44

Hands slid onto my shoulders from behind. "How are you feeling?" Daniela whispered lovingly.

Standing at her window, my eyes scanned the campus for a few minutes now. Students all over walking up and down the concrete paths, taking seats on the grass and benches, some sitting and going through notes or listening to music.

My eyes were on the people below, but thoughts were far gone. It ran wild, thinking about a thousand different stuff at once.

That being Adeline.

Daniela went out to fetch me a coffee while I hid away in her office. She also used the opportunity to give me space, taking her sweet time to come back. She knew I needed that few minutes for myself to clear my thoughts.

My cries from earlier stopped, but my eyes and nose were stained red.

A light shiver went down my spine from her touch as she rubbed up and down my arms folded over my chest.

I turn around towards her, and met those green eyes.

Just staring into them makes me nervous.

"A bit better." I looked over at the coffee on her table. "Extra shot of espresso?"

Daniela also turned to her desk, but her hands still on me. "Just the way you like it." She looked back at me, my gaze meeting hers. "You definitely need the extra energy."

Throughout all the hundred of days we've been talking, she's only asked me about my coffee order once. And it's been a long time ago when she did ask-- not recent. It makes me feel appreciated that she remembers.

Walking over and sipping on it, the warmth immediately spread across my body.

The extra shot of espresso making adrenaline run through my veins, yet in a comforting way.

Daniela followed me and sat down on her chair. She also got herself a black coffee, and twisted towards me.

"You want a sip?" She asked, but knows the answer.

I place my own coffee down and looked at her with a tiny smile. "No thanks, I'll rather not have my day ruined any further from that tar you call a warm cup of coffee."

Daniela brought it up to her lips. "A little taste won't kill you, you know?"

I raised an eyebrow and hopped onto her desk right in front of her. "Yeah, but it might kill my tastebuds."

Amused, she rolled her eyes, but a small smile almost slipped through before she took another sip.

I waited for her to make a face, but got no reaction.

See, that's what black coffee do to one. It makes you immune to the strong flavor that you don't even have a reaction anymore.

Makes your heart cold and black.

A snicker left my mouth before I reached out towards her cup after she pulled it away from her mouth. I placed it down for her and looked back, scanning her face.

Like she read my mind, we both leaned in and our lips met. Its like missing puzzles that finally found each other.

Although, I tasted the black coffee off her lips and jerked back with a face that looks like I just did a shot of vodka.

"Ew!" I squeal, mixed with a chuckle, and cringed.

Daniela looked concerned, but then she realized what caused me to pull back. She laughed as I closed my eyes, trying to get past the strong taste.

She held onto my thighs. "Oh shut up, it's not that strong."

Shaking my head, that strong flavor finally disappeared. "I'm never kissing you, after you drink coffee, ever again!"

She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "You know it's worth it though."

I lean closer again. "Do I?"

"Yes. Yes, you do." She looked at my lips. "Come here."

She smashed her lips against mine and deepened the kiss by putting one hand behind my head and pulling me in towards her. Her other hand was on my thigh, my arms wrapping around her neck.

Heat pooled into my stomach, spreading all over my body.

Her hand fell to my lower back, right above my ass and pushed me off the desk and into her lap without breaking the kiss.

A soft moan escaped from me, and she took the opportunity to slip her tongue inside, and from there, noises upon noises, left my mouth. It fueled her desire as her hands started roaming up and down my body.

To my waist, my hips, my back, my ass, to my thighs.

My breathing was getting heavier, and she pulled away.

I gasped out, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air.

But she didn't give me time to recover, and her mouth found my neck. Her lips suck against my skin, making me shiver. She marks me with her teeth, scraping against it, her tongue licking over the bites to sooth it, all while I make small sounds.

"I know baby, I know." She responded to my whines.

I breath heavily as her lips attached to my collarbone. "I-Is the door locked?" I whisper shakily.

She didn't stop her kisses, and mumbled against my skin. "It's always locked when you're here."

I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling.

But then another concern filled my mind. "What if--" I was interrupted by a groan as she bit down, "If... someone hears us?"

"I'll give you something to bite down on to muffle your screams if you want." She licked over my skin.

I blushed at her words. "But--"

Daniela stopped and pull back slightly. Her eyes scanned over my neck and collarbone, taking in the marks she left. Unconsciously a tiny whine escaped my lips before I could stop it. The feeling of her lips off my skin makes me even more desperate.

She looked into my eyes. "I don't like that Cameron kid."

