Chapter 28 #2
Especially among the girls.
Some openly stare while others smile brightly in an obvious attempts to catch their attention.
Hunter notices none of it.
His eyes lock directly on me as he walks towards our table with that same calm confidence that somehow makes him even more intimidating.
My eyes travel over him for a brief second before I quickly look away and focus on the table instead.
Unfortunately for me, Hunter notices everything.
Which means he definitely catches me checking him out because a sly smile immediately appears on his mouth.
He takes a seat directly in front of me, and almost as if on cue, the rest of the food arrives.
I am grateful for the distraction.
I pick up my spoon and finally focus on my acai bowl, more than happy for something to occupy my attention besides him.
But even without looking at him, I can feel his eyes burn through the side of my face.
Arlo sits beside Ophelia, his expression edged as usual, though I catch something else there too.
Something that almost looks like longing.
“Viper,” Isaak says.
“Devil,” Adelaide replies, a flash of hatred crosses her eyes.
It takes them less than a sentence to slip into their usual routine of contradicting each other and arguing over absolutely everything, which becomes exhausting to listen to after more than a few minutes, so as usual, I tune them out entirely.
That honestly seems to be their favourite pastime.
Bickering.
Milo and Octavia are exactly the same if not worse.
The only difference is that Octavia genuinely seems to hate Milo.
Milo, however…
He looks at her with such an absurdly fond smile sometimes it’s unsettling to witness.
Hunter’s leg suddenly brushes mine beneath the table and a small gasp leaves me.
Thankfully, Isaak and Adelaide are too loud in the middle of their argument for anyone to notice my reaction, and I am so grateful for it.
I look up at Hunter.
His expression remains as serious as ever, but there’s the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes as he watches me.
“Good morning.”
He says it so simply that my heart betrays me completely, and before I even realise it, I’m smiling back at him.
Something flashes through his eyes for a brief second, almost like I caught him off guard too, but it disappears just as quickly.
And for one moment, it feels ridiculously easy to simply let go around him and—
My fingers tighten slightly around the spoon.
Because I can’t let myself think about things like him and me.
That night was reckless. I knew it was a mistake and I did it anyway.
A brief illusion of freedom.
One selfish choice before the rest of my life stopped belonging to me.
Before I became nothing but a marionette in someone else’s hands.
And now I am paying for it.
Because he refuses to let go.
But the worst part is that I can’t even pretend I regret it.
Because for a few hours that night, I got to simply be… me.
And God, part of me wishes I could do it again. Stop fighting him, stop fighting myself.
Because I know, without a doubt, that I will never feel anything like that again.
Not in the life waiting for me.
“Piper.”
Adelaide’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
I look up, blinking, only then realising that everyone at the table is watching me while I’ve been absentmindedly stirring my spoon through my bowl.
“Yes, sorry. What was it?” I ask, straightening slightly.
Hunter is looking at me.
A slight frown appears on his face, his expression is tight, like he’s trying to figure out where my thoughts just went.
I look back at Adelaide, but it’s Ophelia who speaks first.
“Are you alright?”
I offer her a small, easy smile.
“Yes. Of course. I just got a bit stuck in my own thoughts for a moment,” I reply lightly. “I’ve been working on a new spin on the ice, and I suppose my mind wandered to that.”
She smiles back, though the concern in her eyes doesn’t fully disappear.
Hunter, however, clearly doesn’t believe a word of my lie.
Not even slightly.
His eyes remain fixed on me like he’s trying to figure me out, and when I briefly look back at him and offer a reassuring smile, the tension in his expression only worsens.
The men’s food arrives, and honestly, I’ve been saved by the arrival of food at least three times already today.
Milo looks at his plate before he lifts his fork and takes a cautious bite.
“Vegan eggs Benedict,” he says slowly. “That sounds contradictory.”
Isaak looks up from his phone and levels his cousin with a look.
“Because you lack basic comprehension skills,” he replies flatly.
Milo narrows his eyes at him as he continues eating.
“Fine, but why call it eggs Benedict at all? Just say it’s an imitation of real food. The menu is basically false advertising.”
“You can discuss menu terminology with Vass,” Isaak replies coolly.
Milo looks back down at his plate.
“So what I’m actually eating is plants?”
