Stop, please you can't do this, I don't want to"
And just when I thought it was all over I felt a cold shudder all through my body and in that moment I knew I was done for.
"My Darling Elara, stop fighting it, you're all mine.He brushed the fabric of my dress aside, his fingers grazing along the smooth line of my thigh.
"Please I don't even know you." My constant pleading went on deaf ears as he traced his fingers on my thighs as though memorizing every bit of my flesh, climbing higher, past my waist, over the curve of my body until his knuckles ghosted over my nipple.
"Mmph" I moaned out with pleasure as my head fell back and eyes met his. All he did was smirk.
In that moment I knew I was truly ruined by this shadow of a man.
All this started a month ago from a single ring from my alarm clock
"RIIING! RIIING! RIIING!" My alarm was buzzing in the air and from all indications I was late. Not just late but late for my first test of the last semester of college.
My peers would describe my four-year experience here as that of a nerd who does nothing fun with their life. But spending time in the library and hosting debates is my own fun.
"Funny," I muttered, shoving books into my bag, "the smarty-pants is about to miss a test for the first time in her life."
Vivian groaned from under her blanket, still smelling like last night's vodka. "Relax, genius. One test won't kill you."
I shot her a glare. "Maybe not. But someone messed with my alarm." laughing, eyes half-shut. "Don't look at me. I can't even find my own shoes."
Typical Vivian. She wastes her brains on parties and warm bodies while I bleed for every grade.
"You probably messed it when you came in drunk yesterday" I shot at her
"Urghh, just leave already you weirdo" she said throwing a pillow right at me and it hit me straight across the face. All I could do was leave.
I was already late, my heart pounding with every step toward the lecture hall. The test was all I could think about, until he appeared.
A figure in a hoodie, the kind pulled so low it swallowed his entire face, moved straight toward me. Broad shoulders, a body built like steel hidden beneath fabric. Before I could sidestep, he crashed into me, hard.
Books slipped in my arms, my breath caught in my throat. "Hey!" I snapped, my voice sharper than I expected.
He didn't stop. Didn't turn. Didn't even flinch. Just kept walking, slow, steady, like I was nothing more than air.
For a second, a shiver clawed up my spine. There was something deliberate about it, too precise to be an accident. My fingers tightened around my books as if they could anchor me, and I forced myself to keep moving.
The clock was ticking, the test waiting. That was what mattered. Not some faceless stranger who thought silence couldn't stand as disrespect.
Still… I couldn't shake the feeling that his silence said more than words ever could.
So I ignored it, buried the unease under logic, and kept heading for the classroom.
By the time I got to class, everyone was already seated, scribbling on their sheets. The lecturer raised a brow at me.
"You're late."
"I'm never too late… sir." I replied coolly. He slid the paper across the desk without another word, and I went right into it.
Twenty minutes. That's all I ever need. When I laid my pen down, half the room was still chewing its nails.
But the silence in my head never lasted. There's always that gnawing hunger. A craving. Discovery, knowledge, something new. I bury myself in the library because if I don't, the emptiness will eat me alive.
The moment I slid my test sheets onto the lecturer's desk my feet carried me straight toward the library, my ritual, my sanctuary.
But halfway down the corridor, a group of students with cameras and notepads cut me off. News department kids. Their smiles were eager, voices tumbling over each other.
"Hey, can we grab you for a quick interview?" one of them asked, already angling a mic in my direction.
I smirked, brushing a stray hair from my face. "Sure. Why not? I've got a few minutes to spare."
They looked relieved like they'd struck gold choosing me. And honestly, I was ready to play along, curious about what they wanted.
Then the question dropped.And just like that my smile dropped too.
"Hi there, I'm Celestine," the girl chirped, notebook in hand, a recorder blinking red between us. "Can you tell us why it's important to have friends as a college student?"
For a second, I almost laughed. Then the laughter curdled into something sharper. The words came out before I could stop myself.
"Well, Celestine, it's not."Her smile wavered, but I kept going, voice steady, sharp like glass.
"The idea that one's value can be measured by how many friends they have? That's laughable. And the worst part? They wear it like a badge of honor. As if being surrounded all the time means they're accomplishing something worthwhile. But it's just noise. Empty. Loud. Desperate noise."
A few of the news kids exchanged glances, their pens slowing, but I leaned in closer.
"I'd rather sit alone in the library, drowning in my own thoughts, than waste hours pretending to care about nonsense that doesn't matter. For years I thought maybe I was the one missing out. But no, look at them. Clawing at each other for validation. Filling gaps they don't even understand. I'll keep my solitude. My clarity. My empire in the making. Because when they're still chasing shadows, I'll be the one with something real."
The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on. Celestine blinked, trying to recover, then let out a nervous laugh. "Well, that was… unexpected. And maybe a little…"
I didn't wait for her to finish. I turned, heels echoing against the tiles, and stormed down the hall.
The library doors swallowed me soon after, the scent of paper and ink usually enough to cool me down. But not this time. The anger still burned within, under my skin, hotter, louder than before.
I thought it was sober but the experience was just getting started.