Chapter 261: Not Allowed
Man, I gotta admit, Brad's been hitting the gym hard, and it shows. His abs? Total perfection. Touching them felt like a dream.
When my hand brushed his hot skin, it was like touching a stove. I wanted to yank my hand back, but he had me locked in tight. No way was I getting free.
"Baby, I've missed you like crazy," Brad rasped, his voice dripping with seduction. My heart was doing somersaults.
"What the hell are you doing? Let go of me," I hissed, trying to pull away.
But Brad's grip was ironclad, and he wasn't letting go. Not a chance.
"Come on, baby, help me out. I've been waiting forever. Don't I deserve a little reward? Just one kiss," he panted, his breath hot and heavy.
Suddenly, my brain short-circuited. His kisses were like a drug, and I was getting high on them.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled back. He ruffled my hair and grumbled, "Baby, let's get our own place, yeah?"
"Why? This place is fine. It's cheap, close to school, super convenient."
"Convenient? We can't even get some alone time here. It's driving me nuts. I need to let loose, day and night, no interruptions."
Day and night? Was he out of his mind?
He kissed me so long, I forgot to be mad and ended up agreeing to his crazy idea of moving out.
Lesson learned: don't go soft. It only leads to trouble.
Sure, I agreed, but buying a house is no joke. We couldn't just jump into it. We needed to check out the market, look at locations, floors, lighting, property management, amenities, decor styles, the whole shebang. It'd take at least six months.
So, I had about half a year to talk Brad out of it. No rush.
Brad promised to take me house-hunting when he found something good and told me to leave it all to him.
I was cool with that and let him handle everything.
Life went back to normal. Brad hit the books, working on his two unfinished projects, while I spent my days at Crystal House, only leaving to eat and sleep.
Brad wasn't thrilled about me hanging out with Adam all day, but after a couple of heart-to-hearts, he grudgingly agreed. The deal was, no eating Adam's takeout, and Brad would pick me up every day.
Fair enough. I stuck to the rules.
Brad's jealousy finally chilled, and he could focus on his schoolwork.
One day, I was painting until almost noon, and my stomach started growling. I put down my brush and looked around.
The place was empty. Then I remembered Adam had offered to bring me lunch, but I had turned him down.
So, thanks to those two rules, Brad had been on meal duty for the past few days. It was rare for him to be late, but today, it was already noon, and no lunch in sight.
I checked my phone and saw a message from Brad at 9:30. He had to make an unexpected trip to the neighboring city and wouldn't be back until nine at night. He told me to grab my own lunch and, of course, not to eat alone with Adam.
Alright, Brad had his priorities. I could handle lunch on my own.
I strolled out of the old campus and pulled out my phone to call Mia, see if she wanted to grab a bite with me.
But her line was busy, so I pocketed my phone and headed to the cafeteria.
On my way there, I noticed a bunch of students lugging around suitcases. Their faces were lit up with excitement.
I smacked my forehead and chuckled. I’d been so wrapped up in painting, I forgot today was the first day of school.
The welcoming activities were handled by the faculty and students of the department, so I had nothing to do with it. But seeing these fresh faces took me back to when I first dragged my luggage to the Northern Institute of the Arts.
Back then, I was a bright-eyed girl, my height making me stand out on campus.
Sadly, I was still reeling from that family drama and hadn’t fully recovered. I didn’t realize that while I was crushing on Daniel, I was also catching other people’s eyes.
Luckily, I met a sweet roommate and later had Brad looking out for me, helping me find my footing again.
Time flew by, and five years had passed. I’d gone from a naive girl to a mature woman, weathering a lot of storms along the way. But I made it through.
Now, I was soaking up happiness and enjoying life.
I hit the cafeteria, found a quiet spot, and ordered some noodles to fill my belly. Then I wandered over to the school gate to watch the hustle and bustle.
It was break time, and the weather was scorching. Not many people were at the welcoming area, and a few students in charge were dozing off at the table.
After a bit of wandering, I got bored and decided to head back. Just as I turned onto a small path, I spotted a familiar figure up ahead.
I was debating whether to take another route when the person, who had his back to me, heard my footsteps and turned around.
It was Daniel.
He had mentioned he’d be back for his second year of grad school. With the new semester starting, it wasn’t a shock to see him on campus.
What was surprising was Zoe standing less than ten feet away from him.
She looked just as fragile as ever, biting her lip, eyes brimming with tears, looking all pitiful and hesitant.
I had been zoning out and hadn’t caught what they were saying. The vibe between them was weird. It wasn’t the anger of enemies or the longing of lovers. It was hard to pin down.
Daniel looked totally indifferent, hands in his pockets, looking chill, his eyes showing neither hate nor love.
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