William's change in tone went basically unnoticed by Amber as she continued to walk. She was grateful for it in that moment, even if it was just subconsciously.
"M'kay," she sighed, her hands beginning to shake a little as the shadow grew closer again. She sped up her walk a little, chewing on her lip. "I should never have taken night classes… And I should stop watching horror movies…"
William began walking faster, hearing the slight panic in her voice increasing his pace. What in the world was she doing, walking alone at this time? She could have called Jace. What in the world was he doing? He gritted his teeth. If his girlfriend had been in a situation like this… he would have been waiting for her in college. William then stopped his trail of thoughts as a flash of the eyes he liked the most came into his mind. No matter how much he wanted it, he couldn't call those eyes his. Caroline could never be his.
"Things like these shouldn't be preventing you from doing what you like," William answered, passing by the Foreign Language Dorms. The Law dorm should just be around the corner… "I'm nearly there. All right?"
"They usually don't. I'm usually fine. I've been fine for the past few months. This is the first time it's happened, and I have no idea why it's happening." If Amber realized she was rambling, she obviously didn't care to stop. Not until William came into view, that is. When he did, she let out a sigh of relief and asked if it was okay for her to hang up.
William shoved his phone into his pocket, increasing his pace until he was in front of Amber. He looked behind her–the shadowed man following her disappearing from view. Rage nearly overtook him, but surprisingly, he managed to control it. Amber was safe. It was then that a thought came to his mind–why not call her boyfriend, who was in the Engineering Dorm right next to the Law Dorm? Why him?
"Are you okay?" he questioned instead, looking at her, making sure she was, indeed, okay.
Amber nodded slowly, a silent thanks as he fell into step beside her. "I'm fine… Maybe a little shaken, but nothing physically harmed," she answered quietly.
"Don't do this again," William exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Why wasn't Tweedle-Dee with you? You could have told him to walk you back."
"I thought I would be fine, just like every other night I've done this. It's only about half an hour later than usual," Amber answered. Looking around the area, she avoided his gaze while taking things in. "And don't call him that. He's actually smart, you know."
William snorted, rolling his eyes, turning his attention in front of him. "Tell him to walk you back whenever you have a night class," I said to her, though I didn't know why it mattered. "And whatever you say."
"Whatever, William," Amber sighed, much more mellow than usual. The whole thing had just drained her. The sooner she got home, the better. She just wanted to sleep…
William kept his eyes on her throughout the walk back home. When they reached the dorm, he locked the door behind them. He cleared his throat, looking away.
“Are you going to sleep?” He questioned, though he didn’t know why.
Amber would be lying if she said she didn’t noticed William’s eyes on her during the walk home. She would also be lying if she said she wasn’t curious as to why he was looking at her.
“Are you going to sleep?” his voice, softer tonight than she’d ever heard it, broke through her thoughts.
She glanced over and shrugged. “I think I’m just going to sit on the couch for a while.”
William nodded, turning away before he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Do you want me to stay with you?” The words slipped out of his mouth before he even realized what he was saying.
Amber’s gaze shot over to William, and she let out a slow sigh. She couldn’t be alone right now… Not with the thoughts in her head…
“Please,” she breathed, already making her way toward the couch.
William stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking over and taking a seat next to her on the couch. He didn't know why he decided to stay, but the panic and desperation in her voice made it harder for him to turn his back on her. He didn't know what to talk about, so he kept silent, reaching out for the remote to turn the TV on. He remembered her talking about the The Flash, so he might play that…
Amber curled up on the couch, pulling a blanket from over the back of it around her shoulders. Why was she so shaken up about this? Nothing had even happened. She was fine.
Something could have happened, though. And it might have if William hadn’t shown up.
Amber shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. The Flash came onto the tv screen, so she tried to focus on that. A few minutes later, though, she had fallen asleep, exhausted from the day’s events, and her head rested on William’s shoulder.
William had his head thrown back, eyes closed as he heard the first episode being played. He just couldn't understand her. She had a boyfriend, so why didn't she call him? Why call the last person who would help? He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked down to see Amber, eyes closed, breathing even, and a peaceful look on her face. He tensed, body stilling. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this? Should he lower her to the couch and leave? Or should he stay in case she woke up and became frightened?
He chose the second option, staying still, eyes glued to the screen. Ten minutes later, when his own eyes began to drop, a knock on the door interrupted him. He sighed heavily, looking at Amber, slowly getting up and gently lowered her to the couch, making sure she was comfortable before he walked towards the door. Who in the world would it be?
He opened the door to lock eyes with green orbs. Jace. Perfect.
"Where's Amber?" he questioned without bothering to greet William. The older boy rolled his eyes, keeping a snarky comment inside.
"Asleep," he answered simply. Jace brushed past him inside the dorm, causing William to click his tongue in irritation. The player was pushing his luck.
"Amber?" he called out to the blue-haired girl, a worried look on his features that made William scoff. He shook his head, closing the door. It seems he wasn't needed anymore, not that it mattered.
Amber stirred, a soft hum coming forth at the sound of her name. She blinked a few times as she opened her eyes, yawning as she sat up. Seeing Jace, she gave him a small smile and stood.
“Hey,” she greeted him sleepily, covering her mouth as another yawn escaped. “What’re you doing here so late?”
Jace furrowed his eyebrows. "That doesn't matter. I was so worried. Why didn't you text me when you got home?"
William snorted to himself, shaking his head as he made his way to his room.
Amber sighed and looked down sheepishly. “I got home late. And something happened. Kinda slipped my mind.”
"What do you mean 'something happened?'" Jace narrowed his eyes. "I called you so many times, too. You didn't respond. Did you know how worried I was?"
“You called me? Oh my gosh, Jace, I’m sorry… I was just a little shaken up, but I’m okay now. Okay? Nothing’s wrong,” Amber insisted, reaching forward to grab his hands and give them a gentle squeeze.
Jace intertwined their fingers together, worry spreading across his features. “Shaken up? About what? Amber, what happened?”
Amber sighed, slowly shaking her head. “I don’t want to talk about it… Let’s just pretend nothing happened, okay?” she asked softly.
Jace bit his lip before sighing. “Okay,” he said. “But next time, don’t forget to call. Okay?”
WIlliam took a deep breath, willing himself to go back to his room. There was no point in butting in a conversation that wasn’t his business, but he couldn’t help but laugh. He was worried? Was that why he was at home, texting in the group chat instead of picking up his girlfriend? William scowled, remembering the times he walked Caroline home during high school days when they weren’t even dating. She never asked, but he did it anyway because she was important to him. And that idiot couldn’t do the same.
Shaking his head, William opened the door to his room. There was no point after all. He did his job.
Amber smiled and reached up to capture his lips for a moment. “Thank you. I’ll remember, I promise,” she murmured. “Now, did you want to stay for a bit? Since you walked all the way over here just to check on me?”