Page 87 of Unapologetic Obsession

No one would win if I reported this incident. The best thing I could do was erase it from my memory and pretend like the last few days never happened.

“Hey, hey! I got you your favorite—lavender latte.”

The voice caught me off guard, and I turned to face my roommate. I had been studying my reflection in front of the mirror and hadn’t heard her enter. She had two cups of coffee from our favorite university café—Bageltown. It was our go-to spot for breakfast, lunch, and to generally hang out. She placed one of the cups on the table. It was labeledRose.

She watched me intently for a moment. “There’s something different about you. But good different. What is it?”

I stealthily glanced back at the mirror. I had erased most of the evidence of the assault, and my robe covered the rug burns. Could she tell something was off from my expression?

She lifted a finger in my general direction. “Haircut?”

“No.”

She stared at me suspiciously. “You’re practically glowing. I’ve heard of these vampire facials that use blood to make your skin brighter. Did you get one?”

“Since I saw you this morning? No, I didn’t get a haircut or a blood facial.”

Her eyes softened. “That reminds me, how did it go with Professor Maxwell? Why was he so upset?”

My back straightened at the mention of his name. Acting nonchalant after what happened was impossible. “I labeled ethanol incorrectly. Imagine his surprise when he almost mixed it with nitric acid.” I tried to laugh.

She frowned. “But you’re so careful. You obsessively double-check your work.”

I avoided her gaze. “Everyone makes mistakes, and this was a bad one. It could have caused an explosion. I’m lucky he let me off with a warning.”

Her brows drew further together. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

“Obviously, there’ll be some academic reprimanding, and he’ll lower my grade by one letter,” I quickly added to make it sound more believable.

I had gone a step too far.

“That’s ridiculous. He practically plucked you out of the group because you’re so meticulous. You fuck up once, and he’s going to dock your grade. We should take this to the university admins.”

“No.” I backed away from her, the panic from earlier resettling in my chest. “Please, Am. I just want to drop it. Can we do that?”

“But—”

“I’ll talk to him and try to make him see reason so he won’t dock my grade. I’m sure he’ll agree once he calms down.”

She seemed unconvinced but eventually relented. “If that’s what you think. But he’s a giant ass.”

“Agreed.”

She laughed. “I thought he was your favorite teacher and you would jump to his defense again.”

“Not today.”

With a sigh, I lifted my latte to my lips and took a sip.

She gave me another odd look. “What’s going on with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t rotate the cup three times like you normally do before drinking your coffee.”

I stilled. Amelie knew something was wrong, and though I tried to distract her by asking about her weekend with her boyfriend, her sharp look told me she wasn’t convinced. I should have gone back to Poppy’s home and lived another day in denial.

Eventually, I retreated into my room. I waited until Amelie left for her next class before I broke down in uncontrollable tears.