April 2nd, 8:30 AM - Elgin Hall Residence - Chicago, IL Preston's POV 

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A weekend rolled by and not even single text came from Azura. The first few days his mind had swarmed with worry, as his imagination tortured him with dreadful scenarios. After being unable to sleep for three days, he crashed yesterday taking the entire day off to catch up on everything had neglected, his health included. 

But what puzzled him most was his unusual behaviour.

She's not my girlfriend, yet why am I acting like I just went through some crazy break up? All my signs and symptoms shout broken heart. 

Rubbing his face groggily, he focused on getting out of bed and to the bathroom. 

The long and hot shower he took made him feel slightly better as he wrapped a towel around his waist and used the second to dry his air. Rubbing the fogged mirror with his hand, he stared at the boy watching him. He had grown a lot this semester and he would have never expected it to be because of his roommate. Giving himself a small smile, he finished up his routine. 

As he opened the door the usual silence that greeted him was different.

At first, he thought his ears were playing tricks on him, but the longer he listened he could make out the shuffles. 

 His eyes shifted to the bedroom door that been closed after she left and presently remained closed. With a deep frown on his face, he tiptoed towards the room, and gently placed his ear against the wooden door.

His eyes widened when he heard what sounded like a drawer closing and he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to stop the gasp that almost escaped. 

What? There is definitely someone in there but who? 

Given all that had happened this week, only the worst possible option flashed in Preston's mind. 

Thugs. 

It was the only thing that made sense since they had been seen prowling around campus. The more Preston thought about it the more his blood pressure increased, and his body shook with fear. 

They must have found out where I lived and are now searching for clues to find Azura. Shit, what if they find her home address or something in there?! 

Gripping his hair in frustration he eyes darted back and forth. 

Maybe I should call the police? But what if they take too long. What if they're armed? Should I just barge in? What if they come out? Maybe I can knock em out? And with what? 

On cue, his gaze drifted to the kitchen. 

Pans!

Throwing a fleeting glance at the door, he tried to scurry as quietly as possible to grab his weapon of choice. As he sifted through the cupboard, the bedroom door opening could be heard. His heart jumped into his throat rendering him speechless as he remained frozen in his squat position. 

The door clicked closed and steady footsteps made their way towards him. 

His body reacted on its own and he gripped onto the handle of a pan so tightly that his knuckles turned white. 

His breath quickened, and as he counted on the third exhale, he forced his legs to move shooting him up to his 6'2 glory. In as fluid of a motion possible, he swung the pan with all his might. 

What happened next could only be the doing of the man above because all Preston caught was air. Thank god he caught air because standing there in their 5'5 glory was...Azura. Her being seemed even smaller as she remained crouched with her hands up to protect her head. 

Staring at her in horror, he abruptly dropped the pan which should have landed on the floor with a clatter, but a small feminine hand shot out and caught it. 

She slowly blinked at the pan, now in her possession, before staring up at him. 

"Nice to see you too." 

The adrenaline that was like a mind-controlling drug, left his body and he staggered backwards, his hands catching himself on the counter behind him. "Holy shit, you scared me! I thought you were an armed intruder!" 

He watched as she tested the weight of the pan. "Really? This was your grand plan if an armed intruder entered the condo? What? You were going to hit every bullet that was fired?" She mocked him as she made exaggerated movements of using the pan like a baseball bat. 

And just like that, his cheeks warmed and he felt embarrassed for his ridiculous, spur of the moment idea. "Well, I didn't exactly have another weapon," he tried to defend. 

She quirked an eyebrow, before drawing open the closest drawer to her left. In view came a set of sharp, large knives. He glanced at the knives, rolling his top lip in between his teeth. 

"Yeah, well had I used that you would have been hurt," he argued back weekly. But the small pesky voice in him told him otherwise. 

What the fuck am I saying? I probably would have missed who am I kidding? 

As much as he wanted to disappear from that very spot, realization dawned on him when he realized that Azura was right there, standing in front of him. The very girl who seemingly dropped of the face of the Earth and refused to answer any of his calls and text was back, in the condo. 

"Wait, you're here? Why, why are you here?" he asked out of pure confusion. 

The question made her give him what seemed to be a smile, but it seemed forced and unnatural. "Um, yeah about that. I need to stick around for a bit longer, it's uh...it's complicated?" 

Complicated? 

The word replayed in his head until the little light bulb in his head made a connection, and one that silenced him. 

Shit...her mother. 

Pinching the bridge of nose he cursed for his insensitivity. He pushed away from the counter and in a single step, he was right in front of her. "I'm so, so sorry Azura." 

He didn't know what else to say as he embraced her in a hug which he hoped offered her some comfort that he couldn't express in words. Death was hard and he was going to make sure that he didn't make it harder for her. Veronica's words echoed in his mind, giving him a new sense of determination. 

I need to be there for her as her friend first. 

"Um, Preston? You okay?" 

And she's still thinking of me right now. She's so selfless.

He pulled back and nodded, throwing the exact question back at her. But seconds after it left his mouth he mentally slapped himself. 

"What am I even asking, of course, you're not okay. You know what, if you don't want to talk about that's completely fine. But if you do, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you Azura. You don't have to go through this on your own, and you don't have to pretend to be strong, not in front of me." 

She seemed confused but slowly nodded her head. "Um, thank you." 

Giving her another smile, he tried to brighten the mood with an idea. "Hey, do you feel like doing something today? I have this cooking class I enrolled myself in. Today's the first class, want to join me?" 

If she didn't want to talk about it then he would do everything he could to let her be distracted until she was ready to face reality. 

She still seemed hesitant but agreed regardless. "Yeah sure." 

As they stood there staring at each other, the confused look on her face slowly caused the same uncertainty to creep upon him as well.

Am I missing something? 

"Um, do you want to get changed before we go? Or is this your new look?"

He began to shiver, his bare skin now hyperaware of the fact that there was nothing but a towel covering him. His hair stood on its end as goosebumps rippled through him. Looking at his bare torso he made a poor attempt to cover himself, ever conscious of how he looked right now. 

"I mean I'm liking it." 

His head snapped down to look at the girl who blatantly gave him a once over. There it was, the classic tease and sly smirk on her lips. But more than that, when her eyes met his, he saw them sparkle with amusement as she tried to hold a cool front. 

I already embarrassed myself, might as well make it to the finale. 

Practically prying his arms away from his body, he stood tall and summoned all the confidence left in him as he held her gaze. 

"Good, because it's all yours." 

His body was about to give and at this point, he was pretty sure his heart no longer worked from the rollercoaster of emotions he had put it through in the last 10 minutes. But the surprised look on Azura's face was enough to tell him that this moment was worth it, and picking up the morsel of his dignity that was left he brushed past her and went into this room. 

As he closed the door only then did his body slump against the wall, and he silently hammered the drywall before stuffing his fist into his mouth to stop from screaming. 

What the fuck was I thinking? I'm all yours??? Who???? What??? HER MOTHER JUST DIED YOU, IDIOT! 

Word count: 1585

This took me...forever....and the worst part? I'm not satisfied with this. I tried to rewrite this, I have like 5 drafts but this one was the least cringe (or so I hope). Anyway thanks for waiting and being patient. The next chapter shouldn't be too bad. 

See ya on the flip side

- Johnny