The Firefly Effect (27 page)

His response is clipped. “What I
want
is a little consideration. I do not appreciate being taken for granted. What I also
want
is for you to answer my question. Where. Have. You. Been?”

“It’s none of your damn business where I’ve been!” I tell him irritably. “What are you doing in my room? How’d you get in here?”

“I texted you six times tonight. Six. Times. Do you not possess the common courtesy to find ten paltry seconds out of your oh-so-busy schedule to reply?”

“In case I forgot to mention it, I blocked your number. So obviously I never saw your messages. Not that it would have mattered.”

“Yes, I thought you blocked me. Now tell me, why would you go and do such a childish thing?”

“Are you serious? Luka, why the fuck do you think?” My God, there is just no getting through to this guy! His perpetual stalking has been getting progressively worse, even with the stern warning he received from the staff at the counseling center. I’ve tried to be patient with him, tried to be nice about it, but it’s like he just doesn’t have the ability to comprehend any of it.

The timbre of his voice never changes. He speaks to me mildly, as if he’s addressing a stubborn child. “Please don’t curse. I’ve told you before, that kind of language is for bar whores and ignorant cretins.”

“Yeah? Well, fuck fuck fuckity doo-da!”

Smiling patiently, he takes a few steps in my direction as I press my back against the wall. “I see what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to pick a fight, aren’t you? Come on, angel. Let’s not fight. Not now. Not when we have some time off before the summer term.”

“I don’t know what you’re doing with
your
time off, but
I’m
heading home tomorrow,” I inform him. “Just so you know.”

He shakes his head in perplexed denial. It unnerves me that he seems to be growing more and more flustered. “Heading home? What are you talking about? You never told me you were thinking about leaving. You
can’t
leave! I made plans for us. I was…I was going to take you to Daytona. I made reservations and everything. We were going to–”

“We weren’t going to do anything, Luka. I’m not going anywhere with you. How can you even think that I would? We’ve been through this before.” As many times as I’ve pleaded with him to leave me alone, it amazes me that he would assume I’d agree to this.

He draws closer, and I tense as he lifts one arm to place his hand on the wall beside my head. “Melanie, angel,” he warns me softly. “I’ve been very patient with you. But I must say, these mind games are becoming rather tiresome. Have you been drinking?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. What difference does it make?”

“You have. I can smell it on you. I must say, I’m very disappointed in your behavior tonight. Tell you what, though. I’m willing to overlook your petulance because I know it’s just the alcohol talking. But in the morning after you’ve slept it off, I would like for you to go ahead and pack. I’m taking you away for a few days and I’d like to leave tomorrow afternoon.”

Anger, frustration and sympathy all collide within me, and at the moment I’m so tired I have no idea which emotion to give precedence to. As tempting as it may be to jam my knee into his happy zone right now, I can’t summon the will to hurt him. He’s just so pitiful. It would be like kicking a stray mutt that doesn’t know any better.

And so, as usual, I do the best I can to get my point across while trying to spare his feelings.

“Luka.” Lowering my voice, I search his eyes for any sign of cognizance. “We’ve had this conversation before. Remember? You know that I would like very much to be your friend, but that’s as far as it goes. That’s as far as it will
ever
go. I’m sorry. But I already told you, right now I’m just not interested in–”

“Do you really think this hard-to-get act of yours is going to get you anywhere?”

Startled, I blink at him speechlessly. Is that honestly what he believes? That I’ve just been playing hard to get?

Not for the first time, I get the unsettling feeling that there is something really wrong with this guy. Something that goes way beyond mere stubbornness.

He leans in so close I can smell the expensive designer cologne on his collar. And even though it isn't unpleasant, the scent prickles my skin with revulsion nonetheless.

His breath is hot against my cheek. “I can appreciate the fact that you aren’t willing to stoop to the same level as those disgusting, promiscuous friends of yours. Virtue is an admirable quality. But I think it’s time for the games to stop. Really, it’s all so unnecessary. Avoiding me? Ignoring me?
Reporting
me? Did you think that was a nice thing to do, Melanie? Did you not stop to think how hurtful that might be?”

“I reported you because you wouldn’t stop harassing me!”

“Harassing you?” He furrows his brow, puzzled. “I don’t understand. Didn’t you like the gifts I sent you?”

“
Like
them! Wasn’t the fact that I sent them back a clear enough indication? Jesus, Luka, whatever gave you the idea that lingerie and stilettos from Agent Provocateur are appropriate things to send to someone you barely know!”

“Were they the wrong size?”

I rub my forehead, shaking my head at his inconceivable obtuseness. “Good God. Are you…I don’t…I can’t even…”

“You really shouldn’t drink, my love. Alcohol lowers your cognition and interferes with communication between nerve cells. That probably explains why you’re having trouble expressing yourself clearly.”

“Trust me. You
really
don’t want me expressing myself right now, Luka.”

“You’re right. We can talk on our way to Daytona tomorrow.”

I swear to Christ, my head is so close to exploding right now it isn’t even funny. “Let me ask you a question. What do you hear when I talk? Is it monkey screeches or radio static or what? Can you not understand the words coming out of my mouth?”

He smiles as his gaze drops to my lips. “I’ve dreamed about the things you could do with that mouth.”

