Elvie
"And... done!" Gemma announced, her fingers striking the keys with dramatic flair.
I looked up from my open laptop, offering her a small smile. "You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?"
Gemma reached for her drink, taking a long sip before leaning back in her chair. "Who wouldn’t be? I’m finally done with this assignment. Next step: submission and getting my marks."
"Point of correction," I chimed in, leaning resting my chin on my palm. "We have to do a presentation before getting any marks."
Gemma instantly groaned, letting her head drop back against the seat. We were sitting at a quiet corner table in the library, taking advantage of our free period. I had suggested we use the hour productively to get our coursework out of the way, and thankfully, I was already finished with mine too.
Gemma suddenly leaned across the wooden desk, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Why don’t you try sweet-talking the professor to drop the presentation part? I seriously hate standing in front of the whole class and talking."
I glared at her. "Are you crazy? Why on earth would I do that?"
Gemma tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a mischievous smirk spreading across her face. "Come on. You have him wrapped around your little finger. Especially with all those steamy, dirty things happening behind closed doors."
Heat instantly rushed to my cheeks, burning all the way to the tips of my ears. I glared at her even harder, but deep down, I couldn’t completely deny it.
I wouldn’t say I had Cassian wrapped around my finger he was far too commanding and dangerous for that but he was undeniably possessive when it came to me. And as innocent as I tried to act during the day, he always managed to bring out a completely shameless side of me at night.
My mind flashed back to last night—the way I had climbed on top of him, taking control just like he told me to, riding him until we both collapsed in exhaustion.
"Ahem! Someone is sex-dreaming already," Gemma teased, breaking my train of thought.
My eyes snapped back to her. Without thinking, I grabbed my notebook and lightly tossed it across the desk at her. Gemma caught it, bursting into a loud fit of laughter.
"Shut up!" I hissed, looking around nervously.
Gemma had a habit of talking way too loudly when she got excited, and the last thing I needed was someone overhearing us.
Gemma quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her shoulders still shaking with quiet laughter.
"Are you going to stop laughing or what?" I whispered sternly.
She raised both hands in surrender, forcing her expression to settle. "Okay, okay, I’ve stopped."
She leaned forward over the desk again, the humor fading from her eyes as a sudden seriousness took over her face.
"Let me ask you something, Elvie," she said, her voice dropping low. "Is it just sex? I mean... whatever is going on between the two of you?"
I stared at Gemma, completely caught off guard. It was the one question I avoided asking myself. When Cassian and I were together, everything felt raw, intense, and deeply personal. His possessiveness, the promises he whispered against my skin, the way he held me close afterward—none of it felt like just sex. But was it to him?
"I... I don’t know, Gemma," I admitted softly, looking down at my laptop . My cheeks were still warm, but for a completely different reason now. He cares about me, he protects me... but he’s also my professor.
Gemma rested her head on her palm, a grin flashing right back across her face. "I knew it. You’ve fallen for this man, haven’t you?"
I narrowed my eyes at her, my cheeks burning. "You—"
Before I could finish, the buzz of my phone vibrating against the wooden table cut me off.
I reached over and picked it up, my hand tightening hard around the metal casing as my eyes locked onto the screen.
Gemma leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "What? Is it him texting you? He wants to..." She trailed off with a teasing laugh.
I flushed a bright red, and quickly flipped my phone over and dropped it face down on the desk.
"If you won’t allow me to concentrate and finish up my own assignments, then leave," I muttered, trying to sound stern.
Gemma just rolled her eyes, letting out an exaggerated sigh. I dragged in a breath and forced myself to finish up what I was doing.
**
I adjusted the strap of my bag over my shoulder as I walked through the cold ice rink. The sound of my boots made Asher, who was skating out on the ice, look up. I gripped the handle of my bag tighter.
I didn’t even know why I had come. I should have ignored his text when he told me to meet him here. But a small part of me was curious about what he wanted. If I chose not to show up, he would think I was weak, and showing any weakness to Asher was the last thing I wanted to do. I had grown more independent lately, and I wanted to keep it that way.
I kept walking as Asher skated all the way toward the edge. When he got too close, I took a step back.
"What do you want?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
The earlier I got this over with, the better. I needed to go back home and start preparing dinner. I couldn’t afford to have Cassian asking why I came home late again.
Asher’s lips curved up into a smirk. He skated over to the nearest bench, sat down, and took off his skating boots to slip into his sneakers.
"Aren’t you happy to see me?" he asked.
I clenched my jaw as I glanced down at my wristwatch, "I don’t have all day, Asher. Get straight to the point. Why did you call me here?"
I saw a quick flash of irritation cross his face, and his jaw tightened. He folded his arms across his chest. "My parents’ anniversary is next week," he said.
My brows furrowed. "So? What does that have to do with me?"
There was never anything enjoyable for me at their anniversaries anyway; it was always just endless work. Now that I was finally out of that house, I had nothing to look forward to there.
Asher took a step forward, getting so close that I could feel his breath on my face. "Of course you are attending."
I let out a bitter laugh. He must be joking with me. "Sorry, but I am not available."
I turned to walk away, when he yanked me back by gripping my wrist and pulled me towards his in a harsh way. "You are coming," Asher sneered to my face. "Or else the little roof over your head might not be available for you anymore. And maybe your little secret romance with your professor will become the main highlight of the party."