Mr. Wright's POV
I see her.
Every damn day.
And that’s the part that’s killing me.
Because I don’t just see her—I feel her. In the weight of the air. In the way the world tilts ever so slightly when she walks into the room like gravity has no choice but to bend toward her. My every cell recognizes her before my eyes even do. And still—I pretend not to. I let my gaze skim past her like she’s just another indistinct figure in a uniform, just another student with a pen and a schedule.
As if I haven’t memorized the exact shade her eyes turn when she’s pissed off and biting her tongue.
A
I don’t want to see him.I really don’t.But God… I do.And that contradiction is chewing at my insides like acid.Nick.He’s not just a name to me. He’s not some random ghost from my past.He is my past.My anchor. My compass. My person.The only human on earth I can say—without flinching—will never, ever betray me.Because we grew up together. We practically learned to speak each other’s names before we could form full sentences. We didn’t become friends—we just were. From the sandbox to high school, from scraped knees to exam hall meltdowns, from whispered secrets in the middle of the night to long aimless walks because neither of us wanted to go home yet.You don’t replace that.Yes, Mia’s sweet. She cares. She really does. But she came into my life when I was already broken. An
It has officially been two months since I turned into a ghost.Not the cool kind that walks through walls and whispers Latin curses in your ear. No, I mean the pathetic, silent kind. The type that floats through hallways unseen, unheard, unwanted. The type that even mirrors forget to reflect.And today—today—of all godforsaken days, I decided to skip class.My uterus was trying to commit homicide. I curled up in bed like a shrimp soaked in agony, hugging my hot water bottle like it was the last man on Earth. No class. No bra. No regrets.Until Mia came back.She burst into the room like she’d just survived an alien invasion. Bag half open, hair frizzy, eyes wide like she’d seen Jesus himself teaching biology.“Alina—ALINA—you are not going to believe what happened today!”I cracked one eye open, dreading the words that would follow.“First of all,
Yes, I was sad.Beyond reason. Beyond logic. Beyond words.It wasn’t just silence—it felt like betrayal.Because you don’t look at someone the way he looked at me and then just stop.You don’t peel a girl open, piece by piece, hold her pain like it matters—and then drop her like a passing thought.But okay.Fine.I’ve survived worse.I am, after all, the girl whose own blood couldn’t be bothered to care. The girl with a family in name only—relatives who sent cold texts on holidays, who left funeral flowers but never stayed for the grief.So why would I expect more from a stranger?I shouldn’t have. I didn’t.But I did.God help me, I did.And now?Now I don’t.I returned to the version of me I buried the moment he stepped into my life. The version who didn’t expect kindness, who never asked for softn
It’s been two months.Two long, soul-draining, ache-in-my-chest months since Mr. Wright ghosted me.And I still don’t know why.He didn’t text.Didn’t call.Didn’t even offer the decency of a cold explanation.Just silence.Sharp, cutting silence.You’d think it would’ve gotten easier with time. That I’d stop looking for his gaze across the classroom. That my heart wouldn’t drop when he skipped over me like I was air. That I’d stop craving the way his voice used to wrap around my name—teasing, challenging, knowing.But it hasn’t gotten easier.Not even close.Now I just wear the mask better.I laugh louder. I flirt harder. I roll my eyes at his lectures and act like his absence doesn’t sit like a stone in my gut. I pretend he’s just another teacher, and I’m just another student.But inside?I&rsquo
Mr. Wright's POVI see her.Every damn day.And that’s the part that’s killing me.Because I don’t just see her—I feel her. In the weight of the air. In the way the world tilts ever so slightly when she walks into the room like gravity has no choice but to bend toward her. My every cell recognizes her before my eyes even do. And still—I pretend not to. I let my gaze skim past her like she’s just another indistinct figure in a uniform, just another student with a pen and a schedule.As if I haven’t memorized the exact shade her eyes turn when she’s pissed off and biting her tongue.A
Mondays used to be the worst day of the week.Now, every day feels like a personal vendetta.I walk into Professor Wright’s class expecting—no, craving—the usual: his cool gaze pinning me to my seat, his sharp voice curling around my name like it belongs to him, that stupid infuriating smirk when he catches me slipping up.But today?Nothing.No eye contact. No questions. No silent battle of wills.Nothing.He doesn’t even glance in my direction as I slink into my seat, ten minutes early for once—not because I suddenly value punctuality, but because I needed to see him. Just see him. Maybe talk. Maybe say thank you. Maybe just hear him say my name the way only he can—like it matters.But I could’ve walked in wrapped in neon lights and fireworks and he still wouldn’t have noticed.He starts the lecture without so much as a flicker of acknowledgment. No sly
The lingerie.Jesus fucking Christ, the lingerie.My jaw clenches so hard it pops.I didn’t buy it. Thank God I didn’t. But I thought about it. I touched it. That thin, delicate lace, black and wicked like sin itself. I imagined how it would look against her skin. I imagined it fitting her just right. Too right.imagined her.And something inside me whispered, “Yes. That. That belongs to her.”Not to a lover.Not to some teenage boy fumbling in the dark.To me.That thought… that claim… it was a quiet, savage little voice in my head. And it scared the living shit out of me.I slam my palm against the wall, trying to knock it out of me. Trying to shake it off.No.No, no, no.This is dangerous. This is sick. This is fucking wrong.She’s a child. I’m her teacher. I’m the one meant to protect her, not fantasize about how her soaked dr
How did I go from keeping my distance to craving the sound of her voice?This isn’t what I wanted.This isn’t what I planned.I noticed her before I even knew her last name.Before I knew she was his sister.Before the universe laughed in my face and handed me my own damn punishment wrapped in soft skin and a defiant mouth.No—I’m not some fucking pervert salivating over teenage girls. Don’t even go there. I’ve seen bodies. I’ve had bodies. I’ve had sex more times than I can count, and none of it ever meant a damn thing.So no. It wasn’t her body that hooked me. Not at first.It was her.From the second I stepped into that classroom, the air shifted. I could feel the way the students stared. I’m not blind—I know what I look like. I’ve been dealing with starry-eyed crushes and giggles behind textbooks since I started teaching.But her?A
When Ethan asked me to take her out—to that stupid lunch because of the damn Parents’ Day bullshit the school insists on organizing—I should’ve said no.Every part of me knew it was a bad fucking idea.Parents’ Day. That glorified circus where all the proud parents stroll in like they’re collecting awards, beaming at their kids like they’re gold-plated trophies. Laughing, hugging, crying. It’s a feel-good disaster for teachers. But for kids like Alina?It’s a nightmare.Because her parents? They’re not an option.Not for her.And of course, Ethan couldn’t come. He’s always working himself into the fucking ground, never taking a break. So guess who got picked? Guess who got volunteered?Me.A teacher.A fucking teacher.What kind of twisted joke is that?A grown man, taking a teenage girl out for lunch, alone? How does that even look? Wh