Walking Home (Decadence and Candira)

Again, he took a deep breath. Then another, drawing out a long sigh. He wrapped his arm around her neck and brought her in close, kissing her on the forehead. He kept his lips pressed there. "It's not your fault." He said, looking past her.

But we can still work together. I promise not to avoid you...

And I promise not to hurt you...

How much could he forget after less than a week. How much can he forget after a week? A month? A whole, fucking year?

"Claaaaass," a familiar voice droned, entering the lecture hall from the front, beneath the large projector screen. It brought Keith back to the present. Professor Layton was wrapped in a white, form-fitting dress that was outlined in black, lace ruffles on the sleeves and collar. Large, black sunglasses covered her eyes, making her look blind, and on the top of her head was this wide, saucer-like hat that matched her tight dress.

Keith eyed their professor. "Speaking of distractions..."
 
Surprised at the way he was reacting, she let him bring her close like that, kissing her forehead, his little spike just barely touching her skin. The way he told her it wasn't her fault told her that she should just let this one lie, but she was still worried. She would have to find a way to help him get his grades back up, and she would help him as much as she could.

And then the professor's voice was carrying through the room. She turned her head at Keith's comment and sat fully back in her seat. Well...this was....interesting.
 
"I hope that in this first week," the professor went on, "you've been learning a lot about tolerance and have been reaching milestones with your partner."

Keith let go of Sophie, bringing his focus to the front of the class. He rested his arms over the desk. He felt as though what he just told Sophie didn't quite cut it, and he somehow knew that they would have to confront it once again in the future. But right now, he had to open his ears to what their teacher was saying.

"That said, I would like to spend half the class sharing your progress with the rest of the class. I will pick one of your partners randomly, and they will stand up and share what they did over the weekend with their partner."

A series of collective groans rose up in the classroom, and Keith suddenly felt this anticipated feeling that this could be both candid and embarrassing.

The professor scanned her roster for a moment, pausing. "Sophia Renard," she said, keeping her eyes on her list before moving them up to face her students. "Please stand up and share with us anything you would like for us to know about your weekend with..." She looked down at her roster again. "...Keith Corbett."
 
Well, tolerance was one way to put it. Sophie had to hold herself back from laughing as the word "Milestones" came up. She merely smiled when most other people groaned. The stunning redhead had to think for a moment when she was called on. What exactly could she tell the class? A few things stuck out in her mind, so she nodded and stood up as the professor urged her to do and smiled, waving a little.

"Hi there....I'm Sophie, and my partner is Keith. We spent some time together this week, and this weekend, and I think we've made some progress. We studied together, we shared a meal or two and worked together to cook it. We've driven to classes together. Ummm, we had brunch with my parents. It's been nice."

She detailed that they were friends when they were little and had grown apart over the years, putting it mildly. "This has been a good experience to get to know each other again and sort through that."

She didn't think the rest of the room really needed to know the details just yet. She knew how she felt about Keith and she planned on better detailing that to him later on. But for the public? All they really needed to know right now was that Sophie and Keith were on very good terms again, and she mentioned as much, wondering if the professor would ask more or have Keith elaborate...and as such, what would he say? If he wanted to say more, she wasn't going to stop him.
 
Keith dipped his head forward a bit and raised an open hand up as a wave when his name was mentioned. A leggy blond gave him a foxy smirk, curling the corner of her lips into a smile. Keith shifted his eyes away from her, noticing every guy in the hall ogling Sophie, and he was sure as all hell they weren't making eye contact with her.

Professor Layton beamed from behind her Lady Gaga shades. "Excellent, Sophia!" She exclaimed, clapping wildly. "I apologize for my sudden deviation in what we've planned, but because I am so curious now, I am tempted to probe further and ask your partner...Keith?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Yes, Keith." She nodded. "Why don't you share your experiences with the class about working with your partner."

