POV: RomanI leaned back against the headboard, one hand holding a glass of whiskey, the other resting on the laptop balanced on my lap. The screen glowed in the dim room, showing Velvet Mistress in the middle of one of her lives. It was a recording from earlier in the day, but I didn’t care.I had been dealing with nonsense all day. I was trying to find someone to head a project I’ve been building for months, but it felt like trying to dig gold out of a landfill. On paper, the candidates looked perfect. Impressive resumes. Polished smiles. Fancy degrees. But I always dig deeper. And once I did, every single one of them came apart like cheap fabric.One guy had been quietly involved in a corporate espionage scandal over a fifteen-thousand-dollar pen. A pen. Another woman ran a so-called “motivational retreat” that somehow ended with multiple lawsuits about goat therapy. And the last candidate of the day seemed like a normal, respectable man until I found his private blog claiming bill
NovaI was on the floor again. Not crying or anything. Just sitting there with my back against the wall, legs stretched out, and my textbook open but untouched beside me. I was supposed to be reading for my test next week, but of course, I wasn’t. I had my phone in my hand, eyes staring at the message Maya had just sent. No words. Just a video and that one wide-eye emoji.I already knew it was going to be nonsense.I pressed play.The video opened with a shaky, zoomed-in clip of me leaving my shift at the restaurant last night. It was dark, so the video wasn’t even clear. You could barely see my face, but my hair and bag gave me away. Someone had recorded me through the window like a little creep. Right across the screen in bold white letters was the caption:“Miss campus queen by day, waitress by night???”I blinked. The video cut to another clip. This time, it was daytime. I was walking across campus wearing one of my favorite oversized hoodies and slides. Nothing fancy, just comfy.
Nova’s PovBy the time I got home, my feet were aching and my head was buzzing. The moment I stepped through the door, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and dropped my bag right on the floor. No energy to carry it to my room. I was already peeling off my jacket before I even reached the bathroom.The shower was calling my name. I let the water run for a few seconds, waited until it was hot, then stepped under. The warmth hit my skin and instantly relaxed me. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, letting the water wash away the day. School had been long. Roman’s messages had kept me on edge, and even though we didn’t say much, I kept replaying everything in my head like a movie. I didn’t know what he wanted. I didn’t even know what I wanted. But he was in my thoughts and it annoyed me that he was.After I dried off, I went to my closet. It was time for Velvet Mistress I picked out one of my favorite bodysuits. It hugged my curves just right. Then I sat in front of my
Roman's pov The alarm buzzed before the sun even finished rising. I reached for my phone and turned it off with a quick swipe, groaning as I sat up. The room was quiet. Cold, almost. The kind of cold that reminded you you were alone. I sat there for a minute, elbows on my knees, hands raking through my hair.My mind drifted before my feet even touched the ground. I saw cake. Silk dresses. Champagne glasses clinking. A hundred fake smiles. And one real one. Hers.Nova.I hadn’t expected her to look like that. I didn’t even recognize her at first. Not until she smiled and said my name. It was like seeing someone from a dream — someone who used to belong to another life. She had grown up. More than that, she had turned into something sharp and bright and unbothered. But I could still see it. Underneath all that leather and silence. I could still see the little girl who used to tug at my coat sleeve and ask me for stories.I forced myself to stand.I had left the party early. People prob
Nova First-person POVI was halfway through my iced coffee when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Maya was talking about one of her professors again — the one with the messy hair and the weird obsession with lizards — but her voice started to fade when I saw the name light up on my screen.Roman Grey.I stared at it for a second, confused. Then I remembered. He’d asked for my number after the gala — said something about wanting to check in, be nice, whatever. I didn’t think he actually would. But here it was. A message.“Hope your day’s going alright. How’s school treating you?”Simple. Polite. Unexpected.I chewed on my straw and texted back, “It’s boring, as usual. My friend’s been ranting about reptiles for ten minutes straight.”His reply came faster than I thought it would. “Sounds intense. Poor lizard guy. Hope he survives the semester.”I smiled a little without meaning to. Maya noticed and raised an eyebrow.“You texting your secret admirer or what?” she teased.“Just someone,” I
NovaI woke up to sunlight stabbing through the blinds like it was angry with me. My whole body felt tangled and stiff, like I had slept inside a knot. My mouth was dry. My eyes burned. I blinked up at the ceiling, trying to piece together where I was. Then it all came back. The cake. The gasps. Genevieve’s smug little face. My father’s voice. My heart sank all over again.I reached over for my phone on the nightstand. The screen was too bright but I looked anyway. The time made my stomach flip. I had class in one hour.“Shit.”I groaned, tossing the covers off me. My legs felt heavy as I dragged myself into the bathroom. I didn’t even bother to look at my face in the mirror. I just brushed my teeth like a zombie and splashed cold water on my skin until I felt halfway alive again. I stood under the shower longer than I should have. The hot water helped clear my head a little. Not much. Just a little.After toweling off, I walked back into my room, still wrapped in the towel, hair drip