Banking On My Bodyguard

chapter 30

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I glanced at my bedside clock to see it read 8:42am and frowned to myself. Kingsley had arrived early this morning and I was still busy getting ready.

"I'll be right there!" I called and ran around my room, trying to pack my bag, slip on my shoes and brush my teeth simultaneously.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Hang on! Just a second." I grabbed my keys from my desk and tore open the door, blinking in surprise at the sight of Eli standing there.

"Oh... hi. What are you doing here?"

His eyes glanced behind me into my room, taking it in slowly before returning to my face. Part of me wondered if he was looking for Kingsley, probably knowing he wouldn't be happy with this unexpected visit.

"I was just wondering if we could talk."

I looked down the corridor, sure that my bodyguard would arrive any second, knowing that we'd have a real problem if he did.

"Please?" Eli's expression was glum and some guilty instinct caused me to finally give in, standing to the side to let him into my room. He walked over to my bed cautiously and sat down, careful not to disrupt the duvet.

He glanced around again, his eyes lingered out of my window for a moment before he turned back around to face me.

"What did you want to talk about?" I remained near my desk, careful not to be overly friendly with my proximity.

"It's about your... bodyguard."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "what about him?"

"Well... I gathered from what happened in the pool the other day that you guys are together or something." He looked down at his feet as he spoke and I suddenly had an uneasy feeling, this was a conversation with Eli that I'd been hoping to avoid. Preferably forever.

"Something of the sort. Listen I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to rub it in your face after... you know." I waved my arm in the air, indicating the past memory of Eli's advances. I saw him wince slightly at my reference but the expression was smoothed away quickly.

"No that's okay. I just wanted you to know that I don't trust him." He stared at me, his eyes were urgent as if he were trying to warn me.

I almost wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. My mind drifted back to months ago when Kingsley had said the same thing about him, and now here we were, the roles entirely reversed.

"Why not?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest, suddenly feeling defensive.

"The way he looks at you is weird, like he's prepared to die for you or something." His expression softened, I could see the genuine concern in his face and a small part of me was touched that he cared for me so much.

But once again I had to hold back laughter, resisting amusement from his choice of words.

"Well he is my bodyguard too, I guess that's kind of in the job description." I spoke jokingly but Eli's face remained stoic, clearly not in a light-hearted mood.

He shook his head, "I don't think it's such a good idea to be dating your bodyguard, I mean it's against the rules and you barely know him."

I frowned at his judgemental tone. "Eli no offence but it isn't your business who I date, and in a few months I'll graduate and that rule won't matter anymore."

I was glad that I'd already considered his latter complaint, soon enough we would be in the real world and the only people who could pass judgment on our relationship would be my parents and Isaac and Maria.

But Eli clearly wasn't convinced and he continued to insist, "Vee you were the one last term who agreed with me that you don't like him."

I sighed in frustration, I was growing tired of the conversation. He clearly wasn't going to back down but neither was I.

"That was months ago, I was wrong about him. Opinions change."

He stood up from the bed and made his way over to me with slow steps. I glanced around nervously as I backed myself up against the desk, suddenly aware of us being alone together.

"You don't know him as well as you think you do." His tone was strange, darker than I'd ever heard it and for a second I almost believed him, but there was no evidence to his claims.

"Oh and you do? You guys barely even acknowledge each other."

He stepped closer and took my wrists, uncrossing my arms. His hold was gentle against my skin but it didn't mean I felt comfortable. I frowned down at his grip but he didn't budge.

"Please trust me." He was begging now.

"Eli let go of my wrists." I tried to keep my voice calm, afraid that if I angered him he might react in some unexpected way.

He shook his head, his eyes were wider than I'd ever seen them. They seemed almost black, like dark bottomless pits that sucked you in.

I tried to pull my hands free, desperately tugging against his strength but it was useless. My wrists remained firmly latched into his hold as if I was wearing handcuffs.

"Not until you understand." He leaned closer and I could feel his sticky breath hit my face. I recoiled, practically falling over my desk in an attempt to escape.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, the door burst open, swinging on its hinges to reveal a furious Kingsley. He glared at Eli and his nostrils flared with rage as he spotted my wrists in his grasp.

"She told you to let go of her hands you prick." His voice was low and he spoke slowly, emphasising each word. Even though I knew he was here to protect me I felt a shiver run down my spine from the icy atmosphere. The room suddenly seemed smaller as the tension crackled between the two men.

Eli raised his eyebrows in shock, clearly afraid now as he let go of my hands quickly and stepped back. Kingsley moved towards me and came to stand between us, his back to the unwelcome guest.

"Are you okay?" He whispered and held my hands gently, inspecting my wrists.

I nodded, relief flooding through me from his presence and he turned to look at a trembling Eli over his shoulder.

"I suggest you get the fuck out of her room, and if I ever catch you here again you'll regret it." He snapped.

Eli cowered in fear and dashed towards the door and giving me one last meaningful look before leaving.

I released a relieved sigh and wrapped my arms around Kingsley's neck, seeking comfort in his touch. He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head.

"I'm glad you came when you did, I don't know what would have happened."

"I can't believe he came to ambush you, prick. What else did he say anyway? I only caught the last bit." His tone was soft despite his harsh words.

"He wanted to warn me about dating you..." I trailed off, knowing the news wouldn't be well received. I didn't want to let Eli's opinion cause a rift between us.

But to my surprise Kingsley just leaned back and smiled at me, "looks like someone's jealous."

I returned his grin, finally relaxing properly after the encounter. It was a relief to be safe and even more of a relief that Kingsley wasn't angry at me for what had happened. Some part of me had expected him to misread the conversation.

"Well he can be all he wants, it doesn't change how I feel about you."

"I know." He kissed my cheek and gave me a last squeeze before we pulled apart.

I glanced at the clock, it was 8:55 now. Although some part of me was still freaked out about Eli's intrusion, I decided there was no point dwelling on it any longer.

"Come on then, we better get going or I'll be late to class."

He nodded and took my bag from my desk as we left the room.