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Thomas sighed, closing his laptop with a gentle clack before placing it into his bag. His office hours had just finished, and he was thinking about the drive-in movie that was playing later tonight.
He and Elliott hadn’t been on another public date since the Catalina Island incident, and Hunt had been scrounging for ideas. Their relationship would be over essentially before it began if they got caught by anyone. Student-professor relationships are strictly against the rules, after all.
Movies in general were bad - cinema’s were much too public, even if the show itself was dark. He had eventually gotten the idea for a drive-in movie, with ideas for a few weekend-getaway hiking trips marked away in the back of his head. But especially after their first date, he needed to carefully vet those prior to choosing one, picking a place up to his standards that would be below a student or professor at their college. Far enough away that nobody would know them, but close enough that it was feasible for a weekend. He hadn’t had the time.
However, they were showing a double-feature at a drive-in movie theater for one of his favorite directors - Cam North - tonight. He had just found the flyer this morning, and found he had the time in the schedule.
“I ought to call Elliott on the way home, and see if she’s interested in going,” he mused to himself as he straightened up his desk. The movie was in about an hour and a half, and a bit out of the way from campus. Elliott wouldn’t have much time to plan, but if she was free it would be feasible.
Lost in thought, he didn’t even hear the knock on his door, and only heard it latch.
He looked up in surprise to see Elliott standing in the doorway.
“Elliott, what are you doing here?” Thomas asked.
“Just visiting my favorite professor . . .” she trailed off suggestively, quickly drawing the blinds closed and locking his door behind her, before moving towards him and hopping on his desk.
She pulled him close, kissing him fiercely, her hands roaming over him.
“God I could get used to this ,” Thomas thought, moving his hand to grasp in her hair and the other to wrap around her waist.
Elliott pulls back suddenly, looking around eyes wide.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Probably just the janitor or something, he’s usually making rounds about this time,” Thomas said, having not even noticed the noise.
Elliott relaxed some in his arms. “Oh, right. Sorry, just a little on edge after the whole Bianca-Jenni thing.” She moved her hands to wrap around his neck. “Speaking of which, did they harass you again today?” she asked.
Thomas sighed. Since Jenni had caught them together on Catalina Island, both Bianca and Jenni had been incessantly bothering him. Luckily, Jenni hadn’t actually gotten a good look at Elliott, or a picture of her. But they were convinced something was going on, no matter how much Thomas denied it.
Once, Bianca even showed up at his house, which had caused him to threaten to call the cops on her and file a restraining order, making it clear he had no issue causing her to fail out of HU, especially since he was the only teacher of the current required 100 course she was in. She had backed off some at this, (which was especially lucky since Elliott had been upstairs taking a shower after they had been practicing kickboxing in his gym, and had in fact been in the house). But, Jenni was still being a nuisance, with Bianca on occasion joining in.
“Just Jenni this time. Her incessant questioning about Catalina is unbearable,” Thomas said. He was surprised Jenni even knew how to ask a question, since she never had bothered to in class. She didn’t seem to be able to answer a question either.
“If she shows me her ‘proof’ one more time I can’t be held accountable for my actions,” Thomas joked. But Elliott still seemed worried, her brow furrowed.
“And you’re sure she can’t prove I was with you?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he responded without a moment’s hesitation. “Her picture is so out of focus I can barely tell that I’m in it. All you can see is the back of your head, which is hardly incriminating.”
“Well, the back of my head is my best feature,” she said with a smirk.
Thomas scoffed at this, and quickly kissed her.
“We shouldn’t meet like this at school again,” he said quietly. “Too easy for someone to see us. It’s a Friday afternoon, so luckily no one is here but if it had been any other time . . .” Thomas trailed off.
Elliott nodded. “Understood. I know, I only risked it because it is Friday. I just . . . wanted to see you,” Elliott said in the same quiet tone he was.
“You saw me a few hours ago,” Thomas pointed out.
Elliott rolled her eyes. “Not like that. Like this,” she said before pulling him in for another kiss. He resisted the urge to smile into her lips.
