48 Jealousy and its Consequences

James didn't say a word. Emma had trapped him, and he could only admit his true motives to her since she'd eventually find out why.

Of course, Emma was one heck of an intelligent girl, so she already knew why he had suddenly had this outburst, but it was nice for him to admit it.

"I-I was jealous," he admitted, much to Emma's own amusement.

Emma smirked.

"Jealous? Of what?" She asked, pretending to be oblivious.

James looked around, his gaze landing on the two men he called his roommates. They averted his gaze, trying not to look at the swimsuit-clad girl in his arms.

Emma tilted his head.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly, suddenly worried if something had happened to cause his sudden outburst.

"Two guys wanted to flirt with you and I did this out of impulse," James admitted honestly, not even bothering to lie.

Seeing him like this, Emma thought him adorable. She blushed as she buried her face into his shirt, making sure no one saw her in this state.

Once he realized what she did, his eyes widened.

She smiled while she mumbled, "Well, you shouldn't be worried when you know my heart belongs to you. You don't have to go all protective of me."

Fortunately, or unfortunately, James heard it, and he turned a deep shade of magenta.

Lily, watching this happen, only sighed, wondering when it was her time to find someone who'd adjust their personality just for the one person they had feelings for. And she wondered when was it that she'd meet the man who was hellbent on protecting her from other boys and would go as far as to do sweet things just like this to make their marks.

What she didn't notice, was that Connor was nearby, scaring everyone looking at her with deathly glares since he didn't want to allow her to notice that he was there.

He himself didn't need to speak to get this message clear.

'She's already caught my attention, and I'm going to be the one to pursue her. Try to hit on her and I'll throw you to the Amaris dungeons with no hesitation,' he said to everyone in the vicinity that dared even look at her.

As she watched James carry her best friend the way princes carried their princesses, she got up and covered herself with a cover-up she had remembered to bring, unlike Emma.

"Do you have to carry me like this? This is completely unnecessary, James," Emma whined.

James grinned as if he had expected this from Emma.

"How else would everyone know you're mine?" He said, meaning every word, as he brought her outside and away from the onlookers.

Emma blushed, even in the cold and when she was freezing.

She shivered as her skin was covered in goosebumps, and as James reached the entrance of her dorm, she suddenly realized something.

There would be a good chance Courtney and Winnie would be in her dorm room by now, and if James brought her to that point, Courtney would be livid.

Nevertheless, she kept quiet and didn't say anything, only sinking into the source of warmth that was James' hold.

Lily followed closely behind, bringing Emma's stuff as well as hers as she could only watch Emma's love story unfold.

Out of all the things Emma wanted to do while attending ZALE, she had never intended to fall in love, and out of her and Lily, it was shocking Emma had fallen in love first.

And the fact that her prince charming accepted her for her, even if they had met for a few days, the fact that he accepted her for all of her pretty and all of her ugly, that itself was lucky. He had been there when she was at her lowest point, and was there when she needed someone to turn to and was extremely protective of her.

He had accepted as the intelligent being that she was, for the sassy girl she was, for her being a maid's daughter, for how emotional she could get, and that itself didn't go unnoticed by Emma.

Nothing she could do could ever repay what he had done, and how much happiness he had brought into her life during the following days.

As they made their way to the dorm, Lily took the stairs to reach their dorm room much faster than Emma and James. Emma had escaped James' hold, choosing to walk on her own, but she purposely chose to bring James in her dorm just to get Courtney's reaction.

"And why exactly are you bringing me into your dorm?" He asked, knowing that Emma had a reason for what she was about to do.

She hid a grin.

"No reason," she lied.

James narrowed his eyes.

"Really?" He asked as he walked through the hallway of the girl's dormitory.

Luckily, there was no rule at ZALE that stated that you couldn't visit the other gender living quarters, so they were in the clear.

"You sure it's not because of the two people that are your roommates?" He asked.

Emma sighed.

"Well, you do know that Courtney clearly has feelings for some of you, and seeing us together, wouldn't her reaction be priceless?" She asked, flashing a dazzling smile that reeked of a need for revenge.

"Girls," James muttered to himself, watching as Lily opened the door with her keycard and walking through the doorway, hand in hand with Emma, while Emma secretly couldn't wait to see Courtney's reaction to this all.