His Sunshine

15

Chapter Fifteen - Rattled

"Alright guys, we've got ten minutes left so start cleaning up." I leave one of the students and start helping to put their projects away safely. "And remember your written exam is tomorrow at two o'clock. Please don't pull an all-nighter, you guys need rest. I'll be there to check on you all."

"Would you help me if I get stuck on a question?" One of my students, Benny, asks with a mischievous smile.

"Not a chance Benny boy!" I tease before gesturing for him to put away the paint.

Everyone groans dramatically which makes me laugh out loud. This is my last class and the fact that I have it with my favorite group before the end of the day just makes everything better. They're a friendly bunch who love to joke around a lot but get things done. We quickly clean up the studio and I give them the go ahead to leave class a little earlier so that they can enjoy the rest of their evening.

After the last student has left I sigh and get to work on putting the supplies back into the closet. Turning on some music to fill the silence I grab the various materials that were used today and walk into the supply closet to put them back. But as I'm putting away the last of it the light suddenly turns off and I hear the door shut behind me. It locks automatically as soon as you close it which it shouldn't have since I left it wide open. I freeze before whirling around in panic only to stumble back in surprise.

"What the hell?! Who are you?!" I gasp as my back presses against the shelves lining the walls. I can barely see the person in the darkness.

"Whoa! Sorry Charlotte, it's Liam. I didn't mean to scare you." He chuckles but it only freaks me out more.

"Why didn't you say anything?! Why did you turn the light off and shut the door?!" My voice trembles as I fish around in my pocket for my set of keys.

"I didn't! I saw you in here and thought I'd scare you as a joke...but the door shut right after I stepped in!" He explains but moves closer to me. "As for the light I guess the bulb needs changing."

My heart races a mile a minute as his hand brushes against mine. I back away and end up hitting the back of my head hard against the edge of the shelf. "Move Liam! There's plenty of space in here! Let me unlock the door for god's sake!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just couldn't see very well. Are you alright?" He asks worriedly but his hands wander with one grasping my side while the other pats my head blindly. I struggle to get away and his hold tightens as if he's trying to pull me against his body.

"I'm fine! Stop touching me!" I snap before pushing him away and moving towards the door.

He blocks me and I try to push him to the side but he just moves backwards, preventing me from reaching the door. I ask him to move to his left but he doesn't respond nor does he budge. I'm terrified right now and tears brim my eyes as panic seizes me.

"Move god dammit! I have a spare key!" I yell in frustration and thankfully he listens this time.

With trembling hands, I eventually manage to unlock the door and get out. I distance myself from him as I narrow my eyes suspiciously. He strolls out of the supply closet with an amused smile and shrugs carelessly.

"Well, that was weird!" He grins but it drops when he realizes I don't find it funny. "Come on Charlotte...I was only joking around! I'm sorry if I scared you, please don't be upset."

I reach over and switch the light on for the closet. It turns on normally with no flickering and I stare at him silently. His mouth opens and closes like a fish, probably not expecting me to do that.