Once they broke apart, Elliott didn’t pull back much. Thomas normally hated invasion into his personal space, but with Elliott he couldn’t really find it in himself to care.
“So, what are your plans for tonight? Want to grab dinner or something?” Elliott asked.
“Well before you surprised me, I was going to ask if you were free tonight. They’re doing a double-feature at a drive-in movie theater for one of my favorite directors, Cam North.” He reached over to his desk and handed her the flyer.
“You have a favorite director? I thought all directors other than the illustrious Thomas Hunt were ‘trash’.” Elliott said with a quirked eyebrow.
“They are. But North has good cinematic instincts. Even for ‘trash’. So, what do you say? Are you free?” Thomas asked.
“Hmm, I don’t know,” Elliott said with mock consideration, “do I want to hang out with you in a dark car for hours while a movie plays? I’d have to say-” Elliott’s words were disrupted by a loud banging on the door.
Elliott swore under her breath in German.
“I know you’re not alone in there Hunt! I heard voices!” Bianca said. “Let me in!”
Without even a word, Elliott quickly moved to his coat closet and gracefully scaled the wall to the upper-rack. Her arm reached out and pulled the door closed in under twenty seconds, it latched with a soft click .
The speed and accuracy with which Elliott had done that without even a moment of panic to look for a hiding spot made Hunt suspect Elliott had in fact hidden in his office before. This was certainly something to discuss, but not at this moment, so he filed away the information for later.
Hunt sighed, pulling out his laptop from his bag and throwing it on the desk before going to unlock the door.
“May I help you, Miss S-” Thomas began before Bianca cut him off.
“Where is she?” Bianca asked.
“May I help you Miss Stone?” Thomas repeated with an exasperated sigh.
“I know you’re seeing someone. And I’m gonna find out who it is!” Bianca said.
Bianca moved past him into his office, checking behind the door and next to his bookshelves looking for someone. Thomas stepped in front of her.
“You’re obviously ashamed and embarrassed of this fling of yours. And believe me, having seen the picture, I can understand why,” Bianca said.
“My love life is none of your concern Miss Stone, and your discussion of it is not on the table. Past that, those are baseless accusations. Please, get out of my office. Your silly grade-school antics are testing my patience,” Hunt snapped.
Bianca didn’t move though, a smug smile on her face.
“I know why you don’t want anybody finding out about your special friend . It’s obvious, if you think about it. She’s a student!” Bianca accused.
Thomas Hunt had not been a world renowned director and actor for nothing. He laughed, directly into the face of that spoiled heiress without a moment’s pause.
“The idea that I would date a student is reprehensible, and not only a breach of school code but also my own moral code. I would never date a student. My love life is not your business. One more infraction of you poking your nose into my personal life Bianca, and I am taking this to both the academic board and the police.” Thomas threatened.
“Yes, but you wouldn’t be bothering to keep this so quiet if it wasn’t against the rules. I know you’re hiding something Hunt. And I intend to find out! And when I do, that will be the end of you.” Bianca said.
“Miss Stone -” Hunt began, ready to really give her a tirade. But with a final glare, she stormed out of his office.
She slammed the door shut behind her loudly, causing the panes to rattle. Hunt took a deep breath, closing his eyes and collecting himself.
Was she really any threat? She could have just caught them in that moment, but it hadn’t seemed like she’d really known anything.
A moment later he heard a thud from the closet and Elliott opened the door.
“Are you . . . are you okay?” she asked, unsure of herself in the space. “Do you still want to go out tonight? I understand if you’d rather not risk it . . .” Elliott trailed off.
Thomas reached out a hand, and she moved closer.
Bianca truly didn’t know anything. Her wild guess in the dark just happened to be correct, but treating it for what it was would hopefully calm her down soon enough.
“You already know I’m all in, Elliott,” he said, kissing her softly.
After a moment he pulled back and scoffed. “And I’m sure as hell not going to let Bianca ruin my night. We just have to be careful around her,” Thomas said.
