"If I've been on your mind, you hang on every word I say, lose yourself in time, at mention of my name. Will I ever know how it feels to hold you close? And have you tell me whichever road I choose, you'll go?"— Adele.

The fuck? How dare he puts his fucking hand around her? This fucker...

Nikolai breathes through his nose, trying to keep his composure, but he can feel himself losing all restraints.

Jagger is now singing while dancing around her, occasionally pulling her close or embracing her. Kelly has begun to loosen up, and she can only laugh as Mia shows her teeth from the crowd, cheering at the top of her lungs.

"So, she was the beauty he was making reference to..." Ikaya crosses her arms, nodding slowly. "I see..."

Nikolai exhales, and she glances over at him. "Everything alright?"

"Yup." He pops the 'p,' but his eyes are as black as coal. He's getting so pissed off that he doesn't trust himself at this point. To cope, he shoves his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth.

When that doesn't work, he shuts his eyes. Relax, Nik, relax.

A loud cheer from the gathering forces him to reopen them, finding the now sweating vocalist going in for the killer. It's as though he's really trying to drive Nikolai insane.

He grabs Kelly's hand and puts it around his neck, pulling her into him while breathlessly singing into the mic, his members singing in harmony to help him out.

He smirks down at her, and Kelly smiles back weirdly, unable to stop her cheeks from firing up. Not because she likes him, but because this situation is nerve-wracking. Like, what is he doing?!

"And she makes my heart beat in a different kind of way..." He removes the mic and wets his lips, sweat glistening on his face, his breathing heavy and labored. He wraps just one hand around her neck, the other holding the mic as he brings her in for a hug, his cheek touching hers. He smells good though he's sweating.

"And hear how my heart beats for you..." He sings out, then smiles from over her shoulders before pulling away. "Can you hear it?"

The crowd screams with raw excitement, and Nikolai coils his arms, rubbing his lips. "Who's that kid?"

"Mm, I think Mia said he's a new upcoming singer." Ikaya shrugs, jamming her hands into her brown coat. As the audience cheers on, she turns her face to the man next to her, observing him. He looks unnerved and his temples are tense. She scrunches her brows in confusion. K...

The song comes to an end, but Jagger has still not released her as he tugs her into a side hug, addressing the noisy crowd.

"This girl caught my eye!" He announces, and Kelly wants to hide her face somewhere. God, she thought it was over. "I saw her on the corridors of Camber High School. She's pretty..." He puts his mouth to her ear, pretending to be whispering, but he knows the crowd will hear it. "...And sexy."

The audience cheers madly loud, although the compliments weren't aiming at them.

"Thank you, princess." He sets her free, and she smiles as she climbs off the stage. Mia engulfs her in a hug immediately, jumping up and down while squealing. Kelly laughs. This turned out to be fun.

••

"You looked so cute up there. I mean, you two looked like a real good match." Mia beams as the concert closes and people begin to depart from the area. Leaving behind empty soda bottles and damaged light sticks.

Kelly chuckles.

"Oh! There's Nikolai!" She points to the car where Nik and Ikaya are now standing and waiting for them. Kaya's back is pressed against the hood while she scrolls on her cellphone, and Nikolai has his arms crossed as he watches them approach.

Kelly's gaze connects with his, but she didn't have much of a choice since he's staring directly at her. She can't see much from this distance, but his eyes seem cold and void.

"Hey, princess!"

She stops in her tracks, ripping her gaze from her brooding teacher as she turns around.

Mia gasps as Jagger struts up to them, his guitar in his hand while the chains dangle against his jeans.

"Act normal, act normal..." Mia softly chants.

"Can you give me a second?" His teeth snatch his lower lip, dreamy, grey eyes staring at Kelly.

She clears her throat uneasily. "Um..."

While she wavers her mind, he nods toward a frozen Mia with a smile. "Sup?"

"Hi..." She waves stiffly, looking as though she got trapped in a block of ice. When his teeth appear in a grin, her face reddens in nervousness. "I'll wait at the car..."

She turns away and practically runs off, and it makes him chuckle as he looks back at Kelly.

"Your friend is cute." His eyes spark with admiration. "Like you..."

He's a smooth talker; that's for sure.

She chuckles nervously, pulling at her earlobe. "Yeah, she is..." Fuck! She is not an expert in this area!

"My bud likes her. Skipper." He points his thumb, and she follows his finger to a guy on the stage, wrapping up some equipment. He jerks his head in their direction.

"How old is your bud?" Kelly tilts her head.

"Eighteen."

"She's twelve. So..."

His eyes widen slightly, but he quickly recovers. "No way. She looks like seventeen. Damn, I guess that's not happening then."

"Yeah..." Kelly laughs, rubbing her arm.

"Hope you're not twelve..." He slants his head back, the lights from the stage reflecting in his smoky eyes.

"I am eighteen..." She nods her head slowly, looking back anxiously to see Nikolai gazing in their direction. Mia and Ikaya are already in the car, and he seems to be waiting for her. Quite impatiently, guessing from that piercing look on his face.

"Won't have you out here too long. Can I have your number?" His lip traps between his teeth again, and Kelly understands that it seems to be a habit of his. As well as that laid-back smirk on his face.

