shadows of perfection

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 3

The next day arrived relentlessly, bringing with it the unyielding routine of college life.
Every time I thought about my encounter with Alex in the library, my face flushed, heat creeping up my neck.

He had been too close, too intense. His question—"Why do you care so much?"—still echoed in my head like a forbidden song.

What was I holding on to, and, more importantly... for whom? But I quickly shoved those thoughts aside, focusing on keeping everything just as my parents expected.

It wasn't easy, though, with Alex always lurking in the background.

Later that morning, I found myself in my literature class, my favorite. The dimmed curtains filtered the sunlight, casting a soft glow that gave the room a kind of intimate calm.

I sat next to Emma, who was absorbed in her phone, probably discussing some new student council project. Then, the door swung open, and instinctively, I looked up.

Alex stepped in. His eyes swept the room with that effortless, unbothered confidence. It was as though he owned every space he entered.

"Perfect timing, as usual," Emma murmured with a knowing smile, clearly noticing my reaction. "He always seems to find a reason to wander by."

I ignored her, doing my best to focus on my notes. But then Alex settled a few rows behind me. Close enough that I could feel every movement, every shift of his body, every glance he cast in my direction.

It was deliberate. Like he knew exactly how to make his presence known without uttering a single word.

Professor Amora began the lecture, but the words became a blur, replaced by the growing awareness of Alex's gaze on me, watching, waiting for me to crack.

Then, a folded note slid onto my desk.

I looked at Emma. She shrugged, all innocence, but I knew better.
Opening the note, my eyes skimmed the hurried handwriting: Am I bothering you, princess?

I turned around, and our gazes locked. His lips curled into that trademark half-smile—dangerous, mocking, yet there was something else there. Something real.

I swallowed, trying to force myself to act unaffected, but my voice trembled when I finally spoke. "Don't think you can break my focus." I almost didn't believe the words myself.

When class ended, I was left feeling oddly exhilarated, and yet, unsettled. Emma noticed my tension, her gaze sharp. She said nothing, but her raised eyebrow told me all I needed to know.

"Are you sure it's wise to keep playing this game?" she asked softly, her smile both light and loaded with meaning. "He doesn't strike me as the type to just... let things go."

I forced myself to sound calm, my mask as steady as always. "There's nothing to continue, Emma. He's just... another student." But the warmth creeping up my neck betrayed me.

Emma's smile softened, understanding more than I wanted her to. "Leila, I'm here for you. Always. No need to hide."

Her words made something inside me shift, but I quickly dismissed it. I changed the subject, talking about some charity project we were planning.

But I couldn't shake the unease, the sense that something was shifting beneath the surface.
Alex Carter wasn't just a distraction. He was a threat. A threat to everything I had carefully constructed.

That evening, after everything quieted down, I decided to take a walk through the campus gardens, a place where the noise of the world faded, and I could think without interruption. The cool air felt good against my skin, soothing my frayed nerves.

But then I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned, and there he was. Alex. Like an intruder, invading my space of calm.

He stopped a few steps away, his hands casually stuffed in his pockets, his lips curled into a smirk that sent an electric jolt through me.

"Running from something... or someone?" he asked, his voice low, like a challenge.

"Ever heard of discretion?" I shot back, trying to steady my breathing. My pulse pounded in my ears. "This is my space, Alex. I come here to be alone."

"You didn't seem so alone today in class," he teased, his eyes never leaving mine. His words were light, but the undertone was loaded with something darker. He saw me. And that... unsettled me more than anything.

"I don't know what you want from me, but whatever it is, I won't give you the satisfaction," I said, my voice trembling more than I wanted to admit.

He took a step closer, closing the space between us. So close, I could feel the heat radiating from his body, the steady pulse of his presence. My breath hitched. "Who says I want something from you, princess?" he whispered, the words slow, deliberate, almost hypnotic. "Maybe I just want to see how long you can pretend."

The tension between us crackled, thick and suffocating. Every inch of my body screamed to step away, but I couldn't. His pull was magnetic, dangerous, and impossible to ignore.

My cheeks burned as his nearness made me want to retreat... but also stay.

"I'm not the one pretending," I managed, though my voice was shaky with the truth of it. "You're the one with the mask, Alex. Everyone thinks they know you, but no one really does."

The words hit him harder than I expected. For a moment, his eyes darkened—something flickered there. Then, the smirk reappeared, less confident this time. "Maybe none of us really know who we are, Leila. Not even ourselves."

The words stunned me into silence. Alex wasn't just the rebellious, stone-hearted person everyone saw. No. There was more to him, something far deeper, something that called to me in ways I couldn't explain.

A sigh slipped from my lips, my defenses crumbling just for a second. And he noticed. He leaned in, his face inches from mine, his gaze so intense it almost felt like he could see right through me.

"Maybe we should stop hiding, then," he whispered, his voice a soft, dangerous temptation.

Instinctively, I stepped back, forcing myself to stay composed. I couldn't give in. Not to him. Not to whatever this was.

"Goodnight, Alex," I said, finally turning away, my heart pounding in my chest.

As I walked off, I felt his gaze follow me—burning, relentless. Like an invisible fire that refused to go out.