Ice & Prejudice

Chapter 83

Nik's POV:

I wasn't expecting to see her that day in the lift at Ivy's administration building. But there she was-Victoria. It was a weird moment. I had just stepped in, already irritated from dealing with some registrar bullshit, and there she was, standing with her back to me, her body tense like she knew I was there.

She wore a hoodie. In the middle of summer. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Victoria Winters actually wore a hoodie and jeans in when it was over 90 degrees out. I couldn't help but stare. The Victoria I remembered always dressed lighter in hot weather, sundresses and tank tops. But here she was, in clothes too big for her-jeans and an oversized hoodie swallowing her small frame. Her cap was pulled down low, covering her face. I'd be lying if I said my first instinct wasn't to reach out, touch her shoulder, make her look at me.

That tension in the air, the kind that makes your skin tighten. She turned away from me, staring at the elevator buttons like she was reading some ancient text. I was waiting for her to shoot me a glare, to say something sarcastic or maybe not acknowledge me at all-her usual petty moves. But instead, she stood there, silent, avoiding my gaze.

And it pissed me off.

The elevator felt like it was moving slower than usual, like we were stuck in some kind of awkward time loop. I kept telling myself not to care. She hates you. And you should hate her right back.

I clenched my fists. She hated me. I knew that. She'd made that crystal clear the day she ripped my heart out and left me standing there like an idiot. And I was supposed to hate her too. I had every right to. But as I stood there in the lift, barely two feet from her, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to touch her hand, her face-how I still remembered the taste of her lips.

Fuck. I hated myself for that.

But something about it didn't sit right. The way her shoulders slumped, how she kept her head low like she was trying to disappear. Her now shoulder-lenght hair poked out from beneath the cap, messy and unkempt, and I hated how my mind immediately went to memories of running my hands through it. The way it felt soft between my fingers. How her lips would curve into a little smirk when she caught me staring at her.

But then I noticed... really noticed.

She wasn't just hiding from me. Her clothes hung off her body like they didn't belong to her, like she was trying to disappear into them. It was hot as hell outside, and she was in a hoodie. When she shifted slightly, I saw her face. Thin. Too thin. Pale, with dark circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept in weeks. Her cheekbones were sharper, more prominent than I remembered.

What the fuck?

My stomach twisted. She looked sick, and the concern hit me hard, like a punch in the gut. I hated it. Hated that I gave a damn about her after everything she did. But I couldn't help it. That wasn't the Victoria I remembered. The one who had this fire in her, who snorted so hilariously, who always had a quick comeback ready for whatever bullshit I threw at her.

This... this was wrong.

I had the sudden, irrational urge to reach out and touch her, to pull her out of this shell she was hiding in. I wanted to grab her hand, feel her skin, remind myself that she was still real. Maybe even kiss her-those lips that used to fit perfectly on mine. Her whole body molded perfectly into mine and I don't think she ever even noticed. It was like we were made for each other.

Fuck, I missed her.

And if that's not pathetic then I don't know what is. She used me to get over her traumas, and 'tested' me, as she said, to see if she could fall in love with someone like me. She couldn't. And after everything we went through she just...dumped me. It hurt so damn much.