She hates issuing her number to random people, but Jagger is not a bad looking guy, and girls are dying to get with him. After tonight, he will surely forget about her Mickey Mouse hairdo and baggy T-shirt. So it's alright to give it to him; he'll probably lose it on his way home.

"Um...sure thing."

She cannot tell if he's satisfied or not because his face is literally stuck in one expression. Curled lips, hazy eyes, sloped head.

He grabs his cellphone and hands it to her. She opens it, ignoring his disturbing screensaver of an anatomical heart with blood oozing from it. He's weird.

Nikolai shakes his head as he watches the blue light project onto her figure. Her back is turned, but that smirk on Jagger's face annoys the living daylight out of him. He wonders if he can just punch the boy down and get away with it.

When her digits are programmed into his cell, she hands him back his cellphone. Somehow, she can feel Nik's burning eyes on her back, and it makes her feel so uncomfortable. Why couldn't he wait in the car?!

"Thank you, Princess."

"I am Kelly..." She tells him. "...in case that's why you're calling me Princess."

He smiles, and she is reminded of how creepy it is. But his teeth...they are milk in themselves. "And I am Jagger." He leans down to her height. "But I still want to call you princess. Hope you don't mind?"

"Nope, not at all...princess away." She lamely says, but then shut her eyes, and Jagger laughs throatily. She really should leave now. See, she can't not embarrass herself for even a second like normal people. It isn't remotely possible.

"Well..." She weirdly begins to step back, not knowing how to end the conversation. "I will see you...around-somewhere...great performance back there..." She shoots him two fingers, and he watches her quietly, smiling. "Very poetic. Very...artistic, and creative." She gesticulates with her hands. "I will see you around."

"Oh, you will. Miss. Homeroom 85HU."

Oh. "Okay...okay, you remember, that's nice. Very nice. Have a great night..." She turns away and scurries toward the car. Jagger smiles before finally walking back toward the stage.

When she gets closer to the waiting vehicle, she skids in her tracks at the stern look on Nikolai's face. He's mad, she can tell.

She swallows. "Sir...I-I am sorry for keeping you—"

"Do you give your number to just anyone?" He lifts an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"Did you give him your number?" He reaches for the backseat door as he waits for her to respond.

"Y-yes..." She looks down.

His jaw clenches, but it misses her sight since her vision is on the ground. "Why?"

She looks up. "Sir?"

"Why did you give him your number?" He releases the handle to coil his arms. He's trying his hardest not to lose it.

She shuffles on her feet, unsure of what to say. "I-he won't text me, I am no one special, and there are plenty of girls in the world who'd—"

"Get in." He cuts her off, opening the door. He can't listen to that right now. She has no idea how wrong she is about that. She is special. She's beautiful with a beautiful personality. And if he can see it, that means that fucking guy can.

Ikaya turns her head to the side, watching as Kelly climbs into the backseat. The door closes, and her green eyes follow Nik as he walks around to the driver's side. He has been acting weird since the concert, and she wonders what could be up with him.

She perches her elbow on the ledge as he climbs in next to her. "Are you okay?" She asks softly.

"Yeah." He replies, but his tone is dry as he hauls his seatbelt across his chest. He adjusts his top mirror and looks back at Kelly, who is already staring down into her cellphone.

Probably texting 'Jaguar.'

"Put on your seatbelts, both of you." He snaps, starting up his engine and looking out his window.

Ikaya observes him from the corner of her eyes.

"I can't believe Jagger asked for your number. This is super amazing." Mia does a happy dance, and Kelly chuckles as the car peels out of the scanty lot.

"I don't think he'll text me."

"Oh, he will!"

Immediately, her cellphone dings with a notification.

"Oh my God, it's Jagger! He texted!" Mia squeals and Kelly laughs as the excited girl pulls her into a side hug, squashing her liver. "He is so into you."

Nikolai's hand tightens on the steering wheel, so much that it becomes blanch, and this doesn't miss Ikaya's awareness. She chews on her lip wonderingly before turning her face away.

Something is up with him, and she's too sharp-witted not to find out.

••

*Play Adele 'One And Only' here.

I don't know why that pissed me off so much. I am not easily unnerved. The only person who can get that sort of reaction out of me is my wretched father. And that's because he knows me too well, so he knows all the right buttons to push.

But Kelly? She's evoking these emotions innocently, and I don't think she is aware of this.

Yet the question remains: Nikolai, why do you give a fuck who your student converses with? I know I might never find the answer to that, so instead, I get up from my spot on the couch and decide to do some workouts. That'd get my mind back into its correct operation, I hope.

I push my muscles to their limits until my breathing is shallow and my body is bathing in sweat. Then I go for a cold shower, allowing the water to stream down my back. My remedy is already proving to be a failure since, in the darkness of my thoughts, I can still see the image of Kelly and that smirking band member.

Shit.

It is so easy to see that the boy is into her, and it is so easy to see why. Kelly is petite and cute, and the fact that she doesn't believe this makes her even more attractive. I have never met someone with such an intriguing character, and as selfish as this sounds, I want all of that for myself.

