Untouchable

0.10

Ivy’s POV

The air in Alistair’s dorm was thick with his cologne, the scent settling into my skin as his lips moved against mine. His hands skimmed my waist, pulling me closer, his touch both familiar and intoxicating. The thrill of sneaking in here, of pressing up against him in a space where we shouldn’t be, made it all the more exhilarating.

“You know,” I murmured between kisses, my fingers slipping under the hem of his shirt, “for someone who claims he’s so good at sneaking around, you’re not exactly careful.”

Alistair smirked against my lips. “Careful’s boring.”

I rolled my eyes, but before I could say anything else, the door swung open.

I barely had time to react before Adrian stepped inside, his gaze landing on us like a cold gust of wind.

He didn’t freeze, didn’t gasp or stumble back like a normal person would after walking in on something like this. No. Instead, he just shut the door behind him with an infuriating slowness, the lock clicking into place like he had all the time in the world.

His expression was unreadable, his face blank except for the slight tick of his jaw.

“Really?” His voice was flat, unimpressed.

Alistair barely pulled away, still close enough that I could feel his breath against my skin. “Ever heard of knocking, mate?”

Adrian exhaled through his nose, setting his bag down on his bed like we weren’t even there. “Ever heard of common decency?”

I groaned, tilting my head back against the door. “Are we really doing this?”

Adrian glanced at me, his gaze flicking over my disheveled appearance before returning to Alistair. “You brought her here?”

Alistair grinned, completely unfazed. “Technically, she followed me.”

Adrian’s lips pressed into a thin line. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but before he could, Alistair’s phone started buzzing in his pocket.

He sighed, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. His eyes flickered with interest, his entire posture shifting slightly.

“Looks like I’ve got business to handle,” he mused, already stepping back. He shot me a smirk, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to my temple before moving toward the door. “Try not to kill each other while I’m gone, yeah?”

And just like that, he was gone.

The second the door shut behind him, the room felt different.

Heavier.

Adrian didn’t say anything at first. He just exhaled slowly, shaking his head as he pulled off his watch.

I crossed my arms. “Are you seriously just going to stand there and act like I did something wrong?”

Adrian glanced at me, his expression as cold as ever. “Did I say that?”

“You didn’t have to.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he grabbed a book from his desk, flipping it open like he wasn’t the least bit bothered by any of this.

Which only irritated me more.

I scoffed. “Oh, so now you don’t care?”

His gaze flicked up from the pages. “I don’t.”

I frowned. “Then why are you acting like this?”

Adrian closed the book with a sharp snap, setting it down beside him. “Like what?”

“Like you’re pissed.”

He let out a humorless laugh, leaning back against his desk. “Trust me, Ivy. If I was pissed, you’d know.”

My stomach twisted at the way he said it, the way his voice was so calm and steady despite the sharp edge underneath.

I lifted my chin. “Then what’s your problem?”

He tilted his head slightly, eyes dragging over me in a way that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. “I don’t have one.”

“You’re lying.”

He smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “And you’re overestimating how much I care.”

That hit a nerve, and he knew it.

I clenched my jaw. “You’re such an ass.”

Adrian just shrugged, completely unaffected. “You’re the one standing here arguing with me.”

I huffed, turning toward the door. “You know what? Forget it.”

But before I could leave, his voice stopped me.

“You could’ve picked anyone,” he said, his tone quieter now. “And yet you chose him.”

I turned back, narrowing my eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Adrian didn’t answer right away. He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers tightening slightly like he was debating something.

Then he looked at me again, and for the first time, there was something unreadable in his expression.

Something almost… bitter.

“It means exactly what it sounds like,” he muttered.

The words sent an odd jolt through me—something that felt too much like guilt even though I had nothing to feel guilty for.

I crossed my arms. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”

His jaw ticked. “I never asked for one.”

Then why did it feel like he had?

I opened my mouth to say something else, but at that exact moment, the door swung open again.

“Miss me?”

Alistair strolled in, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he tossed his jacket onto his bed. He barely spared Adrian a glance before smirking at me. “I assume you two didn’t kill each other?”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the way Adrian stiffened beside me. “Barely.”

Alistair chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “Well, I’d hate to interrupt whatever riveting conversation this is, but I’d really like to get back to what we were doing before we were so rudely interrupted.”

Adrian exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he grabbed his coat. “I’m going for a walk.”

He didn’t look at me as he said it.

Didn’t look at either of us, actually.

He just turned and left, the door shutting a little harder than necessary behind him.

I watched him go, my chest tightening for a reason I didn’t understand.

Alistair, of course, noticed.

He raised a brow, amusement flickering in his eyes as he stepped closer. “You know,” he mused, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear, “for two people who claim to hate each other, you sure argue a lot.”

I scoffed, shoving him lightly. “Shut up.”

Alistair just smirked.

But I could still feel the weight of Adrian’s words lingering in the air.

And I hated that I cared.