Isa POV

I try to do the baking myself. Key word is try as I am not very successful. It feels like everything that can go wrong goes wrong, and in the end, I am left with a burnt bath of cupcakes.

I pride myself on being pretty good at cooking. But one way or the other, this talent does not translate over to baking.

Regardless, I settle down at the dining table with the burnt cupcakes before me. I tell myself that it probably looks a lot worse than it really is. So, against my better judgment, I take a bite out of one cupcake.

Needless to say, I never ingest that bite, and end up throwing the whole batch of cupcakes out.

I'm in a bad mood and I'm not sure why. I want to tell myself that it's due to how my cupcakes came out, but I know the real reason was Temi. It hurts my pride to admit this to myself. I've been with her for weeks now. I'm used to Temi and her anger, her sudden mood swings and unpredictability.

Yet, her words towards me earlier on put a significant damper on my mood. I know I can't suddenly start caring about her now. Not only is that unprofessional, but it's also just setting myself up for a lot of hurt.

Temi is my assignment, not my friend. And as much as I don't want to admit it, Temi was right in saying just that. I shouldn't be trying to make cupcakes with her. I shouldn't care whether she speaks to me. The only thing that I should care about regarding her is keeping her alive. After all, that is my mission here.

Hopefully, this will all be over soon. I'd finally have enough saved up to retire comfortably from being a bodyguard, and spend the rest of my time painting and drawing and doing whatever else it is that makes me happy with the rest of my life ahead of me.

Maybe if I'm lucky, I might even fall in love and finally find myself someone to settle down with. But luck isn't really my thing. Hence, why I am even in the position that I am in right now. Any other bodyguard could have gotten this job. But yet, I ended up being the one to draw the short side of the stick.

I sigh to myself and my mind momentarily wanders off to Joshua. If he could hear my thinking right now, he'd tell me off for being so "pessimistic". A small smile creeps onto my face as I remember how driven he was. How he was always so eager to do his best, no matter what it took. Not even if it meant him risking his life.

I look down at my thigh, tracing Joshua's name etched into my skin with my pinky finger. A small, sad smile creeps onto my face as I remember him.

The walk to campus for Temi's last midterm exam feels even more awkward than usual. I do not tell Temi 'good morning' like I usually do each day (even though she never replies). I do not lay out breakfast for her. I basically just ignored her, like she does to me each day.

And after all, none of these things are in the job description of being a bodyguard.

As we walk, I can't stop myself from sneaking occasional glances at Temi. Her black and green braids fall past her waist, swishing softly as she walks. It frames her face perfectly and I think that waiting almost 10 hours for her to complete her braids was totally worth it.

We arrive at the building for Temi's final exam and, without even a glance in my direction, Temi walks away. I watch her go, wishing that I did not feel so hollow. It is a strange feeling. Not only is this emotion something that I cannot place, but it's also something that I cannot understand.

Waiting for Temi to finish her exam seems to take longer than usual. I don't miss the brief flutter that passes through me when I catch sight of her black-green braids a while later. I ignore it and push it down.

On the walk back, I want to ask her how her exam went, like I did with her Astronomy Exam. I'm desperate to have her talk to me, to hear her voice. But I know she would not reply. And I don't think I can stand being ignored right then. So instead, I settle with keeping my mouth clamped shut.

When we arrive back at the apartment, Temi instantly goes straight into her room. Shutting the door behind her.

I'm lying on the couch, flipping through my sketchbook, when Temi reappears a few hours later.

"I'm going to a party tonight."

Those are the first words Temi has said to me all day, and I look at her, blinking in confusion.

"You're going to a party?"

"Yes," Temi responds, irritation clear in her features. "I believe that is what I just said."

My mind wanders back to Temi's conversation with the girl from yesterday. I barely even register her sarcasm. As I had previously suspected, Temi and the girl had probably been in a relationship of some sorts at some point. Their interaction last night made it clear to me. But from their conversation last night, I was so sure that Temi would not want to go to the party. I blink slowly, wondering what had made her change her mind.

"I imagine that you're too dedicated to your babysitting job to just let me go to the party alone," Temi says, her eyes studying me.

"Yes, you could say that," I reply slowly. I don't bother to argue that I'm her bodyguard and not her babysitter. Because I am really more of a babysitter at this point.

Temi simply nods her head. Her face is void of emotion, almost as if she's keeping something back. I narrow my eyes at her slightly and she responds by rolling her eyes.

"Well then, get dressed."

Temi doesn't wait for my reply before disappearing back into her room.

I stare after her, feeling completely dumbfounded, but get dressed as she instructed me to, throwing on a pair of black jeans and a shirt. I am not in the very least fashionable, so prefer to stick to simple things.

Temi, on the other hand, is a whole different ball game. She emerges from her room in a dark green dress that opens up at the back. Her braids are packed in a bun at the top of her head, with a few loose braids trailing down her back.

She's wearing a full face of makeup for the first time since I have seen her, and she looks beautiful. Her eyelids sparkle a green shade and her eyeliner in bold and black. Her lips are glossy and I find my eyes being repeatedly drawn to them.

There's a part of me that asks why she's so dressed up. She's just going to a college party after all, not some elegant dinner or a dance. But that part of me is silenced and overcome by the much larger part of me that simply cannot take my eyes off her. I am staring and my eyes keep trailing her body. But yet, I feel helpless to do anything else.

Temi shuffles uncomfortably under my stare and, with much struggle, I manage to pry my eyes away from obviously ogling her. I now keep them fixed on her large, dark eyes.

"I've called the Uber. It is a few minutes away," Temi informs me. There's a strange gleam in her eyes. I simply nod. My throat feels dry and I walk towards the kitchen to fetch myself a glass of water. I am thankful for this distraction and gulp down the water earnestly.

"Do you really want to follow me to a college party?" Temi suddenly asks from behind, startling me slightly. I had not realized that she had followed me into the kitchen.

I nod my head, now facing her. I take another drink of water, never taking my eyes off the young woman in front of me.

"I'm just saying," Temi continues, "anything can happen at a college party. Who knows? I might even hook up with someone. Are you really going to watch me have sex with someone? Not that I mind."

I have not completely swallowed the sip of water I took, and now choke as the water goes down the wrong pipe. Temi does nothing but watch me. The gleam in her eyes has grown brighter. A small smirk tugs on her face. She looks very much the part of the villain. A very gorgeous villain at that.

"It's my job," I manage to say between splutters.

I finally stable myself, but my mind is still racing. Is Temi going to have sex tonight? I 100% do not want to see her have sex tonight. Would I really have to watch her have sex tonight?

I feel my body grow hot as pictures of Temi naked float into my head. I clear my throat and turn around, busying myself by washing the few dishes in the sink; anything to avoid looking or dealing with Temi right now.

I pride myself on being calm and collected. I can keep a poker face in the most gruesome of situations. It was part of my training in the military and also as a bodyguard. But all of that training seems to have flown out of the window.

I'm not sure why I feel like this. All I know is that I don't like this and I should not at all be feeling like this.

I fix a hard expression on my face and turn back to look at Temi. For a moment, neither of us says anything to the other. She seems to study my face, tries to read past my expression, but I don't let her. I keep my guard up.

There's a beep, and Temi finally breaks eye contact with me as she looks down at her phone.

"Suit yourself," Temi says. "Our Uber is here."