls me closer and wraps his arms around my waist. Our bodies are pressed against each other.

He nuzzles his head into my neck and moans deeply. "You smell like heaven."

A warm body presses against me from behind. A pair of toned, pale arms wrap around Elijah and I. "It's a Bree sandwich!" Jamie announces.

I'm not hating this.

I twist around, so my ass isn't pressing against Jamie, and grin up at him. I've never had two men this close to me at the same time. It feels . . . dirty.

"Hey, baby J."

"Ninja girl." He grins.

"Excuse me, baby J, you're a bit too close to my girl."

There's a glint of amusement in Jamie's eyes. He slides his hands up my waist and holds my face affectionately. His eyes don't leave Elijah's. "What are you going to do about it?" he taunts.

Elijah tenses. He becomes very protective of me, for some reason. Jamie wouldn't do anything.

Elijah moves me so that I am behind him. He stands off against Jamie. Chest-to-chest. There is a deep silence between each other as they narrow their eyes, daring the other to make a move. Jamie's jaw clenches. Elijah's hands close into fists, ready to punch.

Then they both burst out laughing.

"When did this happen, with you two?" Jamie asks. They step away from each other. "Although everyone could see it coming from a mile away."

"I don't know exactly when it happened." He slides his arm around my waist, tugging me into his side possessively. "But last night she officially became my girlfriend." His proud smile melts my heart. He presses a gentle kiss to my temple.

A few girls, who must have overheard, glare at me. Their gazes are full of hostility, for some reason.

Oh. Elijah was quite the player a little while back. He must have hooked up with some of these girls and left them hanging.

I pull away from Elijah's side. In my effort to be a better and more considerate person, I won't rub it in their faces. If the tables were turned, I wouldn't want some girl rubbing their relationship with Elijah in my face. It would sting.

Especially because he is looking more gorgeous than ever. His dark hair is ruffled. His skin has a healthy glow. In his olive green shirt, which hugs to his chest a little tighter than it needs to, he is grabbing a lot of attention. He doesn't seem to notice.

He frowns, noticing that I pulled away, and tugs me closer again. "You're not going anywhere."

Our lecturer walks towards us. His hair is standing in different directions. His long beard has bits of food in it. He is trying to balance holding his keys, a stack of papers which are beginning to slip, and his briefcase.

A student steps forward to assist, taking the stack of papers. "Thank you, Anna," he says, looking relieved. "Please place them on the desk right by the door. I want everyone to take a paper! You're getting your next assignment."

I don't know whether I should be happy because it gives me a reason to take my mind off Antonio, or annoyed because it is going to be like every assignment in this class—impossible to complete without depriving myself of sleep.

•<•>•

"I was lost in love that was built to lose! I know, I know all the nights are where I try to hide the truth! 'Cause I'm scared to be lonely, but scared of something new! Paint a darkness around me! I see a light in the room! All I, all I know I never felt a—!"

I zone out on Elijah's singing. The lyrics of the song make my heart hurt all over again. I connect with it in a way Elijah clearly doesn't, because he is too happy about singing the lyrics.

A love that was built to lose. Because there's no way this can go on forever. If Elijah doesn't find out the truth by accident, I'd probably end up telling him sooner or later. I wouldn't be able to be the person I want to become, if I was hiding something that big from the person I love. 

But before I can say anything, I need to get rid of Antonio.

Elijah indicates and turns onto my road. After the long, draining classes, we went to get food and ice cream. He held me inside the booth of the restaurant so tight that I wished he'd never let me go. It made me feel protected, not just physically but mentally.

Today was good.

My heart begins to pound in my chest as we drive into the parking lot in front of my apartment. Damn it, I spoke too soon.

Sitting in my allocated parking lot—even though there are several other available parkings—is a sleek, white Lamborghini. A car I know all too well.

A tall, familiar, dark-haired man steps out of the car. His hair is slicked back into a tight bun. His face is menacing, the way it always is.

Elijah glances over at me with a strange expression, then his eyes train on Antonio. He parks in an available parking spot. "Isn't that the guy you hooked up with from Tinder? What is he doing here?" His eyebrows furrow, his expression hardening. "Are you . . . still hooking up with him?"

"No! Absolutely not." My eyes flicker to the window on Elijah's side of the car. Antonio is standing tall, his arms crossed. He has a smirk on his face as he watches us. A threat. "Stay in the car, okay? I'll talk to him and get rid of him. Maybe he didn't understand when I told him it's never happening again." The lie tastes bitter coming out of my mouth.

"No ways am I sitting here and—"

"Elijah." I lean over the console and squeeze his thigh. "Please let me do this. It shouldn't be long."

He glances at Antonio, then sighs and nods. "Fine."

I climb out into the cold night air and walk a far distance from the car to make sure Elijah will not overhear anything. Antonio comes to me. Every step of his is slow and purposeful.

"What are you doing here?" I fold my arms.

"I've changed my mind. You have one week to kill your little boy toy."

•<•>•

Hmmm . . . Thinking of all the ways to
break your hearts.

Xoxo

T w i t t e r : xPineappleGirlx
I n s t a g r a m : laylaawrites
Y o u t u b e : xThePineappleGirlx

Lots of love and jelly tots - xThePineappleGirlx