I woke up with the feeling of sunlight gently caressing my face, filtered through the light curtains of Sofia's bedroom. For a few moments, the weight of the previous night's exhaustion still kept me pinned to the mattress, but the human warmth beside me brought me back to reality. Sofia was pressed against me, her arms and legs intertwined with mine as if she were afraid I might evaporate in my sleep. We were both naked, and the sensation of her skin against mine was a constant reminder of the total surrender she had given in that very bed.
She shifted slowly, opening her eyes and offering me that smile that mixed sweetness with an intensity that sometimes sent shivers down my spine. Sofia didn't simply wake up; she awakened fully focused on me.
"Good morning, Luke," she whispered, her voice still husky, as she hid her face in my neck and squeezed me tightly.
"Good morning. Sleep well?"
"I did… I dreamed about you," she replied, giving my shoulder a light bite before letting go.
We got up and went to the bathroom together. The warm shower water helped wake my muscles, still a bit sore from the previous night's marathon. We washed ourselves amid touches that began softly and soon became possessive on her part. Sofia made a point of running the soap slowly over my body, as if she were mapping me, claiming me as her property.
Breakfast was quick. Sofia looked radiant, with an aura of satisfaction that made her even more beautiful, but there was that fixed gleam in her eyes that I already knew. She watched my every movement as I ate, as if she were memorizing my rhythm. I finished my coffee, grabbed my keys and my backpack.
"Shall we go? I don't want you to be late," I said, giving her waist an affectionate tap.
We headed to the parking lot and got into my car. The drive to the college was filled with the radio playing softly, but Sofia wasn't looking at the scenery; she spent the entire time with a firm hand on my thigh, squeezing lightly every time I changed gears. It was her way of saying she was there, and that I was her focus.
When I parked on campus, the morning bustle was already intense. We got out of the car and walked side by side to the point where our paths would split. Before heading to her class, Sofia stopped in front of me, blocking my step. She didn't want a kiss; she wanted something that would last longer.
She wrapped herself around me in a tight, almost suffocating hug. Sofia buried her face in my chest, inhaling my scent deeply, and her nails dug lightly into my back through my T-shirt. It was a possessive embrace, a gesture that told anyone watching that I belonged to her. I stayed there for a few seconds, returning the squeeze to please her, feeling her body relax against mine only when she felt she had "marked" her territory enough.
"Have a good class, Luke. I'll be counting the minutes to see you again," she said, finally letting go, though she kept her hands on my arms for another second.
"You too, Sofia. See you later."
I gave one last wave and turned, heading down the main corridor. As I walked, I could feel her gaze burning into my back until I turned the corner. The lightness of the time with her began to give way to the pressure of the day. I climbed the stairs, weaving through the flow of students, and went to the classroom.
The first class of the morning passed like a gray blur. I sat in the back of the room, feeling the weight in my body and the echo of the last few hours vibrating in my mind. Every time I closed my eyes for a second, flashes of the previous night returned, making it hard to focus on the formulas on the board. When the bell finally rang, I gathered my things and headed to the ten o'clock class. As I walked in, I spotted Nathan and Olivia in their usual seats. Nathan was absorbed in his phone, completely oblivious to the noise around him, while Olivia maintained her composed posture, focused on writing something in her notebook with an almost artistic delicacy.
"Good morning," I said, approaching them.
"Good morning," they both replied in unison, without losing their synchronicity.
I sat down beside Olivia. In that arrangement, Nathan took the corner seat, Olivia stayed in the middle, and I was on the end, closing our trio.
"Feels like I haven't seen you in forever," Nathan commented, finally looking up from his screen. Olivia agreed with a silent nod.
Normally, we have lunch together every day, but an unforeseen event last time broke our daily habit. It was strange how spending just one day away from people you're used to created that sense of distance.
"I had some issues yesterday," I commented, keeping my tone vague.
"Speaking of yesterday…" Olivia leaned toward me. The movement brought her perfume with it, a soft, pleasant fragrance that instantly filled my nose. "I heard a rumor about you and Luther. They say you fought. Is that true?"
"We had a small disagreement," I replied.
I decided to hide the details; she didn't need to know about the real aggressiveness of the scene. Even so, just looking at her was enough to see the storm of worry in those deep blue eyes.
"Luke, you need to be careful," she hesitated, lightly biting her lower lip. "I feel a bit guilty. He's not as weak as his lackeys, and if you get hurt because of me—"
"Don't worry," I cut off her anxious tone, keeping my voice gentle. "He messed with Nathan too. I protected you because I wanted to, and I'll keep protecting you," I finished, holding her gaze with unshakable confidence.
"R… right."
Olivia replied in a slightly shaky, shy voice, turning her face to hide the faint blush rising to her cheeks. I noticed a subtle, satisfied smile forming on her lips. I was grateful for her concern, but I knew it was futile; Luther never was, and never would be, a real threat to me. What truly worried me was the possibility of him crossing the line with Olivia herself in my absence.
