Chapter 8: Truth Serum
I was excited that Wednesday took me back to the DUA. My appointments were set for next week, so I worked with both Dr. A, Rafe, and Sadie for a couple hours. As I was researching The Grande Ballroom’s history, the most beautiful eye candy I had ever seen walked into the lab. I kept shaking my head to clear my vision. He looked liked the hottie younger brother in Prison Break. He was probably 6ft4 with honey colored skin and heavy-lidded stormy grey eyes. His hair was dark and cut very short, and he had the lightest coat of dark stumble on his face even though he probably shaved his morning. Although his body seemed very adult like, there was something about his face that marked him as not much older than me. I really don’t have enough pages to describe how gorgeous he looked in his fitted black t-shirt and dark grey cargo pants. A tailor could not have molded his clothes to him any better. He seemed to take my admiration, staring, and silence in stride.
A small smile played upon his lips and actually turned the stormy eyes to smokin grey. He finally spoke, “Are you Calliope?”
I stuttered out, “Yes. How..How.. did you know that?”
Now the smile turned from small to stunning as his intense gaze held me captive, “Admetus told me where to find you. I might help teach the class at your school next year, and I thought we could walk through the syllabus together.”
My shocked expression really wasn’t helping matters. I casually ran my finger below my lower lip to make sure I wasn’t drooling before I stuttered out, “I don’t know if that is a good idea. FLOCK! Did I just say that out loud. I’m sorry.”
Now, a hypnotic laugh joined his arsenal of weapons designed to turn me into a stark raving nutbar. When he was done laughing, he finally asked, “Why is that not a good idea, if I may ask?”
It was my turn to shock him. It was like his voice was airborne truth serum. “Because every girl in class and probably even some of the guys are not going to be able to concentrate on a word you say because they are going to be too busy staring at you.”
The laugh was back, and I was just as mesmerized again. He sat down at the computer next to me and turned to face me. The inside of his knees actually touched the outside of mine, and I thought I would actually either throw up or faint. Instead, I concentrated on breathing.
He leaned towards me and his gaze practically set me on fire as he whispered, “Maybe it’s just you that would have this type of reaction.”
I managed to break away from his gaze and grabbed my phone to take a picture of just his face. I sent the pic to Jazz and Key and asked what they would think if he was one of our teachers next semester. Instead of a text back, I got a three-way call from Key who always had the latest and greatest in phone service. I just put my phone on speaker for Mr. Disturbingly-Hot-Guy to hear the level of comments and squealing by my friends. I thanked them for their input, and I told them I would keep them posted as I got off the phone.
“So you think it would be just me. Huh?”
Mr. Disturbingly-Hot-Guy took my phone from my hand, and the warmth and spark from his hand to mine was yet another shock. “I guess I will take your word on that,” he said as he deleted the pic.
“Hey, what if I wanted to keep that for my screensaver? And who exactly who are you?” I demanded.
The solemn smile was back and the heavy-lidded gaze was smoking as he shook my hand and said, “My name is Delian, and I am a student at UM doing an internship here this year. Admetus is my supervisor. And, I distinctly remember hearing that you have a boyfriend, so I was not to be enchanted by you. I was told if you looked up heartbreaker in the dictionary your picture would be there.”
I snorted, not cool. “I think you might want to look in the mirror for that picture. And get this straight, I have not tried to enchant you. What I have done is stuttered, stammered, gawked, turned bright red, and said things aloud that I shouldn’t have.”
“What if I am just enchanted by your honest reaction to me?”
I studied his perfect face and finally asked, “Aren’t you a little too old to be hitting on high school girls that you could have the potential to teach next semester?”
“First of all, it is not high school girls. It is just you. And second of all, you practically devoured me with your eyes earlier, in addition to your comments about my general hotness.”
I actually blushed even redder as I hissed, “Those were not my comments. Those were my friends’ comments!”
“So you don’t think I’m hot?”
I was too stunned to put back up that filter that usually stands between my brain and my mouth, “Of course, I think you’re hot. Hands down, you are the most beautiful and exotic creature I have ever laid my eyes on. Oh god, did I say that out loud again? Flock! Well, so what! It’s not like you haven’t been told that a million times.”
Delian’s mesmerizing laugh and heated gaze were back. “I can honestly say I have never been called a beautiful and exotic creature. You really need to help me out here Calli. I am trying to keep away from you, and your honesty is playing hell on all my good intentions.”