Keith suddenly felt like he was on the spot, darting his eyes around until he sighed, slamming both palms on his desk, rising to his feet beside Sophie. "Well it's a long story," he began. "Sophie and I used to walk home from school together when we were in grade school. I had the biggest crush on her at the time."

He heard some sighs in the classroom, and he was sure they were feminine. He even noticed some eyes sparkling. He shrugged it off and continued. "Well, what happened was, I moved away right before middle school, and since then, we began to hate each other."

"Oh, and why did that happen?" Their teacher was engrossed in the topic.

Keith paused for a moment, then looked at Sophie. "Because I was in love with her, and I thought that she wasn't into me." Another pause. "I'm glad I was wrong." He could have added more. He could have went on about promising not to hurt her any more, or that getting struck in the head by a bat didn't seem like a big deal to him, or that he would have given his life to protect her, but he felt the class knew enough already, so he ended it there.

The entire class was silent, watching. Keith's face was incredibly red from the candidness. Professor Layton held her hands against her chest. "Oh my," she said, "I'm...just at a loss for words. Thank you, Keith, Sophia. What a beautiful story!" She then slowly parted her hands so she could start clapping. The entire class followed suit, drowning the lecture hall with echoing applause. Keith kept his eyes fixed on Sophie, nibbling on his lip. He smirked at her.
 
Sophia did not fail to notice the leggy blonde's suggestive smile. She recognized that girl. She was also quite aware that she had no real concept of tact and that sooner or later, if blondie wanted Keith, she would try to take him. But the instant Keith started speaking she knew she wouldn't have to worry.

Professor Gaga praised the story and prompted to get more from Keith. She stood by what he said, smiling at his candid statements. He seemed to have the room wrapped around his finger, and she could only go along with it. When the class started to clap for them, she felt a little weird, blushing a little, but when Keith looked at her she chuckled and shrugged before sitting back down next to him, holding his hand while the class calmed down.

When some order was restored, the next couple of partners were called. Sophie listened, but she didn't find it to be terribly important. Instead, she just kept holding his hand.
 
He felt her hand as they sat down, giving her a gentle squeeze. It looked like this class was going to be easier than the last one. Keith placed his other hand on Sophie's, covering her with both hands. He sat there with her, listening to the other members of the class go on, respecting whatever they shared, since he understood how difficult it was being put on the spot like that. Just like what she did to Sophie, Professor Gaga ended up having both partners share their stories, which he began to wonder if she were doing that to be fair.

After the first half of the class was over, Layton then went over more about art which was straight from the book. Keith never let go of Sophie's hand throughout the lecture, playing with it by dragging his fingers over the top of her skin.

Once class was over, the professor prompted to continue working on their video project and reminded them that it was worth most of the grade for the class.

"You still have a few more classes after this, right?" Keith asked, standing up. Still holding on to her hand, he pulled her up to her feet. "If not, why don't we go visit the old neighborhood again?" He shook the camcorder in his hand at her.
 
Sophie smiled as Keith held her hand, playing with it. Though she listened to others tell their stories, none of them were very interesting. So she squeezed his hand and let him play with her fingers and her hand in general.

As Layton-gone-Gaga went through her lecture, Sophie took a few notes and leaned against Keith. When it was over, she put her stuff back in her bag and then let him pull her to her feet. "Yeah, I do, actually. But we can definitely go back there after. Wanna meet me after my last class? Or I can come find you in the library," she offered, pulling her bag over her shoulder with her free hand.
 
"Sure," Keith said. "I'll walk you to your next class." He didn't mean to be chauvinistic, but he felt like being with her every step of the way, especially with how things have been last weekend. He got up with her and accompanied her to her next class, walking by her side, hand-in-hand until they reached the classroom. "Give me a call when you need to find me. I'll go hang out in the library," he said, letting her go as he parted ways with her. The library was a good five minute walk across the other side of the campus. He didn't like how far it was, but it was going to be better than sitting by himself on the bench or something.
 