“It’s usually made from things like chickpea flour, tofu, nutritional yeast, oils. People chemically recreate the texture and flavour. It’s fairly straightforward.” Isaak says without lifting his eyes.
Milo stares at his plate for another second.
“Right… plants.”
Isaak finally looks up.
“That’s all you took from that entire explanation?”
Milo shrugs before he looks at Ophelia.
“See what you’ve done to me?”
Ophelia hesitates for a brief second, uncertainty passes through her expression, but the moment she notices the amusement in Milo’s expression, she relaxes slightly.
Arlo, however, is not amused.
“Don’t make her uncomfortable,” he says. “Or I will personally ensure you regret it.”
Milo’s grin widens.
“Foreplay,” he says with a smug grin.
Octavia’s elbow slams into his side.
He exhales roughly before he turns towards her with an expression full of adoration.
It is… baffling.
Milo Markev is, in every sense, a Bratva heir.
He is terrifying.
Genuinely terrifying.
He enjoys violence way too much, and I’ve seen him more than once flick a pink blade through his fingers while threatening people like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
And for people like us, perhaps it is.
And the grin he wears almost constantly makes him even more scary.
It’s unhinged.
But when it comes to my friend, something in him softens. Or at least whatever softness exists in a man like Milo Markev.
I quickly finish my breakfast and once I’m done, I stand and slip my bag over my shoulder before saying goodbye to everyone.
I have barely taken a few steps away from the table when I hear footsteps beside me.
I look over my shoulder and find Adelaide beside me already smiling.
“Let’s go out tonight.”
“I don’t know…” I hesitate.
“Oh, come on,” she says easily. “I need to go into town anyway, and honestly, it would do you good to get away from the academy for a few hours. Besides, we never spend time together anymore. I barely see you these days.”
I give her a pointed look and she only shrugs.
“The girls?”
“Busy,” she replies a little too quickly, and I instantly know she never actually asked them.
She notices the look on my face.
“Trust me, you don’t want me and Octavia trapped together in a confined space like a car or a bar.”
“You just shared a table.”
“Yes, and the entire time I fought the urge to poison her drink.”
I sigh.
“Stop exaggerating. It’s me, Adelaide. I know whatever this is, is an act.”
Her smile falters slightly.
“You don’t really hate the sisters. You just try very hard to make it look that way.”
Silence stretches between us for a brief second before I continue. “And I’m certain you did something to Octavia for her to react to you the way she does.”
That catches her off guard, but she quickly shakes her head. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
I let it go. “Anyway, I think Isaak Markev officially takes first place on your list of people you can’t stand because the second he walked into the dining hall, you completely forgot about Octavia and redirected all your energy towards arguing with him instead.”
Adelaide scoffs softly. “Stop trying to figure me out. It’s futile. Now, are we or are we not having a spontaneous night out?”
I consider it for a moment.
Perhaps I should allow myself something.
One small choice that belongs to me while I still can.
Even if I know I’m being watched. That every step I take could be reported.
“Alright. I… might come.”
She nods. “I’ll see you later.”
Then she disappears in another direction, leaving me to continue towards the stairs alone.
Or not entirely alone.
Because the moment she leaves, I finally acknowledge Hunter’s presence behind me.
He stood the moment I did.
And he’s followed me ever since.
“You know,” I say quietly as I begin ascending the steps, aware that he can hear me, “if you intend to follow me everywhere, you could at least try to make it less obvious. People are bound to get the wrong impression.”
He falls into step beside me.
“I couldn’t care less what people choose to think,” he replies evenly. “And, rumours are already circulating. I’m merely… confirming them.”
I turn my head, frowning slightly. “What do you mean?”
His eyes move to me, but his expression remains completely blank.
“Have you, by any chance, opened social media today?”
“No.”
A slow sense of dread creeps into my stomach.
That academy gossip profile is going to be the death of me.
And I mean that literally.
I have no idea what’s waiting for me there.
And honestly, I’m not sure I want to know.
That will be a later me problem.
A tomorrow me problem.
Maybe Adelaide is right. Maybe going out will do me good. A few drinks, some loud music, dancing, and several hours where I can pretend my life is not falling apart around me.
Though, considering the last time I had a sip of alcohol, I somehow found enough courage to lose my virginity to a literal rival.
Although, considering he is now my professor and we seem to exist in some questionable truce…
I suppose technically I can no longer say I slept with the enemy.