Page 42 of Cerulean Truth (Sapere #1)

James's gaze dropped to my lips, and my pulse quickened in response.

I didn't want to get sucked in with him again, but his magnetic pull made keeping my distance horribly difficult.

My breath hitched as he took a step closer, the heat radiating from his body almost brushing against mine.

His arm nearly grazed mine, sending shivers down my spine, and I could feel my resolve crumbling with every heartbeat.

“This is me,” I said, as we walked past the ladies' room, deliberately cutting our interaction short. If he was taken aback by my sudden change in tone, he didn’t show.

“Will I see you next week in class?” he asked in a neutral tone, yet beneath the surface, there was a subtle intensity that hinted at something more. I nodded, and quickly entered the bathroom.

A few more minutes in his company, and I would’ve been star-struck all over again.

“Breathe, Emma,” I instructed myself, looking in the mirror.

I waited the appropriate amount of time, making sure James was nowhere to be seen when I exited.

I spent the rest of the weekend studying up as much as I could on the history of Cyclos, thankful for all the books I’d gotten from the Triplets, as a way of distracting me from the fact I had the hots for my next President.

Going out on Sunday afternoon toward the Fall Palace, I didn’t expect many others to find their way into the Universitas during the weekend but as it turned out, I was sadly mistaken.

While scrutinizing the inner workings of the Touchstone, a guy with a distinctly "Hollywood-like" aura, appeared around the corner.

It wasn't just his tall stature, broad shoulders, and clean-cut features that caught my eye; he exuded a polished and glamorous demeanor, oozing with arrogance.

But what truly set him apart was his effortless command of attention from every onlooker in the hall.

While still assessing this charismatic stranger, my gaze shifted abruptly as James made his entrance accompanied by two friends, a blond guy and the black-haired girl I recognized as “Pro” from the Offensive-class.

In an instant, the attention of literally everyone pivoted from the Hollywood-like figure to James.

Only mister Hollywood himself didn’t seem to notice him, as he was too busy chatting up some girl on the opposite side of the Hall.

Our eyes briefly locked, James's gaze meeting mine. In that moment, I was transported back to my first day, standing in the very same spot. However, unlike that initial encounter, James now turned purposefully and strode toward me with determined steps.

My heart started pounding in my chest. Mister Hollywood faded from any awareness, and my focus shifted entirely to mister Dark ‘n Stormy, all while attempting to ignore the curious stares from the onlookers around us.

As he approached, my breathing became irregular and it wasn't disinterest that caused my mouth to dry; I tried to push down an overwhelming sense of desire but epically failed. Darn it.

"Emma," he greeted, his voice soft.

Our eyes locked, and just like that, the rest of the world disappeared.

I didn’t ask what he wanted and he didn’t elaborate. We just stood, staring at each other, while tension between us was mounting. I was so attracted to this man. All I wanted to do offer my body to him on a platter to do with as he pleased.

He took a deliberate step forward, moving in closer. “Emma,” he whispered again, as his eyes betrayed an emotion I couldn’t discern.

I swallowed and inched closer to him.

Every glance, every near touch held a promise of something more, something electric and maybe even forbidden. I was standing before a man I barely knew and all I could think about were his hands on my body. His lips on my neck. And his tongue caressing mine.

But before either of us could break the silence, our attention was drawn to a scene unfolding a little farther down the hall.

The Hollywood-esque figure had collided with one of James’s friends, addressing him assertively as "Matthew." So that’s who that is.

James frowned visibly as he watched the interaction between the two men.

I overheard Matthew's unenthusiastic voice responding to the greeting with a dry "A.J."

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about my class on Tuesday," A.J. began.

"AJ, I told you what I need from you; it's not up for debate," Matthew replied laconically.

A.J.'s face darkened, clearly angered by Matthew's dismissive tone. "Why not? We could change it up real easy if we just?—"

"No," Matthew cut him off, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow slightly, clearly annoyed at A.J.'s persistent and somewhat hostile tone.

AJ gritted his teeth. "Fine, you don't want to. Can you at least think about it for next year?"

I quickly scanned Matthew's face, but he remained stoic. "Am I not being clear? Is my use of the English language somehow confusing for you?" he retorted.

AJ growled, clearly unamused. "You think you're such a hot shot, but everyone knows you wouldn't even have made it out of Entry without your boy James."

I caught a fleeting flash of anger passing through Matthew's eyes, but he chose not to engage in further discussion. His lips thinned as he attempted to move past A.J., but A.J. held him back.

"I'm not done talking to you."

"Oh, but I am," Matthew declared, attempting to break free from A.J.'s grasp.

"Don't dismiss me," A.J. hissed, closing in on Matthew.

James had maintained his distance until that point, but he muttered, "Excuse me," under his breath and quickly walked up to Matthew and A.J.

"Is there a problem here?" I heard James ask, witnessing A.J. widen his eyes in surprise at James’s sudden intervention.

"Not at all. A.J. was just leaving, weren't you, A.J.?" Matthew smiled with a hint of disdain.

I could see it on A.J.'s face—he was contemplating whether or not to press further. However, upon locking eyes with James, who assumed a threatening posture, A.J. seemed to have made a calculated decision not to antagonize their future Leader. Our Leader, not theirs.

"A.J.?" James growled in a lower, more menacing tone.

“There is no problem,” A.J. mumbled, clearly unsatisfied with the results of his endeavor.

"Great, then let’s all get on with our lives, shall we?" James curled his lip, expressing impatience.

A.J. nodded reluctantly and turned around, exiting while retracing his steps. Disputing James’s authority was evidently “not done,” and I felt an odd sense of pride in being his friend. If, indeed, “friend” was the appropriate term...

"I'm so sorry about that," James apologized when he turned back to me.

I shook my head, saying, "No apologies necessary. Who was that guy?"

James shrugged, looking bored. "Nobody interesting... Look, I, uh..." He scratched his neck hesitantly, and I fought a smile at his obvious awkwardness. Mister James Walker. Mister Leader of the whole of Cyclos, in all his glory, standing before me, struggling for words.

"I just wanted to say hi. I have to go now, so I’ll see you around," he said quickly, cutting our conversation short for no apparent reason. Before I could respond or extend our interaction, he created a green portal and vanished into thin air.

As inept as I was with magic, I did seem to have a remarkable talent for making James disappear.