The need to see her, to speak to her, is too strong.
“Class is over.”
The words echo through the room.
The students look up, confusion written all over their faces.
“Finish the assignment in your own time,” I say, as though ending a class twenty minutes early is perfectly normal. “And begin revising for your next assessment. There will be an unannounced exam before the Thanksgiving break.”
A few students continue to stare at me, while others pull out their phones, no doubt checking the time to make sure they heard correctly.
“Get the fuck out.”
That seems to get the message across. The room clears out remarkably fast.
My eyes go straight back to her.
Piper is on her feet now as well, shoving her things back into her bag.
And avoiding me like the plague.
I move before I can reconsider.
Not that there’s much to reconsider.
I have no interest in hiding whatever this is. I don’t care who sees me with her.
But she does.
And apparently, I’d do everything to make her happy.
A few strides bring me to her.
Her hand lifts to put her notebook away, but I catch her wrist before she can.
Her breath catches as she tries to pull away, but I tighten my grip.
I glance towards the door as the last student leaves.
Only then do I let go of her wrist.
She finishes packing her things, still determined to avoid my gaze.
I reach out and place my fingers beneath her chin, lifting her face until she’s forced to look at me.
The moment her eyes finally meet mine, I almost lose myself in them. The hazel seems richer somehow, and her freckles stand out more than I remember.
My attention stays there for a moment before it moves higher, and the reason she’s spent the entire time avoiding my eyes becomes immediately obvious.
A bruise mars her eyebrow and another shadows her forehead. They’re either a few days old or hidden well beneath makeup.
Either way, there’s no mistaking them from this distance.
And there’s a faint split at the corner of her lip.
The monster I’ve spent my entire life keeping under control rears its head.
That monster so set on making her mine.