I stare at her blankly.

No, no, no. Not now.

"Oh." All I could say.

"He's always around you, touching you." Her voice went lower. "Always... staring at you like he wants to devour you. It just makes me pissed because he thinks he has a chance with you."

My heart sunk listening to her, knowing that Adeline's plan was working.

To reassure her, my hands found her face and cup it. Her muscles were tense, gripping my thighs tighter, making a jolt of electricity go up.

My eyes took in her beautiful details, from the forests in her eyes, to her plump lips.

"I don't care." I whisper. "I don't care about him. I care about you. I want your attention. I need your attention. I care about your opinions, not his."

Not really knowing what I'm doing, I grab her right hand. My fingers wrapping around her wrist. She felt it-- I could see how her pupils dilated, but she continued staring into my eyes.

My heart beat picked up. "I care about your touch,"

I pull her hand away from my thigh and take it under my skirt.

She bit her bottom lip, her pinky grazing my inner thigh as I lead her closer to my core.

My breathing got stuck in my throat as I placed her hand over my panties. I let go of it, but she didn't move a muscle. She hovered her hand in between my legs at the place where I want her the most.

"not his."

Her eyebrows furrowed down slightly like she found what she's been searching for in my eyes. Our faces were inches apart. My breath bouncing off of her. Noses almost touching.

Her one finger followed the slit up through my folds over my panties causing me to whine slightly. My hands gripped onto her shoulders, keeping my steady.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

I scrambled to move, but Daniela was already taking her hands back and gently pushing me off her lap, her hands steady despite the panic in her-- and my-- eyes. "Hide." She whispered swiftly, pointing under the desk.

I didn't even think, just ducked down and folded myself into the cramped space beneath her desk, my knees pulled to my chest. My heart raced so loudly I was sure whoever was outside would hear it.

She pushed her chair into the desk, almost hitting me in the face.

Daniela stood, smoothing her blouse and brushing back her hair. Her composure returned like flipping a switch. "Come in!"

There was a tiny gap under the desk where I bent down, ass in the air, and peeked underneath to see.

The door opened, and in walked Professor Clarke.

He carried a bouquet of flowers, his kind eyes lighting up as he entered. My heart stopped for a second, barely breathing as I look closely at the flowers.

"Daniela," he greeted warmly, holding out the bouquet. His feet were right in front of me. "Here you go. I believe these are for a special someone."

Flowers? My chest tightened, and I stared at the colorful bouquet from my hiding spot, the ache in my stomach growing.

Was he giving those to her?

I clenched my fists, feeling a bitter mix of jealousy and hurt swirl inside me.

"Thank you, Thomas," Daniela said, her voice soft but carrying that professional tint.

She leaned forward, probably taking the flowers.

Then there was a silent pause, Thomas just standing there.

"Is that Victoria's backpack?" he asked, raising a brow. "Is she here?"

My heart jumped into my throat.

Luckily Daniela was quick on her feet, her voice calm and steady. "I was just about to give her some extra lessons. She went to grab something. She's been needing a bit of guidance lately."

"Victoria? Struggling? That's hard to believe. She always excelled in all her classes—and her mom used to rave about how talented she was. Lauren would've been so proud."

I bit my bottom lip as it started to quiver.

That hurt in a way I wasn't prepared for.

From where I hid, I could see Daniela's posture stiffen just slightly when he mentioned my mom, but she kept her voice calm, almost too calm. Even I had to stay composed and as quiet as possible. "You know how it is, Thomas. Even the best students sometimes need a little extra push to reach their full potential."

The bouquet of flowers in her hands, which Thomas just handed her, triggers me a bit. I assume they're for her, he brought them to her office after all. But as I watched Daniela hold them down onto her lap that I could see... kind of hurt.

"Thank you for bringing them." She said, gesturing to the flowers.

"Of course," Thomas walked to the door where I could see his full body. Head to toes as he smiled warmly at Daniela. "And if you see Victoria, tell her I said hi."

I could feel the heat rise in my face.

Why did he bring flowers for her?

"I'll pass that along to her." Daniela spoke.

And with that, Professor Clarke stepped out, shutting the door. My gaze shifted to Daniela, my chest tight.

She looked down at me, the professional mask slipping for just a second. "You can come out now," she said, her tone softer.

She pushed her chair out for me to crawl  back up.

I hesitated, still processing everything, before slowly climbing out.

I stretched my hands above my head, my legs stiff from crouching for so long.

