10.

: THE INVITATION

Noah's pov:-

Noah rubbed his temple, feeling the beginnings of a headache as he stared down at the invitation in his hand.

A party.

He wasn't really the party type. Loud music, crowded rooms, people getting too close, too nosy—it wasn’t his scene. But when Emma, his colleague and one of the few people at work he actually liked, had excitedly told him about her engagement and personally invited him to the celebration, he hadn’t had the heart to say no.

"You have to come, Noah!" she had insisted, practically bouncing in excitement. "It won’t be the same without you."

He had hesitated. She had seen it.

"You never go anywhere," she had pouted, folding her arms. "Just this once? For me?"

And that was how he ended up holding the invitation, staring at it like it might set itself on fire.

A part of him regretted saying yes. He didn't like social events. But Emma was one of the few people who made his life at this school a little easier. She had been kind to him since the first day, always checking in on him, offering to help when she saw him struggling to carry stacks of books or dealing with difficult students. She deserved his support.

Still… something in his gut twisted uneasily.

Maybe it was just nerves. Or maybe it was the lingering feeling that Kieran would find out—and he wouldn’t like it.

**********

.Noah took a deep breath and set the invitation down on his desk.

I’m not thinking about him.

He wasn’t.

Kieran Wolfe was not a part of his life outside of school. He wasn’t an ever-present force lingering in his thoughts.

He wasn’t. Or was he?.

Noah repeated it to himself, clenching his fists. This was a normal party. A normal night. He was just going to celebrate his friend’s engagement, enjoy himself for once, and—

A loud knock on his apartment door made him jump.

“Noah! Open up!” Emma’s voice rang out cheerfully. “I know you’re in there!”

Noah sighed, already bracing himself as he walked over to unlock the door. The moment it swung open, Emma breezed inside like a hurricane, carrying a garment bag in one hand and a curling iron in the other.

"Okay, Professor Everly," she grinned, giving him a once-over. "We are not showing up to my engagement party looking like a boring old librarian."

Noah blinked at her, bewildered. “I am not a librarian.”

"Exactly! Which is why we're going to fix that!" She held up the garment bag dramatically. "I brought options!"

He stared at her in horror. "Emma, I don’t—"

"You do." She shoved the bag into his arms and practically pushed him toward his bedroom. "Try them on. Now."

Noah sighed but obeyed, disappearing into the room. As he changed, he could hear Emma chattering excitedly from the other side of the door.

“I can’t believe you actually said yes! You never go anywhere!”

“I’m not that bad,” he muttered.

“You really are,” she laughed. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure you have fun tonight.”

Noah sighed.

This was fine.

A normal night.

Kieran Wolfe isn’t even a thought in my mind.

********

DRESSED TO KILL

Noah sat stiffly on the edge of his bed, staring at the outfit Emma had laid out for him with an expression of pure horror.

"Absolutely not."

Emma smirked, hands on her hips. "Absolutely yes."

"Emma," he pleaded. "This is—this is too much."

"It's perfect," she corrected, waving a dismissive hand. "You always wear baggy sweaters and slacks. Just this once, I want you to actually show off a little. You have no idea how pretty you are, Noah."

His face burned. "I'm not—"

"You are," she cut in, grinning as she grabbed his arm and yanked him up. "And tonight, you’re going to own it. Now get dressed before I do it for you."

Noah swallowed hard but obeyed, his hands trembling slightly as he picked up the silky black top. It was lighter than anything he usually wore, the fabric clinging delicately to his frame, the neckline just a little too low, the sleeves draping over his wrists in a way that felt almost delicate.

Then there were the pants—form-fitting, high-waisted, hugging his legs in a way that made him feel utterly exposed.

He turned to the mirror, his breath catching slightly.

This… didn’t feel like him.

It felt like something dangerous.

Like something forbidden.

Noah hugged his arms around himself, suddenly self-conscious. "Emma," he called hesitantly.

The door slammed open.

Emma gasped dramatically. "Oh. My. God."

Noah flinched. "I look ridiculous, don’t I?"

"You look sexy," she corrected, grabbing his hands and dragging him closer. "Noah, I knew you were pretty, but this? This is criminal."

Noah groaned, hiding his burning face in his hands. "I feel weird."

