I opened the door and sure enough, there was King, not seeming to mind that I was fuming. "what do you want?" I snapped.

"Sarah, I simply came by to ask if you would be willing to help me with the homework assignment? I have no textbooks yet, if you recall?"

I gritted my teeth and asked calmly, "how did you find out where I live?"

"I asked around!" came the cheerful reply.

"Very well then, I suppose if you must have help, you can get it from me." He grinned, this time showing teeth, and I saw saw that he had noticeable canines. "There will be no talking except to ask questions about something you don't understand," I paused, looking for a loophole, "and that only pertains to not understanding the work! Not personal or private questions. Unless it has to do with finding the restroom, I don't want to hear it! Got it?" I saw something flash through his eyes at this, too quick to recognize. I stepped back and rolled my eyes, "you might as well come in."

He slipped past me, choosing to take the path that would practically press him against me. As I felt his warm body pass me, I stifled a shiver. He felt so familiar and comfortable, like I imagined an old lover would. I didn't know for sure, because I had never had one, but the feeling was there. I gave him some materials, grabbed a chair, and put the textbook between us. Then, I simply ignored him and did my work. Or, at least, I tried. I was almost constantly aware of him. I could hear him breathing, feel his heat next to me, and a slightly familiar scent filled my lungs.

Irritated, I focused my attention back on the paper. I managed to get through about half of the work undisturbed by anything verbal, but the whole thing was too much to hope for. "Sarah," came the voice. "what is your favorite color?"

I almost growled at this. "blue!" I snapped. "that has nothing to do with what we are doing at this moment."

I could practically feel him smirk at my answer. "just wondering," he replied vaguely.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed he wasn't doing anything except staring at me. "king, why the hell aren't you doing the work?" I asked, irritated.

"Because I am finished, Sarah. Why else?" came the innocent reply.

I turned in my seat to look at him disbelievingly. "You can't be serious! I'm known for being quick, and not even I'm done with it yet!" I looked at my watch, "it's only been a few hours for Pete's sake!"

"Regardless of the time, I am finished with today's workload," he said quietly, pushing his paper to me to look over quickly.

I glanced over it, unable to help admiring his handwriting, and was surprised to see that he was indeed done with it. I sighed and gave it back to him. "So you are. Now that you are finished, you can leave, right?" I said this last bit with a sweet smile thrown his way.

He cocked an eyebrow, "are you kicking me out, Sarah?" he asked, still making my name sound like a caress.

I gritted my teeth, cursing Karen for raising me with hospitality manners. "if you can be completely silent," I ground out through clenched teeth "you can stay and watch me work, if you want."

"Of course, precious."

"And don't call me that!" I snapped immediately.

His smirk widened. "if you insist, pet."

I glared at him, "Just call me Sarah if you insist on not calling me by me last name!"

"as you wish, Sarah." I ignored the thrill, sighed, and turned back to my work, this time managing to submerse myself completely.

Four hours later, (five in total), I was closing my books and stretching upwards. I could feel eyes on me and immediately I dropped my arms and looked to my right, surprised to see him there. I had slipped unconsciously into my work and not even noticed him next to me. I cocked my head at him, in somewhat more of an agreeable mood after all the work I had just accomplished. "I can't believe you are still here! I would have left hours ago!"

He merely smiled. "I enjoy watching you work, the way you scowl slightly when you get to a particularly hard question, and smile in triumph when you unravel it," he said softly with a shrug.

I blushed, becoming aware of just how much he had scrutinized me while I was focusing on something else. "ummm," I managed, "would you like something to eat?" I asked politely, cursing Karen once again for her lessons.

He grinned, flashing his white canines again, "if it would not be too much trouble, Sarah."

"Not at all," I sighed. "what would you like? We have pizza or soup," I said. "I have yet to go shopping for anything else yet, so those are our choices."

An eyebrow lifted at this statement, "Pizza, I suppose."

I stood up, suddenly aware of how he had leaned in closer during the conversation, and went to grab the phone. I called the nearest pizza parlor and, after consulting with my guest, ordered a large pepperoni pizza and a 2-liter of soda. Then I sat down on the couch to endure the wait...