CHAPTER 5: THE FIRST RULE HE BROKE
961 Words
I spent the entire night replaying those words in my head.
"I should have stayed away from you."
Whether Ethan had actually said them or not no longer mattered. The damage was already done. My heart had heard them, and now it refused to let them go.
The next morning, I arrived on campus exhausted. Unfortunately, my day became worse the moment I spotted Lucas waiting outside my lecture hall.
A bouquet of flowers rested casually in his hands.
My eyes widened.
"Lucas, what are you doing?"
He grinned.
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Making terrible decisions?"
His laughter echoed through the hallway. Several students turned to look at us, and suddenly I became aware of the attention we were attracting.
Then I noticed something else.
Someone else.
Standing at the far end of the corridor.
Ethan.
His eyes landed on the flowers first.
Then on Lucas.
Then finally on me.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The distance between us was too great for anyone else to notice.
But I noticed.
The slight tightening of his jaw.
The way his shoulders stiffened.
The coldness that suddenly appeared in his gaze.
For the first time since meeting him, Ethan Hayes looked annoyed.
The realization sent an unexpected thrill through me.
Which was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Lucas handed me the flowers.
"They're not a proposal, relax. It's your birthday next week and I found them yesterday."
I laughed despite myself.
"You're impossible."
"I know."
When I looked up again, Ethan was gone.
Yet somehow his reaction stayed with me throughout the entire day.
Especially during his lecture.
Because Ethan didn't look at me once.
Not once.
The man who always seemed aware of my existence suddenly acted as though I wasn't even in the room.
And strangely enough, that hurt.
By the end of class, I was irritated.
At him.
At myself.
At whatever this confusing thing between us had become.
As students began leaving, I packed my bag quickly.
I needed coffee.
Lots of coffee.
And preferably a new brain.
I was halfway down the hallway when I heard his voice.
"Miss Carter."
I froze immediately.
Of course I did.
Slowly turning around, I found Ethan standing alone near the classroom door.
Waiting.
For me.
Every rational thought left my body.
"Professor."
His gaze lingered on me for a moment before moving toward the flowers sticking out of my bag.
Something dark flashed through his expression.
Gone almost instantly.
But not before I saw it.
Not before I recognized it.
Jealousy.
The possibility was so absurd that I almost laughed.
Yet I couldn't ignore what I'd seen.
"Your friend seems very attached to you."
The comment caught me off guard.
Was Ethan Hayes really asking about Lucas?
My heart immediately forgot how to function.
"We've been friends for years."
His jaw tightened.
"Friends."
It wasn't a question.
It sounded more like a challenge.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
The hallway around us slowly emptied until we were almost alone.
Dangerous.
This was becoming dangerous.
"You called me over to discuss Lucas?"
I asked carefully.
Ethan stared at me.
Long enough to make my pulse race.
Then something unexpected happened.
Something neither of us seemed prepared for.
He stepped closer.
Only a single step.
Yet it felt enormous.
The distance between us suddenly disappeared.
Not enough to touch.
Never enough to touch.
But enough that I could hear my own heartbeat.
Enough that I could see the tiny flecks of gold hidden inside his eyes.
Enough that I completely forgot how breathing worked.
"I called you over because your research proposal was approved."
His voice was calm.
Professional.
Yet the look in his eyes was anything but.
Relief flooded through me.
Followed immediately by disappointment.
Wonderful.
Now I was disappointed about academic success.
Clearly I had lost my mind.
"Thank you."
Ethan nodded.
But neither of us moved.
Neither of us seemed willing to end the conversation.
The silence stretched between us.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Full of things neither of us could say.
Then suddenly footsteps approached from behind.
A female student.
Pretty.
Confident.
The same blonde girl from the library.
She smiled brightly at Ethan.
"Professor Hayes, are you free tonight? I wanted to discuss something over dinner."
Dinner.
The word hit me harder than it should have.
Immediately, I looked away.
I had absolutely no right to feel disappointed.
No right to care.
No right to feel jealous.
Yet there it was.
Sharp and painful.
I hated it.
The blonde student continued smiling.
Waiting.
Expecting.
The answer seemed obvious.
Ethan was attractive.
Successful.
Intelligent.
Of course women wanted his attention.
Why wouldn't they?
I forced myself to look elsewhere.
Anywhere but him.
Then Ethan spoke.
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Cold.
Final.
The student blinked.
Clearly surprised.
"Oh."
"I'm not interested."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The rejection couldn't have been clearer.
The blonde student quickly left.
Embarrassed.
Humiliated.
Gone.
I stared at Ethan.
He stared back.
And for some reason, neither of us mentioned what had just happened.
Yet something about the timing felt deliberate.
As though his answer hadn't been meant for her.
As though it had been meant for me.
The realization made my heart stumble.
Before I could stop myself, I smiled.
A small smile.
A dangerous one.
For the first time, Ethan smiled back.
Not a professor's smile.
Not a polite smile.
A real one.
And somehow that felt far more intimate than any touch could have.
Then his expression changed.
The smile vanished.
The warmth disappeared.
His eyes shifted to something behind me.
Confusion appeared on his face.
Followed by concern.
Then anger.
Real anger.
My stomach dropped.
Slowly, I turned around.
And immediately understood why.
Lucas was standing there.
Watching us.
TO BE CONTINUED...
- Writer
