Teach Me To Love

Chapter 5

Rejection was one foreign feeling to Lenard Valentin. He was used to getting everything he wanted at his convenience and could not recall anytime when a girl had told him that she wasn't interested in him. Despite his efforts to not make it noticeable, Suzanne's refusal affected him. He made his way back to the table where his friends sat, greatly surprised, confused and intrigued.

Suzanne was definitely a puzzle. One moment she was shooting him inviting smiles and sending all the right signals, then the other she sent him packing in front of everyone who was watching the exchange.

His intentions were clear from the beginning. Everyone knew who he was and exactly what he wanted. Lenard Valentin was not one to do relationships. Suzanne had told him she didn't know who he was and she sounded so sincere he wanted to believe her, or maybe she was just one great liar. Either way the rejection spurred him on to try harder.

A challenge promised to be fascinating. He couldn't tell when last he had one. If he was being honest, women were too easy to get lately.

"She didn't give you the time of day, Len. What did I tell you?" Antonio crowed, as Lenard reached the table.

"No score for you today, Len, we told you to leave her alone," Luke commented.

"Guys shut up!" Lenard growled.

"Hell no, man, this is a first! I have to enjoy this for as long as it last," Antonio related, still sporting his self-satisfied grin.

He's right, Lenard thought. There would only be one time he would ever get a no from Suzanne. He had to find a way to get her. He needed to come up with a plan that couldn't fail, but first he had to go somewhere he could think clearly. Being around his friends who were triumphant about his rejection certainly was not going to help him get the girl.

He cast another glance at her table to see if she was looking his way. She wasn't, but as if somehow sensing his gaze on her, she turned around and glanced at him.

Another glimpse an her beauty and he made his final decision. He didn't care how long it took. He and Suzanne were going to become intimate with each other, and he was looking forward to the day when they would.

It was time he changed his tactic. They were so many ways to score one's goals and he was going to use them all to get this one.

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Suzanne excused herself from the table not long after Lenard left. She was longing for some fresh air, the mass of people in the room had made it increasingly difficult for her to breath. She exited the building and pushed her way through the crowd gathered outside the door, then walked towards one of the large trees almost isolated from everyone.

She leaned against the base of the tree when she reached it and closed her eyes. She focused on the loving of the wind against her skin, and blocked out the voices of the students who were doing one of two things; trying to draw attention to themselves, or shamelessly flirting with each other.

"I knew you would come looking for me." a voice said, breaking Suzanne from another short trance. Her eyes opened and met the dark ones of Lenard Valentin, wearing a complacent grin on his handsome face.

"Whatever made you think I would come looking for you here?" she asked wearily.

"This is my signature meeting spot. I am certain every girl on campus knows it," he replied.

Suzanne's imagination ran wild and she began to envision the things he might have done there, every time with a different girl.  Maybe she was aware of it before, but that was gone too. There was no way she would tell him that though. "I definitely have to find myself a new hangout spot," she said.

Lenard's expression changed then and he looked at Suzanne cautiously. "Actually that tree over there--" he raised his arm to point,"--next to the female dormitory is where you usually hangout."

Suzanne's gaze followed the direction Lenard's arms motioned to, and she saw Allison not far away from the tree there. Her hands were propped on her hips and her eyes scanned through the crowd of people which separated them. She barely managed to hold back the quiet 'oh' of realization when she discovered she was indeed under the wrong tree.

Suzanne wracked her brain for something she could say, to take away any ponderous thoughts he had on her obvious slip up. Allison's eyes connected with hers then, her friend's eyes widened and her mouth hung open, with an expression that could only be described as disbelief. A nervous laugh bubbled out of Suzanne's mouth.

"It looks like I don't have to look for a new spot then," she commented.

After rushing those words out, she walked away from Lenard, the same way he did before. She moved as fast as she could through the throng of people without falling unto her face. It wasn't quite the pace she hoped for. Nevertheless she took it, anything to get away from him before something else slipped.

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"Seriously Lenard Valentin of all people?"

Those few words made Suzanne aware she had finally reached her tree - the correct one this time. For Allison stood under it, elbows jutting out on either side, her expression grim. She shared very close resemblance with a mother hen about to reprimand one of her chicks for wandering off too close to the mongoose family territory.

"Really, Anne? After what I just told you, you still went to talk to him!" Allie cried out, "I mean he asked, but he asks all the girls. Look where that got most of the them on campus, and they still fawn over him with hopes that they would be the one to change him. That guy has no turning back. I thought you left the table to come here. Instead you were talking to that--"

"I didn't leave to talk to him, Allie," Suzanne informed.

Allison paused her ranting, then narrowed her eyes at Suzanne, as if to ask, do I look like I'm stupid? Her expression was hilarious and Suzanne couldn't help herself, she burst out laughing. She couldn't tell when last she found something to laugh about, and it felt great to let out the sound.

"I just wanted some fresh air, but I went to the wrong tree," she related when she recovered.

"Did you not realise it when you touched the trunk? Its not engraved like ours," Allison said.

"No, I didn't check for anything. He was the one who told me I was under the wrong tree. He thought I was there to see him. Can you believe that guy?"

"Yes, and now I'm certain he has you in his list. Lenard is not going to stop until he succeeds in luring you into his bed, you need to be very careful," Allison said gently.

"We will see about that," Suzanne said seriously.

"Oh, yes, we will. He is coming over here no--"

Allison had no reason to complete the statement. Suzanne knew what she was about to say and dreaded the outcome, apparently so a contact on her phone. A loud shrill pierced through the air, very much audible to everyone close by. The ringtone all too familiar to her.

She knew who was calling.

Allison knew who was calling.

Lenard didn't, much to her relief.

"I will catch up with you at the apartment," Suzanne said to Allison, as she pulled the device from her back pocket and answered it. As she strode away she was still aware of Lenard's burning gaze following her.

If only she knew then, that he wasn't the only one looking at her intently.