“Especially since it looks like she’s staking out your car,” Elliott motioned outside, and Hunt turned to see Bianca’s shiny car, with Lance her idiot boyfriend behind the wheel. The thing was utterly obnoxious - a large Mercedes Benz suv with the flashiest gold color you could get on a car.
“Oh. For the love of-” Hunt began, anger rising within him. This was absolutely ridiculous. On Monday, he was going to the dean of the sophomore class to discuss Bianca’s misconduct. The accusations, these theoretical attempts to tail him - it was ridiculous.
Elliott laid a hand on his arm. “It’s fine. I’ll just have to go, incognito,” she said with a wry smile.
“Do I want to know what you mean by that?” Thomas questioned.
“Just trust me.” With that statement, Elliott moved out of his office and down the hall, beckoning Thomas to follow her. She went to the costume department in the basement and rifled through the cabinets for a moment before finding a blonde wig. Grabbing a dark overcoat, she affixed both and then applied a bright red lip - something Elliott was not prone to doing. She grabbed a baseball cap and pulled it low to partially cover her face.
A minute or so later Elliott turned to smile at him. “What do you think?” she asked.
“You pull it off,” he said.
She paused with a smile. “Sweet, as always,” she said. “Now, let’s go.”
The two of them made their way back out of the Harrison building, towards Thomas’ car. Bianca’s car trundled into view at the edge of the parking lot.
“How are we going to get to the drive in without them seeing us?” Elliott asked.
“Don’t worry. I’ll lose them, in the streets,” Thomas said. Elliott stifled a laugh.
“Did you mean to say that with such gravitas?” Elliott asked.
“Not intentionally, no. But it is a nice line.” Thomas said with a smile.
“Also you know you can’t lecture your way through traffic, right?” Elliott asked.
“Just leave that to me. Think you can get to my car without being spotted by Bianca?” Thomas asked.
Elliott grinned. “On it.”
She turned and moved to the side-exit to the Harrison building. She dashed across the parking lot while Bianca’s car was turned, sneaking up to the side of Thomas’ BMW. He held the key in his hand and clicked the unlock button. It beeped and he watched the passenger door of his car open and close softly.
Hunt began striding across the parking lot towards his car, trying to ignore Bianca’s SUV. He stepped inside, where Elliott had placed the seat all the way back and pulled her cap over her face even lower.
Thomas pulled out of the parking lot, slowly passing the SUV. They immediately turned to follow him.
Hunt almost laughed. Even if he didn’t have driving skills, Lance of all people certainly couldn’t tail him.
“Hold on,” he warned Elliott.
“What, wh-” her words were cut off by Hunt stepping on the gas.
He had chosen this car as he had chosen every item of importance in his life. It served a purpose and served it well. It was sleek, functional, and well-designed. And it also was responsive, as he required from machinery. Within a moment they were up to 60 as Hunt weaved through traffic, Lance tailing them still.
“Whoa! Who knew you could drive like that?” Elliott asked in surprise, moving her seat up some so she was sitting normally.
“To be fair, outmaneuvering Lance is hardly a race. But past that it’s all about quick, calculated decisions. Speed alone won’t get the job done,” Hunt said as he quickly glanced behind him before turning onto a narrow side-street.
Past having more brain cells than Lance, Thomas also had the advantage of knowing these streets well - he lived close enough to campus he had run all of these streets many times, and definitely knew them better than that airhead. He turned onto a main boulevard.
“Lance doesn’t stand a chance!” Elliott exclaimed, and Hunt smiled as he sped up, quickly sliding into a small space between two trucks before jerking onto another side street.
“A few more turns and we should be able to really lose him,” Hunt said, switching lanes suddenly before doing a sudden u-turn. Lance barely made it after him, (and illegally at that).
“Time to get rid of him for good,” Thomas said before turning onto Sunset Boulevard.
With practiced ease he navigated the LA traffic, switching lanes and weaving through tiny gaps. His years driving in New York had taught him well when it came to making risky moves - plus his time stunt driving.
