Instead, she had come to this college and smoked enough to want to never hold a smoke in her life. The thought about being against the world was thrown out of the window. Being healthy and living a long life was a much better option.
But her rebellious side remained. That was why she did the work she did. She liked to flirt with her old friends: risk and danger. Until they turned on her and hacked away at her body and sanity.
She should have walked away from the situation and written the report, but she didn't. Instead, she strode into his office, sat opposite to him, gave him coffee, and challenged him outright. She only remembered too late that this move would make him more interested. When he leaned in front of her, hands on his desk, forearms taut with tension and his cologne twirling in the air… she found that she enjoyed this risky game she had started.
It was a game too risky to play.
When she worked that night, she found out the woman in the cult strolling around the same location she had been when she tried to find Ladislas' house.
Her day seemed to be filled with him.
But her dreams… they shifted from the usual. They started off the same: dark and confusing, murder in the air, interspersed with sounds of guns and bombs and screams. She heard pleas of mercy and her father's voice. Then, suddenly, there were warm arms sliding around her waist, clad in a dark suit, smelling like danger. It should have unsettled her, but instead, the presence calmed her down. Anna tried to look up, searching for his face but the dream melted away and she turned over in her bed.
It was just a dream.
Only when she waited in line at the convenience store, getting a boxed meal for herself did she catch a whiff of him again. She narrowly avoided colliding with his solid chest. A warm hand gripped her shoulder to steady her before she and Professor Forester recognized each other and pulled away.
He took his hand away like he had been burned.
For a second, she wondered why she smelled smoke and blood on him but then shook her head. This was not smoke from a cigarette, it was more… nauseous. But she shouldn't have such an overactive brain when she didn't know the facts.
"Sir," she said impishly, trying to cover up the brief moment of confusion.
His eyes narrowed at her before he stiffly nodded. "Miss Dunn," he said coldly, making her smile wider before she moved ahead in line.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up from behind her. "Are you poor? Why don't you get yourself a proper meal?" he asked.
She froze for a second before she turned slowly. "Yes, I am poor. I am studying on a scholarship and need to work to pay my bills. Why do you ask?" she responded.
He raised his brow. "You could ask someone to feed you. Don't you have a few guys ready to take you out?" he asked.
"I don't use people to fill my stomach. I enjoy this food."
He snorted.
She placed the boxed lunch on the counter and was about to pay when she saw a hand reaching around her. "Please add this," he said gruffly. The cashier looked up, confused and then her eyes widened. She looked dazed for a second before nodding.
Anna turned to gape at him and brandished the wallet that had been waiting in her hand.
"Sir—"
He pushed her wallet away without looking at her and walked ahead after picking up the instant coffee box she had bought for him just the night before. She stared in horror. After a beat, she followed him. It took her a second to catch up to him, his stride too long.
"Sir," she tried again, not entirely sure what she could say. 'Don't pity me,' maybe? Another, a greater part of her wanted to thank him for paying for her, but she stamped that thought away as quickly as it came to her.
He turned to look at her. As usual, his hair was prim and proper, highlighting his sharp cheekbones but she noticed the softness in his eyes.
"Are you pitying me for being poor?" she snapped at him automatically when she saw it. It just got worse. He smiled.
A real one that was devoid of his usual snarky tinge. Not the one he flashed when someone was being foolish or he was challenging her.
"It's for the gift last evening," he said softly.
She hadn't anticipated the softness in her chest at that moment. She rarely felt it. A feeling of wanting a home and someplace to go where she would be taken care of. The feeling came so suddenly that she had to think why. Maybe because she couldn't see an end to wandering in the world. In a world where no one seemed to know her or really take an interest in her. She wanted to go back to the time when she had at least one person talking to her and knowing who she really was. How long ago was that?
But now, she was standing alone and avoiding contact. Maybe, that was why when Ladislas' voice reached her ears, she suddenly wanted to cry.
He must have noticed something because he was frowning at her. She knew she was caught off guard enough to let her mask slip.
"Anna," he said hesitantly and then stopped. She wanted to tell him to shut up and go back to being a dick. Instead, she cocked her head to the left and smiled.
"Did you finish a whole box in one night? Are you injecting coffee right into your veins?" she joked.
His expression settled, his worry gone.
"Thank you," she said promptly. She adjusted her bag and walked away. He looked surprised at her change in attitude but before he could say anything, she had turned on her heel and left. His insides burned, as did hers. But she was embarrassed. For Ladislas, an unknown feeling coursed through him.