As long as you'd known him, Riff had been annoying.

It started with a low whistle as you walked past, instinctively making you hold your bag tighter as you picked up the pace. He wouldn't let you go again.

Over time, it turned into him leaning against a corner shop, waiting for you to pass, smirking at the way you wouldn't look at him at first. Once he knew your schedule, he had you down.

Every morning, he'd walk you back and forth to the shitty little community college you were powering through, somehow always having some stupid topic of conversation to wake you up with. Every evening, he'd meet you outside class, always ending your walk by asking you to grab dinner with him.

He was always hungry. That much was obvious.

But he was also annoying.

There wasn't a single day that he didn't pick apart your outfit or poke your arm or try to embarrass you in front of your fellow pedestrians. That is, up until now.

It had been a bad day, since he walked you up to the door of your stupid math class. There was a pop quiz that had been immediately graded in red pen. A bright, shiny C- that you got to shove into your bag. Then, some guy had tried to corner you after class, as if Riff goddamn Lorton wasn't enough. And then, your english professor mocked you for giving a partially incorrect answer during a seminar.

'Not quite, little lady.'

You wanted to fucking scream.

But you couldn't, and so you didn't. Holding your head high, you walked out of class, looking around for Riff. But even after your shitty day, he wasn't here. The one time you kind of wanted to see him, he wasn't there.

Keeping your head down and praying the tears blurring your vision wouldn't escape, you hurriedly began on your walk home. Too focused on staying out of everyone's way that you didn't even realize Riff coming up behind you and easily keeping pace. He did speak after a minute, just loud enough to make you snap out of it. "What's gotten into you-"

And when he sees your face, he stops. You watched in real time as his ever-smug expression softened, really softened, and his hand came up to turn your head more towards him.

There was something more personal than just acting as an annoying bodyguard in his eyes now. "C'mon doll, lemme buy you a coffee or pie or somethin'. I'll tip the waitress and everything."