After a few more blocks of sharp turns and just getting through lights, Bianca’s SUV was nowhere to be seen.
“A few more minutes, just to make sure we lost them, then we can head out,” Thomas said, still weaving through traffic and keeping an eye out for the obnoxious gold SUV. After not seeing it, he moved towards a freeway entrance.
Elliott pulled the blonde wig off as Thomas merged onto the highway. He glanced over as she tossed it into the backseat, mussing up her hair a bit and readjusting it.
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as he stared down the highway.
“I would do anything for her.” he thought helplessly as she leaned back and stared out the window.
It was in those quiet moments on the highway that Thomas finally accepted how deep in he was. It was undeniable.
He had sacrificed his personal life for his career once, and he wasn’t about to do it again.
He was so lost in his thoughts he maneuvered the rest of the trip on auto-pilot, only bothering to check for the obnoxious SUV once they had gotten back on to surface streets. The drive-in, while a bit of a hike from his home, always showed good movies so he knew the way without directions.
As they pulled into the parking lot of the drive-in movie theater, he checked his watch.
“Well, we’re a little earlier than I expected. The movie won’t start for maybe another twenty minutes. I didn’t think I’d be tearing through the streets of Los Angeles trying to lose a tail.” Thomas said with a light laugh, “what did you want to do?” he asked her.
She smirked.
“That damned smirk will be the death of me,” he thought.
That smirk that had been so infuriating for the first few months of her time at Hollywood U had quickly turned into something else after the masquerade ball.
“I have an idea.” Elliott said, and she leaned across the center console to kiss him.
Her kiss sent waves of need through him. He hadn’t known just kisses and light touches could do this to him, but kissing her got him drunk on the taste of her lips and the feel of her touch. But then again, Elliott always had had a way of pulling the rug out from under him.
Within a few minutes she was in his seat, straddling him as they kissed.
He wanted more.
But then again, he always wanted more out of her. He saw her potential, and had been pushing her from the very start. He knew she was capable of so much, provided she kept that ego in check. She could tear up this town with ease. But this. What he wanted. It was more carnal than hopes and dreams and careers.
Her hand ran through his hair as the other pulled his tie, and she bucked her hips slightly on top of him. He groaned.
Fuck, he was hard. She knew, too. He could feel her smirk through the kiss as she gently rubbed herself on him.
He broke away for a moment.
“Keep that up and we won’t get through this movie.” he warned her, his lips still tingling from their kiss.
She only smirked before kissing him again, letting Thomas’ hand roam under the hem of her shirt while his other grasped in her hair, desperate to pull her closer, to feel the rush of as much skin-to-skin contact as possible.
All too soon though she did pull away, and moved back into her seat. Leaving him rumpled, hard, and desperately wanting to pull out of this drive-in theater and take her back home to fuck her against every and any surface he could find. He straightened his tie and smoothed down his hair as the movie began.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked her, although he had a damn good suspicion.
“You. I like getting you all mussed up and bothered. It’s incredibly hot,” she said, eyes focused on the movie.
“You’re very good at causing me to lose all semblance of rational thought.” he admitted.
“I know,” she said, that patent smirk back on her face. “But for now, let’s just watch the movie.”
Soon enough she was half leaned across the center console, her head on his chest. The opening title splayed across the screen. Prominence . An excellent film. Tasteful CGI, stellar dialogue, and stunning cinematography. Thomas got lost in the scenes, enjoying the weight of Elliott’s head on his chest.
“You really like this movie, huh?” Elliott asked after a moment.
“Oh, yes,” Thomas said. “It has some of the best dialogue you’ll ever hear in a science fiction film, and the cinematography is stunning. North really knows how to compose a shot.”
As the movie went along, Thomas pointed out different producers and people he’s worked with from the credits, and commented on the various camera angles and effects used. He’d seen this movie so many times he knew the dialogue and plot like the back of his hand, and Elliott listened intently, enraptured with both the movie and his words.
