Liora had spent three days avoiding him.
No messages.No calls.No acknowledgment in class.
If Adrian Knight wanted to play his mind games, he'd have to do it alone.
Except he didn't.
Because today, Professor Graves had announced that all projects were due the next morning — and one part of theirs, the presentation, was still unfinished.
Which meant she had no choice.
So here she was, standing in front of his mansion again, heart pounding against her ribs as the storm clouds above deepened into twilight.
She told herself she didn't care. That this was just work. That she'd walk in, finish the slides, and leave.
Still, her hand trembled slightly as she rang the bell.
The door opened almost instantly — like he'd been waiting.
"Liora." His voice was low, calm. "Didn't think you'd actually show up."
She stepped inside without meeting his eyes. "I'm only here to finish the project."
"Of course you are," he said softly, closing the door behind her.
The mansion was quiet — too quiet. No sound except the soft tap of rain against the windows. The library lights were on, the same place they'd first fought, and the same place she'd promised herself she'd never come back to.
He followed her in, setting his laptop on the table. "We just have to finalize the conclusion and rehearse once. Shouldn't take long."
"Fine."
For ten minutes, they worked in silence. Or tried to.
Every time she reached across the table, he did too. Every time their hands brushed, it sent a spark up her arm she didn't want to feel.
She hated it — the way her pulse reacted, the way his presence filled every inch of the room.
When she finally looked up, his gaze was already on her.
"What?" she snapped.
He leaned back, a small, unreadable smile tugging at his lips. "You're different lately."
"Maybe I just stopped letting you walk all over me."
"Maybe," he said quietly. "Or maybe you've changed something else. The way you look at me."
Her chest tightened. "Don't flatter yourself."
"I'm not." His tone shifted — softer, almost vulnerable. "I'm just… noticing."
The silence that followed felt dangerous. The kind that made breathing harder.
She tried to focus on the laptop screen, but his eyes didn't move.
"You should stop staring at me," she muttered.
He smiled faintly. "I'm trying."
Her heartbeat stumbled. She stood up quickly. "We're done. I'll email you the rest."
"Liora—"
He rose too, catching her wrist before she could leave. Not harshly — just enough to make her pause.
"Don't," she said, her voice trembling.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly. "I just—" He hesitated, eyes searching hers. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore."
That admission hit her harder than it should have.
For a second, she saw something raw behind his walls — something real.
"Then figure it out," she whispered. "But don't drag me into it."
He didn't let go. His thumb brushed against her wrist — slow, almost unconscious. Her breath caught.
"Liora," he murmured, her name barely audible.
And for a heartbeat, she forgot every reason she should hate him.
The air between them pulsed — too close, too charged.
Then she jerked her hand away, stepping back like she'd been burned. "This was a mistake."
Adrian said nothing. He just watched as she turned and walked out, the door slamming softly behind her.
He didn't chase her this time.He couldn't.
Because for the first time, he realized something that terrified him more than losing control —
He didn't want to hurt her anymore.He wanted her to stay.