I smiled as I saw Macie approaching. Things have been going pretty well with her and me after the whole ex-boyfriend drama ended. We haven't heard from him since. Maybe he was too scared after he got attacked by the Morris brothers.
"You never bring lunch from home," Macie's face dropped in surprise as she inspected the lunchbox I held protectively in my hands.
I sighed and decided to tell her the truth. "It's my annoying neighbor Bella. She practically shoved it in my hands this morning. I tried to refuse, but she was relentless." I explained, groaning inwardly as I remembered this morning when Bella pushed it into my hands while we were standing in her driveway.
"That pretty redhead? What does she want from you?" Macie tapped her foot impatiently and blew a strand of blonde hair off her forehead. She didn't wait for an answer before leaning closer to inspect the contents of my box.
"Me, she wants me," I said.
Macie giggled. "You have such a big head, Aaron," she poked me in the chest.
"I am not kidding! She had been harassing me. Back in high school and now. I can't seem to get rid of her. And as my girlfriend, you should be more jealous and worried," I said irritably.
Macie wrapped her arms around my neck. "I am worried," she said. Yeah, right, she probably thinks it's funny.
"So are you going to eat that?" she asked and pointed at the box.
"I don't know...what if she put a date rape drug in it?" I asked.
"We are at college, weirdo. How would she possibly take advantage of you here? But if you don't want it, maybe I could eat it? I am starving," Macie declared.
I opened the box. It had some chicken parmesan and pasta. There was a tiny heart-shaped cookie on the side. How the hell does she know this was my favorite? Her stalking skills are on point.
"No, it's okay. I'll eat it," I said.
Macie shook her head. "I gotta get to class. Don't be so hard on the girl. She was nice enough to make you food," she placed a soft kiss on my lips and left.
Easy for her to say. She wasn't the one being annoyed.
I took a few bites of the chicken. It was delicious. Juicy, tender, and flavorful, the herbs and spices melted in my mouth with every bite. I finished the whole thing within five minutes, not even stopping to savor its flavor. I wanted to devour it. I'll have to admit even though she is crazy, she sure knew how to cook. I finished the whole thing in less than 5 minutes, including the cookie. She would make a heart-shaped cookie on the side. I chuckled to myself.
"Did you like it?"
I jumped when I heard Bella's voice behind me. She was smiling, her blue eyes shining in the sunlight. Without a doubt, she was gorgeous. If only it wasn't for her craziness.
"It was good. Thank you," I said politely. Now please go away, I thought.
"Uh...um...so are you and Macie really serious?" she asked.
Now is my chance to try and set things straight again. I walked closer to her. "Yes. I love Macie. We've been together for a few months now," I said and bored my gaze into her eyes.
"Oh," she said.
"So you shouldn't try to get in the way," I reminded her.
"I am not," she said dismissively.
"What do you mean you are not? You wrote me that twelve-page love letter the other day and made me food. And you are constantly staring at me if we happen to be in the same area. How do you think she will feel about it?" I accused.
"I...I wasn't doing all that to annoy her. I am just trying to tell you how I feel. I just want to..." she stopped talking.
I sighed. "Whatever, I gotta go to the bookstore," I turned around to leave.
"I'll come too," she said.
"No, you won't!" I exclaimed.
"I need to buy supplies," she said quickly.
Damn it. I quickened my pace, making it harder for her to follow me. Finally, I managed to ditch her when it was time for her to attend class; luckily, we didn't have the same ones. I tried to take different routes so I'd avoid her at all costs.
When I got home, I flopped onto my bed and soon felt my eyelids droop as soon as my head hit the pillow. It had been a long day, and things got worse with Bella lurking around. At first, I hadn't noticed her because she hid so well.
But when I was on campus, at some point, while I sat in the field, I sensed someone watching me. After looking in every direction, I caught sight of her red hair in the distance. She was sitting behind a tree, stalking me from afar. What on earth?!