Evaline:
When the final bell of the day rang, I stayed seated for a minute longer.
Just dinner. I repeated to myself like a mantra. No pressure. Just... dinner.
When I reached the Academy’s front courtyard, I spotted Oscar immediately by the fountain.
He was leaning against the stone edge, dressed in space blue tshirt which was tucked in the beige pants. He had rolled his sleeves up, allowing me a view of his muscular, veiny arms. His hair was messy in the way that probably took effort, and he hadn’t seen me yet.
I knew that I still had the option of walking away. That I could still turn back now.
But I didn’t.
Because when he looked up and his eyes landed on me, something in his expression shifted. It was calm giving way to warmth, teasing melting into something dangerously close to softness. I didn’t smile back. I couldn’t. Not out here in the open.
There were too many eyes. Too many ears.
And the last thing either of us needed was for people to start talking.
So, I walked to him slowly, like he was nothing more than an Instructor I had to meet for some school related stuff, not that he was teaching my class at the moment. I kept my face composed and my voice neutral when I said, "You are early."
He tilted his head with a cocky grin. "So are you."
He pushed off the fountain and straightened to his full height, towering over me. "Ready?"
I gave a small nod, careful not to look at him too long. "Where are we going?"
He didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced around the courtyard, then subtly tilted his head toward the path leading out of the Academy gates. "Walk with me."
I did, falling into step beside him, yet keeping just enough distance between us to look casual, distant. And still, I was able to feel the heat of him, of the bond humming beneath the surface, reminding me with every step that this was more than just a walk.
It always was.
Once we were far enough from campus, he slipped a hand into his pocket and finally spoke. "You are tense."
"Can you blame me?" I muttered. "Anyone could have seen us back there."
"Relax," he said with a shrug. "I know how to keep things quiet."
"That’s not comforting, Oscar."
He paused mid-step and looked at me, brows raised. "You think I would risk your reputation?"
I didn’t answer. Not because I didn’t trust him, but because I wasn’t sure what I trusted more - his words or the pull that kept dragging me toward him despite every warning in my head.
He sighed, softer than I had ever heard before. "I wouldn’t let anyone find out, Eva. Not unless you wanted them to."
That surprised me. The Oscar I knew, or thought I knew, never sounded this patient. This careful.
He gestured to a side road I hadn’t noticed before, leading to a more secluded part of the Academy’s outskirts. Trees were lining the gravel path, quiet and still under the soft blush of the setting sun.
"You brought me to the woods?" I asked, a little amused.
"There’s a cabin," he said. "It belongs to one of the caretakers. Empty for the month."
I narrowed my eyes. "Are you trying to lure me into a horror movie scene?"
He grinned. "If I was, would you still have followed?"
Unfortunately... yes. And we both knew it.
Inside the small wooden cabin, it was warm and quiet. The faint scent of old books and cedar was filling the air, and there was a table already set with food. It was nothing fancy, but still screamed more effort than I was expecting.
"You cooked?" I asked.
"I had it brought here," he said honestly. "Didn’t want to risk setting anything on fire."
I smiled softly and settled down at the table. "Good choice."
We ate in near silence for a few minutes. I was waiting for the tension to crack, for him to revert to his usual self and make some comment to throw me off balance.
But he didn’t.
Instead, when I looked up from my plate, I found him watching me. Not with hunger. Not even with flirtation. Just watching. Like he still couldn’t believe I was sitting in front of him.
"What?" I asked.
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "This is weird for me too, you know."
"What is?"
"This," he said, gesturing between us. "Having dinner. Wanting to have dinner. Not... pushing you away."
I didn’t speak. Because hearing him say it out loud did something strange to me.
It made everything more real.
"I was fighting it," he continued quietly. "The bond. You. I was fighting harder than I ever have. And it didn’t work."
I studied him, trying to read between the lines. "You are saying you gave up?"
"I’m saying I gave in," he corrected. "I still don’t know if I deserve this. You. But I’m done pretending like I don’t want it."
That honesty... it wasn’t something I expected. Not from Oscar. And definitely not with that quiet vulnerability in his voice.
It hit deeper than any flirtation ever could.
I swallowed hard and placed my fork down. "We can’t tell anyone."
"I know."
"This... whatever it is between us... it has to stay between us. No one finds out. Not until I’m sure of where I stand."
He didn’t flinch. "I figured you would say that."
"And?"
He leaned back slightly. When he spoke, his voice was still low, but firm. "And I’ll wait."
I blinked at that. "You will?"
"I told you, Eva. I can’t ignore this anymore. I tried. You saw how well that turned out. So if waiting is what it takes, then that’s what I’ll do."
There was no mockery in his tone. No sarcasm. Just steady, quiet acceptance.
And suddenly, I wasn’t feeling so unbalanced anymore.