Chapter 4 I'm Not Yet Done Talking To You

“How did you know my name?” I asked, my brows furrowing. My cheeks are gradually heating up, and my heart starts to race. I was trying to calm myself down, but my heart wouldn't listen as it beat rapidly while I admired his looks. His appearance was perfect. His curly hair matched the tan color of his skin. He didn't have a lot of muscles, but he wasn't too thin either. His body build surprisingly complemented his hair and complexion. Shit, is this really the right time to praise him? “Why won’t I know your name if it was written on your ID?” Ash answered, pointing at the ID I was wearing. “Sapphire Jade. Nice name, by the way. A good name on a bad girl’s identity.” I subtly turned my ID around, causing him to smirk. "I'll be heading out, bro," I heard Haze say, one of Ash’s classmates who was also in the room before he patted Ash. "We're going back to our room to rest." Mason, the other friend, followed behind Haze as he momentarily glanced at me. He had a headset on both ears, making me curious if he was aware of what was happening around him. Haze and Mason are Ash’s friends. As far as I know, they've been friends since junior high school. They have the same course, the same hobbies, and the same dilemma, which is not knowing what to do with their lives because they are already wealthy. "Anyway, nice to meet you, miss." I frowned when Haze took my hand. He was about to kiss it, but Ash roughly removed Haze’s grip on me. Ash glared at Haze, causing Haze to raise both hands and laugh as if he was amused by Ash's reaction. "Chill, dude," said Haze with a grin before turning his gaze back to me. "I just wanted to introduce myself to the beautiful lady.” I raised an eyebrow at his comment and crossed my arms over my chest. Have they run out of girls to bother at this school, so now they're messing with me? Haze was like Ash's clone. They were the same when it came to flirting with different girls. The only difference was that Haze was more vocal and playful, unlike Ash, who preferred to stay quiet and wait for the girl to approach him. "Let's go." My attention shifted to Mason, who had already removed his headset. "Stop making a scene here," he added before pulling Haze away, who was shaking his head and chuckling softly. Among their group, Mason was probably the most sensible one. He was the stabilizer of the group. I couldn't recall a single day when he was with another girl. If he wasn't in front of a computer, he was with his books, as I often saw him studying in the library, unlike his two friends. He was the silent type, but who knows? Maybe he had hidden depths that I wasn't aware of. Since there were no more intruders in my seat or around it, I walked towards it, gripping the straps of my bag tightly. "Wait," Ash stopped me, grabbing my right arm. "I'm not done talking to you," he added, staring into my eyes. My lips parted because of what he did. His touch sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't explain the strange electricity that coursed through my body from his simple touch. It was those damned butterflies in my stomach, as they say. "Please do what your friend says. Stop making a scene here," I whispered as I glanced at my classmates, who were already staring at us. "And I would really appreciate it if you walked out of this room silently." I tried to remove his hand from my arm, but when I did that, he just tightened his grip on me and pulled me closer to him. My body collided with his. His expression darkened, and his jaw tightened when he felt my chest pressed against him. Why does he have this strange effect on me? His grip didn't hurt... but it was comforting and sensual at the same time. I could feel the lust in his touch, but I could also sense how much he cared for me. His thumb gently caressed my skin, as if he wanted to protect me but didn't want to let me go. "Good morning, class." He was just forced to release my arm when our professor for this subject walked in. It was Miss George, our accounting teacher. "Ash Coleman," Miss George addressed him. "If I'm not mistaken, you're a Civil Engineering student, right? Why are you here?” However, he didn’t respond. He just gave me a meaningful look before leaving the room. "Get a one-half sheet of the intermediate pad," my professor instructed after setting her materials on the desk in front of me. "We'll have a quiz." Honestly, I expected this quiz. What I wasn't expecting was for Ash to be here and talk to me. "Class dismissed. Prepare for a long quiz next week," my professor stated as she left the room after an entire three-hour discussion. I sighed as I packed up my things. Nevermind. I shouldn’t think about him while eating lunch. I went to the cafeteria, trying my best not to let Ash fill my mind… But how can I do that if he was already in front of me? "You're five minutes late," he said sharply, glancing at his Rolex wristwatch. "I hate waiting, but since this is your first time, I'll let it slide." "I'm sorry, what?" He closed the remaining distance between us, unlike the night before when he kept a safe distance on a cold evening. Now, in broad daylight, he was carelessly and continuously crossing boundaries. Ash stood in front of me, holding my chin to make me look at him. He lowered his head to level with mine. “Didn't you hear what I just said before you left?" he said huskily, his gaze intense. "I'm not done talking to you.”