He Comes At Night

Continued...

"Hey, who do you think you are? Nobody talks to Ariadne that way," one of her sidekicks hissed. 

Rose turned her gaze toward the speaker, her expression cool. "Oh, I know who I am. The question is, do you? Or are you too busy being her little sidekick to figure it out?" 

A gasp escaped both girls flanking Ariadne. The truth, apparently, stung more than Rose expected. 

Ariadne stepped closer, her heels clicking against the pavement as she narrowed the gap between them. "Listen here, bitch. Nobody insults me and walks away unscathed. You don't belong here, and if you think I'm going to apologize to someone like you, you're even dumber than you look. Do you know who I am?" 

"I'd call you trash, but at least trash gets taken out once in a while," Rose shot back, a smirk tugging at her lips. 

Ariadne's face looked so red to Rose, it seemed like she would explode. 

But then her hand shot up, her perfectly manicured nails glinting under the sunlight as she prepared to strike. 

Rose braced herself, ready to block the blow as well as wondering all the while if her razor-sharp looking nails has ever injured anyone before because they sure looked like they would leave a nasty bit of wound if she were to get struck by them.

But before her scrawny looking hand could descend, a larger one intercepted it, gripping Ariadne's wrist firmly. 

Rose turned, startled, to find a tall, broad-shouldered figure standing beside her. His hand held Ariadne's wrist in a firm but controlled grip, and his presence radiated calm authority. 

For a moment, Ariadne looked stunned. Clearly, she wasn't used to being stopped. Her expression shifted rapidly—from shock to something resembling faux innocence. 

Rose's gaze traveled up the muscular arm that had stopped the attack, finally landing on the man's face. 

He was striking, with sharp features and piercing eyes that seemed to carry both amusement and curiosity. His jawline was impossibly defined, his lips slightly parted as he surveyed the scene. 

And those dimples. Damn. 

"Leo!" Ariadne's voice shifted, suddenly sweet and saccharine. "I didn't realize you were here!" 

The man—Leo, apparently—released her wrist, his expression unreadable. "Ariadne," The handsome stranger acknowledged calmly, his tone polite but distant, 

"You're not exactly making a great impression of our college on the new girl, Dee." then he gave a sweet smile, "We want them to stay not run away, remember?" he talked as if dealing with a child. 

"Oh I think this one can run away all she wants." the self appointed queen-bee looked rose up and down with those judgement filled eyes.

"Uh, don't worry I'm not the type to run away in the face of an entitled bully."

Rose remarked staring exclusively at Ariadne for the sake of solidifying her stance in the social hierarchy of this place, even when most of her consciousness wanted to turn back and gawk unashamedly at the absolute stud currently standing beside her

Her face looked like she took a personal offence at being called a bully. 

Did she honestly think she was anything other than that? Rose wondered.

"You daring little piece of—" Oh clearly it wounded her enough to completely forget that she was making up a facade of a nice girl in front of this dashing young gentleman.

This made Rose giggle a bit as Leo interrupted Ariadne mid insult. 

"I think you've said enough," he cut her off, his voice light but firm. "Maybe it's time for you to head to class, Ariadne. I'm happy to take it from here." 

Ariadne hesitated, her eyes flicking between Leo and Rose. Finally, she plastered on a fake smile. 

"Of course. I'll see you around, Leo." Her vicious voice taking a shift to saccharine in a matter of seconds.

With a final glare at Rose, she turned and strutted away, her sidekicks trailing behind her. 

"Well I hope not." That part he muttered under his breath but intentionally loud enough for Rose to hear him. 

Rose already like him.

Leo turned to Rose, a grin breaking across his face. "You okay?" 

"I could've handled her myself, you know. It's not my first rodeo with girls like her." Nudging her chin in her direction Rose put her hands on her waist, her eyes once again moving towards him.

Leo chuckled. "Oh, I don't doubt that. But then I wouldn't get the chance to play the hero now would, I?" He winked at the end showing off his dimple again. 

Rose can bet he knows how to use that dimple when he needs to very well.

Because it was working. Rose found herself smiling back at him not after first rolling her eyes.