Unspoken edges

Fiona’s POV

“Oh, Elena, I didn't realize you stayed in school this long as well…”

“I do,” she answered with creased brows that made my stomach twist.

“How can I help you?” Jalen asked, with a calm voice.

She stood frozen in the doorway, her hand still hovering in the air like she’d forgotten how to knock. Her eyes darted between us: Jalen and me before roaming between his tie still hanging crooked, the faint red mark on the side of his neck where I’d bitten too hard, my dress wrinkled and clinging in all the wrong places now that the adrenaline was crashing. My lips still felt swollen. My thighs ached in a way I could not imagine.

She didn’t blink for several long seconds; it felt like she was trying to process what was before her.

Then she cleared her throat, the sound small and professional, like she was forcing herself back into the role of colleague.

“I… didn’t realize you were still here,” she said carefully. “Both of you.” she paused “I wanted to see if I could get an academic file from you”

Her gaze flicked to me—brief, assessing, not quite accusing. There was something in it that made my stomach twist with disgust and curiosity, maybe. I couldn’t tell.

Jalen stepped half a pace forward, blocking me slightly from her line of sight.

“Fiona was just dropping off an assignment, I told her to bring it this late so there's nothing to worry about” he said smoothly. “We were discussing her independent study proposal.”

The lie slid out so easily it almost sounded true and I nearly choked on my chuckle.

Elena’s mouth curved—just the smallest, saddest tilt. “Of course.”

“I should go,” I murmured.

Jalen glanced back at me quickly like he hadn’t given me the approval to leave but I ignored him.

I slipped past Elena without meeting her eyes, my coat clutched to my chest as I walked down the hallway, and it swallowed me whole.

I didn’t breathe properly until I reached the stairwell.

Then I ran straight to my room and shut the door.

Jalen’s POV

“You could have called before coming, you know?” Elena didn’t move from the threshold. She just watched me, arms loosely crossed, and expression unreadable.

“Jalen,” she said quietly. “We need to talk.”

I exhaled through my nose. “Elena—”

“Inside,” she added. “Please.”

There was no anger in her tone. Just… something heavy.

I stepped back, gesturing her in. She walked past me—slowly—her heels clicking softly against the tile. I closed the door behind her. Locked it again. Habit now.

I leaned to the door, watching her wander to the window instead, looking out at the dark campus. Streetlights painted long shadows behind the grass.

“I’m not stupid,” she said after a long silence.

“I never thought you were.”

She turned then. Faced me fully.

“I’ve known you for years. Watch you teach and admire your teaching strength from afar. You’ve always been careful until recently.”

I strode to my desk and leaned back against the edge—the same desk where Fiona had just come apart under me—and crossed my arms. Waiting.

“Especially with Fiona, you’ve been too close to her, I just wanna know if everything is okay with her or there is a need to call her parents,”

The question caught me off, guard.

“Yes, she’s fine, she just needs a little attention in her studies aside from that, she's good.”

My jaw tightened.

She took a step closer.

“Right, uhm… one more thing” she paused.

“Yes,”

“You know, a part of me has always wondered what it would feel like if you looked at me the way you look at her.”

The confession landed like a stone in still water. Quiet.

“Who…”

“Marian, she’s lucky to have you, you’re handsome, calm, and reserved. I had loved to be the one to care for such a personality for a while, before you announced your marriage to me, and it hurt me that you never looked at me. It breaks my heart,” she confessed with flirty eyes piercing through mine.

“Elena…”

She closed the distance between us. Not touching. But close enough that I could smell her rose cologne, nothing like Fiona’s warm vanilla-and-sex scent that still clung to my nose.

“I’ve waited,” she said. “Years for you to notice me, I never wanted to do this but I couldn't hold it anymore,”

Her fingers brushed the sleeve of my shirt lightly..

“I’m not asking you to leave her, but we could work something out” she whispered, her finger playfully twisting the edge of my tie.

Her hand slid up to my collar. Tugged gently and I caught her wrist gently.

“Elena,” I said again. Softer this time. “I can’t, I'm married.”

Her eyes searched mine.

“Because of Fiona?” she asked, her face twisted in a frown as she pulled inches away from me.

“I beg your pardon, Fi is a child.”

“Fi? Is she no longer fiona to you? Now that’s fishy” she uttered before exhaling shakily. “I don’t want to sound too desperate, Jalen, but I'm willing to do whatever you want and I promise not to be too obvious to Marian, think about it, please.”

“But…” my phone buzzed on the desk behind me before I could respond and I pulled it from my pocket answering it without thinking.

“Yes?”

“Jalen,” Marian’s voice came through, “Where are you?”

“Still at the office,” I answered.

“Ain’t you coming home?” she asked.

“I’m on my way.”

I answered and ended the call.

Elena’s eyes remained glued to mine the whole time, not tearing them away.

“That was her,” she said. I nodded. “I have to leave, you should go get some rest as well”

She stepped back. Smiled and left.

I grabbed my keys, and phone before striding out of the office.

The drive home was quiet. Too quiet. My mind replayed every second of the day: Fiona under the desk, her mouth around me, her body shaking on my desk, the rose toy buzzing against her clit while I fucked her senseless.

By the time I pulled into the driveway, the house was dark except for the upstairs windows. Bedroom light on.

I let myself in quietly hoping to slip in without her finding out. But the moment I shut the door, I heard a low moan coming from upstairs.

My stomach turned, then the sound cut off abruptly—like someone had heard the front door.

Silence.

I took off my shoes. Moved through the stairs like a shadow. Slow and silent, I wanted to find out what was going on, hoping I could use it against Marian later..

I paused at our bedroom door and pushed it open.

Marian’s legs spread out, her eyes met mine as I stood by the door. Frozen with my mouth wide open.

“Shit! Jalen?”