Sophie’s POV
I'm laughing at something Cassian said, still floating on the afterglow of last night. The memory of his hands on my body, the way he'd made me feel chosen rather than conquered, wraps around me like warmth.
For the first time in months, I feel like myself again—not someone's broken toy or pale imitation, just Sophie.
But then I spot them—Adrian and the woman from last night walking toward us down the busy sidewalk.
My stomach plummets, and I instinctively move closer to Cassian, seeking the comfort of his solid presence beside me. Cassian must sense the tension because his grip tightens protectively, pulling me closer against his side.
But before I can steer him away, before I can pretend I haven't seen them and duck into the nearest shop, the woman catches sight of us and smiles with casual authority that makes my skin crawl.
She and Adrian slow their approach, and I feel trapped like prey caught in an open field.
"How delightfully awkward," Lolita's voice cuts through the charged silence like a blade.
She's watching our little standoff with obvious amusement, her lips curved in a knowing smile. "You ran away so quickly last night, I didn't even have time to introduce myself properly."
I try to look anywhere else, but I can feel Adrian's storm-gray eyes boring into me with laser intensity.
He's studying the way Cassian's arm rests casually around my waist, the way I'm leaning into his warmth, and something dark and possessive flickers across his features.
"Sophie," I manage, my voice smaller than I'd like.
"Lolita," she responds, extending a perfectly manicured hand. "And you must be the new professor everyone's been talking about."
"Cassian Harrison," he says, and then his smile turns sharp, almost challenging. "It's amazing how my fame is spreading beyond the university."
His gaze shifts meaningfully to Adrian, and I see the moment understanding clicks into place. Adrian must have told her about him, must have shared details about the man who's been occupying his former student's time and attention.
Adrian hasn't said a word, his eyes still fixed on the place where Cassian's hand rests at my waist. The possessive fury I recognize from before is building behind his controlled facade, and part of me is fascinated by the cracks appearing in his armor.
The moment stretches taut between us, electric with unspoken words and unresolved tension.
"You can sort out whatever drama you have after we eat."
Lolita continues breezily, already moving toward the small café beside us with its outdoor seating.
"I'm absolutely starving, and I know this place has excellent croissants. Adrian, be a dear and grab us seats while I order."
The command in her voice is subtle but unmistakable, and I watch in fascination as Adrian obeys without question.
There's something deeply uncomfortable about witnessing his submission to her, seeing him reduced to the same uncertain compliance I recognize in myself.
"Shall we?" Cassian asks quietly, his breath warm against my ear. "We don't have to stay long."
I nod, not trusting my voice to remain steady. The introductions that follow are stilted and painful, each word carefully measured like we're all performing in a play none of us want to be in.
I watch Adrian's jaw tick as Cassian's hand finds my lower back, the touch both possessive and gentle. There's something mesmerizing about seeing Adrian's carefully controlled facade crack, even slightly.
"So you're the one who's been keeping our Sophie occupied," Lolita says, settling into her chair with feline grace. "How wonderfully domestic."
"Sophie's amazing," Cassian responds easily, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. "I'm the lucky one."
The casual affection makes something twist in my chest—not guilt exactly, but a complex emotion I can't quite name. When I glance at Adrian, his knuckles are white around his coffee cup.
"Tell me about your research," Lolita continues, leaning forward with apparent fascination. "I've heard such interesting things about your approach to feminist literary theory."
As Cassian begins explaining his work, I watch Lolita with growing unease. She laughs at all the right moments, touches his arm with familiar ease, asks intelligent questions that make him light up with academic enthusiasm.
But there's something calculated about her interest, like she's playing a game only she understands the rules to.
"You're quite charming," she purrs, her fingers lingering on Cassian's forearm. "I can see why she chose you. Much more... accessible than the alternative."
The dig is subtle but unmistakable, and I see something dark flash in Adrian's eyes—the same possessive fury I recognize from when he'd seen Cassian and me together before. His control is slipping, and part of me is fascinated by the cracks in his armor.
"Excuse me," Adrian says abruptly, his chair scraping against the concrete as he stands. Without another word, he walks outside, pulling cigarettes from his pocket with hands that are unmistakably shaking.
The silence that follows is deafening. Lolita watches him go with satisfaction, like she's achieved exactly what she intended.
"I should…" I start, but Cassian's hand tightens on mine.
"Let him go," he says quietly. "You don't owe him anything, Sophie."
But something about Adrian's retreat, about the vulnerability I glimpsed in that moment, pulls at me in ways I don't want to examine. "I'll be right back," I tell Cassian, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.
I find Adrian outside, cigarette already between his lips, lighter flame wavering slightly as he tries to steady his hands.
"Can I get a light?" I ask, surprising myself with the question.
Adrian looks at me, one eyebrow raised in that familiar expression of skeptical amusement. "You don't smoke."
The casual assumption, the way he thinks he knows everything about me, sparks something defiant in my chest. "It's not up to you to decide what I do or don't do," I say, snatching the cigarette from between his fingers before he can protest.
I take a drag and immediately regret it, coughing violently as my eyes water. The taste is awful, harsh and bitter, and I can't understand how anyone finds this appealing.
Adrian plucks the cigarette away without comment, his expression somewhere between amused and concerned. "Satisfied?"
"Shut up," I wheeze, still coughing.
We stand in silence for a moment, watching pedestrians hurry past on the busy sidewalk. Finally, I work up the courage to ask the question that's been burning in my chest since last night.
"She's your ex, isn't she?" I say quietly. "Your first."
Adrian's silence is answer enough, but when I look at him, I see something I've never witnessed before—genuine pain flickering across his features, vulnerability he can't quite mask.
For just a moment, he looks younger, lost, like an eighteen-year-old boy who once believed in love only to have it ripped away without warning.
"Adrian…" I start, reaching for him instinctively.
"Don't," he says quietly, the word carrying a wealth of hurt he's trying desperately to hide. "Just... don't."
The pain in his voice stops me cold. I've never heard him sound so raw, so completely stripped of the confidence and control that define him. It makes me want to comfort him and run away in equal measure.
When Cassian and Lolita emerge from the café a few minutes later, I can see from their expressions that something has shifted.
"Sophie," Cassian says, approaching with an apologetic smile. "I just got a call from the department head. There's some crisis with the scheduling system that apparently only I can fix."
He rolls his eyes, but there's genuine regret in his voice. "I'm so sorry to cut this short."
"Oh, what a coincidence!" Lolita laughs, pulling her own phone from her purse. "I've just received the most urgent message from my client. Something about a contract revision that absolutely cannot wait."
She doesn't sound sorry at all. If anything, she seems pleased by the development.
Cassian brushes his thumb brushing across my cheek, and I try my best to pretend I didn't notice Lolita leaving a kiss on Adrian's cheek as a farewell.
And how she wipes the lipstick from his skin with her thumb, like she has any right to touch Adrian whenever she wants and how much she wants…
“I'll call you tonight, okay? We can finish what we started." There's heat in Cassian’s eyes as he says it, a promise that makes my cheeks flush.
"Duty calls," Lolita adds with theatrical sighing, already moving toward the street. And then they're both walking away in opposite directions, leaving me standing on the sidewalk with Adrian.
The silence that follows feels loaded with possibility and danger in equal measure.
Neither of us moves to leave. Adrian finishes his cigarette with deliberate slowness, and I find myself studying the way the afternoon light catches the silver in his hair.
Finally, I take a breath and ask the simplest question I can think of.
"Walk?"
Adrian takes his time considering, his gray eyes searching my face like he's trying to solve a puzzle. Finally, he nods.
"Yeah," he says quietly. "Let's walk."