Academic Seduction (profxgirl)(wlw)

Chapter Seventeen

Natalie's voice, like a melodious whisper, swept through the air and disrupted the serenity of my inner musings. "Are you alright?" she inquired, her words laden with concern.

I shifted my gaze abruptly toward her, my eyes meeting hers in a fleeting moment of vulnerability. "Of course," I replied with a feigned assurance, offering a fragile smile, as if it were a porcelain mask concealing the tempest within. Yet, I knew she saw beyond the facade, her discerning eyes plumbing the depths of my turmoil.

"It's Victoria, isn't it?" Natalie sighed, her gaze momentarily drifting away, carrying with it the weight of an unspoken understanding.

I could only muster a feeble affirmation, my voice a mere murmur amidst the swirling tempest of emotions within. "I... Yeah," I admitted, my voice trembling like a leaf in the grasp of an impending storm. "Who is Aurora?"

Natalie, her lips adorned with a subtle hint of temptation, delicately nibbled on her bottom lip, a gesture that held a promise of secrets about to be unveiled. "The first person she has ever loved," she finally divulged, her words carrying the weight of revelation.

My heart plummeted like a stone into the abyss of my insecurities. Aurora, the harbinger of my heartache, was Victoria's inaugural love? How could I dare to vie for her affections against the backdrop of such a profound connection? The thought of being measured against the memory of the one who had first captured Victoria's heart, making her blush, and bask in happiness, was a daunting prospect.

In the realm of mortal beings, Aurora seemed nothing short of a deity incarnate, her tousled chestnut locks cascading like a silken waterfall, her alabaster skin radiating an ethereal glow, and her eyes, the shade of rich mahogany, holding within them the secrets of a thousand stories. She was, without a doubt, Victoria's peer in age, stature, and wealth.

And then, the harsh reality struck like a chilling breeze through a darkened forest. Who was I in comparison to her? A mere eighteen-year-old, a novice in the grand symphony of life, bereft of riches, and far from possessing the exquisite allure that Aurora exuded effortlessly. My worth, my presence, seemed minuscule in the shadow of her resplendence.

Amidst the embrace of the city's nocturnal glow, Natalie steered her car with the grace of a siren, guiding it to a spot beneath a lamppost in the cinema's parking lot. As the engine's purr faded into silence, she turned to face me, her eyes, like pools of midnight desire, capturing my gaze. "Ivy," she breathed my name, her voice a sultry whisper that danced upon the night air, "I know you're hurt, but understand this, Aurora may hold the title of Victoria's first love, yet I've never witnessed Victoria's eyes alight with the same fervor as they do for you."

A sigh, pregnant with longing and regret, escaped my lips as I unbuckled my seatbelt, feeling the weight of my emotions pulling me deeper into the abyss. Stepping out of the car, I found Natalie mirroring my movements, her presence a seductive promise of intrigue.

Natalie, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint, approached me with languid steps, a subtle smile curling her lips. "I have a plan," she purred, her words laced with the allure of forbidden secrets. "Tonight, we shall kindle the flames of jealousy within Victoria."

Furrowing my brow, I regarded Natalie with a quizzical tilt of my head. "Jealousy? Does Victoria even possess such emotions?"

A sly grin danced upon Natalie's lips, a serpent's knowledge gleaming in her eyes. "Oh, trust me," she whispered, her voice weaving a web of mystique, "Victoria happens to be the most jealous and possessive individual I know."

A hint of skepticism lingered in my thoughts as I voiced my doubt. "I've never seen her jealous." I confessed, a sense of curiosity beginning to stir within me.