The rain pelted softly against the tall windows of Professor Adrian Cole's office, a rhythmic murmur that seemed to echo Isabel's thundering heart. She sat across from him, her wet lashes blinking slowly, watching him as if he were both a dream and a warning.
Adrian sat rigid behind his desk, hands folded tightly as if trying to contain the whirlwind inside him. The silence was tense—not the kind that begged to be broken, but the kind that exposed everything. There was too much electricity between them. It lingered in the air like static before a lightning strike.
"I shouldn't have kissed you," he said finally, his voice hoarse.
"But you did," Isabel answered, chin lifted. "And I didn't stop you."
Adrian's eyes flickered with both conflict and longing. "You're my student, Isabel. If anyone finds out—"
"I know what's at stake," she cut in. "But you can't pretend that moment didn't mean something."
A beat passed. Then another.
Adrian looked away. "This... it isn't just about age. Or rules. It's my family. My father would—"
Isabel rose slowly from her seat and walked to the window, watching the campus bathed in grey. "Your father doesn't control your heart."
"He controls everything else," Adrian replied. "The foundation. My position. My reputation."
"And what about what I've been through?" Her voice shook now. "I finally left a man who owned me with his anger. I'm trying to find my strength again, and maybe that kiss—it reminded me that I can still feel something real. Something safe."
Adrian stood, walking toward her. "I want to protect you from everything, even myself."
Isabel turned to face him. Their eyes met.
"You're not the danger, Adrian," she whispered. "You're the calm after the storm."
Their breath mingled. But just before his hands reached hers, a sharp knock rattled the door.
Jude's voice came through. "Isabel? You in there?"
Isabel froze.
Adrian took a step back, rubbing his forehead. "You should go."
She hesitated, then nodded and slipped out the door, brushing past a curious-looking Jude.
---
Downstairs, Daniel leaned against the hood of his car in the parking lot, watching the building with a narrowed gaze. His jaw clenched as he saw Isabel emerge and walk briskly into the rain, alone. He pulled his hood over his head and followed quietly.
She didn't notice.
Back in the hallway, Vanessa Cole stepped off the elevator, her sleek leather boots echoing against the marble. Dressed in a dark green trench coat, her short black hair tucked behind one ear, she was the embodiment of effortless rebellion.
"Professor Cole in?" she asked Jude, who was standing outside the office.
Jude blinked. "Uh—yeah. But he's... occupied."
Vanessa smirked. "Is he ever not?" She walked past, knocking as she opened the door without waiting for a response.
Adrian looked up, startled. "Vanessa."
She sauntered in. "You look tense. Let me guess—student drama?"
Adrian sighed. "What are you doing here?"
Vanessa flopped onto his couch. "I came to talk. Zara's flying in next week, and I need help figuring out how to keep the media from sniffing it out."
He arched a brow. "I thought secrecy was your specialty."
"It is. But love complicates everything, doesn't it?" She grinned. "Ask Isabel."
Adrian's expression darkened. "Be careful what you say."
Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you're falling for her?"
He didn't answer. He didn't need to.
---
Elsewhere, Isabel sat curled in her dorm bed, watching droplets slide down her window. Jude entered quietly, setting down a warm mug of tea.
"I saw you leave Adrian's office," he said. "You okay?"
"I don't know," she said softly. "It's like I'm being pulled into something I can't control."
Jude sat beside her. "You don't have to explain. I just want you safe. Especially from him."
Isabel turned. "You think he'd hurt me?"
"No," Jude said. "But the world around him might."
She held his gaze. "It already is."
Outside, the rain fell harder. And in the shadows just beyond the dorm gates, Daniel watched, waiting. Plotting.