This is the continuation of @isabella-2025 request.
Charlotte was waiting on the couch when Isabella walked into the dorm.
Not sitting. Waiting. There was a difference.
She wore pink silk pajamas, her hair in a loose bun, and had set out snacks on the coffee table with the kind of focus you’d expect from someone about to question a suspect. As soon as the door shut, she pointed at the empty chair across from her.
Isabella dropped her purse beside the door and walked farther into the room.
Charlotte’s eyes traveled over her immediately.
Her hair was still damp. Her lips looked a little swollen. A faint flush lingered on her cheeks. Charlotte’s mouth fell open.
“You kissed one of them.”
Isabella took off my coat. Charlotte shot to her feet.
“You kissed both of them.”
Isabella tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn’t. She let out a scream.
She grabbed my shoulders.
Charlotte screamed even louder this time. Isabella quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“We live in a dormitory. People have ears.”
Charlotte pulled my hand away.
“You left here as one person and came back like the main character in a very questionable romance novel.”
“The grades were posted.”
“They’re still warm from the printer.”
Isabella threw a pillow at Charlotte. Charlotte caught it and hugged it against her chest.
“All right. Tell me everything.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Charlotte stared pointedly at Isabella’s mouth.
“Did the rain take your lipstick off?”
Isabella walked to her dresser and began removing her earrings.
“How could you possibly know that?”
“He seems like the kind of guy who thinks patience is an insult.”
A laugh slipped out before she could stop it.
“The one that says Cody Rhodes kissed you so slowly that you forgot the alphabet.”
Isabella turned away. Charlotte was right. Cody’s kiss was gentle enough to make her feel safe, but careful enough to feel a little dangerous. For a moment, Isabella felt exposed and protected at the same time, like his care brought out a longing she’d tried to hide. A tremor ran under her skin, a quiet thrill that made her wonder if she wanted to be seen this much.
Finn kissed her like he’d been holding back a storm for weeks. The memory left her breathless, full of wild energy that shook up the order she’d tried to keep. Cody kissed her like he already knew where the lightning would hit. Between those two kisses, something changed. A new part of her woke up—bold and unwilling to pretend she could go back to how things were before tonight.
Charlotte leaned against the dresser.
Isabella looked down at the ring dish between them, carefully contemplating her words.
“They said they want to do this properly.”
“You agreed without asking?”
Isabella gave her a look, and Charlotte sighed dreamily.
“Right. Two former professors.”
My phone vibrated inside my purse. We both froze.
Charlotte’s eyes widened.
“You’re the one vibrating with curiosity.”
She rushed toward my purse before I could stop her.
She held the phone above her head. Her eyes dropped to the screen. Then her expression changed.
The warmth inside her vanished. Three unread messages appeared beneath his name.
“Charlotte said you went downtown.”
Isabella’s stomach tightened as she read the messages.
Charlotte folded her arms.
“You didn’t tell him where you were going.”
“I don’t owe him my schedule anymore.”
“He doesn’t seem to understand that.”
Another message appeared.
Isabella stared at the screen, realizing she needed to cut Bron out of her life for good. They had broken up weeks ago. She’d made herself clear. Still, his name could twist her nerves more than she wanted to admit. She hated how a message from him made her heart race—not with hope, but with anxiety. She felt embarrassed by how much she still worried about his reactions, even now. She wished she could just let him go like everyone said, but it wasn’t that simple. Old fears, doubts, and bits of guilt still tugged at her when she least expected it.
Not because she wanted him back. Because she could already imagine his anger. His accusations. The way he would speak over her until she began doubting the meaning of her own words.
“I’m going to tell him to stop contacting me.”
“I want it in writing first.”
Isabella typed her message carefully.
“Bron, our relationship is over. You do not have the right to question where I go or who I spend time with. Do not contact me again.”
The moment Isabella sent the text, her phone began ringing.
She declined the call. It rang again. Charlotte reached for it.
Isabella stopped her from declining the call.
“I’m not letting him ruin tonight.”
Another call. Then another. Isabella turned the phone off. Charlotte watched me.
A knock sounded at the door.
Every muscle in Isabella’s body locked. Charlotte moved in front of Isabella without hesitation.
She crossed the room and looked through the peephole.
Her shoulders relaxed. Then she turned toward me with an expression that was far too pleased.
Finn stood in the hallway. He had changed out of the coat he wore at dinner. Now he wore dark jeans and a fitted black sweater, his hair slightly damp from the rain. Cody stood behind him carrying Isabella’s scarf. She hadn’t realized she had left it in the car.
Finn looked past Charlotte and found me. His expression changed immediately.
