frostbite

Chapter 5: Slow Burn

Weeks passed, and Eden found herself more and more drawn to Dr. Winters, even though the professor's coldness made it feel impossible to get any closer. Dr. Winters never showed a single crack in her icy exterior. She never let anything personal slip, never let anyone see beyond the professor mask she wore so well. But Eden couldn't stop thinking about her, couldn't stop wondering if there was anything beneath the cold.

The tension between them simmered slowly. It wasn't like a sudden spark, but more like the slow build of something heavy, something thick and complicated that Eden couldn't quite explain. Every time they spoke in class, every time they argued over interpretations or theories, that tension grew. But it never exploded.

Amy, of course, noticed the change in Eden. She was always the observant one, even if she acted like nothing mattered.

"Okay, spill," Amy said one night as they sat on the couch in their apartment. "What's the deal with you and Ice Queen Winters?"

"There's no deal," Eden replied, trying to brush it off, but her stomach tightened at the mention of Dr. Winters.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Please. You're obsessed. You never shut up about her. And I swear, if I have to listen to you go on about how she 'interprets everything too literally' one more time, I'm throwing your textbooks out the window."

Eden shot her a look. "I'm not obsessed. She just... gets under my skin."

"Uh-huh." Amy leaned back, grinning. "Under your skin. You sure that's all it is?"

Eden didn't answer. Because she wasn't sure. There was something more, something that tugged at her, something she couldn't put into words. Dr. Winters' coldness, her control, the way she never let anyone close... it made Eden want to push harder, want to break through that ice. But she didn't even know why.