Gwen had been waiting at the Junior Wing Bridge for the last fifteen minutes. She groaned, rolling her eyes in frustration. Where the hell was he? Did his 'now' meant an hour later or something?
Zyre chuckled in her mind, "Patience, little one, patience. Time is as ever-evolving as the winds of the mountain."
Just as she was about to give her dragon a snarky reply, a voice cut through the air behind her, a smirk evident in its tone.
"Impatient much?"
It was Thorndyke, looking his usual arrogant self, leaning against one of the stone pillars of the bridge.
"You're fifteen minutes late," Gwen retorted, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how annoyed she was by his lateness. "You said 'now', remember? That was fifteen minutes ago."
Thorndyke chuckled, pushing himself off the pillar and sauntered over to her, his smirk only growing wider. "Someone's eager, huh? Couldn't wait to see me that badly?"
She rolled her eyes at his comment, "In your dreams, Thorndyke."
He chuckled again, coming to a stop a mere foot away from her. "And what if it's not in my dreams?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow, surprised at the sudden change in his demeanor. Weeks of being considerably civil, just for his cockiness to return?
"Are you really trying to flirt right now?"
He shrugged, his smirk growing even wider. "Is it working?"
She scowled at him, unimpressed, "Are you trying to be Ty at this moment? Because if you are, then it's not funny."
Thorndyke chuckled once again, clearly amused by her annoyance. "No, I'm not trying to be Ty. I'm just being my usual charming self."
Gwen rolled her eyes once more, her arms still crossed. "You think you're charming?"
"I'm insulted, honestly." Thorndyke chuckled, taking a few bold steps toward her until he was so close he was nearly touching her. "I'm way more charming than he could ever be, and you know it." There was a flash of darkness in his eyes before it dissipated into a mischievous glint.
Was he... jealous?
The thought disappeared the moment it came into her head. There was no way that Thorndyke would be jealous of his best friend over her. She was the clumsiest troublemaker of the Academy whose curiosity always got her caught up in problems and he was just bound to her to stop her from getting into those problems.
Zyre's low growl made her shut her self-depreciating thoughts. The grumpy old dragon hated whenever she frowned upon herself.
"Cease demeaning yourself, human," Zyre's authoritative voice echoed in Gwen's mind. "You possess the courage, wit, and spirit of a dragon. Do not let the words of others make you believe otherwise."
She was grateful for the dragon's word but could barely register any response because of the tension between her and Thorndyke. Gwen tried to keep her annoyance in check, but his proximity was making it impossible for her to concentrate. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, and her heart rate quickened involuntarily.
"Yeah, right," she muttered, trying to play it cool, "you're about as charming as a rock."
"You wound me, Gwen," he teased, his voice low and sultry. He was so close now that she could feel his breath on her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
Gwen's breath caught in her throat, and she cursed inwardly. She didn't want to let him get to her like this, but somehow, his cocky charm was working on her.
She tried to keep all her emotions off her face as she looked him in the eye, "Why did you call me here, Thorndyke?"
He suddenly frowned, tilting his head, gazing at her. After a beat, he finally spoke, "Why do you never call me by my name?"
Gwen's eyes widened at his question, caught off guard by the unexpected shift in topic.
"What do you mean?" she asked, feigning innocence.
But Thorndyke wasn't buying it. His eyes narrowed as he took a step closer, practically trapping her between him and the pillar behind her.
"You know damn well what I mean," he said, his voice dropping to a low, gravely note. "You always call me Thorndyke or 'Cocky Asshole'. Never my name."
She let out a scoff, "It's a habit—"
"You don't call anyone else by their last name, just me," he cut her off, "You even call Ty and Vlad by their nicknames."
His words were like a dagger, cutting through her facade. He was right, of course, she never called him by his name, always by his surname. Partly because she thought that it irritated him, and partly because she didn't want to cross that last line of formality between them because she wasn't sure how much it would affect her.
But to admit it out loud? That would mean giving him the satisfaction of being right, and Gwen was far too stubborn to give him that privilege.
"It's just a formality," she retorted, her voice steady, "Some people are more formal than others."
But Thorndyke wasn't letting this go so easily. He leaned in even closer, mere inches away from her now.
"My name. Call me by my name."
Gwen couldn't help but swallow hard, his proximity making her heart beat faster. But she wasn't going to let him know that.
"And why should I?" She retorted, lifting her chin defiantly.
Thorndyke smirked at her defiance, seemingly enjoying her challenge.
"Because I said so," he replied, his voice lower and even more commanding than before. He had her cornered, physically and figuratively, and he knew it.
The tension between them was palpable. His gaze was intense, almost predatory. He was clearly enjoying every moment of this little power play between them.
Gwen could feel his breath on her face, his entire essence overwhelming her senses. She was hyper-aware of every inch of him that was touching her. The heat of his body against hers, his chest almost brushing her own.
He leaned in even closer, his lips right next to her ear. "Say it," he whispered, his voice a low rumble, "Say my name, Gwen."