My thoughts were interrupted by the professor entering, greeting the room loudly. The class followed its usual flow, but I noticed that Olivia shortened the distance between us. We were so close that I could feel the warmth of her body and the constant presence of her perfume, as if she were seeking silent security in my proximity.
When the bell rang, all the students, in an almost mechanical synchrony, began packing up their things.
"I saw that lunch is at least decent today," Nathan said, standing up and stretching.
"Let's go eat, then," I agreed, standing as well.
We left the classroom together, but I stopped abruptly when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Checking the notifications, I saw two messages: one from Sofia—which was expected—and another from Margaret. I made the strategic mistake of opening Margaret's first. She was summoning me to her office, claiming there was work to be done. A pang of irritation ran through my blood; my lunch was being sacrificed.
"Guys, you can go ahead," I called to them. "Margaret called me to her office."
"Are you in trouble?" Nathan asked, half-joking but with a hint of real concern.
"Oh, no. Yesterday she invited me to be her intern."
"You got an internship?" Olivia asked, curious, stepping closer.
"More or less. Basically, I'm going to help her with some organizational stuff, and she called me now."
"Oh…" Olivia's face visibly fell. "Vanessa isn't going to like this at all either."
I froze when I heard Vanessa's name come so naturally from Olivia's mouth.
"Is Vanessa waiting for us?"
"Yes, she messaged me earlier," Olivia explained. "We planned to have lunch together and, obviously, we were counting on you."
"Since when did you two get so close?" I asked, genuinely incredulous.
"I think since the first time we had lunch together," Olivia pondered, placing a hand on her chin. "We exchanged contacts and found out we like a lot of the same things."
That was completely unexpected. I never imagined the two of them would become friends, but thinking about it, it was a positive thing. I had a date scheduled with Vanessa later, but I decided it was best not to mention that now.
"Please explain it to Vanessa for me."
I said goodbye to both of them with a quick wave and headed to the office floor. As I stopped in front of Margaret's door, the irritation from hunger began to give way to curiosity about what the "vixen" wanted with me so early. I knocked and went in.
The change in atmosphere was instant and refreshing. Outside, the campus was burning under an infernal heat, but as I crossed Margaret's threshold, I was hit by a stream of cold, silent air. The air conditioning was working at full blast, creating an oasis of comfort. Margaret wasn't sitting in her usual chair; she was perched on the edge of her desk, with the elegant posture of someone who commands the environment. Her red hair, always impeccable, seemed to glow under the office's cool lights.
"I was about to send you another message," she said, with a half-smile that softened her authoritative expression. "But wow… why all the bad mood?"
Margaret read my face like an open book. She noticed I wasn't returning my usual smile. In my case, the reason was purely biological: hunger was starting to speak louder, and I was never the type who could maintain diplomacy on an empty stomach.
"I'm hungry," I confessed, without beating around the bush.
"Ah, I see what kind of person you are," she commented, adjusting her glasses with a charming gesture as she observed me. "Don't worry. I already ordered food for us… I don't like the cafeteria menu today. The delivery guy will be here soon."
My expression brightened almost immediately. The gloom gave way to a friendlier anticipation.
"You can sit in my chair," she said, indicating the seat of honor behind the desk. "I need you to organize all this paperwork. Separate everything by category in that folder."
Margaret gave the instructions directly, with the clarity of someone used to giving orders. I looked at the mountain of documents on the desk and felt a slight discouragement. It was an absurd amount of paper. Honestly, I wondered if she wasn't aware of the existence of computers or the cloud; in the twenty-first century, who still accumulated so much paper?
"I think you can organize quite a bit today, since you don't have class this afternoon," she commented, in a tone that didn't allow for argument.
She knew my schedule perfectly. After all, as my advisor, she was the one who had meticulously put it together.
"Alright," I replied, resigning myself to the duty.
"I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be back in a moment."
Margaret left the room, leaving the scent of her perfume lingering in the cold air. I sat in her chair, feeling the comfort of the leather upholstery, and stared at the paperwork. I picked up the folder and checked the labels with the separation themes. Since there was little space for so much mess, I began pushing the piles aside, trying to create a functional workspace.
As I tried to understand how a woman so organized in her public life had reached this point of administrative chaos, my hand stopped on a folder that was half-hidden beneath a grade report. One specific document caught my eye, shattering any thought about the work.
On it, in cold, official letters, was written: Divorce Proceedings.
....
Hello, everyone!
Today I'm sharing something special on my Ko-fi page for the first time: an artwork of Margaret. It's a visual take on how I imagine her, and I'm really excited to finally show it to you.
Soon, once everything is better organized, I'll explain how things will work from here on. For now, think of this as a little free preview.
ko-fi.com/X69696969