Up in the Stars

Trouble

Some punishment and some love.

Hope you enjoy!

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Icy wind howled past the store fronts.

Dante's searing gaze never leaving her as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

"I found her. Outside the café." He spoke calmly into the speaker.

Enid knew who was on the other end of the call.

Her heart fluttered up to her throat, lead heavy in her stomach.

She was in deep, deep yogurt.

"Emilia and I were working on our project for your class and got carried away, Dan- Dr. Romano." She stumbled, almost calling him by his first name.

Emilia's eyes widen as she watches the pair interact.

"Hello, Emilia. Having a nice weekend?" Dante asked, a fabricated smile stretching across his face politely.

His pleasant mask was well crafted, but Enid could see the baleful shine to his eyes.

"Yes, thanks." Emilia responded, glancing at her with a questioning look.

"I- um..." Enid scrambled to come up with a reason for their literature professor to be looking for her.

Dante was friendly with his students in class, but the obvious intimacy between them was another level.

"Enid is interning with me. We were meant to have a grading session earlier today and I got concerned when she didn't show." Dante covered smoothly.

"I didn't realize. I'm sorry for keeping her." Emilia apologizes, her tone laced with confusion.

Enid avoided her gaze, staring down at the cobblestones.

"Would you like a ride back to your dorm, Emilia? It's quite cold out." Dante offered politely.

"No, I'm okay, thanks. I'm actually meeting my friends at the pub down the street. Nice seeing you, professor." Emilia smiled before pulling Enid into a hug.

"Are you okay?" She whispers into Enid's ear.

"Yeah, don't worry." Enid gave her a comforting smile and a nod.

Emilia nodded back and glanced over at Dante one more time before she headed down the road.

As she disappeared, Enid studied her pink rainboots with artificial interest.

It wasn't until black dress shoes entered her vision that she looked up.

His eyes burning her as his fingers curled around her arms.

"Care to explain where you've been?" He bites out through grit teeth, his hand brushing across her collarbone and the stretch of her neck.

He ran his eyes over her.

Making sure she was in one piece.

"I'm so sorry, Dante. Time got away from me. How did you know we were at this café?" She tries to divert him.

"That's rather non sequitur, I think you're trying to avoid my question, little bird. But the answer to yours is that we tracked the phone we gave to you. However, a few hours ago the tracking function suddenly turned off. All we knew was this was the last place you were." Dante explains, his lips turning downward.

Wind whips around them and she shivers.

"You can wait until we're home, but you are going to provide an explanation for your disappearance. You scared us to death, Enid." He tugged her toward him.