Reassurance

An extra long chapter to apologize for the wait!

I've been having a little bit of writer's block lately, but seeing all of your lovely comments pushed me through it.

I hope you enjoy!

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Enid held her breath as she walked silently down the corridor toward the lecture hall.

It wasn't that she was avoiding him, she just...

Honestly, she didn't know what she was doing.

She was nearly to the door when his voice came from behind her.

"Enid." Her name a command.

Pivoting on her heel, she turned to face him.

His large body leaned against the doorway of his office, his strict expression firmly in place.

His dark blue eyes like pools of endless depth.

He beckoned her toward him.

As she entered his office, the tension that had been wound within her tightened further.

She had spent much of the weekend worrying over the article she had seen in the newspaper.

Feeling equal parts terrified that it was the work of her professors and guilty for even thinking that they would do such a thing.

Between her worries and her still tangled thoughts on the evening at the estate, Enid was a bit of an emotional mess.

The door locking behind them was deafening in the silent room.

She startled slightly as his fingers brushed along her neck.

"I missed you." His low voice came from behind her.

"Dr. Easton-" She started, turning around to face him.

"I thought we told you to call us by our first names when we're in private, little one." Her professor reprimanded.

She glanced up at his endlessly blue eyes, sharp behind his glasses.

His handsome face like stone, his porcelain jawline sharp.

Dark hair pushed back from his face.

Breathing in his cologne, she felt her shoulders relax.

All concern about the newspaper dropped away.

She felt entirely safe with this man.

All three of them had given her more than enough reason to trust them.

What had she been thinking?

Even the thought of them doing anything to that boy was preposterous.

Her professors would never hurt anyone, let alone a student at the institution they worked at.

The tension in her shoulders relaxed as she gifted him a sweet smile.

"I missed you, Theodore." His own tense stature relaxing slightly at her words.

His eyes soft as he reached up to caress her delicate cheek.

"I'm sorry we disappeared like that. We had some business we had to take care of. A bit of a... nuisance." A small smirk crossing his features.

"Is everything okay?" Enid asked.

"It is now, darling. The issue won't ever bother us again." His hand dropped from her face down to her waist.

He relaxed fully as he pulled her gently into his arms.

Her forehead came to rest just below his collar bone as he held her, his hand running through her wayward curls.

"You're going to come to the estate tonight. We have much to discuss." He murmured in her ear as he swayed them slightly from side to side.

"Yes sir." She whispered sleepily, the rocking motion adding to her lethargic state.

The frantic worries and her overactive imagination had not been kind to her sleep schedule.

A knock on the door jolted her awake and she pealed herself off her professor quickly.

Something like a growl sounded from the man and he opened the door with a glare.

"What?" His tone was ice cold and terrifying.

"Hi, Dr. Easton... I was hoping we could discuss some extra credit opportunities. I just want to be putting forth the fullest effort I can be." The girl's flirtatious voice was practically a purr.

"No. I don't give extra credit." Disgust heavy in his response.

"Are you sure?" Enid could see a hand reaching up to touch his chest.

Jealousy struck her and her hands clenched into small fists.

It was an emotion she was unused to.

His large frame blocked her from seeing who the limb belonged to.

"Yes, I'm sure." Theodore stated, stepping back to avoid the hand's reach.

In doing so, Enid met the eyes of the brunette girl who sat behind her in class.

It was strange to see her without her friend by her side.

Her hair was straightened today, and her top was cut dangerously low.

The girl's eyes widened as she noticed Enid before her face twisted into a sneer.

"Ah, I see you already have company." Her voice taunting.

"Enid is my intern. We were discussing the research we are conducting." Theodore's voice calm and void of emotion.

"Hmm. Well, let me know if you think of any extra credit I could do." Her smirk wicked as she turned on her heel toward where the lecture hall was.

Her dark hair swinging behind her as she disappeared from view.

"Stupid girl." He uttered under his breath as he turned back to her.

"We should head to class, darling." His voice low as he grabbed his briefcase from the black desk.

Enid spent most of the lesson trying to ignore the whispers coming from the two girls behind her.

She caught fragments of sentences.

"...in his office..."

"...said she's his intern..."

"...immortals have never..."

"...not even that pretty..."

Enid stared harder at her notes on Vygotsky.

By the time class was over, Enid's jaw hurt from clenching her teeth.

Anger was a rare emotion for her, but it swelled hot in her chest.

Her bad mood must have been obvious because as soon as Emilia saw her, she asked what was wrong.

"Just had a rough morning." Enid responded, mustering up a smile for her friend.

"Well, we have a few minutes before English starts, why don't you tell me about it?" Emilia said, guiding the smaller girl to a bench in a secluded area outside the literature building.

Enid worried her lip as she tried to decide what to say.

She had never been good at lying, so she tried to keep as close to the truth as she could.

