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ARK's POV
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The next day, nothing stopped me. My thoughts spiralled with something between excitement and fear.
But-
The whispers didn't stop- but i dint care because after last night, the way Jade had looked at me in the car, the teasing pressure of his lips through my scarf.
If anything, but they got louder. Or maybe it was just me- every glance, every giggle, every shove of a chair in class felt like it was aimed directly at me. It didn't bother that much as it did before.
I couldn't forget his words. Ain't you going to kiss me? They replayed in my head every time I blinked. My stomach hadn't stopped flipping.
During class Jade slipped in class with his usual self and sat down next to me. The whole lessons Jade was laying his head on his hands staring at me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should flip a page or write. I didn't know. I was brain dead, especially after last night.
By lunch, I decided to vanish. I ducked into the library, the only place where whispers were shushed and eyes were forced down to books. My corner. My safe spot. And also away from Jade.
Except I should've known better. Safe didn't exist around Jade.
"Found you."
I froze mid-step, heart jolting. His voice was soft, playful, but there was an edge to it- a warning that he wouldn't let me escape. I turned slowly.
And there he was. Leaning against one of the tall shelves like he owned it, tie loose, sleeves rolled up, eyes locked directly on me. The smirk was back, sharp and daring.
"Why are you here?" I asked, trying for steady, but it came out like a whisper.
"Because you are." He pushed off the shelf, long strides closing the gap between us. Before I could retreat, his hand curled around my wrist, warm and unyielding. "Come."
"W-where-"
"Shh." He didn't explain. He just tugged me down the narrow aisle, past rows of untouched encyclopedias and dictionaries no one ever opened. My sneakers squeaked faintly against the polished floor.
We kept going until the shelves thickened, the light dimmed, and the noise of turning pages and soft coughs faded. The furthest part of the library- no one came here unless they were lost.
Finally, Jade stopped, pushing me gently but firmly against the end shelf. My back met the cool wood. His smirk widened as his hand braced beside my head.
"Perfect," he whispered, eyes glinting. "No one will see us here."
My pulse hammered. I tugged nervously at my scarf, heat crawling up my neck. "J-Jade… what are you doing?"
His face tilted closer, his breath warm against the thin fabric over my lips. "What do you think?" His other hand rose slowly, fingers brushing my jaw through the scarf, tugging lightly at the edge of the fabric like he was testing how far he could push me.
I grabbed his wrist, heart in my throat. "Don't."
He chuckled low, amused. "Don't? Or don't stop?"
The arrogance, the danger, the teasing tone-it sent shivers down my spine. He was enjoying this, the way I trembled, the way my eyes darted away.
Then, softer, dangerously soft: "Kiss me."
I blinked. "W-what?"
"You heard me." He leaned in, nose brushing mine through the scarf. His lips hovered right above the fabric. "But this time…" His voice dipped lower, intimate, daring. "…not on the scarf. On your lips. I want to taste the part you hide."
My whole body went rigid. My throat locked. The air between us thickened, heavy with the weight of his words.
He tilted his head, eyes locked on mine, not breaking contact. "What's wrong? Afraid your lips might like me back?"
"I-" My voice cracked. I swallowed hard. "Ican't"
His smirk twisted into something sharper, almost predatory. "Can't? Or won't?" He let his thumb brush lightly over the edge of the scarf, so close I could feel the heat of his skin against the skin I never showed.
My chest was burning, my mind screaming for me to push him away- but my body betrayed me, leaning in a fraction.
Jade noticed. Of course he did. His grin turned triumphant. "There she is. My Ark."
"I promise I won't take it off. Just your lips."
Before I could protest, his fingers slipped beneath the scarf just enough to tug it down an inch, exposing half of my lips. My heart started hummering. I wasn't ready. But instead of stopping him I didn't. But what if he sees the jagged imperfection that had I kept hidden all this time.
My breath hitched, panic rising- what if he is doing this on purpose, what if he sees me?
My chest hammered. I waited for him to laugh, to sneer, to say something cruel-
But he didnt
Jade didn't even blink. He just looked at me.
He studied my lips now fully exposed to his sight like they were treasure, not damage. But he did my mouth like it was something forbidden he'd been craving for too long, with slow, deliberate intent, he leaned in, too close
Then his lips crashed against mine.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't careful. It was fire, reckless and claiming. His mouth moved hard, demanding, like he wanted to own every hidden part of me.
