Page 110 of Teacher's Pet

"Time for me to go."

And before I can stop myself, I grab his wrist.

"He's a good teacher." My voice drops to a whisper, "You aren’t going to find anything. If you're worried about him making a move on your wife, I promise you Mr. Ackerman has other affairs."

His brows lift, expression shifting in an instant.

Too late to take it back now.

"Word of advice, kid?" He watches me carefully, waiting for me to let go.

"Be careful who you associate with. It may feel right in the moment, but you never know what demons someone is running from. You may feel like you're on cloud nine, but what something means to you may not be the same to the other person."

The words hit harder than they should.

My throat tightens.

He knows.

Or at least, he suspects something.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I hiss, forcing as much confidence into my voice as I can.

Roman’s smirk returns.

Like I just confirmed everything he needed to know.

"Right," he murmurs, shaking his head. "They never do."

And just like that, he’s gone, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, keeping his profile low as he strides toward the door.

Then the shadow outside the doorway stills.

The handle turns.

My heart stops.

Noah.

His icy stare flickers from me to Roman, his body rigid, his jaw tensed so tight I swear I hear his teeth grind.

For a moment, nobody speaks.

Seconds pass before Roman laughs.

A deep, amused chuckle that clashes violently with the thick tension in the air.

He claps a hand on Noah’s shoulder, gaze flicking back toward me, and grins.

"You're right." Roman smirks. "His focus is most definitely on someone else."

And with that, he walks away.

Noah doesn’t move.

Doesn’t breathe.

The silence between us is suffocating.

---