Fuck, Nik. I open my eyes and press my palm against the shower wall, the cold droplets beading from my hair and down to my torso. Hanging my head, I try to gather my mangled thoughts, reasoning with myself why having these feelings are completely wrong.

She's my student, seven years younger than me, and she has a lot to learn. She's not ready for a twenty-five-year-old and his raging hormones. She hasn't even kissed someone before—other than that mistake we made in the storage room, which still manages to get me aroused at the thought of it. Her lips were soft and pink and felt heavenly against mine.

I need to fuck someone. I haven't had sex in a while...so that's why, that's why my mind is fucking up. But I cannot sleep with just anyone. There has to be a sort of connection there, and the last girl I've been with knows me since childhood.

Ikaya.

We had sex one time, and I secretly regret it. We were drunk, and it wasn't supposed to happen. We made a deal to forget about that incident. I have, but Kaya? Not sure if she has kept up her end of the bargain. As much as I believe sleeping with someone would rid me of these thoughts, Ikaya would never be my option. I don't want to get her hopes up for something that will never happen.

I don't desire anyone at this moment. Anyone but...Kelly.

Climbing out of the shower, I reach for a towel and dry off quickly before wrapping it around my waist. I step out of the bathroom, and Celia is sitting there, rubbing her furs against my wet leg. I reach down to pat her head, and she mewls her disapproval as I step into my room and lock her out of it.

I move toward the walk-in closet and slip on my boxers, throw on a grey tank shirt and settle with a pair of black shorts.

Exhausted, I crash onto my back and stare up at the blank ceiling. Perching the sole of my foot on the bed, I lay the other flat while pressing my bicep over my forehead.

And then it happens again.

A smiling Kelly. A laughing Kelly. A crying Kelly. A frowning Kelly. And a Kelly smiling at that band guy.

"Damn..." I run my palms over my face, breathing deeply into them. She's driving me insane. I grab my cellphone from the nightstand, punching in my password and checking to see if I got messages. While scrolling down, I spot her number among the rest.

I try to stop myself from clicking on her display picture, but all my efforts are futile at this rate. There is nothing that I can do; I lack self-control when it comes to her.

Her hair is twisted in a knot above her head, tendrils flowing along the sides of her face. She's lying on her bed, tongue sticking from her mouth as she attempts to make a comical face. My lips tug in a light smile at the image, and I can hear the odd change in my heartbeat. I release a breath, shutting my eyes.

The door to my room knocks, and I rest my phone down before getting up to answer it. Ikaya is standing there with a bottle of champagne in her hand. I forgot that she was here since I am so used to being alone.

"Should we have a drink?"

I open my mouth to reject when Celia brushes past my leg. I look down, stepping aside as she plods over to the corner.

Ikaya laughs. "Guess I am not the only one dying to spend some time with you."

I meet her eyes again, finding them sparkling with bright endearment. I pray to God one day she'll get over me.

The bottle of wine she's holding does seem enticing, and I need something to clear my head at this moment. I jerk my head inside, and she steps past me, finding a spot on my bed.

Her eyes land on Kelly's picture, and I grab the cell neatly, settling into the spot and putting it on the table, onto its face.

I am not sure if she saw it, but her face gives nothing away as she smiles. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. What?"

"It's just..." She lifts off the lid, the tangy scent of the wine diffusing into the room. "You have been acting a bit weird since I came back."

"Weird? How weird?" I narrow my eyes.

"For instance, you seemed upset at the concert earlier. I am worried that there is something on your mind."

"No, I'm fine," I answer, my thoughts returning to Kelly. I frown a little. "Just tired, maybe."

"I know you tend to get a bit angry whenever your parents come by. I mean, your mom keeps pressuring you to marry, and your dad keeps interfering with your career. It must be tiring." Her gaze softens.

"I am alright." Those are the least of my worries at this moment. The one heading the list is the fact that I can't stop thinking about my eighteen-year-old student, and it is driving me nuts.

Ikaya hands me a glass, and I smile. "Thanks."

"Cheers to friendship." She smiles, lifting hers.

I raise mine too and take a sip, wishing its sharp flavor was enough to eradicate my sinful thoughts.

We chat for a bit about the old days and our careers before she decides she's sleepy. She tries to imply sleeping in my room, but I can't have that. So, I aptly tell her to return to her room and that I will see her in the morning.

I turn the lights down and reach for my cellphone again. I back out of Kelly's profile and it lands straight into her WhatsApp chat. Her status says , and it makes me frown. What is she doing online? Isn't she going to sleep? It's almost midnight.

Texting Jagger.

I realize that I am getting extremely touchy for no apparent reason and take a minute to look up to the ceiling. What the fuck is your problem, Nikolai?

I am about to exit, but I shift against the covers, and my fingers begin typing on their own.

Shit. What did I just do?

••

"Ugh, I am sleepy now, Kevin," I complain.

"Please, just one more episode, please." He practically begs.

I have been sitting here on the couch with Kevin, watching marathons upon marathons of a series I don't even know the name of, for hours now. He promised that it would be interesting, but I guess the next time Kevin says something is interesting, I should prepare for the worst.