I gasped, shocked, and in that instant his tongue slipped past my lips, hot and deliberate, teasing and searching. My breath caught in my throat. The taste of him overwhelmed me- warm, sharp, dizzying.
I tried to push him back, my hands clutching his shirt, but my body betrayed me, pulling him closer instead. My scarf fell further, forgotten, as his tongue tangled with mine, slow then rough, a rhythm that made my stomach twist and my knees weak even though I was sitting.
His hand slid to the back of my neck, fingers pressing just enough to hold me exactly where he wanted me. I whimpered softly against his mouth, and his smirk curved into the kiss like he'd been waiting for it. The other hand slowly and carefully holding into my waist pressing me towards him.
The world disappeared. No shelves, no whispers, no rules. Just his mouth, his tongue, the dangerous thrill of being devoured and wanting it, hating that I wanted it.
When he finally pulled back, our lips wet and swollen, his forehead rested against mine. His breath was uneven, his smirk dangerous, satisfied.
"See," he whispered, voice low and teasing. "That wasn't so bad."
I stood there, trembling, lips tingling, scarf crooked around my face. My heart was still racing when he added, with that infuriating grin:
"And don't worry… the library won't tell."
For a second the library didn't breathe. Neither did I. His words- even scars can't keep me away- still echoed in my skull, tangled with the memory of his mouth on mine. By the time Jade finally fully let me go, I could barely keep my scarf steady. My lips still burned, raw and alive, like he had branded me.
The rest of the afternoon blurred. I didn't even know how I sat through class, how I kept my pen moving. Every time his chair scraped, every time his breath brushed the air near me, my body betrayed me with shivers.
And then the bell rang. The bell?
One by one, students filed out, chatter and footsteps spilling into the hall. I bent quickly over my notebook, pretending to pack slowly, hoping the trembling in my fingers would calm before I had to leave.
But Jade didn't move.
Instead, his hand shot out under the table, warm and unyielding around my wrist. I gasped, eyes snapping to him. He didn't even look at me, just leaned back casually in his chair, expression unreadable as he held me there.
"Wait," he murmured.
My heart pounded. The last student slipped out. The door shut. Silence swallowed the room.
And then Jade turned, fully facing me. His grip tightened, not painful but certain, daring me to resist. Slowly, he stood, dragging me up with him. My legs shook as he maneuvered me toward the front, toward the teacher's desk- no, not the desk. The table.
"J-Jade…" My voice faltered. "What are you-"
"Shh." His finger brushed my lips through the scarf, silencing me. His eyes glinted, sharper in the dim light of the empty classroom. Dangerous. Hungry.
Before I could retreat, his hands gripped my waist firmly, lifting me with effortless strength. My breath caught as he set me down on the cold surface of the table, leaving me perched there, small compared to his towering frame.
He didn't step back. He stayed close. Too close. His hands bracketed me, one sliding up slowly, deliberately, until it curved around my neck. Not squeezing. Just resting there-heavy, possessive, warm.
I froze, the pulse in my throat thundering against his palm. My legs dangled off the table, knees brushing his sides. My scarf had slipped slightly, crooked from the earlier kiss, but Jade didn't fix it. He didn't care.
His face lowered, so close I could feel every breath against my skin. He didn't kiss me this time. He didn't even speak. He just moved-;slow, deliberate, like a predator circling prey- his nose brushing along my temple, his lips hovering by my cheek, his breath fanning against the edge of my scarf.
It was like he was… smelling me. Learning me. Claiming me without a single word.
I trembled, gripping the edge of the table so hard my knuckles ached. My heartbeat wasn't just in my chest- it was in my ears, my stomach, everywhere.
Then he stopped. His hand tightened slightly on my neck, not painful but grounding, forcing me to look at him. His eyes burned into mine, sharp and unreadable, a storm I couldn't name.
Suddenly out of nowhere he straightened up and fixed my scarf. Settling it.
And then- his lips curved. That smirk.
"See you tomorrow."
The words, soft but final, were more dangerous than a kiss.
He released me slowly, stepping back as if nothing had happened. My body sagged with the sudden absence of his touch. He grabbed his bag lazily, like he hadn't just held me against a table, like he hadn't stolen every ounce of breath from my lungs.
The door clicked shut behind him.
I sat frozen, scarf crooked, heart hammering, body trembling with something I couldn't define- fear, desire, danger. Maybe all three.
And his words echoed again, branding me as surely as his hand on my neck had:
See you tomorrow.