The tension between them lingered like an unspoken secret, an invisible thread pulling them together no matter how hard Vivian tried to sever it. Avoidance hadn’t worked. Indifference had failed. And now, as she sat at her desk long after school had ended, grading papers with a half-hearted focus, she wasn’t prepared for what came next.
A soft knock at her door startled her. She looked up, expecting another teacher or maybe a student needing help. But when her eyes met Ethan’s, her pulse stuttered.
He stood in the doorway, not with his usual smug confidence, but with something softer, something careful.
“Ms. Hayes.” His voice lacked its usual teasing lilt.
Vivian inhaled sharply, forcing herself to remain composed. “Ethan, what are you doing here?”
He stepped inside, closing the door
