登入NIKOLAIThere’s a spark to him now as he talks about Theo, a fondness in his eyes. He almost looks like he’s…My grip tightens on his shoulder again.Those dark thoughts of possessiveness well up in me for the second time.I don’t care what feelings he has for his friend, whether they are platonic or not.It doesn’t matter what feelings he has accumulated over the past years, because I’m in the picture now. And the moment Julian agreed to step into this with me, the moment he approached me, he already became mine.“So… would you say you’d do anything for him?”He frowns as he looks up at me. “Yes. Maybe. Why?”His tone is careful, like he’s trying not to give anything away. But it’s too late for that.Fuck. How did I not see this? Or maybe I did and I just chose to willfully ignore it.The second one sounds like the more probable option.Theo, Theo, Theo.Why the fuck does that name bother me so much?I’ve been wracking my brain ever since I first saw him.Something about him irritat
NIKOLAIThe thought flashes through me so fast it almost drives me insane.He’s mine even if he lied.Mine even if he betrayed me.Mine even if I have to rip apart everyone around him to remind him of it.I inhale sharply, trying to force the thoughts back down, but they only multiply. I can practically feel the violence simmering beneath my skin now, hot and restless, begging for somewhere to go.If any other person had done this, any other person apart from Julian, then I’d already be plotting how to erase them from existence.No one plays with me and gets away with it. Especially someone I was planning to give my all to.I want to break something… no, someone.I want to see Julian pinned beneath me, forced to finally tell me which parts were real and which parts were fake. I want to tear the answers out of him until there’s nothing left to hide behind.I stop walking and break away from Julian’s hold. I turn to face him and grab his waist, dragging him closer.He looks up at me wi
NIKOLAII watch as Julian’s eyes go wide, his mouth dropping open in shock. He’s gone completely still, like his body has forgotten how to move. His expression looks strange, caught somewhere between shock and panic, like his brain is struggling to comprehend what is happening.His friend behind him seems to have a calmer reaction. He just stares at me blankly, like he doesn’t really care if I heard it all or not.And for the record, I heard. I heard everything.I force my face to an impassive mask as I turn my attention to Julian.I straighten lazily from the pillar I’m leaning against. “Done talking?”He doesn’t react for a moment, as if he didn’t hear me but then he nods slowly, his mouth still parted, like he can’t get any words to come out.Any other person in my shoes would probably confront them, question them about what I’d heard, ask them if it’s really true, make such a big fuss about things.But I’m not going to do that. Where is the fun in that? It’s much more entertaining
JULIANTheo laughs once in disbelief. “Excuse me?”“You heard me. It’s incredibly rude to demand that when I’m sitting right here.”Theo’s eyes narrow. I can tell he’s one second away from losing it. “How dare you talk about what’s rude—”I quickly intervene before this can escalate any further.“It’s fine,” I say, looking at Nikolai. “We’ll just talk and I’ll be back soon.”His lips thin in displeasure. I genuinely think he’ll prevent me from going but then his hand leaves my thigh.“You can go.” His voice is flat.Theo looks offended at his tone and I stand quickly before he can say something about it.I don’t need these two trying to kill each other. Not right now, and definitely not in public.Theo turns and walks away without another word.I follow after him nervously.I can feel Nikolai’s gaze on my back but I don’t dare to look back.Theo walks fast down the hallway, his shoulders tense.He pushes open the door to an empty classroom and steps inside.I follow carefully.The sec
JULIAN“Hi,” I say carefully.His lips curve slightly. “Hi.”The look he gives me makes heat creep into my face embarrassingly fast.He looks at me like I’m something precious. Like he’s…No. I shut that thought down immediately. I can’t allow myself to go there. Not while Theo is right here and watching my every move.“What are you doing here?” I lean in to whisper.He raises an eyebrow. “Having lunch. What else do you do in a cafeteria?”I almost roll my eyes. That’s obviously not what I mean. And he knows it too, judging by the little quirk to his lips.Theo clears his throat. “I’ve never seen you in a cafeteria. Didn’t even know you ate here.”Nikolai doesn’t question how he seems to know that.Instead, he simply answers, “I don’t.” He glances at me and the soft expression in his eyes makes my pulse quicken. “But I guess I found an incentive.”My heart flutters but that feeling quickly fades away as I catch sight of Theo. His jaw tightens, his hands tightening around his glass.I
JULIANI roll pasta onto my fork for the hundredth time. I haven’t been able to actually eat any of it since I sat down at the table.The cafeteria buzzes loudly. Students crowd the tables, voices overlapping into one giant blur of noise, trays clattering and chairs scraping against the floor.“Everything is going perfectly, don’t you agree?” Theo asks, as he takes a sip of his iced coffee.He looks completely relaxed, the exact opposite of how I feel inside. After the whole encounter with Nikolai, my stomach has been tangled in knots.I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place— my relationship with Theo and the urge to do what’s right. It’s a terrible place to be in.I force a smile to my face. “Yes. Perfect.”I haven’t told him that Nikolai essentially told me he likes me. I don’t know why that is and I don’t want to dig into the recesses of my mind to find out. Because I may not like the answer.Selfishly, I want to keep a part of that day for myself.The words keep repl







