Office

Vinorca Jona POV “Don’t go to school today. I’m taking you to my office with me.” I stopped mid-step on the staircase, my breath catching when I saw Dante waiting below. Two days had passed since my birthday, and for once I’d been doing okay—no anxiety clawing at my ribs, no spiraling thoughts. Masen kept his word and never called Dante. Amanda’s parents were fully contacted, and thankfully, they took the situation better than I expected. Nothing exploded. Masen and I hadn’t spoken since that day. University stayed hectic, and I was grateful for the distance. I didn’t need rumors floating around about me and a teacher, even if Amanda had her own dramatic interpretations after I told her about my coffee with him. Not even a real date. “You hearing me, Bunny?” His voice brushed over me, the nickname tightening every nerve in my body. Facing him again was its own punishment. His red eyes dragged up memories I’d spent two days trying to bury—how I’d come apart on his tongue, how he’d finis