She looked away from his face, clearing her throat. "Forget it."
"Vivi..."
"I said forget it."
The silence stretched between them for a moment. Then Jeffrey’s expression shifted, turning serious as he adjusted his posture.
"Whatever happened, you need to be careful in this place," he said, firmly.
Vivian frowned, glaring at him. "Carefully with hat?"
"Wyatt."
"Why the hell are you bringing him up?"
"He’s dangerous, Vivian." Jeffrey took a step closer, though this time he kept his hands to himself. "The academy isn’t going to ignore what happened in the cafeteria. You might get punished for provoking a commander. And if Wyatt decides to hold a grudge against you....." He shook his head. "Just stay away from him. Please."
Vivian crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a scoff. "Why? Sounds to me like you’re just jealous."
Jeffrey’s eyes widened in shock. "Jealous? Me? I’m just..."
"You’re the one standing here, telling me to stay away from another man," Vivian said, cutting him off.
"That’s not what this is about, Viv."
"Mhmm. Sure it isn’t."
"Okay, listen to me," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I’m trying to protect you. Wyatt is cold, he’s unpredictable, and he’s not someone you should provoke."
"You’re very late to protect me, Jeffrey," she whispered.
He still forced a smile onto his lips. His voice softened. "If the academy tries to punish you, I’ll handle it. I have influence with the committee. Even if they discipline you, I’ll make sure it won’t be serious."
"I don’t need you to handle anything for me."
"I know you don’t," Jeffrey said, dropping his voice into a whisper as he stared down at her face. "I care about you, Viv. More than anyone else in this place does."
Vivian stared at him for a second. Then, without a word, she lifted her right hand out of her pocket, raised her middle finger straight into his face, and gave him thefuck you sign. "You know what, go fuck yourself."
Jeffrey blinked, looking genuinely stunned. He couldn’t believe she had just flipped him off.
"Did she just tell me to ’fuck myself?’"
Then, unexpectedly, a slow smile spread across his face.
Vivian didn’t waste another second. She turned around and walked away.
Jeffrey stood in the courtyard, staring after her figure. He shook his head, chuckled, as he shoved his hands back into his pockets.
"She really is stubborn," he murmured. "That was unexpected."
He didn’t understand what had changed, but this Vivian was different. She challenged him. She pushed back. And that resistance sent a thrill through his S-Class core.
For some reason, the colder she became, the more determined he felt to get through to her.
As an S-Class Sentinel, Jeffrey was accustomed to people either fearing him, admiring him, or automatically stepping aside the second he walked into a room. There was no thrill in that. But Vivian? She had looked him in the eyes and told him to fuck himself.
She had just become the most interesting challenge he’d encountered in a very long time. Sentinels loved a rush, and she was giving him a wild one.
Then, something strange happened. The anger still lingering inside his body from the cafeteria incident began to fade.
Jeffrey frowned, looking down at his hands. His energy had been restless and volatile all afternoon, but now it was calming down. Slowly.
He looked toward the corridor where she had disappeared. A faint trace of her sweet scent still lingered in the air. His eyes widened in shock.
"Wait..."
He had felt a shift when he’d stood close to her by the wall. It wasn’t merely physical attraction. It was something deeper. His energy had responded to her presence.
"Was she..." Jeffrey stopped himself.
Could Vivian have been soothing his S-Class energy waves without even realizing it?
That should be impossible, she was only a weak D-Class Guide. Yet his own body had reacted to her.
His smile widened into a grin as he turned and started walking back toward the elite barracks. "She’s really making this difficult. Fine." He chuckled softly into the dark. "I’ll win her back. Jackpot."
He walked away completely satisfied, unaware that Vivian hadn’t walked away because she was playing some hard-to-get high school game. She had walked away because she remembered exactly what loving a coward had cost her in her past life.
But he didn’t see the tears gathering in her eyes as she walked away. He didn’t see her stop around the corner, pressing her back against the wall. He didn’t see her close her eyes, and he definitely didn’t see the tears that finally spilled over.
Vivian quickly covered her mouth with one hand. Her shoulders shook once, then again, as a sob escaped her fingers.
"Damn you," she whispered into the dark.
She wasn’t crying because she hated him. That would have been so much easier. She was crying because for one moment out there, she had almost wanted to go back to him.
She had almost wanted to believe that his arms could still be home, that he could protect her from everything.
And that thought scared her more than anything.
Because if she could still want him after everything that happened, then perhaps five years hadn’t been enough to kill those feelings.
Vivian wiped her face roughly and took a shaky breath.
"No."
She straightened against the wall. She wasn’t going to lose herself again.
Jeffrey had no idea what he was trying to win back.
Vivian wasn’t the girl he remembered anymore.
[Host emotional level has gone off track again.] Compass said finally, after being silent for a while.
Vivian sniffed and wiped the tear from her cheek.
"I’m fine, Compass."
[Host is clearly not fine.]
"I said I’m fine."
[Host is also lying. Heart rate keeps spiking.]
Vivian took a deep breath, and sighed. " Really doesn’t matter. What’s the next plan?"
[Phase Three is ready.]
Her expression immediately changed.
"Good."
Vivian pushed herself away from the wall.
"Let’s get back on track. I’m ready."