The more I got to know Nick I began to notice I'd been incorrect about something. Before I had assumed she tactfully chose which emotion to display on her face at any given moment but that didn't seem to be the case. After last night I was sure she had no sense on how to even do that.

She has to know her every thought registers on her face, right?

It had me questioning whether or not anyone bothered to inform her. Then again, maybe no one hadn't been paying close enough attention.  From what I'd gathered Nick and her mom didn't have the best-built relationship so it wouldn't surprise me if her mom hadn't noticed. The thought saddened me but I forced it aside. Now wasn't the time to pity her. She had managed to rile herself up all on her own and we were currently were at war.

Or at least in her mind, we were.

Funny how in a matter of two days, my preferred past-time at college became these little 'brawls' with Nick. Not that I saw them in that light, I actually found them quite insightful. Each encounter provided further information on the type of person she was and validated my original hunch. She wasn't just some disobedient teen girl like our mothers deemed her to be.

"You're a real piece of work," Nick spat up at me, her eyes full of fiery defiance. Clearly I hit the nail on the head which hit that special little button labeled, 'attack mode'.

And you're adorable when you don that battle gear of yours, I thought almost on instinct.

Never had I been more thankful for the filter I possessed or that it had functioned properly. There was little doubt in my mind that if I were to ever utter those words to Nick she would castrate me. All the while belittling me with how nerdy I was.

Instead of partaking in the argument she thought we had started, I decided to do something unexpected. Something I knew would throw her off. Something that somehow came like second nature to me.

I grabbed her hand.

With a gentle tug, I began to pull her in the direction of our destination. I smirked at her sudden loss of aggression. I wasn't stupid, I could tell she wasn't comfortable around me. It wasn't that I was a stranger or even that our mothers had this weird obsession with our future. I was a guy, plain and simple. Unfortunatly for her I wasn't above wielding my gender against her.

Looks like I got the best of her. Again.

Truth be told I enjoyed being the victor in these little brushes we found ourselves in but really I couldn't care less about succumbing to her in one. Every other time I basked in the pleasure of watching her squirm. It was a foreign sensation, one I had never previously sought but with her, there was something about the way her nose flared when a situation began to spiral out of her control. I didn't get that rush of dopamine I'd grown accustom to from a solid victory like I'd expected.

What are you doing man?

A pang of guilt hit me as the warmth of her skin belatedly registered within my conscience thoughts. I could feel the hum between us, like unspoken words in a conversation but it was filled with unease and discomfort. In my heart, I knew there was barely a five-percent chance she even wanted me to touch her. Let alone man-handle her the way I just had.

This may have seemed like a solid plan in the beginning but it clearly wasn't. The desire to help and keep her safe had me on autopilot. Not thinking and definitely not acting like I would in any other situation. On impulse I had crossed a line that needed to be corrected sooner rather than later.

As promply as I took her wrist my fingers uncoiled allowing it to slip from my hold. My mind was made up, no matter how much I thought Nick needed to be safer or could benifit from my help the choice wasn't mine to make. It was hers.

Even if it ended up being a poor life choice she was making rather than a practical one.

This maybe had begun as a skrimich but it never should have been. This wasn't a competition of who could endure the longest anymore, this was about my lack of respect for her personal boundaries and acting like a grade-A dick. My strides came to a halt and I changed directions, the campus my new destination.

"W-where are you going?" Nick called after me in a partial stutter.

Without changing my course or speed I turned on my heel to face her. She looked both confused and shaken, things that magnified the already building remorse I already felt.

I promise I won't touch you again, not without your permission.

It's what I wanted to say to her, along with an apology a mile long but I bit my tongue. She was the type of girl to throw punches and then ask questions. I didn't feel like taking a first to the face today, even though I'd probably pay to see her reaction.

"Just realized I can't make you do anything," I shrugged with ease. I hopped it hid a fraction of the shame I knew shown on my face, that or Nick didn't pick up on small things like that, which my told me she couldn't. In a quick spin, I faced away from her, once again to conceal the frown that had almost been exposed to her.

I didn't want to be that person. The guy that was constantly overstepping her boundaries when it wasn't his place. I wanted her to be safe like I wanted my dog not to play in traffic. Except Nick was a beautiful young woman who had no clue how revolting most guys were and it felt wrong to keep that knowledge to myself.

Maybe voicing facts would be a better approach?

"Choice is yours, Nick." I threw over my shoulder against my better judgment. "Be safe or don't."

God, I hoped if she listened to anything I said it was that.

Oh Clarkie, you may be in over your head honey lol