Finn stepped into the room. Charlotte moved aside, but only after looking him up and down with the calm scrutiny of someone inspecting a suspicious delivery. Cody entered next and closed the door.
“I told him we should call first,” he said.
“And I told him she’d left her scarf,” Finn replied.
“You said that after insisting we turn the car around.”
Finn ignored him. His gaze remained on me.
Cody placed the scarf over the back of a chair.
The quiet way he said my name loosened something in her chest.
I looked toward Charlotte. She nodded once.
“Bron texted her,” she said.
Finn’s face hardened. Cody’s expression became still.
“What did he say?” Cody asked.
“It matters if you’re frightened,” Finn said.
“You’re holding your hands together so tightly your fingers are turning white.”
I immediately released them. Finn came closer. Not too close. Just enough for me to feel his presence.
“I told him not to contact me again.”
“Did he say where he was?”
“Then tonight we stay calm.”
“You look like you’re considering several felonies.”
Charlotte made an impressed sound. Cody sighed.
“Please don’t encourage him.”
“I like him,” Charlotte announced.
“You didn’t ten minutes ago.”
Despite everything, Isabella laughed. The tension eased slightly. Cody looked at Charlotte.
“Would you mind giving us a few minutes?”
She looked toward me first. I nodded.
“Fine,” she said. “But the door stays open.”
“This is your room,” Cody replied. “You’re welcome to set any boundary you wish.”
Charlotte seemed to approve of that answer. She collected her snacks and disappeared into the small bedroom, leaving the door cracked.
Finn waited until she was gone. Then he looked at me again.
“You should report the calls.”
“Repeated unwanted contact is still unwanted contact.”
The sharpness in his tone surprised me.
“I’m not one of your students anymore, Finn.”
His expression changed. The anger disappeared, replaced by something quieter.
Cody glanced between us. Finn exhaled.
Isabella hadn’t expected the apology to come so quickly.
“I don’t like knowing he can unsettle you.”
“That doesn’t give you permission to order me around.”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
“That one might be harder.”
Isabella fought my own smile.
“We aren’t here to take over your decisions.”
“Then why did you come back?”
Finn answered before Cody could.
“Because neither of us wanted the night to end.”
The room went silent. Finn rarely softened his words. When he did, they seemed to land harder. Cody watched me carefully.
“We also wanted to make sure you arrived safely.”
“And return your scarf,” Finn added.
Isabella reached for the scarf and ran it between her fingers.
“I’m glad you came back.”
The tension changed. Not vanished. Changed. It spread through the room slowly, warm and intimate, curling around the three of us.
Finn’s gaze dropped to Isabella’s hands.
“You said tomorrow,” Isabella murmured.
“You said tomorrow we would begin properly.”
“That was before midnight,” Cody said.
Isabella glanced at the clock.
“So technically,” Isabella said, “tomorrow is in seventeen minutes.”
Finn’s smile appeared slowly.
Cody looked toward the bedroom door.
“Charlotte is approximately fifteen feet away.”
From the bedroom, Charlotte shouted, “I have excellent headphones!”
Isabella covered her face.
Cody pinched the bridge of his nose.
“This is already going very well.”
“She’s supportive,” Isabella said.
“She’s listening,” Cody corrected.
“Not anymore!” Charlotte called.
Finn leaned closer to me.
“She’s absolutely listening.”
His voice was low enough that only I could hear.
“That doesn’t mean you aren’t provoking her.”
“I thought she enjoyed that.”
Isabella crossed my arms.
“I’m standing right here.”
Both men turned toward me.
The focus of their attention hit her with such force that she forgot what she intended to say next. Finn’s expression softened into amusement. Cody's gaze became warmer.
"Still nervous?” he asked.
Cody reached for my hand.
Unlike at the restaurant, he didn’t immediately take it.
I placed my fingers in his.
His thumb brushed once over her knuckles.
“We should set rules,” he said.
“Of course you want rules.”
“We need to stop treating dinner like a committee meeting.”
Isabella looked between them.
“No secrets,” Cody said. “No pressure. No assuming consent. If one of us is uncomfortable, we say it.”
Finn nodded, becoming serious.
“No using your grades, references, or future academic plans as leverage.”
“That shouldn’t need to be said,” Isabella replied.
“It shouldn’t,” Cody agreed. “But it should still be clear.”
“And no jealousy,” Isabella added.
“Then no acting on jealousy.”
Cody’s thumb moved over my hand again.
“If this becomes too complicated, we step back.”
Isabella’s chest tightened.
“I mean we protect each other before we damage each other.”
Finn’s gaze shifted to Cody.
Something passed between them.
