Chapter 3 ۵ Jealousy

YARA'S POV

Me, Max, Heidi and Elijah headed to the library most days.

"No, no but you don't realise he's such a fucking dick! I'm not even exaggerating he got so worked up about a phone" I rolled my eyes, expressing my hate towards Mr Perfect.

"I hope he gets fired, he's not even that hot" Max and his jelous tone had turned.

"Max let's not be unrealistic here. Your professor might be a totally asshole but he's fine as hell" Heidi spoke. I could tell she was his biggest fan but ever since I told my story of how he mistreated me she glazed him a little less.

"If I were you Heidi I'd change courses" Elijah spoke giving Heidi a good solution to being able to see Mr Moreno more often.

"I swear, Yara, you have no idea how lucky you are," Heidi gushes, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. "Professor Moreno is the hottest professor I've ever seen. Those blue eyes? That hair? God, I'd give anything to have a professor like that. Mine's this old guy who probably hasn't seen a gym in decades" I sighed this girl was totally obsessed.

"I'd give anything to get rid of him. He literally hates me and trust me his personality makes him fifty times less unattractive. It's like he gets something out of being mean" I ranted on.

"Ok, ok yeah I agree he's proper rude and you didn't deserve that babe" Heidi spoke.

"Well I mean you did argue back with him Yara. He's definitely going to make you his enemy" Elijah spoke but quickly shut up after receiving a death stare from everyone.

"Wow.....thanks Elijah mate, that's honestly made me feel so much better" I sarcastically said.

"Sorry......" Elijah rubbed the back of his head.

"Honestly you know what Yara, it doesn't matter if he hates you. If he kicks you out his course for no legitimate reason just report it" easier said than done. But I was happy I had Heidi she did indeed make me feel better.

"And if he decides to humiliate you again I'll take actions into my own hands" heroically spoke Max to which everyone laughed. To be completely honest no one took Max's heroism seriously.

"You know what's fucking crazy though, he's only 23? Like I know we're meant to be hating him and everything but he must be really smart to be a professor that young" spoke Heidi. The little stalkers been doing her research I laughed.

"23? Well no wonder he looks better than your crusty literature teacher then" I chuckled.

"Hey, leave Mr White alone he's a cutey" Heidi smiled attempting to defend her professor.

"Maybe you should sit in on one of our classes, you know, for research purposes" I winked at Heidi jokingly.

"I might have to" she teased. We could both sense Max's envy but we got a rise out of it.

As the conversation shifts to coursework, I can't help but notice how close Max is sitting. His shoulder brushes against mine every time he leans in to look at my notes, and there's a possessiveness in the way he hovers that I hadn't picked up on before.

"Hey, Yara," Max says, his voice low as he turns to me, "I was thinking we could go over some of these equations together later, just the two of us. It might help you understand them better" to be fair I was falling back and didn't understand half of the equation so it couldn't hurt.

I hesitated "Uh, sure, Max, if I don't end up falling asleep it is kinda late" I reply, trying to keep things light. "Besides, I wouldn't want to bother you by helping me on every equation" I murmured out an awkward laugh.

Max's eyes flicker with something I can't quite place, disappointment? Annoyance? But he quickly covers it up with a smile. "Yeah, of course. But I don't mind helping you I think I'd quite enjoy it if anything" I will admit his words were quite charming.

He moves back a little, giving me some space, but I can still feel the tension between us. It's subtle, almost imperceptible, but it's there, lurking beneath the surface of our friendship

Heidi, oblivious to the undercurrents, continues talking about Professor Moreno. "Honestly, Yara, I'd love to just sit in class and listen to him talk. That husky voice alone, ugh, it's to die for" I nod absentmindedly, but my thoughts are elsewhere. Max's sudden shift in behavior has thrown me off balance, and I'm not sure how to handle it. The group eventually disperses, and as I pack up my things, Max lingers, as usual.

"Need help carrying anything back to your room?" he asks, his voice casual, but I can sense the eagerness behind it.

"No, I'm fine," I say, smiling a little too brightly. "Thanks though"

Max nods, but I can see the disappointment flash in his eyes again. "Alright, just let me know if you need anything."

"I will," I reply, forcing a smile. As I walk away, I can feel his gaze on my back, and I have to resist the urge to shudder.

Back in my room, I collapse onto my bed, feeling the weight of the day settling on me. My mind keeps drifting back to Max. Did I like him? Did I not? His behaviour had changed it was like he was trying to get closer to me.

As I lay there, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't shake the feeling that this term is only going to get more complicated. I hated everything.

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The next morning was......rough. My alarm rang multiple times but I refused to get up. My head was ringing and my eyes were struggling to even open. It was only my second day of university and I already had conflicting thoughts about whether or not I should go to my lecture.

And obviously I picked not going in. To be completely honestly I didn't want to face Mr Moreno.

MAX'S POV

I sat down in the hall. No sign of Yara. It's clear I needed to tread carefully if I want to maintain our mine and Yara's friendship and maybe move things to a different level. But I wanted her, she was so......innocent? She'd never had a boyfriend before, she didn't drink or smoke. She was shy and it was cute it only made me more attracted to her. Not to mention her long sleek black hair that went down to her waist. I'd give anything just to pull-

Your first lecture was over and there was no sign of Yara. I left the hall and headed to the common area where I found Yara.

She's already seated with her books open, her face buried in her notes. I couldn't help but smile at her confused expression.

