AMORE O LUSSURIA (LOVE OR LUST)

CHAPTER TWELVE

(Ethan’s POV)

The morning after the lake felt heavier than the usual camp haze. The students stumbled around bleary-eyed, clutching coffee cups, trying to shake off late nights and too many beers. Ethan, however, wasn’t tired.

He never was.

What kept him awake wasn’t lack of sleep it was Ava.

The image of her at the dock was burned into him defiant, trembling, trying so hard to deny what was plain in her eyes. That moment had left him sharper, hungrier, restless in a way he hadn’t felt in years.

But when he stepped into the cabin where the group met for their final camp debrief, the first thing he saw was Ava laughing.....not at him.

At Daniel.

Daniel, with his neatly ironed shirt, his perfect golden-boy smile, his earnest teacher’s pet energy that made the faculty adore him. He was leaning over her desk, showing her something on his notebook, and Ava’s eyes sparkled in a way that made Ethan’s jaw tighten.

Interesting.

He took his seat at the front of the room, expression smooth as glass, but inside? His blood simmered.

“Alright,” the professor said, voice crisp enough to snap attention back to him. “We’ll finish camp with reflections. Pair up with your partners and discuss your progress before presenting.”

The shuffle of chairs and chatter filled the room again. Ethan leaned back in his chair, scanning the pairs. He wasn’t supposed to notice, wasn’t supposed to care....but Ava hadn’t moved yet.

Because Daniel was leaning even closer now, his voice low, his hand brushing hers like it was an accident.

And Ava...damn her....wasn’t pulling away.

Maya, of course, noticed immediately. She sat across the room, smirking like she was front row at a play. Catching Ethan’s gaze, she mouthed two words.

Jealous much?

Ethan’s lips twitched, but it wasn’t amusement. No. It was that darker thing he kept buried under smirks and banter.

He pushed up from his chair, every movement calm, calculated. “Montgomery,” he said smoothly. “With me.”

Ava blinked, startled. “What? But Daniel....”

“I’m your partner. Or have you forgotten?” His tone was silken, but the undercurrent left no room for argument.

A flush crept into her cheeks. She hesitated only a second before sliding her notebook into her bag and following him out.

He caught the flicker of Daniel’s frown as she left. Satisfaction curled through him like smoke.

They walked in silence until they reached the edge of camp, where the forest path opened to a quiet clearing. Birds chirped, sunlight filtered through the trees, but all Ethan could hear was Ava’s uneven breathing beside him.

“Was that necessary?” she snapped finally, arms crossed.

“Absolutely,” he replied without hesitation.

She scowled. “Daniel was just helping me....”

Ethan turned to face her, stepping closer than strictly appropriate. “Helping,” he echoed softly. “Is that what you call it when he can’t keep his hands off you?”

Her mouth fell open. “He wasn’t...! You...you’re impossible.”

He smirked, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “And you’re oblivious.”

Ava’s glare could have cut glass. “Even if he was interested, it’s none of your business.”

“Isn’t it?” Ethan asked, voice low. He leaned in, close enough that she had to tilt her head back. “Tell me, Ava....would you rather he chased you, or do you enjoy being chased by me more?”

Her breath caught. She faltered. “That’s not...That’s....”

He tilted his head, watching her crumble under the weight of the question. Watching the war in her eyes.

“Thought so,” he murmured, before stepping back with infuriating ease.

The rest of the day blurred into routine camp activities packing up, last lectures, faculty milling around. But Ethan kept catching flashes of Ava: her laughter with Maya, the way she brushed her hair out of her face, the faint crease in her brow when she thought too hard.

And every time Daniel drifted too close, Ethan’s hands itched.

By evening, as the buses lined up to take them back to campus, Ethan stood apart, posture relaxed, but his eyes tracking Ava like she was gravity itself.

He wasn’t sure what was worse that she pulled him in…

or that Daniel might’ve noticed too.

By the time the camp began to wind down, the sun was low, bleeding warm gold across the treetops. Students hauled duffel bags toward the line of buses, chattering about Wi-Fi and hot showers, while professors checked attendance with tired efficiency.

Ethan didn’t bother helping. He leaned against the side of the faculty bus, arms crossed, sunglasses hiding his eyes. Outwardly, he looked every inch the detached professor, unbothered by the chaos.

Inside, he was anything but detached.

