Puckered Hearts

Chapter 14

•KAIA•

I pushed aside the glass sliding door and stepped outside. The cold night breeze nipped at my skin, and I pulled my cardigan closer around me.

Miss Levont had prepared a wonderful dinner tonight, and we had so much fun. She was very nice and easy to talk to, and her constant bickering with Gabriel never failed to amuse us.

I just learned that they've only been divorced for a year. Arguing with each other on a daily basis was fun to watch, but secretly, I think it's probably their love language.

I gazed up at the sky, seeing that the moon was out tonight and the sky was littered with small twinkling stars. I smiled before walking down the steps that lead to the dock at the lake.

There was a peaceful silence lingering in the air as I stepped onto the dock. There were bright light balls attached to each side of the dock, lighting up the whole area. The dark water that surrounded me glimmered under the moonlight, and I inhaled a deep breath of fresh air.

This was perfect.

Amy's parents had already retired for the night, whereas Amy and Nate stayed up on the couch, talking and flirting.

I didn't want to hover around and ruin Amy's moment of spending some alone time with Nate to get to know him better. She looks genuinely happy around him, and I was happy about that too.

Except her brother, who constantly reminds Amy every time now that whatever she's planning to make happen with Nate is never going to happen on his watch.

I get that he was just being the overprotective older brother he is, but he's a total buzzkill at this point. It was annoying. Speaking of Adrian, he never stayed around either, straight after dinner.

Who knows where he disappeared off to, but it was peaceful when I didn't see his face around more often.

The wood suddenly creaked behind me, and I quickly turned around. The devil himself started making his way on the dock towards me, and I sighed in annoyance.

Great. It was just the perfect time when I needed him.

Something red sparked from his mouth, and I quickly realized that it was a cigarette. He was smoking along the way and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke that was quickly carried away by the breeze.

I folded my arms together and turned away, facing the lake. A few seconds later, he appeared by my side, facing the same way. The scent of the burning cigarette quickly infiltrated my nose, and I turned my head away from him.

A long moment of silence stretched out between us. Me staring quietly at the lake, and him just smoking his cigarette.

After a minute without talking, I slowly turned to the back to start walking back to the house.

"What's your professor's name?" His voice suddenly breaks the intense silence in the air, making me freeze.

I turned back around to face him, and he slowly did the same before flicking the cigarette butt away into the lake.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

He raised his brows at me.

"Why do you think I'm asking?" He answered coolly.

I folded my arms tighter and fought back the urge to smile.

"Are you seriously considering what I said? To beg my professor and let her know why I needed another chance."

He gave me a long stare and quietly took a step forward.

"No, I was thinking more about telling her why you deserved to get that zero."