4. Chapter Four - Delicate Fear #2
I exhaled softly, trying to sidestep it one more time, but it was obvious I wasn’t getting out of this easily. “Well… he was just showing me to class.”
Sienna rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Oh, really? Is that why he was holding you so endearingly outside the seminar room?” She gestured with both hands as though she were recreating the scene. “All protective and romantic.”
“It’s not what you think,” I said quickly. “He was just catching me. I tripped, and—”
“Yeah, sure,” she cut in with a smirk. “Keep telling yourself that, but we all saw it.”
I pressed my lips together, realizing there was no point in arguing. The look in her eyes told me she’d already decided what she believed, and nothing I said was going to change it.
“Anyway,” Oliver chimed in, either oblivious or intentionally redirecting, “you’re American, right? That’s so sick. You’re also, like… really cute.”
I blinked once before smiling. “...Thanks.”
Part of me hesitated to lean into his energy, but something about how direct he was eased the tightness in my chest and made everything feel a little less overwhelming.
“Ira’s a gorgeous name, by the way,” he added, leaning closer as though he were about to reveal state secrets. “It suits you.”
I glanced at Sienna, trying to read her reaction, but she didn’t miss a beat.
“Oh my God, Oliver,” she sighed, clearly annoyed. “Don’t flirt with Scarbrough’s girl. He’s never had one, but you know how he is.”
Excuse me? Since when had I become a Victorian property dispute?
Oliver’s eyes widened. “Oh, uh—right. I almost forgot about that.”
He instantly scooted back as though I were radioactive, laughing awkwardly while scratching the back of his head.
“Whoops, my mistake. Didn’t mean anything by it.”
Sienna shot him a pointed look before turning back to me. Her tone softened slightly, though her eyes stayed narrowed.
“So. About the project. You want to know what it is, right?”
I nodded, but my mind stayed caught on what she’d said earlier.
He’s never had one.
Great. Perfect. Exactly what every girl wanted on her first day.
The moment class ended, I released a quiet breath of relief. The air still felt tense from something I hadn’t started but had somehow inherited anyway.
I wanted a hit of my vape so badly my jaw tensed. I already knew this place had a strict no-vaping policy, and I wasn’t about to test that on day one. Which sucked, because at this point nicotine felt like the only thing standing between me and a complete psychological collapse.
I glanced around, expecting everyone to leave, but most of the students stayed where they were.
Some lingered in quiet conversation while others scrolled through their phones as though time didn’t matter.
A few stood, but nobody seemed in any real rush.
I wondered if I was supposed to stay too or if I’d missed something everyone else understood automatically.
Trying not to make it obvious, I packed my things slowly, noticing Oliver and Sienna had already slipped out without so much as a glance in my direction.
I clutched my folder against my chest and headed for the door, ignoring the sensation of eyes following me. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t imagining it. Even without turning around, I could feel the pressure of being watched, as though I’d become the center of something I didn’t ask for.
I picked up my pace.
Just as I crossed from the rows into the open aisle, I glanced back, half-expecting someone to be right behind me. My attention flicked over my shoulder for only a second.
And that’s when I ran straight into something solid.
I bounced back, stumbling a step as a startled breath escaped me. “Ack!”
The folder slipped from my hands, papers scattering across the floor.
I looked up, already knowing who it was before I even saw him. “At this point, I’m starting to think you’re just standing in my path for sport.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he crouched down and calmly gathered each page with a focus that felt almost absurdly composed for the situation.
“I apologize,” he said, carefully holding the papers out to me. “Here you are.”
His smile was soft, almost boyish, but his attention stayed fixed on me with an intensity that made irritation difficult to hold onto.
With that calm of his, how was I supposed to stay annoyed?
I cleared my throat and took the folder. “It’s fine. I should probably stop walking around as though I own the place anyway.”
His hand lifted, and before I could react, his fingers slid lightly through my hair.
It wasn’t playful or teasing. It was too careful for something casual.
Too familiar for someone I barely knew. I stilled, realization settling over me.
His touch hadn’t changed since earlier. It was still cold, unmistakably so, sending a shiver across my skin.
Touchy.
That was the word.
Culver was touchy. Boundaries? Never heard of them.
“It hardly troubles me,” he murmured, a faint curve touching his lips, “so feel free to continue colliding with me.”
“You’re a strange one, Culver,” I said, ducking away from his hand to steady myself. “I bet you touch all the girls like that.”
The second the words left my mouth, I knew they didn’t sound accusatory.
They sounded… something else. Something dangerously close to jealous, which was mortifying.
I looked back at him, expecting that same amused expression.
Instead, something quieter crossed his face.
Brief, conflicted, and gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
“No,” he said simply. “Quite the opposite, actually.”
“Lies,” I said, rolling my eyes as I started walking again. “You look like the type who’s been told he’s charming one too many times.”
Behind me, I caught the faintest huff of amusement with just a trace of something defensive beneath it. “Surely that means you find me charming, then?”
Unfortunately, yes.
Heat crept into my cheeks as I realized I’d just handed him proof that girls found him charming.
That I found him charming.
Before I could answer, his hands settled lightly on my shoulders, guiding me with gentle pressure. A wave of chills swept down my arms.
“This way,” he said quietly, his breath brushing my ear. “You were walking in the wrong direction, little lamb. Your next seminar is down this hall.”
“Really?” I pulled out my schedule, already scanning it. “But—”
“Yes,” he interrupted, his tone soft but certain. “This way. I know your schedule.”
He said it so evenly that I probably should’ve been more concerned about how he knew, but what settled harder inside me was the quiet relief of not having to navigate this place alone.
“What are you, smart or something?” I teased, narrowing my eyes. “Or maybe you’re just a stalker?”
His mouth curved slightly, not quite denying it. “It would be more accurate to call it wit than mistake it for something else. Not that it is difficult to remember a few words.”
“I was kidding, Culver,” I said, shaking my head as a small smile slipped through anyway. The fact he didn’t instantly deny it was honestly a little concerning, though.
His hands fell away from my shoulders, and I caught my breath at the sudden absence of his touch.
I’d been with plenty of guys before. I’d let them close, touched them, and watched them leave without it meaning much.
But Culver, someone I’d barely met, left behind a strange emptiness the second his fingers slipped away.
My thoughts broke apart when I spotted Sienna and Oliver farther down the hall.
Oliver looked completely absorbed in whatever was on his phone, oblivious to everything else around him. Sienna wasn’t. Her eyes locked onto mine instantly, sharp and observant, carrying a knowing edge.
I held her gaze for a moment before looking away, gripping my folder tighter. It irritated me that her opinion had gotten under my skin at all. She didn’t know me. That should’ve been enough to brush it off.
But it wasn’t.
Because the uncomfortable truth lingered anyway, unwelcome but persistent. Deep down, I knew she’d been right. There was something between him and me, something pulling whether I wanted to admit it or not.
The worst part was that I couldn’t tell if I was more afraid of her noticing it… or of how badly I wanted to see where it would lead.