He kept his eyes on me and said, \u201cPlease, Miss Violet, get off the dirty floor, you\u2019ll ruin your clothes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded mutely, cheeks burning as he helped me to my feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I quickly brushed myself off, feeling the heat of everyone\u2019s attention crawling across my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Professor Rowan studied me carefully, like I was an equation that didn\u2019t balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs something wrong with you?\u201d He asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth again, but this time, the woman from earlier cut in again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stepped forward, nose wrinkling like she smelled something bad. Her eyes swept me up and down with disdain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you, Miss? Why are you in this school?\u201d she asked coldly! \u201cYou\u2019re not allowed on the school grounds without authorization-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bark!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiger moved before I did, stepping in front of me with a loud grow. His bark echoed so loudly that several students jumped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman gasped and stumbled backward. \u201cWhat-what kind of dog is that?!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiger growled again, muscles tense, his stance protective.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached down and rested a calming hand on his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d I whispered to Tiger, my voice warning him to calm down. But I secretly loved that he barked at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Good boy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCall security!\u201d the woman snapped. \u201cCall security to throw them out this instant!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to the man beside her, who nodded and reached for his phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was when Rowan finally glanced at them. He didn\u2019t raise his voice or even look particularly bothered. He simply said, \u201c\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calm down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both of them froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know her,\u201d Rowan continued, gaze dark as it flicked toward me \u201cShe\u2019s a student of mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The phone was lowered. The woman\u2019s mouth opened, then shut, then opened again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI-I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d she stammered, suddenly sweet. \u201cI didn\u2019t know you knew each other. You came to visit the principal, so your safety is purely our concern. We were just worried.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes flicked toward me again. \u201cAnd\u2026well, she looks\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t finish the sentence. And honestly, she didn\u2019t need to. Iard her thoughts clear as day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was a school for the elite, the kids of politicians and millionaires. Of course someone like me stood out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan didn\u2019t spare her another glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI will have to cancel my appointment with the principal,\u201d he said his voice clipped. \u201cYou can leave. I\u2019ll walk myself out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
We cher with a Dog\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t repeat myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They exchanged a quick look before nodding like puppets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cY-yes, sir,\u201d the man said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI will inform the principal, have a nice day, sir.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gave a noncommittal nod, eyes already back on me. Once they were gone, his gaze lowered slowly, from my eyes to my cheeks, then dropped lower, trailing down the oversized shirt I was wearing. My body flushed all over. Suddenly, I felt exposed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gripped the hem of the shirt and let out a nervous chuckle. \u201cThank you, sir.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan slid his hands into his pockets, his expression unreadable. For what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor\u2026\u201d I hesitated. \u201cFor saving me. I probably would\u2019ve ended up in jail if you hadn\u2019t intervened.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re my student, Miss Violet. One of my favorite students. That makes you my responsibility.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan had always been reserved, and cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To say he was popular on campus was an understatement. He was what half the women in the college dreamed of, rich, educated, powerful. With a face that looked like it had been carved by cruel gods and a voice that could make a woman come just by hearing it. But despite all the attention, he never gave any of it back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was this one time a beautiful and rich girl, the kind everyone expected him to match, confessed to him after class. He rejected her in front of everyone. And the next semester, she wasnt even on his course list.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was the girl in the back row with a notebook full of questions. I loved his lectures and loved asking questions. More than anything, I really admired his intelligence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the only reason why he noticed me. Well\u2026that probably wasn\u2019t the only reason Rowan and I were acquainted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman was Matthew\u2019s uncle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yeah.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That little fact made this meeting about ten times more awkward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I broke up with his nephew publicly. And now here I was looking like I\u2019d rolled out of bed in a stranger\u2019s shirt, standing in front of him with a 100-pound dog at my side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Great.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was probably going to keep his distance now. I couldn\u2019t blame him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe I\u2019d even have to drop his class. Just when I started convincing myself that I needed to quietly walk away and preserve what was left of my dignity, he stepped closer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I flinched, instinctively stepping back as his tall frame loomed over me. In an instant, his face was inches from mine, his light brown eyes locking onto mine. His gaze was no longer indifferent It burned straight through me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you-\u201d He started to speak but he didn\u2019t get to finish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cViolet!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Take arthur Eah\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I broke up with Matthew, Seb\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u00a0<\/p>\n
I paused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That voice, I knew it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned, scanning the walkway until I saw a familiar figure running straight toward me. My heart instantly eased. I smiled before I even realized it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sebastian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My little brother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman stepped back immediately, his tall frame pulling away just as Sebastian skidded to a stop in front of me, panting, his red curls bouncing as he pushed up his crooked glasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeb,\u201d I said with a laugh. \u201cWhy did you run? You\u2019re going to trip\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could finish, his arms were around me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOof!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nearly lost my balance as he flung himself at me, squeezing like he hadn\u2019t seen me in years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve missed you, big sis,\u201d he mumbled into my shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed softly, patting his back. \u201cI\u2019ve missed you too, Seb.\u201d I pulled back slightly, raising an eyebrow. \u201cEven though it\u2019s only\u00a0<\/p>\n
