𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤 | 𝘙𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤 |
𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

Rafe's POV

I watched Sofia storm out of the cafeteria. Her face had been a mess, tears threatening to spill, and the way she'd slammed that drink against the wall—pathetic.

I wasn't about to run after her. I never ran after a girl, and Sofia? She wasn't worth it. She was overreacting, like she always did, blowing things way out of proportion. Honestly, her little tantrum had been embarrassing to watch.

My eyes drifted back to Catalina across the room. She was still sitting there, calm and unbothered, while Adriana giggled beside her. The whole scene hadn't fazed her in the slightest.

Luca, sitting next to me, mumbled something about how hot Adriana looked today. He hadn't taken his eyes off her the entire time.

I snorted. "You're so into her, it's almost sad."

Luca shot me a look, smirking as he kicked back in his chair. "Right, and you're not obsessed with Catalina?"

My jaw tightened for a second, but I shrugged it off, smirking back. "I'm not obsessed."

Luca raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Sure, man. Keep telling yourself that."

I glanced over at Catalina again. Maybe Luca was right. Obsessed wasn't the worst word for it. She was... perfect. The way she didn't even flinch when Sofia came at her, the way she controlled the whole situation with a calm that screamed power. It was fucking hot.

She knew how to handle herself, and everyone around her knew it too. No guy at this school had managed to touch her—not in any real way. Not for a long time. But here I was, holding onto her secret, the one thing that could destroy her, and she knew it.

She didn't have a choice with me. That was the best part. And that's what made me different from every other idiot in this school who wanted her. Catalina could walk circles around them, but with me? She had to watch her step.

Yeah, maybe I was obsessed. But so was she. She just didn't know it yet.

I leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, still watching Catalina from across the room. The way she tilted her head slightly as she laughed at something Adriana said—she looked so effortless. So untouchable. It drove me insane.

"You're staring again," Luca muttered, trying to suppress a grin.

"Shut up," I shot back, but I didn't bother looking away.

The memory of yesterday's encounter flashed in my mind. Her expression when I'd dangled her phone in front of her, the way her face hardened as soon as I mentioned Adriana. She thought she had it all under control, but I saw the flicker of panic behind her eyes.