And speaking of Oakley, I should probably get myself my own streaming service and stop mooching off hers. But only one, just so that my life isn’t only school and cam work. No need to get overly invested in things that won’t help me meet my goals. It’ll be like my own personal reward tool.
But otherwise, no more spending. I’ll put myself on a weekly allowance to make sure this money lasts. I’ll keep doing lives a few times a week, and that should keep my savings increasing so that if I ever need the money, I have it.
Who knows? I might save up enough to buy myself a house before I graduate.
Once the transfer request is complete, and because I’m a glutton for punishment, I sign into the NU forums and go lurk in The Monarchs sub-thread.
There have been a few new updates, but mostly solo shots of each of them coming and going from class. A photo that was uploaded yesterday of Darcy and Derek makes me smile. Darcy is laughing at something Derek is saying as they walk together on campus.
Just like every other photo, I click on the little menu above it and save the picture. I only hesitate for a second when I realize Xavier could be watching, but considering he was actively reading my text messages, I think it is safe—unsafe?—to assume that he has gone through my photos.
I scroll through the comments, which are all the same flavor ofYes, ProfessorandDaddy issues?until I find one on the mostrecent picture of Derek as he’s getting out of his car like some sort of movie star.
Has anyone seen Professor Knight recently? It’s been at least a week since those gorgeously ruffled blond curls have graced this sub-thread.
I take a screenshot and open my messages with Xavier.
Me:*screenshot*
Me:Your adoring fans miss you.
It takes a few seconds, but then I get a photo back, and I’m not sure if I’m irritated or elated.
Xavier:*photo of me on the couch, holding my phone and drinking my tea*
Xavier:You’re the only fan I care about.
Xavier:I’m happy to send you more pictures, you don’t need to save them from the forum.
I roll my eyes and shoot my middle finger at the offending camera.
Xavier:Don’t be embarrassed. I have plenty of photos of you too.
Xavier:*screenshot of a photo gallery*
Tapping on the picture, I enlarge it to see the thumbnails and, holy hell, every single one is of me. Most are stills from his cameras, but there are a few candid ones I’ve never seen before, not even on the forums.
I start at the bottom and slowly snake my way up. There are pictures of me sleeping in my bed. Walking across campus. Sitting in class. Eating in the dining hall. There are even photos of me at the mall with Oakley when we went costume shopping.
Jesus, this man.
How does he even find time to teach with how much he follows me around?
I make it to the top of the screenshot, with the most recent photos. I grin when I see the picture I took of Oakley and I dressed as Barbies before we left for the party. Clearly, he stole that one from me.
But then I spot the last photo in his library and zoom in as close as I possibly can before it gets blurry, because it can’t be. Can it?
Teddy with his patchwork face and my sketch books, sitting on a wooden table.
My heart goes from a background instrument to the lead guitarist as I stare at my “lost” items. It’s been weeks of not having them, and Xavier has a photo of them? A recent fucking photo too.
I scan the picture, trying to see if it was taken in my dorm, but the furniture is all wrong. It’s also not their sex apartment, since the brown leather couch is way lighter than the couch there.
The only time I’ve seen a couch in that shade is at…Derek’s.
Has that asshole had my things this whole time? Has he been lying to me this entire fucking time?
For what damn purpose? The sick pleasure of knowing I want my things back and leaving me hanging? Did he actually find them that first time he was at the apartment? Fuck, he would have had to separate them out before Xavier came to get my bags before showing up at my dorm that first night out of the hospital.