There was a history between them that Isabella didn’t fully understand. Sometimes their looks hinted at old arguments or alliances, and she caught glimpses of something unfinished. It was the kind of closeness that comes from sharing and surviving each other’s mistakes, even if they never talked about it.
A caution neither had spoken aloud.
“You’re both listing what I shouldn’t do. What do I get from this?”
Finn’s attention sharpened.
Cody looked almost surprised.
“I want honesty. Not careful half-truths because you think you’re protecting me. I want to know when you’re jealous, even if you don’t act on it. I want to know when something scares you.”
Cody’s expression changed.
“And,” Isabella said, looking at Finn, “I want you to stop deciding what I feel before I tell you.”
Finn was quiet for a moment.
“And no appearing at my dorm without warning.”
“That was his idea,” Cody said immediately.
“You turned the car around.”
“Agreed. No unannounced visits.”
Finn added, “Unless you’re in danger.”
“That isn’t a loophole for when you think I’m upset.”
Cody lifted my hand to his mouth.
His lips brushed my fingers.
The look in his eyes was not.
The words left Isabella before she could reconsider them.
Cody went very still. I felt reckless again. Stronger this time.
“Is that against the rules?”
One hand remained around Isabella while the other rose to the side of her face. His palm was warm. Cody leaned close enough that she felt his breath before his mouth touched hers.
The kiss began softly. Not tentative. Measured.
He kissed Isabella as though he had been waiting all evening to discover whether she tasted the way he remembered.
Isabella leaned into him. His hand slid from her cheek to the back of her neck, fingers threading gently into her hair.
Heat moved through her, slow and heavy.
Isabella forgot Charlotte was sitting on the other side of the door. She forgot about Bron and all his bullshit. And she forgot every rule the three of them made.
Until Finn stepped behind Isabella.
He didn’t touch me. That almost made it worse.
She could feel him there. His warmth. His breathing. The restrained energy rolling off him.
Cody broke the kiss but stayed close. His forehead rested against Isabella’s.
Finn’s voice came from behind me.
A shiver ran down my spine. Isabella turned my head slightly, Finn standing inches away. His eyes had darkened.
“I’m all right,” Isabella whispered.
His gaze moved to Cody. Cody’s hand slipped from my neck. Permission passed silently between them. Finn stepped closer. His fingers touched her waist.
He turned Isabella toward him. Where Cody’s kiss had unfolded slowly, Finn’s began with the unmistakable force of restraint finally being given somewhere to go. His mouth covered Isabella’s. One hand remained at her waist while the other cupped her jaw, guiding without controlling.
Isabella gripped his sweater. He made a low sound against her lips. The sound went straight through her. Finn pulled back barely an inch. My eyes stayed closed.
Isabella opened her eyes. His expression held no humor now.
No teasing. Only intensity.
Cody stood beside us, close enough that his hand brushed my shoulder. Finn’s thumb moved across my cheek.
Isabella’s words hung in the charged silence between them. For a moment, she couldn’t believe she’d said it out loud. Heat spread across her skin, a mix of nerves and excitement. She felt exposed, like she’d stepped out and asked to be seen. Saying what she wanted so clearly felt risky, but also freeing. What if it was too much? What if they turned away? The questions made her uneasy, but underneath it all was relief. She didn’t have to hide or pretend anymore. She could be seen by the two people she wanted most. For the first time, Isabella let herself want openly.
The quiet that followed felt enormous. Cody’s hand settled at her waist from the other side. I stood between them. Not trapped. Held. Finn’s gaze dropped briefly toward Isabella’s mouth again.
Cody’s lips brushed her temple.
The contrast made her knees feel unreliable.
Then her phone, still resting on the table, lit up.
Charlotte had turned it back on.
Another message appeared from Bron.
Every trace of warmth vanished from the room. Finn released his hold on Isabella immediately. Cody stepped toward the window. Charlotte burst from the bedroom without her headphones.
Isabella picked up her phone.
Finn reached for his coat. Cody caught his arm.
Finn looked down at Cody’s hand.
“I agree. Which is why we call campus security.”
“That is precisely why you’re not going downstairs.”
Cody turned toward Isabella, who was standing by the window.
Charlotte was already doing it.
Isabella called campus security.
Isabella’s voice shook slightly as she explained the situation. Finn stood beside the window, looking through the blinds without moving them. Cody stayed near Isabella.
“You did the right thing,” he said.