"You feel hot." Emma tugged him toward her makeup bag on the vanity. "And now, we finish the masterpiece."

He blinked at the array of makeup products in front of him. "Emma, I don't need—"

She shushed him immediately. "I’m just enhancing what’s already there."

Before he could protest, she tilted his chin up and swiped a light dusting of shimmer over his cheekbones. Then—before he could escape—she uncapped a tube of lip gloss.

"This will seal the deal," she said mischievously.

Noah barely had time to react before she spread the glossy liquid over his lips. It smelled like vanilla, felt too smooth, too wet—

He licked his lips instinctively, and Emma clapped her hands in delight.

"There it is," she giggled. "The final touch. Now, tell me, Professor Everly—" she spun him to face the mirror—"who is that stunning creature staring back at you?"

Noah stared at his reflection, feeling something strange curl in his chest.

The dark, silky top. The fitted pants. The glossy, flushed lips.

For the first time in his life… he didn’t look quiet. He didn’t look soft or invisible.

He looked— good.

********

Meanwhile Kieran's pov:-

Kieran leaned against the polished oak desk in his father’s home office, absentmindedly flipping a heavy gold pen between his fingers. His father’s voice droned on, discussing business contracts, logistics, and deals that Kieran had long since memorized.

None of it interested him.

His mind was elsewhere—on someone else.

Noah.

Kieran exhaled through his nose, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips. He could already picture it—Noah curled up in his apartment, small hands wrapped around a book, glasses slipping down his nose, oblivious to the world.

Oblivious to him.

The thought made Kieran’s stomach tighten, his grip on the pen flexing.

His little Angel was always so proper, so unaware of how easily he could be ruined. Kieran loved watching him—loved seeing him fumble with his words when he teased him, loved the way he shied away but never truly ran.

And he wasn’t running. Not really.

Kieran had been good—patient. He had waited, let Noah get used to his presence.

But soon, he’d push further.

Much further.

He grinned at the thought, barely listening as his father passed another document toward him.

“Kieran.” His father’s voice was sharp.

Kieran blinked, snapping back to the present. “What?”

His father sighed, rubbing his temple. “Are you even paying attention?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kieran waved a hand, barely sparing the papers a glance. “Something about mergers, stocks, profits—same old, same old.”

His father’s lips thinned. “If you plan on taking over, you should care about the business.”

Kieran rolled his eyes. “I do care.” Just… not now.

His father exhaled sharply but didn’t press further. Instead, he nodded toward the documents. “Sign them. I need them processed by morning.”

Kieran scrawled his signature without a second thought, pushing the papers aside.

His mind was already drifting back—to a quiet apartment, dimly lit, the scent of old books in the air. Maybe Noah was making tea, maybe he was curled up in bed.

Either way, he’d see him soon.

He always did.

******

Noah's POV:-

Noah felt like a fish out of water.

The club was nothing like the quiet corners of his apartment, the dimly lit classrooms, or the aisles of his beloved library. It was loud—music pulsed through the floor, the air thick with laughter, clinking glasses, and chatter.

Emma tugged him forward excitedly, her grip firm on his wrist. “Come on, Noah! You can’t just hover by the entrance all night.”

“I wasn’t—” he started, but she shot him a knowing look.

He sighed, adjusting the hem of his shirt—one that Emma had insisted he wear. It was far more fitted than he was used to, soft fabric clinging to his lean frame. The faint shimmer of lip gloss she had smeared onto him earlier still lingered, making him hyper-aware of the occasional glances he received as they moved deeper into the club.

It was overwhelming at first, but as the minutes passed, he began to settle.

Colleagues and familiar faces from the university greeted him warmly. Some of them he hadn’t spoken to outside of work before, but they were friendly—complimenting him, laughing, making him feel a little less out of place.

“Noah! You look great tonight.”

“Didn’t expect to see you here—Emma must’ve dragged you, huh?”

“You should let loose more often!”

The praise made his ears burn, but it was… nice.

For once, his mind wasn’t preoccupied. He wasn’t thinking about work, wasn’t thinking about stress, and most importantly—wasn’t thinking about him.

Not about the way Kieran looked at him.

Not about the way he spoke to him.

Not about the way he made him feel.

Noah exhaled slowly, letting himself drift further into conversation, deeper into the night, away from the thoughts that had been suffocating him for far too long.