Elliott had always shown a rapt interest in cinematography in Hunt’s classes, but her love for it really showed through in moments like this. He glanced down to see how transfixed she was on the screen and smiled fondly.
She must have felt his focus shift, because her eyes flicked away from the screen and up to him. She smiled, and Thomas thought fleetingly that it was the most beautiful sight in the world. A gorgeous girl wrapped in his arms, smiling gently up at him. A smile just meant for him.
A flash of light went off in Thomas’ periphery, and he turned to look. There, on the edge of the lot, was Lance and Jenni.
They were walking around, shining flashlights in each of the cars.
“How did they even find us?” Elliott questioned.
Several possibilities ran through Thomas’ head, and he considered all of them. “Most likely, Bianca saw the flyer on my desk when she came to my office earlier. She probably told those two to come here after we lost them.”
“We have to get out of here! We can’t let them see us together,” Elliott said.
Thomas considered this. He supposed Elliott could also quickly dip into his trunk and he could call security over, but she likely would have to wait there until the end of the second movie. He doubted Lance or Jenni was smart enough to really get the drop on them, so running was perhaps the best option. He glanced behind them.
“We’re parked in, so we’ll have to ditch my car. We can get it later. Let’s go, now,” Thomas said. He quickly ducked out of his car, with Elliott following suit. He manually locked it so as to not make a noise. He surveyed quickly as Elliott joined him on his side of the car.
“If we make it over to that fence without them spotting us, we should be good,” he said, motioning to the side of the lot.
“Got it,” Elliott said, and began to move towards the fence. She did not consider, however, that she would be blocking someone’s view. The car she was in front of honked, and Lance and Jenni turned to look her way.
With her usual cat-like grace, Elliott slid under the car just before their beams of light reached her. Thomas took this chance to move forward through a few rows the two had already checked, using their distraction to make it past several cars quickly.
Lance and Jenni were yelling now, Jenni calling something about twitter.
“Honestly, the only thing that vapid girl can think about is social media.” Hunt thought as he ducked further and further away from where the two were standing towards the exit.
Elliott appeared from underneath a different car behind Lance and Jenni, and quickly made her own way to the exit. Hunt quickly led her up the stairs by the snack bar, taking them two at a time. The second-level balcony overlooked the fence surrounding the drive-in theater, and he jumped down with albeit not an amazing amount of grace. Elliott landed behind him mere moments later.
“You okay?” Hunt asked her quietly.
“Yeah, I’m good. You?” she questioned.
“I’ll be better once those two are off our tail. C’mon, we’ll lose them in the crowds downtown,” Thomas said.
He took her hand and began quickly striding down the street, not even bothering to look back towards the theater.
The two quickly walked deeper into downtown. Elliott, who had been keeping an eye out behind them, quickly pulled him into an alleyway behind a dumpster. They were both breathing hard from the adrenaline. Hunt pulled her close, as to not be noticed from the main street.
It was moment’s later he heard Jenni’s grating voice from the street: “Lance, they must’ve gone this way! Hurry up!”
“But . . . Ralph Lauren is right over there! And I need a new shirt!” Lance whined.
“Useless. You are so incredibly useless!” Jenni exclaimed.
Thomas waited a minute or two before relaxing his hold on Elliott some.
“I think we finally lost them,” Hunt said.
“It’s about time!” Elliott exclaimed, moving to readjust her rumpled clothes. “I never expected them to be so persistent.”
“People will do the craziest thing when they have the right motivation,” he said, watching Elliott run a hand through her hair. She paused and caught his eye. He smiled down at her.
“Yeah, the craziest things,” she echoed.
Thomas’ hand reached out to stroke her cheek, and suddenly they were kissing. Hunt’s mind idly considered his suit being ruined by the brick, but decided kissing Elliott was well worth a scratched suit. He got lost in her touch, the feeling of her hair just brushing his face as her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.
After a few moments, Hunt broke their kiss.
