Page 29 of Wet Paint

I let the door shut behind us before I turned to face her.

“You need to stop talking about Ivy.” My voice was quiet, even.

Eleyna straightened her back, eyes narrowing slightly. “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

I stepped closer, not menacing, but enough to make her back straighten even more. “You came to me for help more than once this semester. You asked for critiques, feedback, extra time, attention. I gave it. You want to know what I didn’t give you? Mixed signals. I never once led you on, Eleyna. So don’t act like I did.”

She flinched.

“If you’re hurt, fine. Be hurt,” I continued, voice low. “But if you keep spreading rumors, if you keep making Ivy feel unsafe in my studio, I’ll take it up with the departement and make sure you’re removed from my course.”

Her eyes widened. “You can’t—”

“I can,” I cut in. “Because unlike most of your professors, I’m not tenured. I’m contracted. And I choose who’s in my section. If I believe you’re creating a hostile environment, you’re out.”

She stared at me, mouth parted slightly, like she didn’t know whether to argue or cry.

“And one more thing,” I said, stepping even closer. “Whatever you think you saw…stay out of my private life. And leave Ivy the hell alone.”

I didn’t wait for her response. I turned, opened the studio door, and stepped back inside.

Laughter quieted when I entered. Conversations paused, but only for a moment. It all went back to normal, and I went straight to Ivy, standing next to her so both our backs were facing the rest of the students.

She didn’t look at me right away.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured. I gently touched her thigh. In this position, nobody could see. “I handled it.”

She finally glanced up at me, her eyes glassy but fierce. “I hate her.”

“I know,” I said gently, rubbing my thumb over her thigh. “But she won’t bother you again.”

She nodded slowly and looked at her painting.

I gave her thigh a quick squeeze before moving back to my space, and I kept looking over at her, just to make sure that she was okay.

In here, on campus, and anywhere else, I was going to make sure she stayed safe.

Chapter 10

IVY

It was spring break, and Will asked me to stay with him for a week. Of course, I said yes. I had no other plans, and I longed to be close to him 24/7.

We managed to stay away from each other on campus, but there were still a few stolen moments. A glance when no one was looking. His hand brushing mine in the supply closet. A low “You’re driving me insane” murmured against my ear when I passed him in the hallway wearing something he claimed shouldn’t be allowed in a college building.

But now, with no classes, no lingering eyes, no Eleyna hovering like a ghost in every room, I was free to exist in his world. Completely.

The second I stepped into his house that Saturday morning, it felt different. He greeted me with a slow kiss, hands on my hips, and for the first time in weeks, we didn’t pull away.

He didn’t say much. Just took my bag, set it by the door, and led me to the kitchen. The windows were open, letting in a breeze that smelled like pine and the promise of rain. Music played low in the background. He handed me a mug of coffee, and we leaned against the counter in a kind of peaceful silence that didn’t need to be filled.

“I want this week to be ours,” he said eventually. “No stress. No rules. Just…us.”

I nodded, feeling that lump in my throat I always got when he said things like that.

And that’s exactly what it became.

The days were slow and easy. We painted together in the back room, sometimes quietly, sometimes side by side with our knees bumping, sometimes not saying anything for hours except a muttered curse when a brush fell or a color dried too fast.

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