Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Corridors and Confessions
The heavy restroom door groaned on its hinges as Alexander stepped back out into the quiet, sunlit hallway, shaking the remaining drops of cold water from his hands. He had just finished washing his face, trying to clear the lingering haze from his head.
He didn’t even make it three steps down the corridor before Sophie intercepted him. She stood right in his path, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her breathing shallow from having hurried after him.
"Why do you always have to cause so many goddamn problems, Alexander?" said Sophie, her voice a sharp, tense whisper as she looked up at him. Her eyes scanned his swollen lip and the dark, deep bruising tracking along his jawline misinterpreting the severe tactical injuries for the beating everyone assumed Marcus had delivered. "Look at what he did to you... Look at how they left you! Are you genuinely incapable of just acting like a normal student for once in your life?"
Alexander leaned his shoulder against the tiled wall, a faint, amused smirk playing on his lips despite the aching pain in his face. "I thought you were furious with me. I didn’t think you’d care enough to follow me out here."
"I am furious with you!" said Sophie, her eyes flashing with a sudden, emotional heat as she took a sharp step closer, her voice cracking under the weight of her frustration. "You’re an idiot. You’re a reckless, arrogant, womanizing cretin who does whatever he wants without a single care for the consequences! But... but I still can’t stop thinking about you, damn it...!!"
Alexander’s smirk widened. He stepped away from the wall, closing the remaining distance between them until he was towering over her, trapping her within his space. He slid perfectly into his role, his eyes softening as he looked down at her flustered, angry face.
"I like you, Sophie. I really do" said Alexander, his voice dropping into a low, smooth cadence as he reached out, his thumb gently tracing the line of her collarbone. "You’re smart, you’re beautiful, and you’re the only one in this entire building who actually has the nerve to call me out on my shit. But I’m going to be honest with you: I am not the type of guy who settles down. I’m not going to stop seeing other women. That’s just who I am."
"You... you’re unbelievable!" said Sophie, her face burning a deep crimson as she tried to push his hand away, though her grip lacked any real strength. "How can you say something so arrogant straight to my face? Do you actually expect me to just accept being one of many? No... I won’t. I have way too much self-respect for that."
"Is that so?" whispered Alexander.
He didn’t give her another second to rationalize her defenses. Leaning down, he caught her chin gently but firmly, tilting her face up and capturing her lips in a deep, slow kiss. Sophie stiffened instantly, her hands flattening against his chest as if to push him away, but as the kiss deepened and his hand slid around her waist to pull her flush against his body, her resistance began to melt.
She let out a soft, defeated whimper against his mouth, her fingers tight against his shirt as her body began to yield to his touch, slowly ceding ground to his advance.
Sophie suddenly broke the kiss, pushing against his chest with just enough force to back away, her face burning a deep crimson as she wiped her lips.
"You’re a idiot," said Sophie, her breath hitching as she tried to fix her school uniform. "An idiot with a lot of money, but you’re still a idiot."
"Hey, that hurts," said Alexander, chuckling softly as he leaned back against the lockers, his arms crossed. "By the way, did the funds I sent over cover everything for the class booth at the school festival? I told you I’d help our room win the top spot."
"It was more than enough, actually," said Sophie, rolling her eyes but unable to hide the small, relieved smile on her face. "We’ve been staying late after classes to build the entire structure. But I didn’t think you actually cared about that, considering you’ve been missing for days. At this rate, the administration is going to expel you."
"Maybe they will, maybe they won’t," said Alexander with a careless shrug. "But as long as you’re the delegate, I’m pretty sure you can forge my attendance record, right?"
"Absolutely not!" said Sophie, her voice rising in a panicked whisper as she looked around the empty hallway. "Are you insane?! I am a model student, Alexander. I don’t forge government documents for reckless womanizers."
"It’s just a little school roster, Sophie. Think of it as a favor for your favorite idiot," said Alexander, stepping closer again and flashing her a devastating smirk.
"You are shameless," said Sophie, huffing as she took a step back, her back hitting the wall. "Why do I even bother talking to you? You disappear, you get into fights, you come back looking like a total mess, and then you just expect me to fix your life."
"Because deep down, you love the excitement," whispered Alexander, leaning his hand on the wall right next to her head, trapping her again. "Admit it. School was boring before I got here."
"It was peaceful!" said Sophie, looking up at him, her heart hammering against her ribs. "It was peaceful and I didn’t have to worry about a certain arrogant prick taking up all my thoughts during lectures."
"Good. Keep thinking about me," said Alexander, leaning down until his lips were just inches from her ear. "It keeps things interesting."
"Shut up, Alexander," muttered Sophie, her defenses crumbling as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down into another frantic, stolen kiss before anyone could walk out of the classrooms.
"Stop doing stupid things," Sophie whispered breathlessly the moment she pulled away.
Without waiting for his response, she turned on her heel and hurried back down the corridor, smoothing out her skirt before sliding back into the lecture hall to resume her duties as if nothing had ever happened.
