Micah’s POV
I couldn’t breathe. I. Can’t. Breathe.
I had always heard people use the cliché phrase about a kiss taking your breath away, but this was the literal, suffocating reality of it. Damon’s hand was tangled so deeply into my hair that it pulled at my scalp, his tongue aggressively forcing its way into my mouth. His other hand was locked tightly around my waist, crushing my body against his chest so I couldn’t run away or break the contact.
Damon tilted his head, deepening the pressure, and the sudden shift weight sent us crashing hard against the edge of the desk. In the chaos, my desk lamp wobbled and crashed loudly to the floor.
My eyes widened in pure panic. Driven by adrenaline, I bit down hard on his lip to force him off me.
Damon pulled back instantly, the taste of copper hitting my tongue.
"Micah! Are you ignoring me?" Noah’s voice boomed from the other side of the locked door, the handle rattling violently.
"Please, just go," I whispered frantically to Damon, my chest heaving.
Damon didn’t say a single word. He simply touched the small cut on his lip with his thumb, a dark, wicked smirk spreading across his face. Before I could even blink, he turned and smoothly jumped straight out of the open window into the night.
I rushed over to the door, unlocked it, and threw it open. Noah was standing right there in the hallway, looking like he was just a second away from breaking the wood down with his bare hands.
"I’m not ignoring you, Noah," I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Why did you lock it then...?" Noah paused, his sharp blue eyes instantly cutting past my shoulder to look inside the room. "Who was in here?"
I froze, my blood turning to absolute ice. I forced a nervous, fake laugh and stepped back into the room. "No one was here. I fell asleep at my desk, and when I heard your voice, I woke up in a panic and accidentally pushed the lamp over."
I knelt down, quickly picking up the shattered pieces of glass and metal to hide my trembling hands.
Noah walked into the room, his eyes fixed on the mess. "You should just throw it away."
"But..." I looked down at the broken base, a wave of genuine sadness hitting me. "I can’t. You gave me this lamp last year for my birthday. I’ll just find a way to get it fixed."
Noah immediately reached down and gently took the broken pieces out of my hands. "Then I will take it, fix it for you, and bring it back. If it’s completely beyond repair, I will just buy you a brand new one."
My cheeks flushed a violent shade of red at his words. A heavy wave of guilt washed over me for lying straight to his face. I desperately tried to push the thoughts of Damon out of my head, but I couldn’t. The bastard had forcefully kissed me, and yet the phantom feeling of his hands around my waist and the heavy, rigid hardness pressing against his jeans wouldn’t leave my mind.
"You should go to bed," Noah said softly, breaking me out of my thoughts. "See you tomorrow, Micah."
I waved tightly, watching him carry the broken lamp out of the room. He stopped right at the threshold, casting one last, unreadable look back at me before finally closing the door.
I let out a massive breath, pressing my palm against my racing heart. I leaned back against the very same desk where Damon had just pinned me. I clapped my warm cheeks hard, trying to shake the memory of his mouth on mine.
"Focus, Micah," I whispered to the empty room. "You must have absolutely nothing to do with Damon Silver. Noah hates him, so you hate him too."
But the memory of Damon’s smirk followed me all the way into my sheets as I buried my face deep into the pillow.
The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and headed straight to the kitchen to brew some coffee before getting ready for campus. I didn’t actually have any lectures scheduled today, but I still needed to be at the university.
"Morning," a deep voice greeted me the moment I stepped onto the tile floor.
I looked up and froze. Noah was standing right by the open refrigerator, completely shirtless, twisting the cap back onto a bottle of water.
My eyes automatically trailed down the broad, cut lines of his chest and abdomen before snapping back up to his face. I nervously swallowed, biting my lower lip. "Morning, Noah."
Noah walked over, a small smile on his face as he reached out to affectionately ruffle my messy morning hair. "You don’t have any classes today. Why are you heading to school so early?"
"Huh? How do you even know my schedule?"
"It’s completely normal for older brothers to know exactly what their younger brother’s schedule looks like, don’t you think?" he asked smoothly.
Was it normal? I didn’t know, but whatever Noah said was always the absolute truth to me. I nodded, instantly agreeing with him.
"I have to complete my official registration with the media team today," I explained, lowering my head slightly. "The article about your fight with Damon Silver is going to be uploaded on the student forum today."
"It has already been uploaded," Noah stated flatly, setting his water bottle down on the counter.
"I’m so sorry, Noah. I really can’t control what the senior editors post. If I could have prevented them from dragging your name into it, I would have—"
"I don’t care about what they post about me, Micah," Noah interrupted. He stepped closer, completely closing the distance between us. He reached out, cupping both sides of my face with his large, warm hands. "As long as you are happy and safe... That is all that matters to me. Safe away from everyone. Including our father. And maybe... Damon Silver."
I flinched automatically at the mention of Damon’s name. My heart did a violent stutter.
"Why would you say that? I have absolutely nothing to do with Damon Sil—"
"Shh. Don’t lie to me, Micah." Noah’s voice dropped, turning entirely cold and dark. His hands slid down from my face, his fingers wrapping around my upper arms in a sudden, vice-like grip that dug painfully into my skin.
I tried to pull back, but he didn’t give me an inch.
Noah leaned down, his eyes boring into mine with a terrifying intensity. "He was inside your bedroom last night, wasn’t he? Tell me exactly what he did to you, Micah. Did he touch your hair? Or... did he kiss you?"
"Noah..." I whispered, wincing as his grip tightened even further, bruising my skin.
"Tell me the truth right now," Noah hissed, his jaw clenching with pure malice. "Because your answer is going to determine whether the media team changes today’s article into Damon Silver’s official obituary."