His Greatest Obsession

I was his favorite. He'd think about me 24/7. Especially when he was sleeping. His dreams would give him crazy ideas.

He felt as if he needed to protect me from everyone and everything. He hated when I would cry or when someone would make me mad. He would always tell me that I never deserved to be treated that way. But the truth is, I needed to be protected from him. From the start, I should've seen the red flags that were going one after another, but for some reason, I didn't. I was so distracted by the way he cared for me so much.

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As I'm opening the email from Professor Jones a male takes a seat at my table across from me, opening his textbooks and notebooks. I take a deep breath and try to pretend he isn't there and focus on my classwork. I glance a few times realizing this guy has already been prepared. He's more ahead than me- I never thought that was possible. "Hey." The guy whispers. I glance at him, clearly,g he's talking to me, but I still ignore him. "That's rude of you." He mutters.

"Rude of me? It's rude of you to talk in a library," I wave my hands around. "It's rude of you to interrupt people studying." I could've gone nicer on him but I didn't think before I spoke. When I look up I notice how light his eyes are- a golden brown color. His hair is a dark brown color with little curls at the end of his hair. He has a smile that's crooked but fits well for his looks. His black shirt is tight against his skin, showing off that he clearly works out and few tattoos traveling up to his shoulders. It makes me wonder if he has any tattoos on his torso.

"Well, I am sorry Miss. May we restart?" His eyes narrow down at me and give me a slight smile. I nod, smiling back. "I'm Riley, Riley Rivera." He holds his hand out waiting for me to shake. Maybe I'm not the only person here that holds their hand out when they meet someone new.

I shake his hand feeling how rough it is against mine and then squeeze mine a little tight. "Karissa Wright." Riley doesn't say another word to me. He gives me a head nod and his slightly crooked smile. I hadn't realized how tall he was, maybe 6 feet? Until he stood up, collecting his items into his bag. "You don't have to go." My words rush out. I blush at the sudden shouting I did when everyone in the library looks over at us.

Riley chuckles. "I'll see you around Karissa, I promise."

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*Two Months Later*

There's a knock at my door before it flies open without me touching the handle. "Hey what's going, darling?"Riley rushes into my dorm and right by side. His arms linger over my shoulders.

I start to histarically cry. "My ex-boyfriend. He showed up here and made a huge scene because his girlfriend called me and asked how our relationship ended."

"I think there is more to the story so go on." He encourges me to continue telling him what's going on.

"Well, he made the scene in front of everyone during the class switch and everyone started whispering and staring at me all the way up until I shut my door." I sit up and wipe away my tears. "I know I shouldn't be this upset but I can't help it."

Riley starts to massage my shoulders. "No, you have every right to be upset. If I were in your shoes, I would be the same way." He stands from the bed and heads out the door, leaving me. Why is he leaving me already?

"Where are you going?" I nearly pout.

"I have some things I have to take care of okay?"

"Okay..." He kisses my forehead and leaves.

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*Few Days Later*

I turn the news on and there he was. My ex-boyfriend was on the news. His face plastered right on my screen with 'BREAKING NEWS' as the title.

I turn up the volume to hear the news lady speak. "It has been confirmed that the body found a mile away from Vanderbilt University was Ricky Hough. A young lady had found his body when she was going for her morning jog and found the young man in his car with stab wounds to the chest." My heart drops. As much as I hated him lately, I still loved him. He was my first love and that's something nobody would be able to replace. Tears are slowly flowing down my cheeks. "We will keep you updated on this developing story." My roommate Tara rushes to my side to hold me although we both know it's not going to help.

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*Four Months Later*

"Was that you that did that to him?" Tears are constantly coming down my face. "Are you the one that killed Ricky?" Riley's face has no expression. I can't even find any emotions in him. He looks like a ghost.

"Karissa..." I put my hand up to stop him. I don't want to hear excuses from him. I want the truth and the whole truth.

"DID YOU DO IT!?" I screamed getting more upset by the second. He puts his head down and nods, confirming that it was him. He was the one that took my first love's life away for what reason? I don't know. "Did he try to hurt you?" For a second I hope that Riley was just defending himself and that Ricky was the one that started to attack him first. But I knew it was too good to be true.

"No, but can you let me explain?" He stands up and tries to get closer to me but I back into the door. I'm scared and hurt. I let this man into my life. I let a bad person into my life and he's hurt me and also my loved ones. He's hurt them more. "I wanted to protect you, baby." There's still no guilt or regret in his eyes. Who is this man? Who is this KILLER?