SEDUCING MY BIKER PROFESSOR

CHAPTER 32: The Apology

Nirvana's POV

I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the blank screen of my phone. The morning sun filtered through the curtains but my room felt cold. I could not stop thinking about Leo.

The fight we had in the studio yesterday replayed over and over in my head. I hated the strain between us. I hated knowing he was sitting in his dorm room feeling utterly humiliated and rejected.

I needed to fix it. We had made up after the argument, but the tension was still there. I could not let him pull away from me.

I unlocked my phone and pulled up his contact. I hit the call button before I could talk myself out of it. I brought the phone to my ear and listened to it ring.

It rang four times. I thought he was going to send me to voicemail, but the line finally clicked open.

"Hello?" Leo said. His voice was quiet and rough, like he had not slept at all.

"Hey," I said softly. "It’s me."

A heavy pause stretched over the line. "I know."

"I just wanted to call and check on you," I struggled to keep my voice steady. "I know we talked but I still feel terrible about how everything went down. I hate that we fought. I hate that you are hurting."

I decided to come out clean. I heard Leo let out a sigh.

"You do not need to feel terrible. I’m the one who yelled at you. I was just really embarrassed, and I took it out on you because you were there. I should not have accused you of those things."

"You were hurt," I validated him immediately. "You had every right to be upset. But I want to get your mind off the rejection. I want you to come over to my today."

"I do not know, Nirvana," Leo hesitated. "I am not really in the mood to do anything. I just want to lay in bed and avoid the entire world."

"You cannot hide in your room all weekend," I insisted gently. "Just come over. We will not talk about Jesse. We will not talk about campus or the art department. We will just hang out. My brother is gone for the day, so we have the whole place to ourselves. Please, Leo."

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, probably considering the offer. And then he blurted "Are you going to make me talk about my feelings?"

"Not a single word," I promised. "I just want to see my best friend."

"Okay," Leo finally agreed, his voice softening. "I will come over in an hour."

"I will see you soon," I said, and hung up the phone.

I immediately got off my bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Everywhere was silent. Adrian and Ronan had stayed out late again last night dealing with their ‘business’ and neither of them were home. I was used to the isolation by now.

I wanted to make Leo feel as comfortable as possible when he arrived. I went straight to the pantry and gathered the things I needed. I pulled a tray of croissants out of the freezer. They were his absolute favorite small chop. I placed them in the oven to warm them up.

The front doorbell rang right as I was about to make coffee. I walked to the door and pulled it open.

Leo stood on the front steps. He looked deflated. He was not wearing his stylish, fitted clothes from yesterday. He wore baggy sweatpants and an oversized grey hoodie with the hood pulled up over his head.

He looked tired and thoroughly heartbroken that I fought the urge to pull him into a hug.

"Come inside," I told him, stepping back to give him room.

He walked in and dropped his backpack on the floor. I led him straight into the dining room.

When he saw the spread of food waiting on the table, a small smile broke through his sad expression.

"My favorite," Leo said as he sat down.

"Of course I remember," I replied, sitting in the chair right next to him. I pushed the plate of warm croissants toward him. "Eat. You look like you skipped dinner yesterday."

"I did," he admitted. He picked up a pastry and took a large bite.

We sat at the table and ate together. I kept my promise and completely avoided any mention of Jesse or the rejection. Instead, we talked about movies, the terrible weather in New York, and our upcoming assignments.

The strategy worked perfectly. The awkward tension from our fight slowly melted away with every passing minute.

Leo started to relax. His shoulders dropped and he even laughed at a joke I made about my sociology professor. We were actively returning our friendship to normal, and it felt good to have my friend back.

After we finished eating, I decided I wanted to get some work done while we talked. I walked down the hall to my room and carried my wrapped canvas back into the dining room. I set it up against the wall near the window to catch the light.

I unzipped my canvas bag to get my brushes and paints. I dug through the bottom of the bag, pushing aside tubes of acrylics and charcoal pencils, but my hand hit empty space.

I checked the side pockets. They were empty too.

I let out a groan.

"What is wrong?" Leo asked from the table, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I’m out of the blending medium I need for the background," I explained, pulling my empty hands out of the bag. "I used the last of it at the campus studio yesterday, and I forgot to buy a new bottle. I cannot finish this layer without it."

Leo looked at the half-painted canvas. "Can you just use water?"

"No, it will ruin the texture," I told him. I looked at the digital clock on the wall. It was early afternoon. "I need to go get some. There is an art supply shop about twenty minutes away. I am going to order an Uber and run over there right now."

I pulled out my phone and quickly requested a ride.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Leo offered, starting to push his chair back from the table.

"No, stay here and relax," I insisted. "You just got comfortable, and the ride back and forth is going to be boring. Just hang out here. You can turn on the television in the living room. I will be back in an hour."

Leo sank back into his chair. "Okay. I will just wait here for you."

I grabbed my jacket and my keys and walked out the front door to meet my driver.

I quickly bought the specific medium I needed and caught another Uber back to the estate.

I walked up the front steps and pushed the door open. Everywhere was quiet.

"Leo?" I called out as I took off my jacket.

He did not answer.

I walked down the long hallway toward the dining room. A strong, sharp smell of alcohol hit me before I even reached the door.

I stepped into the room and stopped dead.

A heavy crystal bottle of Ronan's whiskey sat open on the table. A short glass was tipped over on its side next to it.

Leo was slumped forward in his chair, his head resting sideways on his folded arms. He was completely drunk and fast asleep.

But he was not alone.

Ronan stood over him.

I froze, instantly bracing myself for my brother’s explosive anger. Leo had raided his liquor cabinet and Ronan was violently protective of his personal space.

But Ronan wasn't yelling. He wasn't moving to grab him.

He was just staring down at Leo.

The dark, intense look in Ronan's eyes made my breath catch. The rigid barrier my brother always wore was gone.

Instead, he looked utterly captivated. His eyes traced the side of Leo's resting face with a raw vulnerability I had never seen before.

I shifted my weight. My shoe squeaked against the floor.

Ronan snapped his head toward the sound.

In a fraction of a second, the vulnerability vanished. His jaw locked his eyes turned cold before it softened when he realized it was me.

He cleared his expression and walked past me down the hall without saying a single word.

I stood frozen on my feet, my eyes darting between my sleeping friend and the empty hallway my brother had just disappeared to.

Why was my indifferent and guarded brother looking at Leo like he was the only thing in the room?