I rolled my chair back to get out of arms reach, then for some reason I bolted for the door. In a flash, Delian was in front of the door with his back to it and his front facing me. His arms were crossed, which gave me a much better view of his fireman biceps. I gawked again as he purred down at me, “Calli, running scared from beautiful and exotic creatures turns them into predators. Always slow and small movements around predators. Remember that.”
Once again, Delian’s voice was like an airborne truth serum as he towered over me and held my gaze because I could not lie to him. “I’m more afraid of me and my reactions than I am of you, Delian.”
Delian swore very fluently with some words in a different language even as he turned his back to me, which gave me another nice view. I commented, “I am in a relationship, but that does not mean I am dead. I have a boyfriend that I love and keeping my distance from you is probably the smartest move I could make. So you need to stay away from me.”
He laughed and turned back around and put his hands on my shoulders, “I suggest a compromise. I still need to complete the syllabus for my internship with input from a potential student. I propose one hour a week of your valuable time. And I will desperately try to behave myself if you will.”
His thumbs moving back and forth on my collarbone literally turned me mute. He must have said my name a couple of times before I said, “I’m sorry did you say something?” He looked to the ceiling and groaned loudly then turned back around and repeated himself.
I sort of shook myself like a dog shakes after a bath and the truth came out again, “One hour….Once a week ….Pure Insanity…..I don’t see it happening….. Definitely not in my best interest…. Now, move away from the door slowly, small movements, no eye contact, no noise. Got it?”
He did exactly as I said as he laughed, and I bolted from the room. I breezed by Dr. A as I said. “I gotta run, Dr. A. I’ll talk to you on Saturday.”
In the background, I heard Dr. A ask Delian, “What did you do to Calli?”
I actually slowed down to hear his response, “You should have warned me about her, Admetus. She is going to turn my world upside down.”
I just heard Dr. A say faintly, “Yes, she is.”
I got a call from Rafe that night. He asked me in a tentative voice, “I heard you met Delian.”
I laughed in a slightly bitter way and said, “I can’t say that I met him as much as I made a total flocker out of myself in front of him. Tell me my totally freakish behavior is not being gossiped about all over the DUA.”
I heard Rafe’s wicked laugh as he replied, “Well, the janitor said that it was pretty funny.”
“Niiiiccccccee,” I replied sarcastically.
“What happened? Delian is pretty much already smitten with you. How exactly do you enchant someone while you are acting like a total freak?”
“It was like the 16 year old filter that I had develop
ed between my thoughts and my words just disappeared. It was gone. A thought came into my head then it went right out of my mouth. No stopping.”
“Wow. I wish I could have been there to ask some questions,” Rafe commented.
“I am sure he thought it was flattering considering he is both hot and vain. But, I was totally mortified. It was like someone shot me up with truth serum right before he walked in the door. You have to find out his schedule, so I can skip the days that he is there. Pleasssssssseeeeeee.”
Rafe sounded confused, “You want to avoid him?”
“Flock, yeah! I don’t need that kind of embarrassment in my life! That boy is wayyyy out of my league. Pretty please—get his schedule for me.”
I could visualize Rafe’s mental headshake, “I will try, but Delian can be persistent when he wants something or someone. You definitely caught his attention. He’s not going to let you out of his web that easily.”
“The supple willow does not contend against the storm, yet it survives,” I quoted Master Po from Kung Fu at him to test his mad karate skills.
Of course, he laughed devilishly and threw a Caine quote right back at me, “I seek not to know the answers, but to understand the questions.”
“Whoa. You’ve got some mad Kung Fu skills. Thrace made me watch every single episode at least three times.”
Rafe scoffed, “You know you can’t really have a black belt in karate unless you’ve seen the whole Kung Fu series at least five times. I think your measly three times might be grounds for disbarment.”
“There is no such thing as black belt disbarment. Wait a minute, do you even know, Delian?”
Rafe laughed and commented, “You could say we’re close.”
“Please don’t tell me you have a bromance going. You are the one that told him that I am a heartbreaker!”
This time it was uproarious laughter I heard on the other end of the line. I just hung up. I got a text a minute later.
“Was it somethin I said?”
I just furiously typed back, “U r the 1 that told him that!”
“Rnt U a hartbreka?”
“NO I AM NOT!”
“Ya broke mine…Just thought he should b warned”
“I’m sorry”
“I know…..U always take the safe route, Calli….sometimes the other road is more fun.”