3.

Noah's POV__:-

Noah Everly had always prided himself on being composed. Quiet. Unremarkable.

It was a skill, blending into the background, becoming someone people’s eyes slid over rather than lingered on.

But from the moment Kieran Wolfe stepped into his classroom, Noah felt seen.

Not in the way a student might respect a teacher. Not in the way an admirer might glance at someone they found attractive.

No.

Kieran’s gaze was heavy. Unrelenting. Like he was studying him. Learning him.

And it unsettled Noah to his core.

It was the second week of the semester, and he was still settling into his role. Still adjusting to the strange, hollow quiet of his new life. Teaching had been a fresh start—a way to escape the past, the memories that clung to him like fog.

He hadn’t expected to feel trapped again.

But that was exactly how Kieran’s presence made him feel.

Trapped.

Watched.

Noah entered the classroom early that morning, expecting to enjoy a few moments of peace before students arrived. Instead, he found someone already there.

Kieran.

Seated in the back row.

Noah’s stomach tightened.

The classroom lights were still dim, and the early morning sun cast shadows across Kieran’s face, highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw, the dark depth of his eyes. He wasn’t looking at his phone, or at the textbook in front of him.

He was looking at Noah.

Noah swallowed, forcing himself to remain calm. “You’re early.”

Kieran didn’t answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him, completely at ease. “I like this room.”

His voice was deep—too deep for eighteen.

Noah placed his books on his desk, pretending the steady weight of them was enough to ground him. “Most students don’t come early unless they need help with something.”

Kieran smirked. “Maybe I just like the view.”

Noah’s fingers curled around the edge of the desk.

It was just a comment. A meaningless, arrogant comment from a cocky student who thought he could flirt with a teacher for fun.

So why did it make his skin prickle?

“Go to the gym or the library if you want to wait for class,” Noah said, voice carefully even.

Kieran didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

“Do I make you nervous, Mr. Everly?”

Noah stiffened.

“No,” he said, too quickly.

Kieran’s smirk deepened, like he had just confirmed something important. “Good.”

Noah turned his back on him, forcing himself to focus on his books instead of the weight of Kieran’s gaze pressing into his spine.

He needed to stop overthinking. He needed to stop feeling like something was wrong.

It was nothing.

It had to be nothing.

---

Kieran'S POV:_-

He had been waiting for this moment.

The moment Noah Everly stepped into his classroom and met his eyes for the first time.

Kieran had always been possessive. He knew that about himself. He didn’t like to share. He didn’t like things being out of his control.

And from the moment he saw Noah—shy, quiet, untouched—he knew.

He wanted him.

No. That wasn’t right.

He needed him.

It wasn’t just attraction. It wasn’t just fascination. It was deeper than that.

Noah belonged to him. He just didn’t know it yet.

Kieran watched him from the back of the classroom, taking in every detail. The delicate way he moved. The way his long, black hair fell over his shoulder when he glanced down. The way his pale fingers tensed slightly when he realized Kieran was already there, waiting.

He’s nervous.

Kieran almost smiled.

Not because he wanted Noah afraid. No, fear wasn’t the goal. But he wanted Noah aware.

Aware that he was being watched.

Aware that someone wanted him in a way no one else ever had.

He leaned back, stretching his arms out as Noah tried to compose himself. “You’re early,” Noah said, voice soft but firm.

Kieran let his gaze roam over him slowly, deliberately.

Shy. Polite. Distant.

But that was fine.

Kieran could break through that.

“I like this room,” he said casually.

It was a lie. He didn’t give a damn about the room.

He cared about Noah.

Noah hesitated, as if debating whether to push further. “Most students don’t come early unless they need help with something.”

Kieran smirked.

He could play this game.

“Maybe I just like the view.”

The tension in Noah’s shoulders was almost imperceptible, but Kieran saw it.

Felt it.

And God, it was intoxicating.

Noah was trying so hard to act unaffected, to pretend this was normal.

But it wasn’t.

Nothing about this was normal.

And Kieran was going to make sure Noah understood that.

Noah’s voice was calmer than Kieran expected when he finally spoke. “Go to the gym or the library if you want to wait for class.”

Kieran tilted his head. He wasn’t going to leave. Not when he had just started testing the waters.

So instead, he pushed.

“Do I make you nervous, Mr. Everly?”

He saw the flicker of emotion in Noah’s dark blue eyes. Saw it. Felt it. Memorized it.

And when Noah answered—"No."—the lie was so obvious Kieran almost laughed.

He let it slide. For now.

But Noah wasn’t getting away that easily.

“Good,” Kieran murmured, letting the moment stretch between them.

Noah turned his back, but Kieran didn’t stop watching.

Didn’t stop memorizing every little reaction.

Noah didn’t understand yet.

But he would.

He would understand soon.

Because Kieran had already decided—

Noah Everly was his.

And Kieran always got what he wanted.

---

End of Chapter Three.