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Unless they’re Syn, Royal, and Gemini, of course.
It doesn’t take Penny long to walk out, carrying only a large mug of what is most likely green tea. She walks towards me but stops just far enough away that we wouldn’t be able to talk to each other without shouting.
Like my own bodyguard, she sits down, angling her body so she’s sitting sideways on her seat, leaning against the wall. From that angle, she has an almost panoramic view of the dining hall.
Hidden behind my back, I can’t stop myself from squeezing my hands together.
I know what she’s doing, and I adore her for it. But even though Syn agreed to my only addition to the contract—leave Penny alone—I just don’t trust him.
I’d rather Penny keeps her distance from me, especially in public places like this.
Although she won’t.
She told me as much.
Over the next hour, the waves of students coming in for breakfast get bigger. As suspected, Syn doesn’t appear until 8:30. Neither Royal nor Gemini are with him, and although he’s alone, he somehow has people swarming to him like he’s a celebrity.
While he’s not as good looking as Royal, he’s not completely unattractive. But there’s something about him that just seems to draw people to him.
Like flies to shit…
The thought amuses me, and I smile just as Syn looks over at me.
He stares back. Then he starts walking to the table. Only, halfway there, he spots Penny.
XI
Tori
My heart feels like it’s stopped dead in my chest.
Penny is as aware of Syn’s presence as I was when he walked into the room, and she glares at him as he walks towards her.
But then Syn passes her, like she doesn’t even exist, and my heart feels like it’s been let out of a clamp and can start beating again.
As per the detailed process Doris told me, I wait until Syn is seated before walking over to the table and pouring him a glass of room temperature mineral water. Only after I’ve moved the day’s newspapers from within his arms’ reach to in front of him, do I turn to him and start to give him the breakfast special.
“You do not speak until you’re spoken to,” Syn snaps at me.
That’s when I notice the overall volume of the dining hall has dropped, and his words seem to carry, drawing people’s attention. Or maybe, they were already watching.
Pressing my lips together, I take half a step back.
Syn reaches for the newspaper and takes his time opening it. “Coffee, black. No sugar. Orange juice, no pulp. Eggs and spinach.”
I nod and then leave the table. Gazes all around follow me as I walk through the aisles to the service area and give Syn’s food order to the woman on the other side. Then I get both of his drinks and return to the table.
As I set them down beside his untouched glass of water, Syn doesn’t take his attention away from the newspaper. I step back, waiting for him to test one of the drinks. His breakfast is going to take a few minutes to put together, so I’m not about to rush back to the kitchen to wait when he’s likely to yell at me.
After a few minutes, he reaches for the coffee and takes a sip. Without a word, he sets it down and continues reading.
I’m itching to ask if it’s satisfactory, but seeing as though he’s told me not to speak unless I’m spoken to, I keep my lips clamped shut. After a while, I leave him and head back to the kitchen to collect his specially prepared breakfast. His food looks delicious, and the smell has my stomach rumbling as I take it back to his table.
Syn takes his time folding the paper back up but sets it to the side and waits for me to put the plate in front of him.
Stepping back, I hold my breath, waiting for something. In fact, the whole room is still quiet, watching and waiting too.
And once again, nothing.
