The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

ARIA’S POV

I was still in the room, still wrapped in the aftermath of everything that had happened. The kiss. The way Julian had looked at me. The way he had held me like I mattered.

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No one had ever looked at me kike that and if made me feel seen, it made my heart race and I blushed like a little girl that had just gotten a glimpse of her crush.

A small, unconscious smile tugged at my lips as I sat on the bed, absentmindedly flipping through the notes I had collected earlier.

But I wasn’t really reading. My mind kept drifting. Back to him. Back to the way my heart had raced so wildly I thought it would give me away.

I pressed my lips together slightly, trying to focus.

Exams. That was what mattered. Not… whatever this thing between us was becoming.

With a quiet breath, I forced my attention back to the pages in front of me. And for a while… It worked. Until it didn’t.

Halfway through a paragraph, my concentration slipped again. With a small sigh, I reached for my phone, thinking maybe a quick scroll would clear my head.

Big mistake. The moment my screen lit up, I froze.

Notifications. Too many. My brows furrowed as I opened one. Then another. And another.

My heart dropped. “What…?” I whispered. It didn’t make sense. What I was looking at were headlines, rumors and speculations but it was the person they were directed to that tore through me.

The headlines were about me. About Professor Hensley. About what people thought they saw. “Student seen entering professor’s office alone.”

“Smiling in the corridor, what’s really going on?”

“More than just academic help?” My stomach twisted violently. What the hell was this?

“No… no, no…” I muttered, scrolling faster. My chest tightened as panic began to creep in. This wasn’t just gossip. This could ruin everything.

My reputation, my scholarship. Not to mention, his reputation. Everything I had worked for. My fingers trembled slightly as I locked my phone and dropped it on the bed.

“How did this even start…” I whispered, my mind racing. People talk. People twist things. And suddenly, something innocent becomes something else entirely.

My throat tightened. What if this got worse? What if the school got involved? What if, the sound of the front

11:44 Thu, May 14 d..

Chapter 42

door opening cut through my thoughts.

Julian.

Relief and anxiety hit me at the same time. I stood up quickly, my heart pounding. Did he see it? Did he believe it?

Because if he did, I didn’t even know how I would handle that. His footsteps came, heavy and sharp and I realized it immediately. Something was wrong.

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I stepped out into the living room just as he walked in. And the moment I saw his face, my breath caught. He looked… furious. A deep frown carved into his features, his eyes dark and unreadable.

My chest tightened. So he had seen it. “Julian, please if you are angry about what just happened, I can assure you I have an explanation for it…”

I started but he didn’t even look at me. A sharp pain tugged at my chest but I forced myself to look calm. Instead of bolting, I walked towards him, trying to speak. “Julian, please listen to me…”

“Everything isn’t always about you, Aria.” The words hit me before I could finish. I froze.

“What…?” My voice came out small. Confused.

That wasn’t what I expected. At all. His jaw clenched as he ran a hand through his hair, clearly irritated.

“Not everything revolves around you,” he added, his voice sharper now. The words stung. Deeply. “I didn’t say it did,” I replied, my brows pulling together as hurt began to replace the confusion.

“Then stop acting like it does.” That did it. My chest tightened painfully as my eyes burned.

“What is wrong with you?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly despite my effort to stay calm. He didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at me properly. Like I wasn’t the problem.

Like something else was. But he was taking it out on me. And that hurt more than anything. “You come in here angry and start snapping at me and I don’t even know why,” I continued, my voice breaking slightly now. “And somehow I’m the problem?”

He still didn’t answer, just stared at me and that hurt more than anything. Anyone could treat me this way, anyone but Julian. My vision blurred as the tears I had been holding back finally spilled over.

“I didn’t do anything to you,” I whispered. That was the truth. And the fact that he was treating me like this anyway… It broke something.

I shook my head, stepping back. “I’m not doing this.” Before he could say anything, I turned and walked away quickly, my steps unsteady as I headed straight for my room.

I shut the door behind me. Hard. And locked it. The moment the click sounded, my composure shattered.

Tears streamed down my face as I pressed my back against the door, sliding down slowly until I hit the floor. “What is wrong with him…” I choked out.

11:44 Thu, May 14 d

Chapter 42

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