Poisonous Love

Aria Alvarez

As the professor's words droned on, I found it increasingly difficult to focus on the intricacies of the legal case before them. The weight of a persistent gaze bore down on me, an unrelenting presence that seemed to seep through the walls of my concentration. My pen hovered over the notebook, tracing aimless circles as my eyes darted around, seeking the source of this unsettling attention.

Every so often, when my gaze met another's, I couldn't help but wonder if they were the ones responsible for this strange sensation. The room seemed to close in, the hushed rustle of papers and the distant echo of footsteps mingling with the thrumming of my own pulse.

My fingers clenched around the pen, my knuckles white with the effort to maintain some semblance of composure. I felt exposed as if the gaze were peeling away the layers of my carefully constructed facade, leaving me vulnerable and laid bare.

I stole a glance behind me, hoping to catch a glimpse of the watcher, but the sea of faces offered no answers, only a sea of impassive expressions. A shiver prickled down my spine, a mixture of unease and frustration at my own inability to shake off this eerie sensation.

In a final act of desperation, I turned my attention back to the lecture, forcing myself to dissect the legal jargon that filled the room. But the phantom gaze still clung to me, a disconcerting presence that seemed to linger even as the lecture drew to a close.

The lecture hall's fluorescent lights hummed overhead as I hastily gathered my books, eager to escape the confines of the room that seemed to stifle me. I could still feel the weight of the professor's words, though they had long since faded into background noise.

As I made my way towards the exit, a hand suddenly closed around my arm, stopping me in my tracks. My heart leaped into my throat as I turned to face the source, my breath hitching in surprise. It was him, standing there with an intensity in his eyes that I hadn't seen in months.

Without a word, he pulled me into an empty room adjacent to the lecture hall, the door clicking shut behind us. The sudden shift from the bustling corridor to the stark silence of the small room was disorienting, the air charged with a palpable tension.

"Aria," he began, his voice a mixture of urgency and trepidation.

I swallowed hard, my gaze fixed on the scuffed linoleum floor.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

I could feel his eyes hovering around me, searching for something in the depths of my eyes. "Are you okay?"

I looked up then, meeting his gaze, and for a moment, "Aria," he began, his voice tentative, "can we talk?"

I leveled him with a steely gaze, my resolve firm. "We have nothing left to say."

Undeterred, he took a step closer, desperation flickering in his eyes. "I've realized my mistakes. I want us to try again."

I scoffed, my laughter tinged with bitterness. "You had your chance, and you threw it away. I'm not falling for your games again."

His face fell, the weight of her words settling in the air. "Aria, please. I love you."

My gaze hardened, a fire igniting within me. "Love isn't a word you throw around to fix your mistakes. It's a commitment, a choice you make every day. And you've proven time and time again that you're not up for that."

He reached out, his fingers grazing my arm, but I pulled away, my eyes blazing with determination. "Save your apologies for someone who still believes in your empty promises. I'm done."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving him standing there, his pleas hanging in the cool dusty air. I allowed myself a moment to breathe, to revel in the freedom that came from finally breaking free. The weight of his presence lingered, but it was no match for the power of my own conviction.

I had chosen myself, and in that choice, I found a strength I hadn't known I possessed. With every step, I walked further from her past, towards a future I would shape on my own terms.