Chapter 16 DATE ME.

Chapter 16 DATE ME.
Nick’s car rolled into the school parking lot, the engine’s hum fading as he eased into a spot near the faculty wing. Ruby leaned back against the headrest, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment. 

The weight of the past two days pressed against her chest like a heavy stone. No matter how many angles she tried, Zahra’s trip remained unsolved. 

She rubbed her forehead, as if massaging away the tension could somehow clear the impossible math of bills.

“Thank you so much for giving me a ride, Nick. I really appreciate it,” she said finally, her lips pulling into a weary smile that barely masked her fatigue.

Nick glanced at her, his jaw tightening just slightly. “It’s nothing,” he said, his voice tinged with quiet concern. After a pause, he cleared his throat. “You know… You don’t have to go through it alone. I can help cover a few things, maybe.”

Ruby turned her face toward him, her brows knitting before she forced a small laugh. “No, Nick. I’m fine. Emily’s already helping me, and I can’t keep leaning on everyone. I just—” she exhaled sharply with a hiss.“I just need a break. I feel like I’m running on fumes.”

“Then take one.” His tone was simple, but it carried a kind of earnestness that made her chest tighten.

“I can’t,” Ruby replied quickly, shaking her head. Her gaze shifted to the school building looming ahead of them. “I’m also going on the trip… the lead professor. I don’t have room to stop.”

Nick tilted his head, curious. “Are you also—”

“No, the school’s covering mine,” she cut in gently, before he could finish.

“Okay.” He nodded slowly, his lips pressing into a line. “That’s good, right?”

Ruby nodded too, though the gesture felt hollow. “Yeah, good. Listen, I should go.” She gathered her bag, fingers fidgeting with the straps. “And there’s no need to pick me up later. Emily and I already made plans.” Her smile tried for brightness but never quite reached her eyes.

Nick studied her for a second longer, then simply nodded, accepting her words without pushing. Ruby opened the door, the cool air rushing against her as she stepped out. 

She turned back, gave him a small wave with that same dead smile, then walked toward the entrance.

As soon as the glass doors closed behind her, Ruby pulled out her phone and dialled Emily. Her voice came out in a sigh. 

“Yeah, I’m trying. I wasn’t able to convince Chancellor Winslow,” she said, her tone hushed as she moved through the hall, weaving past students with her phone glued to her ear. “I just finished a class, and if I hurry, maybe I can make it to the bank before they close.”

Ruby pushed open the door to her office, already halfway through her sentence to Emily. “If I can just get there before—”

Her words cut off with a sharp gasp. Her body jolted so hard her bag slipped slightly down her arm. Leslie sat sprawled in her chair, his frame leaning back like he owned the space, his phone resting lazily in one hand while his other drummed against the desk she worked so hard to keep hers.

Ruby’s throat went dry. She swallowed, her pulse racing against her ribs.

“Ruby?” Emily’s voice crackled through the phone. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

Ruby forced her breath out, trying to disguise the tremor in it. Her eyes never left those dark eyes locked on her like she’d just walked into a trap she hadn’t seen coming.

“Nothing,” Ruby rasped, her voice too soft. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Nothing, Em. I’ll call you back.”

“Ruby—”

Ruby hung up and slid the phone into her bag slowly, as if delaying would buy her an excuse or maybe an exit. Her fingers tightened on the strap.

Her gaze met him again, and despite her best effort to steady herself, her voice still betrayed her nerves.

“Why are you here?” she asked, the words clipped, defensive, though her body betrayed her with the faintest tremor.

Leslie didn’t answer and only smiled like a predator who’d been waiting for his prey to step into the snare.

“I missed you,” he said finally. “I left you a message, Ruby. You haven’t been responding.”

Ruby inhaled sharply, willing herself to keep her composure. “Yeah, well, I’m not exactly in the mood for sex with a student right now. I have a lot—”

“Like Zahra or?” he cut in.

Her eyes snapped up to his, hardening. “I know you overheard at the Chancellor’s office the other day, but it’s not your business.”