“We should probably get back soon,” Thomas said, not at all wanting to stop making out with her. While he didn’t enjoy the harrowing antics of that idiotic trio, making out with Elliott with the possibility of being caught still gave him the same adrenaline rush he had as a teenager, sneaking around in the middle of the night.
“What, you didn’t envision this night ending in an alley?” Elliott joked.
“Not quite,” Thomas said, glancing down at Elliott. She seemed to catch his message and blushed a little as he whipped out his phone, calling an uber.
“The uber will be here in three minutes,” Hunt said. “I’ll retrieve my car tomorrow.”
Elliott opened her mouth - undoubtedly to say something snarky - but didn’t get the chance. Thomas had picked her up and backed her against the wall, capturing her in a kiss.
She made a surprised ‘mmph!’ sound before her hands snaked into his hair and around his neck.
God, Thomas really did feel like a horny teenager. The only thing stopping him from having sex right here in this alley - apart from the possible public indenceny charge - was the fact their uber would be here in mere moments. There was something about Elliott that pushed his buttons and knocked down his walls, and this was one of those moments where he couldn’t even bother to keep the pretenses of them up.
She moaned into his mouth, and one of Thomas’ hands slid down to her ass.
At that moment his phone buzzed, notifying him that his uber had arrived and with a sigh he let her down.
“Let’s go, Uber’s here,” he said.
Elliott followed him in a rather dazed manner, and the two quickly hopped into the back of the waiting Prius.
The ride was uneventful, apart from Thomas watching as Elliott rather amusingly attempted to calm herself down. He had gotten her quite flustered, and he was rather smug about it.
But the ride itself was taken in silence, some dreadful pop music playing out of the speakers.
Twenty minutes later the Uber dropped them off in front of his house.
“I can’t believe we managed to escape that mess without getting caught. No Lance, Jenni, or Bianca in sight,” she said as the two paused in front of his gate.
“It did seem unlikely there for a moment,” Thomas admitted. The two probably wouldn’t be going on any public dates soon, especially with the rampage Bianca seemed to be on.
“And even if we were almost caught, we made it back with our secret intact,” she said.
“You really are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?” Hunt asked.
“Only in the bedroom,” Elliott said as she winked.
Thomas gave a disbelieving laugh at that. Elliott had, after all, been initially attracted to him. He had ripped her apart on many an occasion and Elliott had still pursued him, even in the face of direct adversity.
“I’m just relieved we escaped without being discovered. I don’t know how long we can keep this up,” she admitted. She paused and smiled at him. “But we’ll find a way.”
“That we will. Did you want to come inside and finish Prominence , since our date was so rudely interrupted?” Hunt asked.
“I’d love that,” she said. The two made their way inside, Elliott kicking off her shoes haphazardly by the front door.
Elliott smiled, pausing in his foyer.
“What’s up?” he asked.
She laughed. “I know today was a disaster, but I still really enjoyed going on an actual date with you. I just got a flashback to the first time I entered your house, as a student. I think I like it this way a lot better,” she said.
“You’re 100% my date tonight. And I like it a lot better that way,” Thomas said, pulling her into his living room. He paused, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply.
“I doubt we’ll even make it to the movie,” he thought as she pulled him closer.
This was, of course, interrupted by the very bright flash of a camera.
“Ha! Got you!” Bianca said, popping up from behind his couch.
“Bianca!” Hunt exclaimed, rage welling deep. She broke into his house? He stepped in front of Elliott, attempting to shield her.
But Hunt wasn’t quick enough before Bianca caught sight of her.
“Elliott?” she shrieked. The three of them stood there for a moment, Thomas attempting to grasp for a way out of this situation, before Bianca continued. “Elliott? You? And . . . Hunt?” she asked.
“Bianca, what the fuck are you doing here?” Thomas asked.
“I think the bigger question is, how the hell does Elliott of all people snag the hottest professor in school? That like, makes like no sense!” She exclaimed.
“Bianca, get out of my house!” Thomas said, his voice rising slightly. But the two girls ignored him.
“Jealous, much Bianca?” Elliott asked with a derisive laugh. “I swear, close your mouth you’ll catch flies. Everyone knows you have the biggest crush on Hunt.”
