Adrian picked up the tray with a bowl of steaming soup, a glass of water, and his own coffee. Elena hadn’t come back to the living room yet, and something about the silence from the guest room didn’t sit right with him. With steady strides, he walked to her door, balancing the tray carefully. He knocked twice before opening the door slightly.
“Miss Harper,” he said, his voice firm but quieter than usual.
What I didn’t expect to see made me stop dead in my tracks.
Elena was sitting on the bed, curled up like a little lost kitten, wearing my white shirt. It was too big for her, hanging off her small body in a way that made her look so delicate. The sleeves were rolled up messily, and the hem fell just above her knees. She looked so out of place, like she didn’t belong here, in my world, surrounded by all this chaos. She looked like something soft, too pure for the mess I had created.
Her hair was damp, clinging to her face and neck, and it framed her features like a soft halo. But what caught my attention the most was how my shirt clung to her.
She wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
The wet fabric hugged her body in a way I couldn’t ignore. I could see the shape of her, the soft curves that the shirt outlined. I clenched my jaw, fighting the rush of heat spreading through me. My shirt wasn’t just oversized; it was white, and with the way her skin showed through the wet fabric, it wasn’t hiding anything.
I tried to look away. I tried so hard to focus on something else, anything else, but my eyes refused to move. She looked so small, so fragile, as if one wrong move could break her.
She didn’t seem to notice the effect she was having on me. She curled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them, and tugged at the shirt absentmindedly. She rested her chin on her knees, looking up at me with wide, exhausted eyes. There was a softness to her gaze, a tiredness she probably didn’t even realize she was showing.
It hit me how different she was, how innocent. And how completely out of place she was in this situation. It made my chest tighten.
“Professor…?” Her soft voice pulled me back from my thoughts.
I cleared my throat, trying to keep my composure. I took a step further into the room. “Are you warm enough?” My voice came out colder than I meant it to, but it was the only way I could keep myself in check.
She nodded, her lips pressing together. “Thank you,” she whispered, so quietly that I almost missed it. Her lips were chapped, trembling from the cold. They looked so soft, I had to force myself not to think about it.
I shook my head, annoyed with myself. What is wrong with me?
She shifted again, drawing my attention back to her. Her knees pulled in closer, and the hem of my shirt rode up just a little. I quickly turned my head, determined not to look. My chest felt tight, and I could feel the urge to control myself slipping away.
“You should rest,” I said sharply, walking over to the cabinet to grab a blanket. My movements were stiff, like I was trying to block out everything I was feeling. It was the only way I could stay in control.
When I turn back to her side, she was blinking slowly, fighting the exhaustion she clearly felt but didn’t want to admit. She was too polite to fall asleep without asking for permission. I draped the blanket over her, pulling it around her shoulders to shield her from the chill in the room-and, honestly, to keep my mind from wandering.
She clutched the blanket tightly, her eyes looking up at me. Her gaze was soft, like she was seeing me for the first time. “You’re very kind, Professor Blackwood,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I didn’t feel kind. I felt like I was on the edge of losing control.
I sat down on the chair across from her, keeping a safe distance. My fingers itched to rub my temples, to do something to shake off this strange pull she had on me. She didn’t even know what she was doing, how she looked how innocent and unaware she was. It was driving me mad.
“Why didn’t you tell me you hadn’t eaten?” I asked, my voice was sharper than I meant.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked down, fiddling with the hem of the shirt. “I… didn’t want to bother anyone.”
“That’s not an excuse,” I snapped. I leaned forward slightly, unable to help myself. Her small frame, so delicate in that oversized shirt, made my chest tighten again. She had just passed out, and I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t taking better care of herself.
“I’ll be fine,” she murmured, her voice wavering like she didn’t believe it herself.
“You won’t be fine if you keep pushing yourself like this,” I said firmly. My hands gripped the armrests of the chair, my knuckles turning white as I tried to stop myself from reaching out to her. I didn’t want to touch her, not like that-God, no-but I just needed to feel like she was real, that she wasn’t going to disappear.
She looked at me, her eyes searching my face like she was trying to understand me, and that only made things worse. I wanted to tell her to rest, to stop being so stubborn, but all I could do was stare at her, frozen.
“I brought you some soup,” he said, stepping inside and setting the tray on the bedside table. “You need to eat something.”
She nodded faintly, her hands trembling as she reached for the bowl. Adrian noticed how pale her fingers looked against the dark wood of the tray. Without a word, he picked up the spoon, filled it with soup, and held it out to her.
“Eat,” he instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Elena hesitated before opening her mouth to take the first bite. Her lips brushed against the spoon, and she winced slightly at the heat, blowing on the next spoonful before taking it herself. Adrian stood there, watching her, his hands tucked into his pockets to keep himself from fidgeting.
“Drink some water when you’re done,” he said, gesturing to the glass. “I’ll be outside if you need anything else.”
He turned to leave but paused at the door, glancing back at her. She looked so small, wrapped in the oversized blanket, her eyes still red and puffy. For a brief moment, something sharp twisted in his chest, but he quickly pushed it away.
“Try to get some rest,” he said gruffly, stepping out and closing the door behind him.