Leslie pushed himself up from her chair. His height and the way the light cut across his face made him seem taller. Ruby instinctively stepped back.

He looked at her for a moment and then scoffed softly, highly amused. “How then can I get you?” he asked, his tone dangerously calm. “What can I do to get your attention, Ms Allaire?”

“I—” Her throat tightened. She swallowed hard as he stepped closer, until he towered over her, shadow spilling across her face.

Leslie leaned in, his breath brushing against her skin, his voice a murmur that made the hairs at the back of her neck rise. “What’s so great about Nick Conan?”

“What?” Ruby’s brows knitted, confusion flickering across her face. “This isn’t about Nick—”

“I’m here for him,” Leslie said. “It’s been a week since he started dropping you off. It’s getting on my nerves. You see, I hate the way you smile at him. The way you wave at him. The way he thinks you’re his.”

His hands slid around her waist like a vice until they gripped her hips, pulling her closer. “You’re my girl, Ruby,” he said, his voice dropping even lower. “I hate when others want what’s mine.”

Ruby snapped out of his hold, her palms pushing at his chest as she stepped back. “Says who? We are just sex partners. We aren’t dating.”

“Then date me,” he shot back immediately. “If that’s what it takes to be mine.”

A shocked laugh escaped Ruby’s lips. “You’re insane,” she said, her eyes flashing with disbelief. “What do you know about love? You can’t even cuddle after sex! Romance? If I wanted romance, you’re not my type.”

Something flickered in Leslie’s eyes, something that looked almost like frustration and almost like vulnerability. His jaw tightened.

“Is that it?” he asked sharply, his gaze shifted with annoyance, and turned back at her, defeat crawling in. “Fine. Then we’ll cuddle.”

Ruby froze, her mouth parting slightly. The air between them thickened. She blinked at him, caught between disbelief and the faintest pulse of something else she didn’t want to name.

Her eyes widened as she searched his face for a trace of a joke but he wasn’t smiling anymore.

Leslie didn’t even blink. His gaze burned into hers. “What else, Ruby?” His voice was almost commanding, but beneath it there was an edge of pride. “What else do you want?”

Ruby tilted her chin, caught somewhere between shock and a strange amusement at the sudden shift in his behavior. It felt like a challenge now.

“Dates,” she said. “I want dates once in a while. I want you to spend the night afterward. It doesn’t have to be so cold just because it’s sex. We can watch movies.”

For a flicker of a second, his eyes softened. But then his jaw locked tight with a faint muscle ticking as if she’d struck something deep inside him. 

He frowned, his voice dropping into a dark, uncompromising tone. “Come to my place tonight,” Leslie said. “We’ll talk. We can arrange the terms.”

Ruby let out a sharp laugh, though her chest was tight. “No,” she snapped. “I’m not having sex with you. This is crazy!”

His eyes narrowed at her and he didn’t look away. Instead, he leaned in just slightly, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off him.

“You think I’m asking for sex?” His voice was low and brimming with frustration.

Ruby’s heart hammered. Her lips parted, but no words came.

For once, it wasn’t him leaving her speechless with dominance. It was the fact he was actually bending to meet her terms.

Before Ruby could snap back at him, Leslie’s hand shot out, catching her wrist firmly. She gasped but her words died on her lips as he yanked her closer. His mouth crashed against hers, hot and stealing the air from her lungs.

Ruby melted instantly, her body betraying her resolve. Her fingers trembled against his chest before curling into his shirt, holding on as if she’d fall without him. 

The kiss was rough with the way his lips crushed hers until her knees went weak. She swallowed hard, tangling her tongue with his breathlessly.

Leslie groaned into her mouth, deepening the kiss, his grip unrelenting as if he refused to let her escape this time. 

The heat between them burned away her hesitation, every ounce of logic drowned beneath the intoxicating taste of him. He finally broke away and his forehead pressed to hers, both of them breathing raggedly, his voice came out low. 

“Loy, will pick you up, we can talk,” he whispered, his thumb brushing the rapid pulse at her wrist.