This was not new information to Thomas. Bianca, as had many of his students, tried her hand at seducing him. Of course not directly - those cases he reported through the academic board for student misconduct - but with about as much subtlety as Bianca could muster. Hunt, like everyone else who had made a pass at him, had not been let down easy. It had seemed that rejection still stung pretty heavily, for her to have broken into his house.
Bianca shrieked with laughter. “As if I could be jealous of a hag like you. I just don’t get how someone so attractive would stoop so low as to kiss something as disgusting as you.” She spat out.
“That’s it, I’m calling the police,” Thomas said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He should’ve done this before, filed a restraining order.
“I don’t think you want to do that, professor . I have proof right here you’ve been a very very naughty boy.” Bianca said with a smug smile. “If you don’t do exactly what I say, I’m sending this out to every school board member, on top of posting it all over social media, and selling it to the tabloids . . .” she trailed off threateningly.
She can’t seriously think blackmail would work on him? He was already blacklisted by the Silver Circle, he didn’t have much of anything to lose in this town. His reputation, while important, wasn’t the only thing in his life that mattered.
“I’ll ruin both of you.” Bianca said, and Thomas’ thoughts snapped back to Elliott. So young, only 23. So new in this town. This sort of scandal would ruin her. It always ruined the woman - their reputation never recovered. Elliott was strong, and one hell of an actress, but this . . .
“Bianca-” Elliott began, her voice shaking a little from anger.
“Save it Elliott. I’ve already won,” she shot back, staring daggers. Bianca glanced between the two, and how Thomas was still partially shielding Elliott from her, standing in a stupor, glancing between the two women.
“You know, this explains a lot. Like how you have such good grades, and how you’re always on Hunt’s good side. And why he was willing to back you up at your probation hearing.” Bianca said.
“How dare you imply -” Hunt began at the same moment Elliott snapped “Hey! Those things have nothing to do with our relationship!”
She took a step forward.
“Suuuuure. Just keep telling yourself that, Elliott,” Bianca drawled with an all-knowing smile.
Elliott’s eyes flashed dangerously. Bianca moved to walk towards the door, and Elliott was next to her in a flash. The camera was out of Bianca’s hands in seconds.
“Catch!” Elliott said and tossed the camera. Bianca was grappling with her within moments.
Thomas caught the camera, understanding what Elliott wanted. He scrolled back through her previous photos, and deleted them all. Then, for good measure, he popped open the side and yanked out the SD card, dropping it onto the floor and crunching it under his foot.
“No!” Bianca said desperately. She rustled for her phone too, but Elliott grabbed that as well.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Elliott said, holding the phone above Bianca’s head. It would have been hilarious, had the situation not been so dire.
“Give it back! You hit me, I’ll sue! I’ll ruin you both!” Bianca said.
“You’re breaking and entering. This is self defense,” Elliott said.
“Oh yeah? How are you going to explain you being here on the police report?” Bianca shot back.
Elliott paused at this for a moment, seemingly having not thought of this.
“I still know the truth. You might have deleted my evidence but I know. And if you don’t want your dirty little secret getting out -” Bianca turned to point at Hunt. “Then you’ll do as I say from now on.”
“Bianca, I would not suggest threatening me. I am a man with very little left to lose,” Thomas said smoothly.
“Except for her. You’ve done a lot to protect her - obviously you don’t want to lose her for . . .” Bianca gave a disgusted look at Elliott. “Some reason. So you’ll do as I say.”
“I do not bow down to blackmail. You cannot control me, Bianca Stone. And if you attempt to, it will end poorly for you.” Thomas said, his voice unnaturally calm. Bianca looked unsure of herself for a moment, then her eyes moved back to Elliott’s.
“I think you’re lying. I think you care about this rat, and I think you’re gonna do what I say. I’m gonna walk out that door, and if you try and stop me your story will be spread all over social media before you can say my name,” Bianca said, eyes glittering.
