Decay

What Is Even Going On Anymore?

So, after that confusing look into my body's responses to innocent touches, we came out into the hallway just in time to disappear into a crowd of freshmen just new enough to not know when someone wasn't one of them. Well... I could. As soon as Novak entered the group, a few of them latched onto him, their hands lingering on him just a tad too long to be friendly. I had to stifle a laugh at the look on his face. I'm not certain how they didn't realize he was trying to squirm away from them, but he was trying his damnedest to get away from their hands and looks of... well, I'd say those looks were a tad too adult for people who just got out of junior high, but I mean, hell, to each their own.

No. I was not uncomfortable with their advances. These little freshman girls and boys were just flirting with my friend, and I was protective of him. That's all. I was not jealous. Nope. Not jealous.

Fucking hormones.

I scowled and shifted my bag farther onto my shoulder, trying to slip farther into the group, away from the display. Keeping my eyes forward, I tried to push down the lump in my throat, but the tightness in my chest was making that fucking impossible. Why was this a thing? What was wrong with me?

"Cay!" I paused, glancing back when I heard Novak call my name. He slipped out of the grasping hands, slipping an arm around me. "Why were you leaving me behind, babe?" He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

Error. There's a fucking error. This is not a thing. Nope. I was hallucinating.

Suddenly, I felt his lips by my ear. "Please, please, please go along with this. If they think we're together, they'll leave me alone. Please? I promise I'll make it up to you." He was radiating anxiety, his body practically shaking. I couldn't just leave him hanging...

"Fine, but if you call me 'babe' again, I'll fake a break-up." His eyes widened, and he nodded obediently. Huh... I didn't expect him to respond so submissively, but I mean, I was helping him get away from unwanted romantic attention, so I guess it made sense. Mentally shrugging, I leaned into him, forcing myself to pout. "You were paying more attention to them..." God, I sounded whiny... But, he pulled me closer, so I guess I was doing this right?

"I'm so sorry," He said, his voice just loud enough for them to hear, but just soft enough for it to sound intimate. "You know I love you."

No. My heart was not pounding. My face was not turning red. There were no fucking butterflies.

Shit.

I could feel my cheeks turning red when I heard one of the freshmen 'aww.' Oh god. How would someone reasonably respond to that? "D-do you really mean that?" Oh shit. Was he going to think I actually thought he meant that? Did I mean that? No. No. Of course not. This was an act.

He kissed the top of my head, a small smile crossing his face. "Of course. C'mon. We should get to class."

We separated from the group at my locker, and the looks those freshmen sent me varied between wanting to set me on fire and wanting to attend our wedding. Novak kept his arm around me until they turned the corner, waiting a moment longer before slowly releasing me. His shoulders slumped as a sigh escaped him, the tension leaving his body. "Thanks. Sorry to drag you into that, but they just swarmed, and I swear one of them was trying to grab me somewhere that I'm not even sure she should know about, and I know for a fact someone grabbed my ass. The only thing I could think of was pretending to date you..."

I shrugged, desperately hoping my face wasn't bright red. "It's fine. I couldn't just leave you there, you know? Anyway, it was kinda funny to see their reactions. Though, now that I think of it, I was lucky none of them were Metas because I know a few of them wanted me dead."