The morning air on campus was sharp and biting, matching the tension that was vibrating through the corridors of the Literature Department. I was trying to focus on the dusty smell of the library archives, my fingers tracing the spines of old, leather-bound books, but my mind was stuck in the dark of my dormitory room. I could still feel the heat of Alex's hands on my shoulders, his desperate whispers still echoing in my ears.
I didn't see Julian enter the room. I didn't see the way his usually kind face was set in a hard, angry line.
"Luna," Julian said, his voice dropping the cheerful tone he usually used. "I need to speak with Professor Alex. Immediately."
I looked up, my heart skipping a beat. "Julian? What's wrong?"
"I saw him, Luna," Julian said, his blue eyes flashing with a protective fire. "Last night, at the restaurant. I thought I was imagining it, but then I saw him again near the dormitories. He was following us."
Before I could find the words to lie or to explain, Julian turned and marched toward the faculty lounge. I dropped my pen and ran after him, my heart hammering against my ribs. Please, Alex, stay calm, I prayed. Please don't let this be the end.
Julian didn't knock. He threw the heavy oak door open, revealing Alex standing by the window, a cup of black coffee in his hand. Alex didn't look surprised. He looked like a predator that had been caught in the light, his grey eyes turning into cold, hard flint.
"Professor Julian," Alex said, his voice a low, dangerous drawl. "You seem upset."
"Upset?" Julian stepped into the center of the room, his fists clenched at his sides. "I'm disgusted, Alex. I saw you last night. I saw you hiding behind the plants at the restaurant. I saw you lurking in the shadows of the girls' dormitory. Why are you spying on us?"
The silence that followed was suffocating. I stood in the doorway, my breath hitching as I watched the two men lock eyes. It was a clash of two different worlds—Julian, the man of the light, and Alex, the man of the shadows.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex lied, his face a perfect mask of professional indifference. "I was simply taking a walk. The campus is public property."
"Don't play games with me!" Julian shouted, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Luna told me everything. She told me about the 'scandal.' She told me how you pushed her out of your house to save your own skin. You are her past, Alex! You are a memory she is trying to forget! So why are you still following her? Why can't you let her breathe?"
Alex's grip on his coffee cup tightened until I thought the porcelain would shatter. His jaw was so tight I could see the muscles jumping in his cheek. The mention of me being his "past" seemed to hit him like a physical blow, stripping away his professional mask.
"She is not a memory," Alex hissed, stepping closer to Julian. He was taller, broader, and his presence seemed to swallow the room. "And you... you are nothing but a temporary distraction. You think you know her because you bought her a dinner? You don't know the first thing about what Luna Jones needs."
"I know she doesn't need a stalker!" Julian countered, refusing to back down. "If I see you near her again, I won't go to the Board. I'll go to the police. You made your choice, Alex. You chose this office and that title. Now stay in it and stay away from her."
Alex let out a low, dark laugh that made the hair on my arms stand up. It was a "shiver-inducing" sound, full of a jealousy that had no bottom.
"The police?" Alex whispered, leaning in until he was inches from Julian's face. "You think a uniform will stop me? You think a piece of paper or a Board meeting can change the fact that she belongs to me? You are a guest in her life, Julian. I am the architect of it. I gave up my soul so she could have this scholarship, and I'll be damned if I let a boy like you play hero with what is mine."
"She is not yours!" Julian yelled. "She is her own person!"
I couldn't take it anymore. I stepped between them, my hands trembling as I pushed them apart. "Stop it! Both of you! Do you want the whole college to hear you? Do you want Elena to come in here and finish what she started?"
Alex's gaze snapped to mine. For a second, the rage vanished, replaced by a raw, bleeding hunger. He looked at me as if he were starving and I was the only thing that could save him. But then, he looked at Julian's hand, which was resting protectively on my arm, and the fire returned.
"Go to your class, Luna," Alex said, his voice cracking with the effort of not grabbing me. "And you, Julian... stay out of the shadows. You might not like what you find there."
Julian led me out of the room, his grip firm, but I looked back one last time. Alex was standing alone in the center of the lounge, his head bowed, looking like a king who had lost his kingdom. He was the "Perfect Professor" again, but the wreckage of his jealousy was everywhere.
I knew then that this wasn't over. Julian thought he had won a battle, but he didn't realize that Alex was ready to burn the whole world down just to claim the ruins. And Elena was still out there, watching every move, waiting for the smoke to rise.