Thomas felt desperate, caged. Elliott looked at him, unsure what to do in the moment.
“Touch me again, and I'll end you,” Bianca said, yanking her arm out of Elliott’s grasp and snatching her phone out of the shocked girl's hands. With that, Bianca strutted towards the door and into the foyer. She paused at the door.
“See you in class tomorrow, losers!” She called before slamming Hunt’s door behind her.
Hunt stood there, shocked, unable to move.
“So, that’s it then, huh?” Elliott asked. She sat down on the couch. “Man, I can’t believe that it was Bianca who caught us. I never expected her to have this much focus on something that wasn’t her face.”
“Thomas?” Elliott asked when he didn’t respond. Her hand found his, pulling him to sit onto the couch.
“I can’t believe she’d break into my home,” Thomas said. He’d have to find her point of entry. How she’d gotten in. His security system should’ve handled it.
“Doesn’t surprise me. Bianca doesn’t really believe any rules apply to her, even the law. It’s just a little surprising how far she was willing to go to try and catch us,” Elliott said.
“Well, someone had to catch us eventually,” Thomas replied. He’d known it’d been inevitable. Elliott had been careful - more careful and considerate than he’d ever seen her conduct herself with in class - but it didn’t change that eventually, one of them would have slipped up. He just wouldn't have expected it to be so soon. . . only four months. A handful of dates - he’d stopped counting exactly after the fifth a few months ago. That’s how far they’d gotten before they’d been caught.
“So. . . now what? What’s our next step?” Elliott asked, nervously twisting one of the rings on her finger.
“I-” Hunt paused to run a hand through his hair. “I think we have to do what she says.”
“No.” Came Elliott’s immediate, firm response.
“What do you mean, no? We don’t have any other options here, Elliott,” Thomas said.
“I can’t just let her control you like this. You’ll lose your job,” she said.
“That was always a risk, and it was a risk I was well aware of going into this,” Thomas shot back.
Well, he hadn’t necessarily been prepared to be blackmailed by a student. But he’d been prepared for the risks.
“But god, Thomas. It’s your job. I was trying not to think about it, but I didn’t think it’d take only four months for her to find out about us,” Elliott ran a hand through her hair and pulled at it. “There’s another option.”
Hunt furrowed his brow. “What other option? Wait-” he began, seeing where this was going.
“We break it off. I go to the board tomorrow, tell them I kissed you without your consent and Bianca saw it. She broke into your house because she’s obsessed with you. I came here because - I don’t know right now but I’ll make something up. There’s some explaining to do, some missing gaps, but I can smooth it over well enough. I’m a damned good actress after all, and with Ethan by my side I can gloss over the story enough to save your job. I can do it, it just means we won’t be able to see each other again.” Elliott’s eyes burned with a determination and passion he often saw when she threw herself into assignments. Assignments she did stellar on, because as she said she was an amazing actress. And he wasn’t going to let her just squander her talents like that.
He moved closer, cupping her face with his hands.
“When I said I was all in, I meant it Elliott. I knew the risk going in, I won’t have you going around ruining yourself in this town for me. Whatever happens, it happens to the both of us,” Thomas said.
It was at that moment he realized Elliott was crying, silently and slowly, but crying nonetheless.
He loved her.
He hadn’t said it, but he loved her.
Of course he did, she was Elliott . Elliott who had enough passion for three people. Elliott, who threw herself into acting, threw herself into her roles. Elliott, who smelled like vanilla and mangoes. Elliott, whose kiss made him dizzy and whose smile brought him to his knees. Elliott.
He’d do anything for her. Each moment with her felt as if a piece of his life’s puzzle slotted into place. The mornings he’d been able to wake up next to her had brought such contentment as he’d never known.
He didn’t care about the world. Not anymore. He cared about her .
Whatever it took, for her. Because he loved her.
“I love you, Elliott Shriver ,” he thought desperately as he wrapped her into a hug. Anything to comfort her. The two of them stayed there for hours, silent and lost in thought, in the shattered remnants of their night.