Your Man IS NOT My Mate
Blame My Imagination

The ride is quiet like it had been on my way to school and I sit in the backseat just the same. As we reach, I'm about to open the car door, when I'm suddenly halted by a voice that unexpectedly breaks the silence that prevailed the whole car ride.

"Please… can I at least open the door for you?"

There's an unplaceable raw emotion in his tone. He sounds so.... sincere? and it honestly catches me off guard. I take a quick look up at him only to catch those gorgeous hazel eyes of his staring directly at me through the review mirror with little to no intension of looking away. They hold me captive and my heart starts racing. For a moment, it's as though I've fallen into a trance, unable to tear my eyes away.

He raises his brows with expectancy, inadvertently freeing me from the hold of his gaze, bringing me back to the realization of his pending question.

I sigh with a shrug, seeking to conceal these uninvited emotions behind a nonchalant attitude. "Sure. Why not."

Pleased by my answer and seemingly unfazed by my attitude, he gets out and walks over to the back to open for me. He gives a faint courteous smile, which makes my heart flush ever so slightly. How does he manage to do this to me? I hate how, even without trying, he can have such an effect on me.

Refusing to let him see how the proximity of his presence affects me, I stay nonchalant, simply nodding my head at him as I get out of the car.

Expecting him to step back or move away, I step closer to the edge of the door where he stands so I can close the door behind me, but instead he stays put, staring intently at me, and suddenly, I'm starting to feel a little self conscious and uncomfortable under all that scrutiny, as the butterflies in my stomach start fluttering erratically.

Those hazel eyes draw me in, leaving me to face the fight of my life as I battle with ever fibre of my being not to reach out and cup his face. I feel my resistance wavering as my hand twitches with the intent to reach out and tou-

"Hey, is everything ok?" A voice asks as simultaneously, feet come to a halt beside us on the gravel pavement.

I'm abruptly snapped out of yet another trance, quickly clearing my throat, as my cheeks heat up from the embarrassment of being caught.

"Uh… thanks…" I awkwardly mutter, trying to defuse the heated tension in the air while averting my eyes from Officer DéSilver to Adrian.

"E-everything is fine." I smile, stepping away from the car and closer to Adrian.

Adrian takes a final glance between Officer DéSilver and I, "Ok" he nods, but his voice sounds doubtful and his eyes- unbelieving; he's sceptical, but I swear he has nothing to worry about, because there is nothing, absolutely nothing, going on between Officer DéSilver and I.

Seeking to put his mind at ease, I slip my hand around his arm, widening my smile as I look at him. "Ready to go in?"

It seems to work and he relaxes, nodding in response with a smile of his own as we leave the carpark and walk towards the mall.

"Food, then phone?" Adrian asks, smiling at me as we mount the stairs to the entrance door.

"Couldn't agree with that order more." A voice replies, causing me to cast my eyes over my shoulder. There, walking up the stairs behind us is the triad, Marcus, Rick, and Delton.

"I second that." Rick and Delton laugh, catching up with us.

"Where did you guys come from?" I couldn't help but ask, noticing I hadn't seen them with Adrian when he came by the car.

"We ammm... We am..." Rick begins, his eyes darting amongst each member of the group as if begging to be saved.

"We were... busy." Delton chimes in with a broad smile plastered on his face, to which Rick profusely nods in agreement.

"So don't think we were still in the car spying on you or anything." Rick concludes like a kid proud of their contribution to a conversation.

I narrow my eyes on my them, shaking my head, totally amused.

Marcus bursts out laughing, exempting himself from among them as if he is the innocence one. "Shall we." He quickly adds extending his hand to motion forward, before I can call him out.

We reach the parlor, pulling seats to one table so we can all sit together- all, except Officer DéSilver who opts to stand right behind me with folded arms and his signature dark shades on like a real bodyguard.

The boys decide to get our orders, leaving Adrian and I alone at the table to chat.

Adrian sits adjacent to me, staring sweetly at me before his gaze drifts up to meet Officer DéSilver's and his smile drops.

"Ok, what's the deal with you two?" Adrian asks, seeming rather concerned.

I glance back at Officer DéSilver, having no idea where he's looking due to the darkness of his shades then, I turn back to Adrian with a sigh. "There's nothing between us..."

"So why-"

"He's nothing more than a bodyguard."

Adrian tilts his head with furrow brows. "Bodyguard? Since when?"

"Do you remember when we nearly" I quickly catching myself as I hide my reddening cheeks. ".... I mean, when I left school but then returned and you saw me while on your way to practice?"

Adrian nods, so I continue.

"I was, well... I was on my way to the library to be tutored.... But the tutor never showed."

"What!? Your Tutor stood you up?"

