Periwinkle

29| PROFESSOR ASSHOLE

"What the fuck is wrong with your brother?" I fumed as soon as I stepped inside Leo's room, the door shutting behind me with a resounding bang. "He's the most infuriating person I've ever met!"

Leo looked up from his MacBook, his eyebrows raised at my outburst. He was sitting on the bed, his back against the wall, and his legs stretched out in front of him. The dim light cast a soft glow over his features, highlighting the sharp planes of his cheekbones and the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of black boxer shorts. His blond hair was disheveled, and his eyes looked bleary.

"Kara? What's wrong?" he asked. He clearly wasn't expecting me.

"He's such a fucking asshole," I complained, the frustration simmering from the encounter with Professor Carver and the strange flirtation with Mr. Dubois bubbling over.

Leo's brows furrowed in concern, and he swung his legs off the bed after putting his MacBook aside.

"Hey, come here," he murmured, patting the spot next to him on the bed.

I stomped over to the bed and flopped down on it, wincing a little from the impact. My ass was still sore, but the pain was more manageable now.

I let out an exasperated sigh and leaned my head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer, and my anger simmered down a bit under the warmth of his touch.

"Alright, breathe," he said softly. "Tell me what Professor Asshole did this time."

I recounted the entire encounter, from Mr. Dubois' captivating lecture to my awkward meeting with Professor Carver in his office. I didn't mention the lingering gaze of Mr. Dubois or the way his compliment sent a thrill down my spine. It felt strange to focus on that after the tense standoff with Professor Carver.

"God, he's such a prick," Leo said, shaking his head. "Always has been."

"How can you even stand him?" I asked, exasperated. "I feel like ripping his head off every time I'm in the same room as him."

Or fuck the hell out of him.

Leo sighed, rubbing a hand thoughtfully through his messy hair. "Look, Kara, I know Shane can be... difficult."

"Difficult is an understatement." I huffed, burying my face deeper into Leo's shoulder. "It's like he goes out of his way to make my life difficult. And then there's Mr. Dubois, all charming and... well, kind of flirting." My voice had turned into a murmur. "I don't really know what that was."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Leo said, an edge in his voice. "Hold on there. This Mr. Dubois was flirting with you?"

"I don't know," I mumbled, suddenly feeling embarrassed about the whole thing. "It's probably nothing. Maybe he's just one of those people who flirts with everyone."

"Maybe." Now his voice was filled with amusement. "But... it kind of looks like he was bothered by Mr. Fancy Pants flirting with you."

"What?" I looked up, startled.

Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing. Just a theory. But seriously, I don't know what's gotten into him. He's been more stressed and withdrawn than usual for the past few months."

"Yeah, well, I thought he'd always been like this until Mr. Dubois said some stuff." I frowned. "Why is he like this now, though?" I asked, curious.

Leo sighed, his fingers absentmindedly tracing circles on my shoulder. There was a hint of something unspoken in Leo's voice—a flicker of concern that piqued my curiosity. But knowing Leo, he wouldn't pry into his brother's personal life unless absolutely necessary. He was fiercely loyal to the people he loved, even if it meant keeping secrets from his best friend.