Page 49 of Love in the Dark

“Are you always such a fucking tease?”

She turns to look over her shoulder at me.

“Only when I know what I want.”

She walks out, closing the door behind her. I’m getting really tired of watching her walk away, leaving me with my anger, a throbbing hard on, and no relief for either in sight.

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Chapter 15

Nera

Less than a week later, I slam the paper down on his desk, my palm pushing it into Tristan’s field of vision.

“A nine out of twenty,” I declare, my voice trembling with anger.

He finishes writing a note on another student’s paper, then takes his time putting the cap back on his pencil and placing it on his desk before he looks up at me, the bastard.

The effect of his gaze is immediate, as per usual. It pierces me with the force of a blow, leaving me momentarily breathless. Even when I’m furious with him, even when I’m so anxious about my failing grade that I’ve had painful stomach cramps since last night when the grades went live on the portal, I still have this reaction to him.

I waited until classes were over today to confront him. I wanted us to be alone; I could hardly scream at him in front of all of my friends.

“Maybe instead of wasting your time flirting in my class you should pay a little more attention to the course material,” he replies, before turning his emotionless eyes on me.

I huff and take a step back.

“So, this is payback for what happened with Rex?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says with a sinister smile, leaning into his chair and spreading his legs dominantly. He’s seated and I’m standing, but I’m the one who feels at his mercy. “It wasn’t a good paper.”

“It was a brilliant paper and you know it,” I correct. “You need to fix this right now.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

I think of my dad’s anger when he finds out, and he will.

My mum’s disappointment.

Another failure. A small one, but they like to keep a tally and I’m running up quite a meter in their eyes.

My dad just left and if he sees this reason enough to turn the plane around, I’ll have to deal with him for another week. Who knows how he’ll react if I’m within arm’s reach of him when he finds out.

“You can’t.” I grit the words out through clenched teeth. I hear the quiet shake in my voice and I wish I could hide it, but I’m tired. I don’t have quite as strong a control over my emotions right now. “I’ll sit in the back of your class and leave you alone,” I offer. When he doesn’t answer, I think about the texts I kept sending, even when he wouldn’t text back, one as late as last night. “I’ll stop texting you as well, I promise. I understand you don’t want me.” I look him in the eye when I speak so he knows how important this is. “But you have to make this right.” I pause. “Please.”

He doesn’t know what it costs me to ask for help, especially from someone I don’t trust.

Or maybe he does because he sits up with a frown drawing at his brows.

“What’s wrong?”

I suddenly hate him for sounding like he actually cares.

“Nothing, just fix my grade,” I say, irritated and pushing the paper back towards him.

He looks down at it and then back at me. “I’m not changing anything. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I told you, nothing.”

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