"There's a guy I like. I had to watch another girl flirt with him today. And I'm not even sure what's going on with us. I don't understand a lot about relationships, I guess." The words rushed out.

It felt good to finally be talking about it with someone else.

Made her feel a little less crazy.

"Well, it's pretty obvious you're... innocent, babe. Which is a great thing, don't get me wrong. Just don't be too hard on yourself. As Lizzo says, you are absolutely 100% that bitch. You're smart and beautiful and talented. He'd be crazy not to want you!" Emilia exclaimed.

Enid giggled and tilted her head in confusion.

"Thank you. You're all those things, too. Also, who is Lizzo?" Her answer was followed by a near scream from the other girl.

"You don't know the goddess of pop music!?" Emilia whipped out her phone and typed frantically on it.

"Sometimes I forget you came from a nunnery in England." She murmured and Enid lightly hit her shoulder with a laugh.

"I did not come from a nunnery! And I'm Welsh." She grinned.

Suddenly jazzy piano music poured from it, followed by a distinct voice.

Her eyes watered with mirth from laughing as Emilia performed a ridiculous dance to the song.

As they walked inside, Enid found her mood had been lifted immensely.

She gave Emilia a grateful smile as they took their seats for Dr. Romano's class.

It was nice having a friend.

Dante entered with his characteristic flourish, his suave coat swishing around his knees.

"How are my disciples this Monday? Did you all miss me?" His green eyes finding her immediately.

A smile lit up her face.

She had definitely missed him. Them.

More than she'd care to admit.

"Alright, today we're going to change it up a bit. The campus newspaper has requested we work with them on their upcoming publication. You can write a short story or if you're feeling like Sherlock, you can do an investigative article about something going around campus." He smirked as the students shifted with excitement.

"Can we do it in partners?" Emilia asked, her arm raised.

"Yes, maximum to a group is two, though. Since we have such a small class." His Italian accent washing over her and she tried to be discreet as she stared at him.

His brown curls were in their usual disarray, the stubble on his cheeks highlighting his godlike facial structure.

He twirled a worn copy of "Don Juan" in his hands as he answered more questions from the other students.

"Let's do an investigation!" Emilia said to her, drawing her attention from the gorgeous man.

"Okay, what should we investigate? We could interview the chess team about their recent national win." Enid proposed.

"Nooo..." Emilia drew out the syllable, "that's boring. We've got to do something exciting."

"The new bubble tea stall opening in the dining hall?" She countered.

"Hm, that's better. Well, it's not due for a month so we can both think up ideas and decide on Wednesday." The girls agreed.

Enid hung back as her classmates exited at the end of class.

"Hello, little bird." Dante smiled at her as they were left alone in the room.

"Hi." She responded, blushing and glancing down at her shoes as the man's eyes trailed down to the bare skin below the hem of her skirt.

She was wearing tights to protect against the chilly weather, but they ended just below her skirt.

Her garters hidden by the material.

An innocent outfit to her, an enticement to him.

"You're certainly a sight for sore eyes." He said as he approached her, his fingers trailing over that small strip of bare skin as he pressed her against the wall behind her.

She glanced nervously over his shoulder at the open door.

Her thoughts left her as his lips suddenly landed on hers.

Butterflies exploded in her stomach as his soft lips caressed her own.

His hands on her waist disappeared until suddenly she felt them under her skirt, squeezing her butt.

She gasped in shock, pulling away from him slightly.

"This outfit is killing me, little bird." He groaned into her neck as he planted kisses along it.

The sound of the door shutting sent her heart plummeting to her feet.

Oh god.

They'd been caught.

"Really, Dante? The door was wide fucking open. Anyone could have walked by." Theodore's furious words filled her with relief.

She still felt embarrassed that he had walked in on them doing... that.

But at least it wasn't another student or professor.

Dante turned to look at the man before glancing back at her.

"Do you see what the little minx is wearing? I couldn't help myself." He winked at her and she flushed.

Theodore's dark eyes traced down her body, her slightly disheveled sweater and skirt.

That strip of bare skin.

His tongue darted out to wet his lips.

"I saw her this morning and managed to control myself just fine, Dante. You need to be more careful." He reprimanded and Dante at least looked a little sheepish.

"I will be." He promised before turning back toward her.

"Well, now that the door is closed..." The Italian pulled her back toward him.

"Not yet. We need to head to the estate. Alex is waiting for us." Theodore glared at the other man.

"Ugh. Fine. Soon, il mio tesoro, soon." His voice practically a whine.

He pressed a kiss just slightly to the right of her lips.

Enid blushed at the endearment.

She couldn't believe she had ever thought them capable of being the reason of the boy's disappearance.

This flirtatious, charming man wouldn't hurt a fly.

None of them would.

She was sure of it.

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I love writing Emilia and Enid's interactions.

It's nice to get some happy girl time in there.

Comments fill my heart with joy.

All my love, Sappho ⌲