Chapter 62
[ 1,096 words ]
“No!” Iris snapped, looking back up. “Don’t you dare.”
Alexander arched an eyebrow. “Why not?”
”Because thousands of students rely on it for everything from club news to professor reviews. They talk about campus events, professors, games, clubs, everything. Yes, sometimes they gossip too much, but I won’t be the reason the student body loses its voice just because I’m afraid of a few rumors.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to be the reason the entire university loses something that connects them.”
Alexander studied her, his gaze lingering on her lips. “You’re far too concerned with everyone else’s well-being than yourself.”
“Somebody has to be.”
“And what about your own?” he asked, his voice dropping to a low, intimate murmur. “What exactly are you worried about, Iris?”
She hesitated for a second, looking at him. “Us…this… whatever this is.” She paused. “what exactly does you owning the university mean for me?”
Alexander’s expression became serious. “It means you don’t have to worry about any rumors affecting your academic future. It means nobody is going to punish you for walking into my office and staying here for as long as you’d like. And it means that whatever happens between us, your education will not be used as leverage.”
Iris studied him. “You’re saying that because you’re trying to make me feel safe.”
”I’m saying it because it’s true.”
”And what happens if I decide I don’t want this?”
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The warmth vanished, replaced by a sudden, sharp chill. Alexander’s face went stone-still. “I truly thought we were past these games, Iris.”
“I was just asking a question,” she murmured, though she felt the shift in his energy.
He took another step towards her. When I gave you the choice to walk out of this room or remain here, you stayed. You made your choice, Iris. And we had an incredible time here. So now you’re standing here asking me what happens if you suddenly decide you don’t want any of it.”
”I was asking a question, you don’t have to sound angry.”
”I am angry.” His voice was controlled, but his jaw tightened. “I’ve spent two weeks trying to understand why you ran from me. Then you came back, and I finally thought perhaps you’d stopped running.”
Iris swallowed. “And now you’re asking me what happens if you run again.”
His eyes held hers.
”That makes it difficult for me to believe you aren’t already planning your next escape.”
Iris swallowed hard. “I’m not planning to leave.”
“Then stop speaking as though you’re already halfway out the door.” He stepped back, his voice turning cold, though his eyes remained burning. “But if you truly feel you don’t want this… you can leave. Now.”
The invitation was an ultimatum. Iris saw the flicker of pain behind his mask of indifference. “You don’t mean that. You’re just saying it to see if I’ll stay.”
Alexander didn’t answer. He moved back into her space, stopping where they could feel the heat of each other’s breath.
“No,” he whispered. “Not in the way you think.”
Her pulse quickened. “Then what do you mean?”
“I mean I will never force you to stay beside me,” he said, his hand rising to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His touch was searing.
“But if you walk away because you are afraid of what I am… Iris, I will come after you.”
She shivered. “Why?”
His thumb brushed her cheek, trailing down to the sensitive skin of her neck. “Because you are not someone I can simply forget.”
As his skin touched the strange mark on her neck, a sudden, intense heat flared beneath her skin. Iris gasped, a soft …ah…escaping her lips. Alexander’s eyes snapped to the mark, his nostrils flaring as he scented the change in her.
“You still haven’t told me what this is,” Iris whispered, her voice thick with a sudden, overwhelming desire.
Alexander’s expression darkened with something deeper than desire. “No.”
”Are you going to?”
”Yes.”
”And when is that?”
He held her gaze, his thumb pressing firmly against the mark, sending waves of electricity through her entire body. “When I know the truth won’t make you run.”
“And if it does?”
His hand dropped slowly, though his gaze remained locked on hers. “Then I’ll find you.”
It wasn’t a threat. It was a vow. She stared at him. There was no threat in his voice. That was what made the words so unsettling.
They sounded like a promise. And somewhere deep beneath Iris’s confusion, the strange bond between them seemed to stir again. She breathed in deeply to try and calm herself.
”Regardless of me running or not, I still want to know what this mark on my neck means.”
She touched the mark again.
”My friend and I have tried everything for the past two weeks. We’ve searched online, we’ve looked through old medical information, we’ve tried to figure out whether it could be some kind of birthmark or tattoo or skin condition, but every path leads nowhere.”
She shook her head. “I’m tired of having questions and no answers.”
Alexander watched her carefully.
”I need to know what this mark means.” Her voice became firmer. “And if you refuse to tell me, then I’m walking away from you regardless.”
Alexander stared at her, knowing that she’s trying to stand her ground. “Alright, but to tell you, you’ll have to come with me first.”
”Come with you where?” Iris asked him.
”To tell you my story, I would have to actually show you…for you to understand and to believe. But I can’t do that here.”
Iris stared at him for a moment, contemplating his words and thinking if it’s wise to go with him.
”Fine, I’ll meet you outside the school.”
”Why can’t we go together from here?” Alexander asked with his brows furrowed.
Iris gave him a look. “Because I’m not walking out of here beside you after spending five hours inside your office.”
A faint smile touched his mouth. “You seem concerned about what people think.”
”I’m concerned about what university students think, which is considerably worse.”
She grabbed her bag. “They already saw me come here with you. If they see us leaving together after I’ve been inside for hours, I might as well hand them the story myself.”
Alexander crossed his arms. “And you think waiting outside will change their minds?”
“It might,” she said, looking at him with a small, triumphant smile. “And I’m betting on ’might’.”
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