Chapter 4: Essay
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Things were so weird between them, Ariana frowned.
First; the kiss, then the weirdness with Sabine. Then Sebastian was being so nice to her. Not to mention that he was intelligent and funny...and ridiculously handsome...
Urgh.
Ariana knew she needed to swap some shifts around, maybe make sure she worked during the day more. Although she wasn't sure how she was going manage working mostly days and attending her classes at the same time.
It hadn't been worth fretting over, as it turned out. Ariana hadn't managed to swap any shifts around - none of the other staff willing to trade. So, she instead tried to keep making sure to complete tasks as quickly as possible in order to minimise any chances of running into her boss. She'd even starting taking the stairs when she could - mindful that the elevator seemed to be a prime Sebastian-zone.
Ariana avoided most areas she considered Sebastian-zones. What that meant though, was that she'd been spending more time in the staff rooms, listening to the chatter.
At first it had been a good thing, but the conversations had started playing with her mind.
In one instance she had overheard two women gossiping about a previous maid who'd been dismissed because she'd had a tryst with Sebastian. It had done nothing to calm her nerves and instead illicited a range of confusing thoughts and emotions. Primarily, it was becoming apparent to Ariana that Sebastian was definitely a womaniser and she was potentially going to lose her job if she let things go any further with him.
It was a little disheartening to hear such things, making Ariana realise there wasn't something special about her. He was just a promiscuous, shameless flirt who had no interest or loyalty towards any specific woman in his life.
In a way, she'd been grateful to overhear such chatter, because it was a reminder that she needed to be careful, and that he wasn't likely to change his behaviours any time soon. She wasn't a child, she knew you couldn't truly change someone, no matter how much you wanted it.
She knew it was best to stay away. Although there was one place that had been hard to stay away from, and that was the Complex library. She'd known it was definitely a Sebastian-zone, but she'd figured if she only came during the day, she'd be safe.
She should have known better, should have known her luck wasn't that good. Because one evening Sebastian showed up at her room door and she had the damned library to blame for
that
.
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When Ariana opened her bedroom door, she was startled. It was two in the morning and her boss was standing outside of her bedroom, wanting to talk to her.
She'd spent the better half of the week staying out of his way and generally keeping a low profile, but apparently that was to end tonight. As soon as she'd opened that door, she felt a panic rise in her body.
"Sebastian," she paused, remembering she needed to put some distance between them again, "Um, sir," Ariana wished she was wearing some kind of elegant dressing gown, rather than the oversized t-shirt. She felt self conscious he was seeing her in this state, having been asleep for the last few hours. "Can I help you?"
She tried to smooth her hair down, mindful that it was probably all over the place from her sleeping.
"You left this in the library," Sebastian handed her the assessment she'd been editing.
Damn it
- she'd thought she'd been doing so well keeping out of his way.
He looked at her with a strange expression, eyes lingering on her legs. She wanted to hide herself, wishing she could just disappear. The shirt barely covered her thighs, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was disgusted by them. He was probably so used to seeing Sabine's perfect, thin, model legs.
What must she look like?
Ariana felt furious with herself at the thought. She shouldn't be even slightly worried about what he thought of her. Distance, poise, professionalism - she had to remember these things. Why did being around him make it so much harder?
"Thank you," Ariana nodded, "Sorry to put you to any trouble. I'm sure next time you could just pass it on to one of the other staff members instead of coming all the way down here."
"I suppose, but then I'd have to find another excuse to see you." he said.
Ariana's heart started racing, and she couldn't stop her mind from spinning, trying to interpret the meaning, trying not to be too pleased with the statement.
"Um," was all she could manage. Well, what the hell was she supposed to say to that anyway?
She wished she was sophisticated, that she could be one of those women who said witty things off the cuff, but it wasn't to be. There was something about his presence that made her tongue-tied.
"I hope you don't mind, but I had a peek at it. It's good," he said, "great, actually. You propose some solid theories. I don't agree with them, but-"
Ariana could take many things, but him critiquing her essay position?
Unthinkable
.
Ariana held up her hand and interrupted him, "You don't agree that Orwell is a misogynistic, nationalist-obsessed writer?"
"It's not that I disagree, per say," he was grinning at her, "It's just, don't you think that's an over-simplistic analysis of his essays?"
"No," Ariana's eyes widened, a frown playing on her lips, "I think it's accurate, and if you'd read my essay properly you'd understand why." She waved the paper in his face in what she knew to be a mocking and sarcastic gesture.
"You're angry with me," his eyes dancing in amusement. He grabbed the hand waving the paper in his face, "But I'm right, just like I'm right about everything else." he said smugly.
She just about wanted to hit the bastard. Never mind the fact he was touching her. And in fact, it had probably been his intention to bait her.
Damn it, he was sneaky.
He brought her forward, pulling her hand to his chest, crushing the paper against him. Before she could protest, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her to him tightly, bringing his mouth over hers.