"Morning, Yara" I say, attempting a friendly tone.

Her brown eyes look up at me briefly, her gaze distant. "Morning, Max" she says quietly. I could tell she was feeling it.

I notice she seems distracted and is not her usual self. Trying to gauge her mood, I ask, "You heading to your second lecture today? Or are you skipping again?"

She shakes her head slowly. "No, I'm skipping it.

"Everything alright?" I ask, my concern genuine despite my own frustration. "You seem a bit out of it"

She shrugs, not quite meeting my gaze. "Just not feeling up to it today. But I'm fine"

I nod, hiding my disappointment. Being in class without her was going to be shit.

"Alright" I say, forcing a casual tone. "If you need anything, let me know"

She nods absently and gathers her things, heading back to her room. As she leaves, I feel a pang of frustration and confusion. I need to be careful about how I approach her.

I decide to head to my lecture, but my mind keeps drifting back to Yara. Was she skipping because of Mr Perfect?

The second lecture passes in a blur. At the end of the lecture I head down to Mr Moreno. As I approach his desk, he looks up from his papers with a scrutinizing gaze "Max, isn't it? What can I do for you?" He spoke taking off his glasses. I hate to admit it but he was an attractive man.

I clear my throat, trying to appear casual "Just a couple of questions about the coursework"

Moreno nods, his blue eyes narrowing slightly as he studies me "Go Ahead Mr Cameron" he raised a brow.

I start explaining my questions about the problem set, but his gaze seems to drift, as though he's considering something else entirely. Midway through my explanation he cuts me off, his tone shifting to something more personal.

"Your friend Yara? She didn't show up to both her lectures. Why?" him mentioning her name bothered me. It angered me. She was probably in her room never wanting to show up to lectures again because of him and all he can do is ask why she wasn't present.

I'm caught off guard by the question "she said she wasn't feeling good"

Moreno's expression doesn't change, but there's a glint of curiosity in his eyes "Not feeling good? Let her know I want to speak to her. I don't take skipping classes lightly" he spoke ominously.

"You know she did tell me about how you belittled her over a phone. Come to think of it that's probably why she's skipping" I grimaced at him.

Moreno's gaze lingers on me for a moment longer before he chuckled for a second or two "Her being a little baby isn't my problem. If you'd like to say anything further, please do Mr Cameron" he spoke with threat lingering in his every word.

I scoffed at him before leaving.

There's no fucking way I was going to tell Yara to speak to that piece of shit. Why did he notice Yara was gone there were plenty of other people missing and he only noticed her. I hated that. Yara was mine.

YARA'S POV

I was in my dorm room, sorting through some papers before going to sleep when Max knocked on my door. I thankfully had no lectures today. I wasn't expecting him, but I opened it, trying to put on a friendly face.

"Hey, Max," I said. "What's up?"

He stepped in without waiting for an invitation and closed the door behind him. I noticed a shift in his demeanor—he was unusually intense, his expression unreadable.

"I thought we could work on the coursework for the lessons you missed" he said, his voice low.

I nodded, trying to keep the conversation light "Sure, I'll probably need the help anyways. Don't want Mr Moreno to execute me in front of everyone" I joked. He lightly chuckled back. All of a sudden everything went quiet and for a few seconds I found my self staring into Max's eyes, my throat going dry.

Before I could react, Max closed the distance between us. His body heat spread across me within a few seconds. His movements were quick, and suddenly, his lips were on mine. The kiss was forceful and unexpected, catching me completely off guard. I froze, my mind racing as I tried to process what was happening. I tried to push him off of me but that was impossible considering the fact he had a harsh grip on the nape of my neck, making sure I couldn't escape. His rough hands slid down my body all the way to my ass.

I pulled back with all my might, my heart pounding and my breath uneven "Max, what the fuck is wrong with you" i exasperated.

He looked at me with a mix of frustration and entitlement "what do you mean?"

I took a step back, my hands trembling slightly "I tried to push you off of me and you wouldn't move. That's not okay Max" I whisper shouted not wanting anyone in the dorms next door to hear.

Max's eyes narrowed, and his tone turned cold "you know you want me Yara. You're just playing hard to get" he spoke menacingly.

His words felt like a punch to the gut. I could see the determination in his eyes, and it was clear that he wasn't about to back down easily. The room suddenly felt smaller, the air thick with tension. "Max.....please just leave" I spoke looking down at the floor.

"I-I'm not ready for this okay? I'm sorry" I said firmly. He looked angered.

"Not ready for this? You're dressed like a whore Yara and the makeup you wear? You're clearly trying to get some attention" I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"So you call wearing a tank top dressing like a whore? That's funny considering you aren't even wearing a shirt. Besides I was getting ready to sleep" I was clearly offended I didn't know Max had it in him to act this vile.

"I'm sorry Max, I shouldn't have raised my voice. I just-"

Max's gaze was unyielding, and his voice carried a threatening edge "Don't test me, Yara. If you push me away, you'll regret it" he roared his tone scaring the hell out of me.

Max's eyes flashed with something I couldn't quite place, but he finally backed away and left, closing the door with a sharp bang.

I was left standing there, shaken and distressed. The sense of violation left me feeling vulnerable. No one had ever touched me like that and I hated it. I hated the feeling of being used so aggressively. I wanted to cry just reminiscing the touch he had on me.

A/N

enjoy hehe!