Ava was somewhere in the crowd with Maya and Daniel. He hadn’t seen her since their little clearing confrontation, but the echo of her defiant expression lingered like an itch under his skin. The way she’d flushed when he asked if she preferred his chase it had nearly undone him.

And now Daniel hovered again.

The golden boy carried Ava’s bag without asking, smiling too wide, saying something that made her laugh. Ethan’s jaw tightened. It was too practiced, too clean like Daniel was trying to play the role Ethan already knew belonged to someone else.

Stay calm, Ethan told himself. You’re not the jealous type. You don’t care.

But he did.

Oh, he did.

The ride back to campus was long two hours on a bumpy bus, filled with tired bodies and whispered gossip. Ethan had taken his place near the back, claiming a row to himself like always. It was easier to observe when people thought he wasn’t listening.

He’d expected Ava to sit with Maya, maybe a group of her classmates. But of course, fate or something crueler had Daniel sliding into the seat beside her before Maya even had the chance.

From where Ethan sat, he had a perfect line of sight Ava pressed against the window, Daniel leaning just a little too close, his arm casually stretched along the back of the seat.

A muscle in Ethan’s jaw ticked.

Maya, noticing immediately, caught his eye across the aisle. She arched a brow and mouthed: Oh, this is good. Then she dramatically fanned herself, grinning wickedly when Ethan’s lips pressed into a thin line.

He almost laughed at her audacity. Almost.

But then Daniel leaned in to whisper something to Ava, and Ava stupidly, foolishly smiled. Not the full smile she gave Maya, but enough to make Ethan want to tear his seat from the floor.

He wasn’t aware he’d been staring until Ava’s gaze flicked up and caught him.

For a second, her expression faltered. She shifted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her smile fading under his steady stare. Ethan didn’t look away. He wanted her to know he saw her. That he noticed everything.

Finally, she broke the contact, turning back to Daniel with a nervous laugh.

And just like that, Ethan’s stomach twisted.

“Ethan?”

The voice startled him. One of his friends, Gideon Larkin, had slid into the seat across from him, oblivious to the tension humming under Ethan’s skin.

“Enjoy the camp?” Gideon asked cheerfully.

“Exhilarating,” Ethan deadpanned.

The boy chuckled, launching into some story about his cabin roomies sneaking beer in and getting drunk all night. Ethan nodded at the right places, but his eyes kept drifting to the reflection in the bus window. To Ava, her head tilted toward Daniel as though she were listening closely, though her hand fiddled nervously with the strap of her bag.

She wasn’t comfortable. Ethan knew her well enough now to read the signs.

Still, the fact that Daniel even thought he could step into her space it made Ethan’s blood simmer all over again.

Halfway through the ride, the bus went quiet. Students dozed off, heads resting against windows, the steady hum of the engine lulling them into half-sleep.

Daniel, to Ethan’s irritation, didn’t sleep. He stayed upright, chatting in a low voice. Ava, however, leaned slightly toward the window, her eyes closing.

And then damn him Daniel let his arm settle across the back of her seat again, closer this time, like he was testing boundaries.

Ethan’s hand curled into a fist against his thigh. He told himself to stay still, to stay silent. But then Maya, from her spot a row ahead, turned halfway around and whispered just loud enough for him to hear:

“You’re fuming.”

Ethan cut her a warning look. She grinned wickedly. “Careful, Ethan. Your mask is slipping.”

His response was a slow, deliberate smirk. “Masks are only necessary when someone’s worth deceiving.”

Maya blinked, then actually snorted, shaking her head. “Oh, you’re so gone for her. This is going to be fun.”

When the buses finally pulled into campus, it was after dark. The air was cool, city lights glowing in the distance, the weekend over like a snapped thread. Students groaned, dragging themselves off the bus.

Ethan stepped off last, his bag slung casually over his shoulder. He paused, scanning the crowd and there she was.

Ava stood at the bottom of the steps, hugging her bag to her chest, her eyes darting between him and Daniel. She looked torn, uneasy, as though part of her wanted to bolt.

Daniel said something an offer to walk her back, maybe. But before she could answer, Maya slung an arm around her shoulders and loudly declared, “Sorry, golden boy, she’s with me.”

She winked at Ethan as she dragged Ava away.

And for once, Ethan was grateful for Maya’s meddling.

Because he wasn’t ready......

not yet

to watch Ava choose someone else.