Chapter 57 Jealousy in the air

Chapter 57 Jealousy in the air
Chapter 057

RAVENNA

Darius held my gaze for another beat. Then he turned sharply and walked away. His movements were stiff. Controlled. Like he was holding himself back from something.

I shrugged off his weird behaviour and scanned the room for an empty seat. My eyes landed on Dorian, who was waving me over with a bright grin.

I made my way towards him and dropped into the chair beside his. Samantha followed close behind.

"You got us worried when you dissapeared to god's know where," Dorian scolded gently, though his smile never faded. "Do not ever do that again."

"I promise," I replied quickly than I'd intended.

He searched my face for a moment, as if checking to make sure I truly meant it. Then he nodded, satisfied.

I was thankful he did not ask where I had disappeared to and press for details or explanations. Dorian had always been like that. Easy. Uncomplicated. He gave people space when they needed it.

Samantha settled into the seat on my other side just as Professor Bonn strode into the classroom. The door clicked shut behind him.

"Good morning, class," he greeted, his voice carrying easily across the room.

A chorus of mumbled responses followed.

Bonn set his bag down on the desk at the front and turned to face us. "We are continuing our study of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. I trust you all brought your copies as instructed."

The sound of bags unzipping and books rustling filled the air. I pulled out my own worn copy and placed it on the desk.

"Turn to page one hundred and forty-seven," Bonn instructed. "I want someone to read the passage aloud. Any volunteers?"

Silence.

Bonn sighed. "Very well. Miss Carter, if you would."

A girl near the front began reading. Her voice was clear and the words—what she was reading—painted a scene of tension and longing.

When she finished, Bonn nodded his approval. "Excellent. Now, I want you all to think carefully about what you just heard. What emotions are being portrayed in that passage?"

Hands shot up around the room. Students eager to share their interpretations.

Bonn listened to a few responses, nodding thoughtfully at each one. Then he clapped his hands together.

"Right. I am going to pair you up. You will have twenty minutes to discuss the passage with your partner. Analyse the emotions, the motivations, subtext and at the end of those twenty minutes, I will call on pairs to present their findings to the class."

Groans echoed around the room. Group work was never popular.

Bonn ignored the complaints and began reading off names. "Miss Ravenna, you are with Mr Dorian."

I glanced at Dorian, who grinned. "Looks like we are stuck together."

"Could be worse," I teased.

"Mr Darius, you are with Miss Chelsea."

I looked across the room to see Darius paired with a blonde girl. Chelsea smiled at him sweetly but he barely acknowledged her.

"Miss Samantha, you are with Mr Eli."

Samantha groaned quietly beside me. Eli was a nerd but very brilliant and painfully awkward. She shot me a look that clearly said help me.

I bit back a laugh shooting her a look that clearly said she was stuck with him for the next twenty minutes.

Once everyone was paired off, Bonn checked his watch. "Your twenty minutes starts now."

The room erupted into conversation. Chairs scraped against the floor as students shifted closer to their partners.

I turned to face Dorian fully. "So, what did you think of the passage?"

"Honestly?" He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a couple minutes, his expression clearly given out he was in thoughts. "I think the main character is an idiot."

I blinked. "An idiot?"

"Yes. She is clearly in love with him. He is clearly in love with her. But they keep dancing around each other instead of just admitting it. It is frustrating."

I laughed. "That is the entire point of the book, Dorian. The tension and build-up."

"I know, I know." He waved a hand dismissively. "But still,ife is short. If you love someone, just tell them."

"Is that your philosophy?"

"Absolutely." He grinned widely showing off his white set of teeths. "Why waste time pretending otherwise?"

I shook my head, amused. "You make it sound so simple."

"It is simple. People complicate it."

We fell into an easy rhythm after that. Discussing the passage, sharing ideas. Dorian had a way of making even boring classwork feel enjoyable. His observations were sharp. His comments often veered into humour, pulling genuine laughs from me.

At one point, he leaned in and whispered, "Do you think Bonn actually reads these books, or does he just skim them the night before class?"

I snorted out in disbelief. "Dorian."

"I am serious. Have you seen the way he summarises? It is like he is reading off a website."

"Stop," I hissed, trying to suppress my laughter.

Across the room, Bonn's head snapped up while his eyes narrowed on us. His expression gave out nothing about hearing what Dorian had said. " Ravenna and Dorian, If you cannot focus on the task at hand, I will separate you."

"We are focused, sir," Dorian replied innocently.

"Then prove it. I expect exceptional work from you both. Do not disappoint me."

I grinned cheekily. "Do not worry, Professor. We will perform better than everyone else."

Bonn shook his head but said nothing more.

He returned his attention to another pair of students who had raised their hands with a question.

Dorian leaned closer again. "You just had to challenge him, did you not?"

"Obviously."

"Now we actually have to do well."

"We will," I assured him. "Stop worrying."

We continued working. Jotting down notes, debating interpretations. The time passed quickly.

But I could feel that usual prickling sensation at the back of my neck. The weight of someone's gaze on me.

I glanced up to find Darius staring at me. This time around, he was not even trying to hide it. His partner, Chelsea, was talking animatedly beside him, but he was not listening. His entire focus was locked on me.

Our eyes met.

I raised an eyebrow and smiled sweetly. "Do you need my help, Darius? I do not understand why you are burning a hole in the back of my head."

His jaw tightened.

Dorian glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "I think he is missing me already, Ravenna."

I laughed. "Poor baby."

The mockery in my tone was clear.

Darius's hands curled into fists on his desk.

Then, suddenly, he slammed his hand down. The sound cracked through the room like a whip.

Everyone stopped talking as all eyes turned towards him.

His chair scraped back as he stood. His chest heaved as he tried to control his breathing. His eyes flashed gold for a brief second before returning to their usual mismatched dark brown and black.

"Pick another person to insult, human," he growled. "Or,"he smiled sweetly. "We could take this to another level if you're tired of having fun with Dorian." His eyes shot up to glare at Dorian behind me.

I was ready to fire off a response but then I noticed something. His eyes and tone told a different story. They burned with something he could not hide no matter how hard he tried.

Jealousy.

He was fucking jealousy