Sophie didn't mind him being so protective--in fact it was pretty understandable given what they'd already been through. She let him walk her to class and squeezed his hand a little. When they got to her building she pulled him close and kissed his cheek as he let her go. "I'll give you a call after class." She grinned and then walked into her next class taking a seat near the front where the professor was.

In the mean time, a certain leggy blond made her way toward him, smiling. Sophie might have had a nice body, but Rachel, the girl from art class was fantastic all around. The blonde minx made her way over to him, taking her sweet time. After all, his little "friend" had plenty of time in her next class before she would be back. When they reached the doors, she feigned sudden recognition. "Well, hi there. Say, aren't you that guy from art class? Keith, isn't it?"
 
Keith was just minding his business until he caught wind of that same girl from before. That leggy blond that smiled at him from Art Class. Wasn't she also in Dillinger's class as well? Girl was beginning to creep him out.

"Yeah, that's me." Keith replied with a blank face. "And you are?" He tried to be polite, keeping a brisk pace in hopes that she'd break off and head to her own class, but it didn't look like that was the case.
 
The blond laughed as though he'd just said something funny. Surely he knew who she was. She was sexy, no doubt, but she had nothing on Sophie. As she recovered from her laughter she shook her head.

"My name's Rachel, silly. I sit behind you in Dillinger's and Layton's classes." Just the week before hadn't he eyed her up? "What's up? Heading to class?"
 
"Oh, right." Keith said, keeping his gaze forward, away from her. He was beginning to wonder what her hidden agenda was. Before he got back with Sophie, he would have considered bringing the girl home. Blonds always had a certain charm to them, even though they weren't necessarily his type.

"I'm headed to the library," he said, turning his head to look at her. She was quite tall...taller than Sophie, which would explain the legs. "How about you?"
 
Rachel grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I'm headed there too. Hey, wanna study together? Or are you doing research or something?" The blonde had a nice body, but something was missing from the charm of her face. She was attractive, but the warmth that Sophie seemed to have was just not there. Being so attractive, she was quite aware of the opinion most men had about her.

It was really starting to annoy her that Keith seemed to be ignoring her. At least at this point he was looking at her. Jeez, maybe she should just forget it. It wasn't like he was all that nice. Hot, sure, but he didn't seem the kind to take orders, and he already had a girl...but a little bit of flirting for the future never hurt...
 
"Sure, if you want."

Keith pushed open the door to the library. He held it open just long enough for himself to walk through, letting it go to close at her behind him. The spicy smell of old books, and the airy chatter of tutors and whispering students filled the air. He walked towards the tables beside the non-fiction shelves and took a seat, paying very little attention to Rachael, but not completely ignoring her.
 
Rachel frowned and found that she didn't like not being paid attention to. And she doubted she'd find a way to keep his attention in here. Now there was the added distraction of books and other students. Going after him was a dissatisfying waste of time, after all. She should have just let Sophie have him. But how was it that she could have been on his radar last week and suddenly hold no interest for him the next? It was just so...infuriating. Still, maybe she could get some work done.

She pulled out her history notes and started looking them over, the detailed diagrams she'd copied down making absolutely no sense to her. And she was missing time with her regular tutor for this shit. God she hated Dillinger's class. "So, did you understand anything he said today?" She groaned and looked around. "Ugh, you know what, screw it. I'm gonna find my tutor. See ya round," she said, leaving utterly disappointed.
 
Keith smiled at her. She kind of amused him, and he was realizing that they had something in common. "Are you kidding me?" He said, widening his eyes. "You have to be either boring or another cog in the system to fully embrace that old man's bullshit." He suddenly felt a pang of guilt when he thought about Sophie, and how easily she took the class in, but it was how he really felt. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love history, but only when you're reading some shit that's not in a textbook--that'll knock your socks off. But I didn't pay my tuition to be forced to memorize pointless dates and facts."

He was realizing he was giving this girl more attention than he had hoped. Oh well, it wasn't as though he was about to make out with her or anything...