It felt like Bron was trying to ruin something new and fragile before it even had a chance. Before anyone could react, Charlotte stepped closer to Isabella, standing as a small shield against the anxiety in the room. Finn moved between Isabella and the door, quiet but steady. Cody took Isabella’s hand and squeezed it, sending silent reassurance. Even with all the tension, Isabella felt anchored by their support—she wasn’t alone anymore. A loud knock hit the door. Charlotte jumped. Finn turned.
As though Bron had reached into this new and fragile thing before it even had a chance to become real. A loud knock struck the door. Charlotte flinched. Finn turned.
Bron’s voice came through the wood.
Cody moved in front of me. Finn stood beside him.
“Bron,” Isabella called, forcing steadiness into her voice. “Leave.”
“I know they’re in there.”
“That doesn’t matter. I told you not to contact me.”
“Open the door and say it to my face.”
Cody blocked him with one arm.
“He’s trying to force the door.”
“And security is coming.”
“You think they care about you?” he shouted. “They're using you!”
The words cut deeper than she expected.
Finn looked back at Isabella. He saw it. Of course he did. His expression changed from anger to something far more controlled. He walked toward her instead of the door. Then he crouched slightly so he was eye level with Isabella
“He doesn’t get to define this.”
“You barely know what this is.”
“No,” Finn said. “But I know what it isn’t.”
“It isn’t revenge. It isn’t a game. And it isn’t something you owe either of us.”
Voices sounded in the hallway.
Bron began arguing almost immediately. Charlotte peered through the peephole.
Isabella exhaled. Her knees nearly gave out.
Finn’s hand pressed gently against her back.
For several moments, she stood between them and tried to breathe.
Security knocked and asked to speak with me.
She opened the door only after they confirmed Bron had been escorted downstairs. The officer took Isabella’s statement. Charlotte gave hers. Cody and Finn remained quiet unless directly asked a question. When it was over, the hallway emptied again. Isabella closed the door. Silence filled the dorm.
“I’m sorry,” Isabella whispered.
Cody’s voice became firm.
“You are not responsible for his behavior.”
“He followed me here because of you.”
“Because of his choices,” Finn corrected.
Isabella hugged her arms around myself.
“I don’t want tonight to become about him.”
Cody touched my shoulder.
I looked toward the clock.
Tomorrow had arrived. Finn followed my gaze. His expression softened.
“So,” he said quietly, “we’ve begun properly.”
A laugh escaped her, shaky but real.
Cody smiled. Charlotte crossed the room and gathered her blanket.
“I’m sleeping in Ava’s room.”
“You don’t have to leave.”
Charlotte pointed at both men.
“If either of you upsets her, I know where your offices are.”
Finn looked impressed again.
Cody said, “That seems fair.”
Charlotte hugged me tightly.
Charlotte picked up her overnight bag. Then she paused at the door and looked back.
Finn’s mouth curved. Cody closed his eyes. Charlotte left before Isabella could throw anything at her. The room became painfully quiet.
Isabella stood near the couch. Cody and Finn remained by the door. No one moved.
“What happens now?” Isabella asked.
The choice belonged entirely to me. That mattered. Isabella walked to the door.
For one terrifying second, both men looked as though they expected her to open it. Instead, Isabella turned the lock. The click echoed through the room.
Finn’s gaze sharpened. Cody’s breathing changed.
Finn took one step forward. Cody caught his shoulder.
Finn didn’t look away from Isabella.
“You’ve seen me lecture.”
Isabella laughed under my breath.
The nerves inside her loosened.
He stopped in front of Isabella.
“You can change your mind.”
His fingers brushed her cheek.
“And you’re not saying yes because tonight frightened you?”
The question reached somewhere deep.
“I’m saying yes because you both came back before you knew anything was wrong.”
“Because Finn pretends he’s impatient, but he waited seven weeks.”
“And because you,” Isabella continued, looking at Cody, “make rules when you’re scared.”
Cody’s mouth parted slightly. Finn gave a quiet laugh.
Cody glanced toward him. Then back at Isabella.
“You make me feel seen too,” he admitted.
The confession held more heat than either kiss.
Isabella looked between them.
“No more hiding,” Cody said.
Then Isabella looked directly at Finn.
His entire body went still.
Cody’s eyes closed briefly.
Finn lowered his face toward mine.
“I thought you said I could call you that if I meant it.”
His hand tightened gently at my waist.
The word was barely out before he kissed her.
Cody’s hand slid into hers. And for the first time, there was no classroom, no title, no semester standing between us. Only choice. Only trust. Only the dizzying realization that tomorrow had finally arrived.
Standing between them, Isabella felt hope growing inside her—uncertain, bright, and hard to hold back. For the first time in a long while, she could picture a future that was truly hers. She let herself look ahead, ready for whatever tomorrow would bring.
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