Damien stepped into the classroom, the faint creak of the door punctuating his arrival. The hum of early chatter filled the space—students settling in, pages rustling, chairs scraping slightly as people shifted and organized themselves before the bell.
He moved with that same quiet ease, heading to his seat near the window.
But his mind?
It wasn't here.
It was still with her.
With that moment.
That perfect flicker—just a second—where her face froze in the wake of his whisper. That instant of vulnerability, raw and unguarded, before she stitched herself back together with noble pride and poison-tipped charm.
Damien sat down slowly, letting his fingers drum lightly against the desk's edge.
And then he smiled.
A soft, private smile. One that never reached his eyes.
'Now, little Victoria… you must be thinking to yourself a lot right now, aren't you?'
He leaned back slightly in his chair, gaze drifting out the window, but his thoughts still coiled tightly around her expression.