And then she was looking around, readying to leave. He suddenly found his hand coming up to grab whatever he could to let her know that he didn't mind her company at all. It just so happened to be her hand. "Hey, you sure he may not be around here? We're pretty close to the entrance, and they tend to hang around out here."
 
She was a little surprised that he was paying her any attention at all, her eyes widening as he caught her hand. What he'd said about himself hardly registered. Just the fact that he wanted her to stick around was enough to wonder if perhaps there was something to be had there after all. Did she want to stay?

Rachel looked around and spotted her tutor immediately. "I hate the way Dillinger teaches, and it just doesn't make sense to me. I don't like history all that much to begin with and this class isn't helping." She huffed a little and decided to plant the seed for more contact. She smiled at him and left her card on the table. "I really should go to my tutor so he can explain this stuff to me, but if you ever need someone to complain with you, look me up." That said, she effortlessly let her hand trail from his shoulder down to his arm, feeling the toned muscle there. "See ya round."

And then she walked off, her hips swaying sexily as she headed for her tutor.
 
Keith only held a brief glimpse of her swaying hips...enough to admire its pleasant shape before turning his eyes down to the card she had left for him. He twirled it over the table using both fingers, before folding it into his pocket. That was unexpected.

He sat by himself for a moment, wondering to himself, how in the world did someone need a tutor for history. Weren't tutors reserved for more "hands-on" classes like english or math? What was that tutor going to do with her? Make her flash cards? He pursed his lips, resting his head down over his arm, playing with his piercing using his upper lip. His eyes went up to the clock. Over an hour before Sophie's class ended. Was he going to have to do this everyday with her? It was only less than a week, and he was already feeling restless. He closed his eyes and decided to take a nap, letting his hair slide down to cover his eyes.
 
Sophie got out of class and stretched a little. She made sure to walk with a group of girls toward the library, pulling out her phone and quickly punching in Keith's number, the ringing of his phone unlikely to disturb anyone else. She hoped he hadn't been too restless. She hoped against hope that he was getting something done there, rather than just waiting around for her.
 
He was startled from the abrupt ringing coming from his pocket. It was most likely her. He smiled when he noticed that it was Sophie, answering it.

"Hey, I'm in the library," he said, yawning. "Are you done with all your classes?"

He noticed the sky was drearily overcast, and everything looked gray and it looked like it was going to rain. "Did you check the forecast today? It looks like it might rain pretty hard." No wonder why he was feeling like taking a nap. He heard that rainy weather does that to you psychologically. Perhaps Sophie would have an answer to that one since she took psychology herself.
 
"Yeah, I'm all finished." She looked up at the sky and frowned as she saw how dark it was on the horizon. "Oh wow...No, I didn't check the forecast, but it looks like it's gonna rain, doesn't it? Did you still wanna go to the old neighborhood?" she asked, pausing to let some other people go by before she continued with her little group of girls headed toward the library.
 
"I'm still cool with visiting the neighborhood," he said. "We could get it started before it rains, I guess." He got out of his seat and made his way out of the library, pulling the door back. He clutched the camcorder in his other hand, while clenching the folder in his armpit, strolling outside. He looked up. Damn, it looked pretty stormy. "I'm outside," he said, keeping his eyes forward, trying to make her out of the crowd.
 
"Yeah, I'm thinking we'll probably make it. Better hurry though," she said, picking up her pace a little, her breasts jiggling a bit more as she walked. "Okay, I'll see you there in a little bit, Keith. I'm almost there." That said she hung up. The curvy redhead was close enough to see him in no time, easily picking him out from the rest of the crowd. She smiled as soon as she saw him and waved a little to draw some attention. She walked just a little faster, jiggling a little more than average as she came to his side.

"Hey. Ready?" she asked with a smile.
 
Seeing her so...enthusiastic to see him made him kind of guilty about his little run-in with Rachel from before. He gave her his trademark smirk, letting her dive into his arms. He squeezed her tight up against him. "Yeah, are you ready?" He asked as he walked with her towards her parked car with his hand on the small of her back.
 
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