been three weeks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned away with a pout, eyes narrowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe only saw each other for one hour,\u201d he argued. \u201cAnd I had to leave early for my stupid lessons.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached out and ruffled his curls. \u201cYou\u2019re right, I\u2019ve really missed you, Seb.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face flushed, and just as I was enjoying the moment, his gaze shifted past my shoulder, to straight at Rowan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s he?\u201d Sebastian asked, tilting his head. \u201cYour new boyfriend?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I choked. \u201cWhat-Sebastian!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mind spun in twelve directions as I looked from my devilishly grinning brother to my stone-faced professor. Heat rushed up my neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo! He\u2019s not my-he\u2019s not my boyfriend!\u201d I waved my hands quickly and then grabbed Sebastian\u2019s shoulders, whispering through clenched teeth. \u201cSeb, behave yourself!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back toward Rowan, mortified. \u201cThis is Mr. Rowan. My professor.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sebastian squinted at him, then sighed, as if disappointed. \u201cWell, hat\u2019s a waste. He\u2019s too attractive to be just a professor to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt my face ignite. \u201cSeb!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind me, Rowan didn\u2019t speak for a second, until he finally said calmly. \u201cWell, I suppose that\u2019s my cue to give you two some\u00a0<\/p>\n
space,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But, did I just see the corners of his lips move?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A smile?\u00a0<\/p>\n
No way. It had to be my imagination. This was the same man who once called it \u201cvague and inappropriate\u201d when a student\u2019s mother jokingly called him her son-in-law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theoke up with Mathew sob\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back to Seb, still in disbelief. This boy. He\u2019d wanted me to break up with Matthew from the very first time they met, and I never understood why. Matthew had always been kind to him. Maybe Seb saw something I didn\u2019t. Something I was too blinded to notice. And yet, here he was again, stirring the damu pot like always\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou little menace,\u201d I muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, sir,\u201d I said quickly. \u201cMy brother\u2019s playful sometime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan shook his head slowly, then looked directly at Sebastian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for the compliment, I see you have good taste.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw nearly dropped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did he just say that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sebastian beamed, absolutely thrilled. \u201cHe\u2019s funny and good-looking. I like him, sister. You should break up with that bastard and seduce this one instead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSebastian!\u201d I cried, grabbing his ear and tugging.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOw-Violet! You\u2019re hurting me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be dramatic,\u201d I muttered. \u201cI\u2019m not even using force.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are so violent!\u201d he whined.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re lucky I\u2019m holding back,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back to Roman and gave a small bow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodbye, sir.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t wait for him to respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tugged Sebastian\u2019s ear again, and pulled him with me. I grabbed my suitcase handle with one hand, and Tiger padded faithfully at my side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once we were a fair distance away, I stopped beside a quiet bench under a tree. I exhaled, sat down, and crossed my arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou,\u201d I said, turning to my brother with a glare, \u201creally do have a death wish-\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t get to finish the sentence. Sebastian suddenly threw his arms around me again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze, my heart skipping at the unexpected embrace. His hold was strong and something about the way he clung to me made my chest ache.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I coughed softly. \u201cW-What\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what happened,\u201d he mumbled, voice muffled into my shirt, \u201cbut just know I\u2019m here for you big sis.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He squeezed tighter. \u201cYou\u2019re not alone. Because you have me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down at him. His curly red hair tickled my chin. His arms wrapped around my waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I whispered. \u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back. I felt the sting at the back of my eyes, but I didn\u2019t cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t cry in front of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I made that promise years ago, after our parents and older brother died. I promised I\u2019d be strong for both of us. That no matter what happened, he\u2019d never have to see me fall apart. Even if it kill me Inside. Because at the end of the day, we only had each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
broke up with Matthew seb\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long moment, we pulled apart and sat down. Sebastian reached forward and rubbed Tiger\u2019s head. The giant fluff ball barked once and licked his face enthusiastically. Tiger never acted ke this with most people. For some reason, he always stayed cold and aloof, even with Matthew, he barely acknowledged him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched them for a moment, my brother and my dog. Two of the ew people in my life that hadn\u2019t betrayed or abandoned me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sebastian caught me staring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d he said, smiling as he wiped Tiger\u2019s slobber off his cheek \u201cAm 1 just that pretty?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed, shaking my head. \u201cYou really are full of yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He grinned, then blinked as I reached into my bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d I said, \u201cI brought your favorite ice cream on the way here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held the small cup of mint chocolate chip I\u2019d tried to protect during the chaos up. The lid was dented, and it had melted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at it like it was a gift from the gods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t take it,\u201d I warned, pulling it back instinctively. \u201cIt\u2019s probably going to stain your shirt-\u201d Before I could even finish, he snatched it from my hand and peeled it open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mint green drops hit his fingers and his sleeve as he dug in, completely unbothered. He licked it once and looked at me seriously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRule number one,\u201d he said, \u201cnever refuse anything Violet buys me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rolled my eyes and laughed. \u201cYou really are a lot of work, aren\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled again, genuinely happy. I looked down at my hands, fingers loosely clenched in my lap. My chest tightened as I drew in a slow breath. \u201cI broke up with Matthew, Seb.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 22 He kept his eyes on me and said, \u201cPlease, Miss Violet, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-craving-the-guardian-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27938\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}