Time For A Second Impression

[Evelyn Conner]

Blowing her hair out of her face Evelyn stopped once more when the guy stepped in front of her. She was tempted to slap him or kick him in the chin. Neither of which was very lady-like. She had to remind herself that losing her temper wasn't going to help this situation at all, and would more than likely put her in a bad light than what it would the guy. An almost frustrated sigh fell from Evelyn's lips as she peered up at him, light brown eyes studying his face, looking for any signs of weakness, much like a predator stalking down its prey.

Too bad she wasn't the predator in this scenario.

"Would you rather have me ignore you altogether and walk around as if you're invisible?" She pursed her lips, her hands dropping to her sides. "And I could honestly care less if you find me interesting," she added, dipping her head back to get a proper look at the guy. After all, she couldn't stare straight forward, unless she wanted to stare at his chest, and that hardly made for very good conversation... then again, maybe his chest would be a lot less frustrating and a whole lot more agreeable.

"Because I could ignore you, if that's what you want, and if that's what it takes." There, his reason. Surely, that had to be enough, right? Though, he wasn't entirely wrong - which Evelyn didn't at all like; she didn't know why she'd approached him. She could excuse it as much as she wanted, but at the end of the day, she didn't have a reason.

[Akeem Ten-Amen]

Evelyn looked so small and vulnerable compared to him. Akeem had never been very fit. He did not have broad shoulders and huge muscles showing through his clothes. But he was taller than she was. Much taller. That alone made it look like she was in a vulnerable position. No squint of hers could work as well as intended.

She kept acting like all this did not matter, that he was just a thorn on her side she could ignore or walk away from. It was true, she could walk away from him. There was a limit how much he was ready to chase after her. He was not that desperate or at the very least refused to have people believe he was. “You’re already ignoring me,” he pointed out. She was trying to, at least. He was not letting her fully ignore him but she sure was trying to.

“You just don’t want to answer. I’ll take it you have yet figure out why,” he added, a cocky grin showing up in his face. He could have her tell him everything he wanted, right now. Could even make her do things, all sorts of things, if he wanted. He may not control how she would react but he knew it made people more open to suggestion. A smile, some words spoken softly to her and she would sing to him whatever tune he wanted her to sing. It was so easy that he was even surprised the pheromone had not started to pour out already without him even to notice it.

But someone like her, should she find out what he did, was likely to retaliate. And she had the means to retaliate hard. “I’ll just wait for you to figure it out. I know you’ll come back to see me eventually. You just can’t resist it,” he said with a shrug and over confidence. She was the one who came this time. Now, every glance he might catch her send his way would be like a small victory to him. Again, the thought that he could so easily melt away her resistance came to him mind. He tried last time but maybe not enough. What if he tried again, just a little bit more? It was not like she would notice. Not right now anyway.

[Evelyn Conner]

Pressing her lips together, her glare intensified. He was right and there was no witty response in return. She issued a low, frustrated sigh. She didn't like being put on the spot or this kind of situation. For someone who prided themselves in being able to have a comment ready for anything, this was quite the hard blow to take. She wasn't sure if it was the boy or his power, but at the end of the day, she supposed it didn't matter. She was supposed to be better than this. Do better than this.

If her brother saw her now, he'd never let her live it down. Well, after he'd told the guy to stay away and told her to get her shit straight, anyways.

"I wouldn't place any bets on that," she said, pursing her lips again. "You'll be waiting a very long time." No, she was sure that the next time she saw him, she'd simply treat him like air. She wasn't going to allow herself to be put in this kind of situation again. This ended here, and she'd make damn sure of it. She looked up at him again, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"You're too cocky for your own good, Mr. Ten-Amen," she said, her head shaking. "And I'm sure the both of us have far better and far more interesting things to do with our time." She had, at least, even if that simply meant returning to her apartment. Anything to get out of this situation, but it seemed as if walking away wasn't as easy as one would think. Maybe, maybe the guy would be the one to finally walk. He was too persistent for his own good. That much was obvious. "I highly recommend you stop following me when I try to leave." Reaching her hand out, she placed the flat of her palm against his chest and gave him a little push.

[Akeem Ten-Amen]

Akeem will not go after Evelyn. At least, not in an obvious way. He’d be around, no doubt, and he would be smiling at her with his overly confident and cocky smile every time she would happen to be staring in his direction, in a way of reminding her how he once got her but he was not yet ready to be the one going after her. Because if he did that, he was certain he would then lose the upper hand. It was already hard to be at her level. This girl was playing hard, all this because she decided her personality was not worth for anyone to know so she never made an effort. At least it was what she said. He personally had a hard time believing it but that was mostly because he refused to claim he may have the same emotional level than a rock. People had to be more interesting than rocks. Otherwise, it would be so boring.

Maybe he should treat her like air next time? Talk to those around and pretend he did not see her. No, that wouldn’t do it. He’ll really have to figure something out if he wanted to make a crack in that perfect veneer of hers. He could not help it, he just had to watch someone so poised and collected lose it. Even if the consequences might be bad.

“No, not really. And you are far more interesting than you want to pretend,” he answered. He was not really affected by her calling him cocky. Why should he, he knew that was true. Sometimes, it paid off and other times it caused him a lot of trouble but it was not easy to change one’s nature. He looked down as she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him. He moved backward a bit, to follow the movement she wanted him to make. “Alright, I will not follow you,” he assured, taking her hand so it would no longer rest on his chest. He kept it in his hand for a moment, caressing the skin of it with his thumb as he seemed to think of something. As he apparently reached a decision, he let go of it. “I’m kind of glad I am not special to you though you are making me curious as to how you treat those who are.” He stepped aside to let her pass.

[Evelyn Conner]

Rolling her eyes, it was almost a tad annoying how incredibly insistent this guy was. Though, she saw little need in repeating herself. If he refused to believe her, it was his problem at the end of the day. She nodded then as he claimed he wouldn't be following her. She sincerely hoped that this would finally, be the end of it. Now the two could walk their separate ways and not have to deal with one another. However, Eve's train of thought derailed as she felt his thumb caress the palm of her hand.

Furrowing her brows, her gaze dropped to his hand. Now, the logical thing to do was pull her hand away and slap him, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of watching her grow uncomfortable at the almost affectionate gesture. She had never been the kind of person who welcomed affection, be it holding hands, caressing someone's skin or something as simple as a hug. All of which usually made her feel uncomfortable. She much preferred her personal space. She always had.

"Curiosity killed the cat," she repeated as he stepped to the side. She moved her gaze away from him then and continued walking. "Good day Mr. Ten-Amen." This time, she hoped he wouldn't block her path and actually allow her to walk away. She was so over this.