Ice & Prejudice

Chapter 31

Nik's POV:

Harvey barged into my room for the third time in the last fifteen minutes, his hands overflowing with snacks. This time, it was a mix of popcorn, chips, and some candy I didn't even know we had in the house. I shot him an annoyed glance, but he just ignored it, striding over to the desk where Victoria and I were sitting.

"Brought some more snacks," he announced, dropping the pile onto the table. His eyes lit up as he glanced at Victoria, his grin widening. "Reese's and Sour Patch Kids, huh? Classic choices. But, Ria, if you need anything else, I've got a whole stash in my room. Just say the word."

Victoria looked up from her notes, raising an eyebrow but not looking particularly impressed. "Thanks, Harvey. I'm good for now."

"Are you sure? Because I could—"

"Out," I said, cutting him off before he could launch into another one of his flirtatious monologues.

He pouted dramatically, but I could see the gleam in his eyes—he was enjoying this way too much. With an exaggerated sigh, he backed away from the desk but not before sending Victoria a cheeky wink.

"I'll be around if you need anything, Ria," he said, his voice dripping with suggestiveness.

"Out," I repeated, this time with a bit more force.

Harvey finally made his way to the door, but as he reached it, he turned back and shot her another grin. "You know where to find me." And with that, he was gone.

Victoria just shook her head, clearly amused by his antics. "Your friends are something else."

"You have no idea," I muttered, already dreading the next interruption.

Sure enough, not even five minutes later, Dickie came barging in, pretending to check the "smoke detectors." He wandered around the room, tapping the ceiling as if he had any clue what he was doing, then feigned surprise when he saw Victoria sitting there.

"Fancy seeing you here, Ria," he said, leaning down on the desk in front of her, flexing his biceps a little too obviously.

"Yes, very fancy." I rolled my eyes. "Dickie, if you don't get out of here right now, I'm going to throw you out."

He grinned at me, completely unfazed, and gave Victoria a little wink. "Just looking out for your safety, Captain."

I didn't bother responding, just pointed to the door. Dickie held up his hands in mock surrender and sauntered out, but not before throwing another suggestive glance Victoria's way.

Finally, with the room somewhat quiet again, Victoria continued explaining some new psychological concept we'd been covering in class. I tried to focus, but my mind kept straying. Every time she leaned forward, her tits would catch my eye, and I had to fight the urge to let my gaze linger. God, I was getting worse.

And it wasn't just her looks. Our relationship had shifted lately—ever since that night when I found her after the panic attack. She was...nicer to me, showing me sides of her I hadn't seen before, and I found myself actually wanting to get to know her better. But instead of focusing on what she was saying, my mind was busy trying to figure out why I was so drawn to her.

"You've been very nice to me lately," I blurted out, not really thinking.

Victoria stopped mid-sentence, her honey-colored eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at me. "What?"

"You've been awfully nice to me lately," I repeated, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. There was a playful glint in her eyes, but I could tell she wasn't sure where I was going with this.