The Devil's 5'5

Chapter 9 - What's Your Problem?

January 31st, 9:07 PM - Elgin Residence - Chicago, IL Azura's POV

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To say she was ticked off was an understatement. She was pissed. 

I thought we were okay. I even agreed to his stupid rules, so what the hell is his problem. 

Azura was seated cross-legged on the chair, waiting to pounce on her wimp of a roommate when he finally got home. After assuming that things were going well between Preston and her, she received an unpleasant phone call from her superior the next morning.

He had succeeded in his hunt for a new roommate when a friend of his offered to swap places with him. Thanks to the tracker that acted like an audio bug on his phone, her tech team was able to notify her of the latest development before any real damage could be done.

When Azura had heard the recording of his conversation with his friends, she was annoyed that he offered little to no detail on why he wanted to switch. All he had mentioned was that they were different, no specific complaints made. Now forced to address the issue, Azura had to remind herself to remain calm so that she wouldn't scare the already fragile boy. 

As she rehearsed her lines in her head, the sound of the locking mechanism turning told her that he was finally home. 

She watched him from her seat in the kitchen, as he removed his shoes before disappearing into his room. A few minutes later, he came into the kitchen, sending a smile and nod her way. 

Oh, look how happy he looks. Well, I am about to change that boy. 

Before he could leave the room with his dinner in hand, Azura intercepted. "Where are you going?" 

The question seemed to surprise him. "Oh, I was going to eat in the living room."

"There's more than enough room here, take a seat," she offered sweetly, reminding herself to be cordial.

"Oh no, it's fine, I can just --" But as soon as he tried to decline politely, she flipped, and her voice dropped its sweet tone. 

"Take a seat. I insist." She had to admit it sounded like a threat, but given that this boy had no backbone, it was the only way to get him to stay. 

"Um, alright, then." He offered a small smile before he pulled a chair across from her. He didn't say anything else and started to eat his dinner. Her eyes were trained on him, and she knew that he was beginning to get uncomfortable as he tried to offer small talk. 

Clearing his throat he asked, "Have you had dinner?" 

"No."

"Oh um, would you like some? I have more in the fridge I can -" Immediately he started to ramble but Azura was quick to cut him off.

"I'm good." 

They lapsed into silence again, Azura carefully analyzing his every move. When she finally decided that the awkward torture was enough, she sprung her first question. 

"Is there something you want to tell me, Preston?" 

Her voice caused him to flinch and she saw how he visibly tensed. "I...uh, not that I recall."  

She quirked an eyebrow, silently challenging him to continue his dumb charades. "Really? Nothing at all?" 

Her prompt made him sigh as he actually started to think. It took a second by his eyes lit up as he recalled something. "Actually yeah, I almost forgot." 

He pulled out a pamphlet from his pocket and slid it over to her. "I was on campus and they were handing out these coupons. I wasn't sure if you were a fan of ramen but I thought I'd grab one for you." As he continued to talk about the stupid slip of paper, Azura stared at him dumbfounded.

Is he really going to play dumb? What? Was he just going to move out without telling me?

"Preston." 

"Yes?" 

She pursed her lips as she leaned forward on her seat, resting her clasped hands on the table. "Remember my pet peeve?" 

"Oh yeah, don't beat around the bush and get straight to the point?"

She hummed nodding approvingly. "Exactly, you have a great memory" she praised offering him a smile. 

"So, let's cut the bullshit, shall we?" Her smile dropped and her resting bitch face was activated.  "What the fuck is your problem?" 

"Excuse me?" He clearly wasn't prepared for the drastic change in attitude because he stared at her baffled. "You lost me."

"Did I? Let me jog your memory. Ms. Jordan from the housing department called to ask if you had found another roommate. So you could imagine my surprise because this was after our little talk. Want to keep lying to me now because it's not doing you any favours hun." 

She watched as guilt washed over him and his eyes darted everywhere to avoid her stare.

Leaning forward as far as the table would allow it, she lowered her voice. "Now, let me ask you again. Do you have something to tell me, Preston?"

And he broke like a Canadian dam, spewing his apology to an annoyed agent who was in no mood to hear it. "I'm sorry for not telling you! I just thought it would be better if I moved and another female moved in."

"So, have found another person to swap with you?" 

"Well, yes but I haven't confirmed anything! I thought I could get you two to meet first, so that way you could also figure out if you were okay with rooming with her." His thinking in some manner was considerate of her feelings, but she didn't need or want that from him. Not at the cost of him leaving this dorm room. 

"I don't remember asking you to do that. I was fine with this set-up. So, let's try this again. You weren't moving because you had my best interest in heart. What's the real reason?" 

Her interrogation had him at a loss for words. When he couldn't form a concrete answer, Azura's anger only started to boil. 

"Got a girlfriend, Preston?"

"No! Why is that of any concern to you?" 

"I'm just trying to figure out why you're running away. You don't have a jealous girlfriend at your back, telling you to move out. This suite which you have been graciously offered is an upgrade. So, the only answer left is that you have a problem...with...me." 

"No, I have...no it's not you; it's me." 

"Really? Are you sure about that? What, does your skin crawl when you see me? Does it bother you when I sleep around?"

He looked at her in disbelief, ready to defend himself. "I never said that! Stopping assuming shit." 

"Then tell me the reason. Why are you so uncomfortable about this, about me?" 

His voice had risen in volume, and the agitation in his eyes reminded her of a restless caged animal. 

"With all due respect, my reason is none of your concern. And my decision to move is my own. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before, but I will be going through with it."  Pushing his chair back, he took his hardly touched meal and went to his room, closing the door with a definite thud. 

Azura quietly groaned as she leaned back in her chair in defeat.

Fuck, it was not supposed to go like that. 

Not only had she made matters worse, but she also had managed to rub him the wrong way. Heaving herself off her chair, she headed to her room, mulling over the next plan of attack. Whatever it was, she had to come up with something fast; otherwise, she was about to be in a whole lot of shit.

Word Count: 1274