My eyes fell on the flowers she was still holding.

I cleared my throat, trying to mask the hurt I was feeling. "Those, uh... are pretty."

Daniela tilted her head slightly, her eyes softening as she took a step forward. "They're for you, Victoria," she said quietly, offering them to me. "I wanted to apologize. For everything."

My stomach twisted, and I took a step back, still unsure of how to process what was happening. "For everything?" I repeated, my voice faltering. Why would she apologize? Wasn't I the one who needed to apologize for not saying what I felt?

I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, trying to hide how much the flowers and her words affected me.

"I know I haven't been easy to deal with lately, and I'm sorry for that. I just wanted you to know that I care about you." She stretched her arm even more out towards me, nodding at the flowers.

But I thought we were fine already.

Shakily I reach out and took it.

"I... appreciate it," I muttered, still feeling awkward and unsure. I forced myself to meet her gaze, even though I didn't know how to make sense of anything right now. "But... it's just-- I don't know what to say."

Daniela's smile faltered slightly, but she didn't seem upset. Instead, she took a small step closer, her eyes meeting mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. "You don't have to say anything, Victoria. I just wanted you to know that I'm here. And I'm sorry."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. Without thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around Daniela, burying my face in her shoulder.

The flowers hit her back.

I felt her arms tighten around me as I clung onto her, and for a moment, everything felt right again—like we were back to where we were before all the hurt and the misunderstandings.

Before Adeline.

"Is this a bad time to go back to what we were doing before we got interrupted?" she asked, her voice low and teasing.

I swallowed, my heart racing. "Daniela..." I began, but the words got stuck in my throat. I didn't know what to say to that.

She chuckled, her hands still resting gently on my shoulders. "Relax, I'm just teasing." But there was a glimmer of something deeper in her eyes-- something that told me she wasn't entirely joking.

My phone buzzed loudly in my pocket, cutting the moment short. I step back, her hands falling off me, and pulled it out quickly, seeing the name on the screen: Adeline.

I sighed, feeling a tight knot form in my stomach. Daniela noticed the change in my expression immediately, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Everything okay?" she asked, her tone turning more serious, almost protective.

"Yeah, yeah." I ramble, trying to think about things to cover it up. "Nothing I can't handle. Just, stuff I need to do. Prepare dinner for my dad, you know? Pops' getting hungry. Someone has to feed him."

Daniela looked at me suspiciously before she nodded and leaned against her desk. "I thought all you could make is pancakes?"

Well shit.

"W-Well, yeah." I walked to my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder.

"Pancakes for dinner?" She frowned.

"It's... a new trend!" I smiled. I now grabbed my coffee in my one hand, other hand occupied with flowers. "Breakfast for dinner."

She continued staring at me, folding her arms over her chest as I walk to the door.

"Thank you for the flowers!" I said, my voice higher than usual. "See you tomorrow!"

Adeline told me it's a crisis. That's all she said before hanging up.

"Get home ASAP."

I've never ran this fast in my entire life.

My cheerleading coach would be proud.

I stepped into the house.

Now, standing at the entrance of the kitchen, I was immediately on guard.

Adeline and Dad were already seated at the table, the smell of cooked food --roasted potatoes, vegetables, meat-- filling the room. It almost looked like a normal dinner, but something was off.

"You're just in time," Adeline said, too sweet. Strange. "Dinner's ready. Come sit down."

I stood there for a moment, goosebumps all over my skin.

I needed to rush home for dinner?

Slowly, my backpack slid down my shoulder and onto the floor against the wall. My dad greeted me and then looked at the flowers in my right hand, and the now empty cup of coffee in my left. "Who's the flowers from?" He asked with a teasing smile, winking at me.

Before I could come up with a great cover-up, Adeline whistled. "I think Victoria has a secret admirer... I wonder who."

I gritted my teeth as she smirked at me.

Dad chuckled. "You can tell us right after you sit down! Come sit, come sit." I placed the flowers and empty cup down on the kitchen counter before walking towards them and took a seat opposite of Adeline. "We're just waiting for one more person."

Adeline practically teared through my soul with her gaze. She stared at me at the top of her eyes, head tilted down slight as she leans her chin on her knuckles.

I turned to dad. "One more person?"

Just then, from upstairs, the toilet flushed.

Adeline leaned back in her chair. "Oh yes, a special guest for the next week."

There was footsteps coming downstairs before it stopped right behind me.

My heart sunk.

Dad smiled. "Cameron, son."