"Shh!" I motion with a finger to my lips as my eyes scan the room recognizing the propensity for attention to be drawn to us with a volume such as him.

"Sorry." He whispers, dropping his tone a few notches. "Do you know the name of the tutor?"

"Yeah, some guy name Alaric."

His reaction is like a Christian cursing on the pulpit. His jaw drops, his eyes widen, his pupils dilate and his iris briefly flashes purple as his eye flicks up towards Officer DéSilver. It all happens so fast that I'm left wondering if all that I just saw, was really what I just saw.

My gaze darts over my shoulder trying to gauge Officer DéSilver reaction, hoping to get even the tiniest glimpse to confirm that what I think I saw actually happened, but Officer DéSilver's face remains as stone.

"Do you know him?" I question with furrow brows.

"Amm, we may have meet a few times... is that why you were given a bodyguard?" He quickly strings on, giving little space to ask further questions.

"No, it's because I was waiting on Alaric, but since he never showed, I ended up leaving late and I was... I was nearly attacked."

Adrian gasps. Worry filling his face while anger burned in his eyes. "Did you see their face?"

"No." I shudder, a flashback of that frightful night flickering in the corners of my mind like a candle determining to survive in high winds.

The scariest and most ironic part of it all is, that was the first day Officer DéSilver entered my life and last day I heard from Stella.

Adrian reaches out, grabbing my hands over the table, allowing his thumbs to rub against the back of my palms as he looks me directly in the eyes. "Hey." He whispers, pulling me from that dark place of my mind. He gently squeezes my hand, his warmth generating a sense of comfort. "It's ok, you are safe now."

The boys soon return with the food and we all begin to enjoy our meal in comfortable silence.

"Wait" Adrian voices after a while. "At any point in time did any of you send chocolate to Liyah Lee?"

Oh he remembered that.

The boys look between each other, practically answering simultaneously with shaking heads. It wasn't any of them.

"Seems like someone wants to give me competition?" Adrian remarks.

"She has a secret admirer?" Rick bellows in shock tones.

"Ah, Miss. Popular." Delton winks.

Just then, Adrian looks over at Delton who is sitting beside him and requesting him to swap seats with me. As I sit beside Adrian, he wraps an arm around my shoulder pulling me snuggly into his side, his eyes appear to drift to Officer DéSilver with a mischievous glint in his eyes and smirk on his face, or maybe I am seeing thing or imagining things or it is just pure coincidence.

A faint low growl escapes Officer DéSilver's lips in response... Or at least I think it did, but when I look up at him, his expression seems unchanged, hard and emotionless as it has always been, leaving me to wonder if I'm imagining things yet again.

After lunch, we make our way to TechFix, and Adrian is all too thrilled to hold my hand as we walk.

Back at school, the school day progresses as usual until the end.

"So you have Tutoring again today?" Adrian asks as we meet up after school.

I sigh. "Yeah, but I'm afraid I might be stood up again."

"What if I speak with your teacher and I become your Tutor instead."

"Really? You'll do that for me?" I question, unable to hide my shocked excitement.

"Yeah" he smiles. "... What subject is it?"

My silent prays immediately begin ascending to the gods hoping that he'll still be of assistance. "Science." I reluctantly reply.

He pauses, and my heart stops, anticipating what he'll say, but I grow to impatient.

"What, didn't you do that subject, have you never done it before, can't you teach me it?" I frantically blabber on, fearing his response.

"Woah, woah, take it easy there." He chuckles "for you, I'll learn my alphabet backwards if I had to."

His laughter is contagious, instantly putting me at ease.

"So, to the library?" He gestures with a pointed finger in its direction.

I nod and he leads the way forward.

On our way Marcus, Rick and Delton intercepts us, dressed in their games attire. "Why aren't you changed into your gear yet?" Rick frowns as he greets Adrian.

"I'm sitting this one out boys, I've got business to attend to."

My eyes widen. "Wait, you have practice?"

"Yeah" he nods. "But I don't need to go."

The looks on the boys' faces says otherwise.

I profusely shake my head in protest, I mean it's sweet... but unnecessary. "I can't let you skip practice for me. I'll never ask you to give up something like that for me."

"But-"

"It's ok, you go." I insist.

He sighs. "Ok, fine..... But if-"

"Don't worry about me and the tutor, I'll be ok" I reassure him.

He finally gives up, flashing me a warm smile before walking off.

Suddenly, he stops in his tracks, turning back to face me. "What if you come and watch me play, then after practice, I tutor you?" He holds out hope that that I'll answer in the affirmative.

"But the tutor" I begin, pointing towards the library.

"I guess he can call it even then." Without another word he walks back to me, taking my hand in his as we head to the field. And maybe rightfully so, now we're even.