“Oh yeah? Well, keep dreaming, pal. Because the only thing this mouth is going to be doing is calling campus security if you aren’t out of here in about two seconds!”

Finally – a threat that seems to be getting through to him. With a startled look, he tilts his head slowly to one side. “Why would you do that?”

“Why do you think!”

“I don't understand why you keep doing these things. Surely you must know how much it aggravates me when you act this way.”

“Doing
what
things? All I want is for you to back off and stop stalking me all over the place! I don't think that's too much to ask!”

The blue eyes narrow menacingly. “I’ve told you before how beautiful you are,” he murmurs, his voice hollow. “And you are. So very beautiful. But tell me, Melanie. Do you think this attribute gives you license to treat others any way that you like?”

“All right. I’m done with this. You need to leave.”

“I will. When I'm ready.”

“No, by God, you’ll haul your ass out of here right this minute or–”

My protests are silenced when, unbelievably, Luka smothers my lips with his while attempting to clumsily grope his way up my shirt. For a split second I’m too stunned to react. Frozen, I stare at his closed eyes in amazed disgust while he grinds himself ineptly against me.

The first thing that pops into my head is that this guy has probably never kissed a girl before in his life. His lack of experience borders on pathetic.

The second is that he’s a lot stronger than he looks, and pushing him off me takes more strength than I would have expected.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!” I swipe the back of my hand across my mouth, trying to get the taste of him off me. All I can smell is his overpowering cologne. What did he do, take a bath in the stuff?

Leering at me through glazed eyes, he whines, “Oh, come on. Don’t be like this, angel. I’m tired of waiting. No one’s here – this is the perfect opportunity. I want you. You know you want me. You belong to me, and you owe me for everything you’ve put me through.”

Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me! This dipshit has lost his scrambled mind. I went on a pity date with him once and that makes me his? I
owe
him?

For everything I’ve put
him
through?

That’s when I reach the breaking point. My slow-simmering temper finally boils over and before I have time to think about what I’m doing, I draw back my hand and slam the heel of my palm into his nose. Hard.

And I finally get why Dad sent me and Madelyn to that self-defense class.

Because, damn – that move really works!

Yelping like a wounded animal, Luka stumbles backward and covers his nose with both hands. His voice is high-pitched and muffled. “You
hit
me!”

“I’ll do a helluva lot worse than that if you don’t get your psycho ass out of my room
right now!
”

“Why did you do that? Why did you hit me? Look at this!” He pulls his hands away just long enough for me to see the damage. “My nose is bleeding!”

“Good. I hope it hurts like a bitch.” Skirting past him, I crouch down to dig through the pocket of my discarded jeans in search of my cell phone.

His eyes widen. “Who are you calling?”

“Take a guess!”

“No, wait – wait, don’t call anyone. I’m sorry. I’m leaving. I’m going. Right now.” He starts backing away as I eye him suspiciously. “Please don’t tell anyone. I’ll…I’ll lose my scholarship. Don’t do this to me, please…I’m going now, okay?”

“Don’t come back,” I warn him.

“I won’t. I promise. Not until tomorrow,” he has the audacity to say. “I’ll let you get some sleep and we’ll sort through all this tomorrow.”

“No! We most certainly will not!” This has got to stop. I’ve tried to be understanding about his infatuation, but this shit has gone too far. “Listen to me, Luka. And listen good, because this is the last warning you’re going to get. If you come anywhere near me again, if you so much as
speak
to me, I’ll report you so fast it’ll make your head spin. You’ll be tossed out of this school on your ass and I’ll get a restraining order against you, and if you think I won’t have you locked up, you’re even crazier than you look. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear from you. I don’t want anything to
do
with you. LEAVE. ME. ALONE. Am I making myself clear?”

Stunned, he just stands there looking at me for the longest time. Or maybe it hasn’t really been that long, maybe it just seems that way. The thing is, I have no way of guessing what he might be thinking. I’ve never met anyone so irrational. So unpredictable. And that scares me.

At last, to my relief, he gives a terse nod before turning to walk out. I follow at a safe distance with the intention of securing the door behind him. I still wonder how he got in. Maybe Shelby just forgot to lock it. She’s not the most responsible roommate in the world.

He pauses at the door to give me a look that sends chills down my spine. I figure he’s got something to say, that he intends to have the last word. As usual.

But he doesn’t say a thing. He doesn’t have to. That look says it all.

I’ve never been so glad to see the back of someone in my life.

Closing the door, I lock it. I double-check it. Then I check it again.

Satisfied that no one can get in who doesn’t belong, I go brush my teeth vigorously before crawling into bed and pulling the covers up to my chin. There is a sensible part of me that knows I should call campus security and report what happened. But incredibly, even as rattled as I am, there is still a little part of me that feels sorry for him. I don’t want to be the reason for his expulsion. That’s not something I want on my conscience.

I just need to get away for a few days. Maybe by the time the summer term starts, he’ll have come to his senses. Surely after this, I must have gotten the message across. He has to give up sooner or later, right?

My nerves are so strung out, I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep at all. Just in case, I set the alarm to make sure I’m up at the crack of dawn. I still need to pack a few things for my trip back home.

And I intend to be long gone by the time he comes around again.

~ Chapter Twenty-Two ~