ETHAN'S POV
The echo of Professor Kai's dismissal was a physical blow, a sucker punch to my gut that left me gasping for air.
"AND ALL OF THIS NEVER HAPPENED "
His words, cold and final, rang in my ears, a brutal reminder to my humiliation. I pushed through the heavy school gates, the world a blur of smeared colors and muffled sounds.
I had other classes, obligations, a life waiting, but I was numb to it all. The only thing I could feel was the raw, jagged edge of his rejection shredding me from the inside out. I just needed to get home, I needed to bury my face in my pillow and scream until my throat was raw, to cry until there was nothing left.
The bus arrived with a hiss of hydraulics, a merciful coincidence. I slumped into a window seat, my backpack still clunged tightly on my shoulders. My phone vibrated, a jarring sensation against my thigh. I fished it out, the screen illuminating my palm.
Karina,
My girlfriend. The thought a dull echo
She's still my girlfriend, well that's what I'll call it, we've shared mutual relationship and benefits, even though our bonds weren't as deep, as I had with Professor Kai, I still care about her.
And right now, Professor Kai's phantom felt more substantial than she ever had, maybe it was time to change that, maybe I needed to focus on what was actually in front of me.
I alighted from the bus, my eyes studying the environment, I could sight my house from some sight afar, just few blocks to go.
I trudged the final blocks to my house, the cold breeze doing little to cool the shame heating my cheeks. I shoved the front door open, my head down, and walked straight into a different kind of heartbreak.
My dad and Helen were making out in the couch, right in front of me. Immediately they noticed my presence, they sprang apart on the living room couch, a tangle of flushed skin and hastily covered limbs. Helen hurried upstairs without a word while my dad fumbled with his belt buckle, his face a mask of guilty surprise.
"Ethan… I didn't know you'd be back this early."
I stared coldly at him, my eyes piercing his, searching for answers, but I got non, he's still the same pathetic man, who shifts blame over someone else
"Suit yourself, man," I mumbled, the words harsh in my mouth.
I took the stairs two at a time, desperate for the sanctuary of my room. I met Helen mid—way, she was wearing my dad's cardigan now.
Definitely to cover her nakedness
"Hi, Ethan,"She waved, but I walked ahead and ignored her.
I'd had enough already, I was completely, utterly pissed off at the entire world. And now—
Now Karina was standing in the middle of my room.
And she was half-naked.
My breath hitched.
She was leaning against my desk, wearing nothing but a black lace bra and a pair of my boxer shorts that hung low on her hips. Her dark hair was down, cascading over her shoulders, and a slow, knowing smile played on her lips.
"Hey, you," she said, her voice a low purr that cut through the static in my head. "Saw you stomping up the walkway. You looked like you could use a distraction."
I just stared, my brain struggling to process the shift from despair to… this.
It was all so disgusting!
She seemed hot, but the whole situation felt wrong, a cheap imitation of what I truly craved.
"Karina, what the hell are you doing here?" I charged, my voice tighter than I intended.
She pushed off the desk and closed the distance between us. Her fingers, cool and deliberate, traced the line of my jaw. "You're all tense, Ethan." Her thumb brushed my bottom lip. "Let me help with that."
She reached for the button of my jeans. I'd had enough, and with a force that surprised us both, I pushed her away. She landed heavily on the bed with a soft umph.
"Leave, Karina! I'm not in the mood for this!" I shot coldly, my eyes dark as I dropped my backpack on the floor.
Her eyes widened, lips quivering. "Did...did you just push me?"
I could see the shock there, She didn't believe I would do that. I didn't believe it either, my chest heaved. "Karina, I'm really not in the mood, I clearly told you to leave," I muttered, trying to catch my breath.
"Was there a day you were ever interested in me?" she suddenly asked, her voice hardening. "What are you?" She slammed her hands on the mattress. "A fucking virgin priest?"
I stood, confused and frustrated. She was right. We'd been dating for a while, but I'd never been fully committed, and I've never let her in.
Not like this.
"I'm sorry, Karina, but—"
"You're sorry?" she cut me off, rising from the bed. Her shock was morphing into something else—something determined and dangerously hot. "If you're truly sorry, why don't you show me, Ethan?" Her voice was low, calmer, laced with a challenge.
"I'm going through a lot right now," I replied, my eyes tracking her every move. "I..I just need space.."
"No, you don't need space, Ethan. You need me, And I need you, too," she said, her hands coming up to caress my face again.
But instead of calming the storm inside of me ,her fingers on my face felt like thorns, digging down my skin, and I was forced to pull her hands off my face.
"I hope you don't regret this too late,"She said, as she turned around, walked to the bed, she grabbed her clothes, wore them hurriedly and and left my room, slamming the door behind me.
My head was in a complete mess, the relationship I thought was getting somewhere, seems to be going off the edge, because of one person I've loved.
Professor Kai