Chapter 6
1045 Words
Catherine’s POV
“I haven’t forgotten what is owed to me, Miss Williams.”
My breath catches . I don’t write anything after that, my pen just hovers over the page while his words sit heavy in my chest.
The rest of the lecture passes, but I don’t hear most of it. I feel his presence the entire time. Every time I try to focus, I feel it again…that weight of his gaze, even when I don’t look up to confirm it.
I keep my head down until the bell rings.
The sharp sound cuts through the room, and suddenly everything moves again. Chairs scrape, bags zip and voices rise.
“Oh my God, did you see his watch?”
“It’s definitely expensive.”
“He’s so fine, I can’t even…”
“I swear I’m sitting front row next class.”
I pack my things quickly, fingers fumbling with my notebook and pen. I just need to leave…That’s it!!! Get out, go home, breathe.
“Catherine,” Sharon whispers, leaning closer. “Are you okay?”
“I just need to go,” I mutter.
She studies my face for a second, then nods. “Okay. I’ll call you later.”
I sling my bag over my shoulder and stand. I don’t look at the front, I don’t look anywhere except the door.
Students crowd toward the exit, still talking, still laughing. I move with them, keeping my head down, letting them block me from view.
I’m almost there, just a few more steps.
“You’re not leaving yet.”
My body stops instantly. The noise around me fades, or maybe I just stop hearing it. My heart stumbles hard in my chest.
Don’t turn. Don’t…
“Miss Williams.” He called out.
A few students slow down, I can feel it… from the shift down to the attention. I close my eyes for a second, then open them again. Slowly, I turn around.
He’s standing at the front, exactly where I left him. Watching me.
“I think you owe me something,” he says calmly.
My throat goes dry…Of course he remembers.
I clutch my bag tighter against my chest, like it might protect me from whatever this is.
“I…I already said I was sorry,” I manage, my voice weak.
He doesn’t move right away. Then he steps down from the platform with each step slow and Controlled.
The sound of his shoes hitting the floor echoes too loudly in my ears.
He stops a few feet away from me and leans slightly against a desk, arms crossing over his chest like he has all the time in the world.
“That wasn’t what I meant,” he says.
My stomach tightens.
His eyes stay on me. “You broke my laptop,” he continues. “You spilled coffee over important documents.”
Heat rushes to my face. “I said I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“I know you didn’t mean to,” he cuts in smoothly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that it happened.”
I swallow hard and fingers press tighter into my bag.
“I… I can try to fix it,” I say quickly. “Or…or pay for it. Just give me time.”
A quiet pause follows, Then… A small, knowing smile.
“We’ll discuss that,” he says.
Something about the way he says it makes my chest tighten again.
Movement behind me draws my attention, Students aren’t leaving…Not all of them.
Some have slowed down while some stand by the door, watching !
“What does he want from that weirdo?” someone whispers, not quietly enough.
I flinch.
Jasmine is still there, Of course she is… Leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes fixed on us.
“Seriously,” she says, louder now. “Why her?”
A few girls laugh. “She’s probably offering to clean his office or something,” one adds.
“Or beg,” another snickers. “She looks like the type.”
My face burns and I can feel it spreading down my neck. I don’t look at them but I can feel their eyes judging me .
Even Swizzler is there, standing a little behind them, watching with a slight frown like he doesn’t understand what’s happening.
I feel small again and exposed , I just wish I could disappear but I can’t because he’s still looking at me and he hasn’t reacted to any of it. Not the whispers, not the laughter…Nothing!!!
Then his expression changes, just slightly.“Get out,” he says.
The room stills.
“Now.”
His voice doesn’t rise, but it doesn’t need to.
The effect is immediate. Chairs scrape again, faster this time and Conversations cut off mid-sentence.
People start moving quickly
Jasmine hesitates for a second, her lips parting like she wants to say something, but then she stops.
Even she leaves and Swizzler follows, casting one last look before disappearing out the door.
Within seconds, the room empties and the door closes with a soft click.
I can hear the ticking of the clock on the wall due to the silence.
I don’t move or speak. I just stand there, clutching my bag, my heart still racing.
He pushes himself off the desk slowly. The sound is small, but it feels loud in the quiet room.
“Catherine.”
My name sounds different when he says it. Slower and deliberate
I look up before I can stop myself.
“Come here.”
I don’t move, My feet feel stuck to the floor again. He watches me for a moment, then tilts his head slightly.
“I’m not going to repeat myself,” he says, his tone softer now, but somehow worse.
My chest tightens. Slowly, I take a step forward, the. another.
The distance between us feels too big and too small at the same time. I stop a few feet away, unsure what to do with my hands, my eyes, anything.
He studies me for a second, his gaze moving over my face, pausing briefly on my cheek again.
Then back to my eyes. “Come here, Catherine,” he says softly. “I don’t like being kept waiting.”
- Writer
