جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 320

He nodded, but I could tell he didn’t fully believe me. “We should probably study then,” he said, breaking the silence.“Yeah, good idea,” I agreed, trying to sound casual. I got up and headed to the study, where I grabbed my laptop and textbook. When I came back, I set them down on the table between us, flipping the book open to a random page so it looked like I was ready to focus.He shifted closer and sat beside me on the couch, close enough that our shoulders almost touched. Then leaned forward slightly, glancing at my open notes and laptop screen.“Anything you don’t understand?” he asked. “I can help if you want. I’m two years ahead of you, so I’ve probably already taken most of these classes.”I hesitated for a second, caught off guard by how easily he’d closed the distance between us. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and let out a small breath as I pushed one of my notebooks toward him.“Actually… yeah. I’ve been stuck on this part for a while,” I admitted, pointi

“You’re not a very likable person.” “I wasn’t trying to be.” My feet carried me after him as he headed down the hallway toward his room. “Well, there’s a limit to how much of an unlikeable pain someone can be, and you—” He reached his door and pushed it open without slowing down. I was still mid-sentence when I tried to follow him inside. Noah stopped in the doorway and turned, one hand braced against the frame, blocking my path. “Are you seriously planning on following me the fuck in?” he asked. I stopped short, heart hammering. “I—” I swallowed, then lifted my chin. “Is there something you’re hiding in there?” “Yes,” he said simply without hesitation. And before I could say another word, he stepped inside and shut the door right in my face. The sound of it clicking shut echoed in the quiet hallway. I stood there staring at the closed door, my hands curled into fists at my sides. If he knew he wasn’t going to keep me company, why the hell did he drive my friend away? He ca

Noah chuckled under his breath, clearly enjoying my reaction way too much.“Relax, princess,” he said, amused. “I’m just messing with you.”I rolled my eyes, grateful for the excuse to look anywhere but at him. “You’re such a jerk.”He didn’t deny it. Just kept that small, satisfied smirk on his face as he went back to eating.I finished the last bite of my food, then stood up and carried my plate to the sink. The sound of running water gave me something to focus on while I rinsed it off, trying to ignore the way my skin still felt warm. I could feel his eyes on me even with my back turned, and it was annoying how aware I was of him.After I set the plate on the drying rack, I wiped my hands on a towel and turned around, leaning against the counter. Noah was still watching me, but the teasing edge in his expression had softened just a little.“Thanks for the food,” he said after a moment, his tone surprisingly genuine. “It was good.”I shrugged, trying to play it cool even though his

I blinked, caught off guard by how direct the question was. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag as I tried to keep my voice steady.“I’ve just been busy,” I said. “With class and… other stuff.”“Other stuff?” he repeated, tilting his head. “Like what?”“They’re personal,” I muttered, already stepping forward to walk past him.But before I could get by, Kai reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.“Does this personal stuff include that security guard?” he asked.I froze.Security guard?My mind flashed back to when Kai had asked if Noah was a security guard. Was he referring to him?I yanked my arm out of his grip and took a step back, my heart pounding harder than it should have been.“What the hell are you talking about?” I hissed. “And don’t grab me like that.”Kai held up his hands in a mock surrender, but the look in his eyes didn’t match the gesture. There was something behind the easy smile he tried to put back on.“I’m just asking,” he said lightly

I stepped closer and grabbed his injured wrist, my fingers trembling as I held it between us. Blood was still seeping through the makeshift band he’d tied, warm and sticky against my skin.“You’re hurt,” I let out, my voice breaking as fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. “Look at what you did to yourself.”My grip tightened, not enough to hurt him more, but enough to make sure he couldn’t just pull away again. I stared up at him through blurry eyes, my chest heaving with everything I was trying — and failing — to hold in.“Where’s your phone?” I asked, my voice still shaking.He didn’t answer right away. His jaw clenched as he looked down at me, his expression unreadable through the pain.“I don’t know,” he said finally.I just stared at him. The disbelief must have been obvious in my eyes, because he exhaled sharply and added, “I’m not lying.”Before I could argue, he pulled his hand out of my grip and tried to walk past me toward his bedroom. He only made it two steps before his leg