Chapter 254: Late, drunk and very confused

Theodore woke up the next morning looking like someone who had been knocked awake from sleep. She jumped off the bed, her head and body swaying and immediately dashed into the bathroom.

In the next few minutes, she ran out with the towel around her chest and straight to a particular spot, reaching out to grab a shirt and pants.

But there was nothing there.

She paused, then swayed and caught herself again.

What? She would have sworn there were usually some folded clothes by this corner of the room.

Turning around, she almost jumped again when she found a pair of eyes locked on her. Zeke sat there, shirtless and hot, gazing at her every move.

"What are you—" She eyed him at first, then gasped and quickly pressed a hand to her chest, "Are you checking me out?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Gay," She murmured under her breath, then looked around the room. She could barely remember what happened before she had fallen asleep, but she did know that the blue-eyed man had been here.

"Where are you in a rush to?" Zeke asked.

She blinked at him, and then blinked again.

"Sit down," He came up to her and helped her down on the bed, "You’re about to fall,"

"Don’t touch me," She swatted his hands away, afraid to admit that his touch was making her react, "I have to... I’m late!"

"Late for what?"

"For class," She frowned, making a cute face with it, "And I have no clothes!!"

Zeke blinked.

Class?! He almost laughed. She’d always been like this when it came to school. Always hurrying to class every morning like she was being chased. Turns out even with no actual memories, her muscle memories remained intact.

"You don’t have to bother going to class today," He said to her, leaning down so they were at eye level, "You need to rest for today,"

"No!" She cried, shaking her head, "If I don’t go, the cold-blooded demon man is gonna make me..." She blinked, thinking of what she was supposed to say next, "He’s gonna...," A flash of mirrors and reflection came to mind, but it was gone again, "He’s scary as hell, so I have to go,"

"I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you missed one or two days of class,"

She looked at him like he’d just say the most outrageous and stupidest thing anybody could, "I don’t expect you to understand," She rolled her eyes at him, then she started to stand up on her own, "Let me go...and ask for clothes,"

"Where?" He chuckled, holding her arm as she swayed, then fell back on the bed.

"Anywhere!" She yelled again, "Since it doesn’t look like you’re gonna help,"

"I do," Zeke said gently, then quickly reached over and pulled out the smallest clothes he owned, "See? You can wear this. Just please don’t leave the room looking like that,"

She looked down at herself then back up at him, "Looking like what?!"

Wet hair that clung to her face. Skin dripping with water. Beautiful plumpy legs that kept making him look again even though he was trying so hard not to, and...

"Just wear this, okay?" Before she could say anything else, he’d already thrown the shirt over her head and helped her settle into it.

When he reached for her towel, she caught his hands quickly, "What are you doing?!" Her cheeks were flushed.

"The pants," He held them up, "I need to pull the towel up so you can—"

"So you can see my penis? No!" She shot out a leg and kicked him by the side, and he was thrown on his bed. Zeke laughed at the whole thing, not even denying to himself that he might have had the thought of taking a peek.

"Pervert," She murmured under her breath and turned to the other side, then she started wearing the pants.

It took over twenty minutes to do so, before she kept missing the hole all the time. She would roll on the bed, try to slide her legs into them and they would miss the whole pocket entirely, or worse? Her legs would get stuck halfway through and she would start cursing and rolling all over again, trying to untangle herself.

Zeke tried to help many times, like a mother who couldn’t help herself, but whenever he got too close she would either bite his hands, or hiss at him like a wounded animal. It made him laugh each time.

"Look, you’re drunk okay?" He climbed her bed and slowly reached for her like someone approaching a wounded animal, "Just let me help you, or that towel is gonna slip off your body and you’re gonna be naked from the waist down,"

She paused when he said that.

"And when that happens, I’m gonna see your penis in its full glory. Is that what you want?"

She finally sighed, letting him come close.

"If I catch you looking down there!" She snapped, pointing a finger at him, "I’ll gouge out your eyes and use them as a new pendant!"

"Yes Ma’am," He nodded as he started untangling her feet.

"What?" She blinked.

"I mean, yes sir," He snickered again.

Once Zeke was done with the pants, Theodora proudly planted both feet on the floor.

"There." She dusted her hands together. "I did it."

"You absolutely did not."

Zeke crouched in front of her before she could protest, "What are you doing now?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Your shoes."

"I have feet."

"Yes."

"They can wear themselves."

"I’m beginning to suspect they can’t."

"My feet are very responsible."

"They’re currently pointing in two different directions."

She looked down, "...Traitors."

Before she could wander off barefoot, Zeke picked up his shoes and gently lifted one foot.

"Can you please stop moving?" He looked up any her.

"I don’t trust you," She narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you sure you don’t have a foot fetish?"

"What?"

"Don’t pretend you don’t wanna sniff them,"

"What if I want to do?"

"I’m calling the foot police on you!"

"Oh my! What a disaster,"

He grabbed her leg and tried to put them inside again, but she wouldn’t stop wobbling. He looked up at her again through his thick eye lashes, and she flashed him a silly grin, "I’m dancing. I’m multitasking."

Despite her constant complaints, she eventually allowed him to slip one shoe on.

The second proved harder. Every time he reached for her foot, she’d pull it away.

"Hold still."

"I am."

"You just kicked me."

"My leg sneezed."

"Legs don’t sneeze."

"Mine does."

After another minute of patient wrestling, he finally got both shoes on and tightened the laces.

"There."

Theo looked down proudly, "I trained you well."

Zeke laughed under his breath as he stood.

"Wow!" She looked at the shoes again, "They are ginormous. How the hell are they staying on?"

"Because of all your masculinity," He replied.

She nodded proudly again, "You can say that again,"

He laughed again, "Come on."

"I shall escort you." She nodded seriously.

"I’m escorting you."

"We’re escorting each other."

"Sure."

He kept one hand hovering near her the entire walk, catching her every time she leaned a little too far in one direction.

The classroom was already full by the time they arrived, and the moment Zeke slid the door open, dozens of eyes turned toward them.

At the front of the room, Sylas paused mid-sentence.

His gaze swept over Theodore’s flushed face, the oversized clothes and the unmistakable smell of alcohol that drifted in with her.

He’d heard them coming, and he had dearly hoped it wasn’t true. He knew she was obsessed with class and he couldn’t even blame Zeke for bringing her because even if he locked her up, she would always find a way to escape and come here on her own.

A faint crease appeared between his brows, "So," he said evenly, "You finally decided to grace us with your presence."

Of course he had to act like her teacher, especially when she was claiming to be someone else.

Theo smiled brightly, "I did."

"You are late."

"I know." Her face turned sour, "It was the clothes, and the shoes. Especially the pants!"

"And you’re drunk."

She considered that, "...Maybe a little."

Sylas pinched the bridge of his nose for the briefest moment, trying not to smile.

"Take your seat." He finally said.

"Am I in trouble?"

"You’ll find out after class."

"Oh." She nodded obediently, "Okay, cold-blooded demon," She murmured under her breath as she staggered past him.

She turned toward the sea of unfamiliar faces, whom were all staring at her.

Theo blinked once... then gave them an awkward little wave, "Hello."

Silence.

"My name is Thomas, the dead student. Please to make your... acquaintances!"