Chapter 5

              Thorn arrived the following day at Eight o’clock, just as they planned. He was pleased that Nikki was already waiting for him when he pulled into the parking garage.

              “Good morning, Professor.” Nikki smiled as she climbed into his Jaguar.

              “Good morning, Miss Crowman.” Thorn nodded as he started to pull out of the garage. “Did you have a good evening?” He asked.

              “It was fine. Just started working on some of my class assignments early.” Nikki sighed.

              “Such a diligent student.” Thorn praised with a slight smirk.

              “Now, now, Professor,” Nikki replied with a smirk of her own. “If my peers hear you praising me like this, they may think you are playing favorites.” She winked at him.

              “Maybe you are my favorite student.” He responded with a shrug. Nikki blushed at the unexpected response.

              “Very funny.” She scoffed as she looked out her window. “I am sure you are just showing interest in me because of the scholarship, right?” She asked him with a sigh.

              “Well, it is a factor,” Thorn admitted as they drove through the campus gate. “I was interested in making you my aide before I learned you received the Exemplary Student scholarship. Now, I want to offer you the apprenticeship position.” He smiled softly.

              “Apprenticeship?” Nikki asked as they pulled into the faculty parking lot. She had heard him mention it the day before when he was dealing with Kendall but had no idea what the apprenticeship was.

              “Uh, yes,” Thorn said as he parked his car. “Do you have time to join me in my office before your first class?” He asked.

              “I do. My first class does not start until 10 o’clock.” Nikki revealed. “Then I have a class with you at noon.” She added.

              “Wonderful.” Thorn nodded as he got out of the car. He went around to the passenger side and got her door for her, even offering her his hand as she climbed out.

              “Are all Englishmen this gentlemanly?” Nikki teased him.

              “I am afraid not. I just happen to be a proper gentleman myself.” Thorn chuckled. Nikki laughed lightly as the two of them headed to his office. It was early on campus, so they did not run into anyone else until they reached the building.

              “Oh, Professor Thorn!” Professor Anderson greeted Thorn upon his entrance into the building.

              “Professor Anderson.” Thorn greeted her with a stoic expression as Nikki stood at his side. Anderson’s gaze fell onto the female student.

              “Oh, Miss Crowman.” She smiled. “I am so glad to be running into you again. I received the announcement of your scholarship award after meeting you yesterday morning. I wanted to congratulate you on such a fine accomplishment.”

              “Thank you, Professor Anderson.” Nikki nodded with a soft smile.

              “Are you interested in offering her the apprenticeship since she’s in your program?” Anderson asked Thorn. A slightly displeased expression formed on her face as she addressed him.

              “We were heading to my office now to discuss the opportunity,” Thorn revealed. “I know the Dean usually prefers we offer it to upperclassmen, so I know I will have to meet with him to get approval before I can set anything up.”

              “That is true, but I am sure he would do everything possible to accommodate you,” Anderson commented, trying to remain pleasant despite her obvious displeasure. “After all, you have turned down every potential apprentice he’s thrown at you. He will be overjoyed to hear you have finally found one.” She sneered at Nikki.

              “Yes. I am sure he will be thrilled.” Thorn nodded, purposefully ignoring the other professor's reaction to his decision. Nikki looked at them in discomfort. Thorn replied to Anderson coldly with disinterest in the conversation, while Anderson replied sharply with displeasure over Nikki’s sudden mentor-and-mentee relationship.

              “Well, then, I’m off!” Anderson told them. “Good luck, Miss Crowman. You will need it.” She sneered as she waved to Nikki before she headed upstairs to her office on the third floor. Thorn sighed as he put a reassuring hand on Nikki’s shoulder.

              “Come along, " he said to her as he gently guided her towards the staircase leading to the basement level. Nikki walked with the professor, noting how the atmosphere around him had changed after encountering Anderson. She remained quiet as they walked to his office, watching the older man fumbling with his keys for a moment before unlocking his door. Thorn ushered her in before closing and locking the door behind him.

              “I despise that woman…” He grumbled as he relaxed once they were alone in his office.

              “That was made obvious in your exchange with her,” Nikki commented.

              “Oh?” Thorn stiffened as he realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud. “Oh, well…I do not like that woman.” He stated.

              “When I first met her, she seemed a bit…infatuated with you,” Nikki commented. “I can understand why you wouldn’t like someone infatuated with you, but after that exchange, I feel like it is more complicated than that.”

              “I…” Thorn paused, unsure if he should share personal stuff with a student like he wanted to. He looked at Nikki, her inquisitive gray eyes staring at him expectantly. His gaze then fell on her golden blonde hair, which she had in a messy bun atop her head.

              “If it is too personal, you don’t have to share,” Nikki offered after Thorn stared at her intensely for a few minutes. She turned her head away from him, feeling uneasy under his intense gaze.

              “Sorry…” Thorn mumbled out an apology as he ran his hand through his hair. He was trying not to blush after being so obviously in awe of her beauty. “I don’t mind telling you…” he sighed. “But I am sure you will just say it is all in my head.” He added.

              “Why would I say that?” Nikki asked, keeping her gaze turned away from the professor.

              “Because I am sure I am just being egotistical, and everything is in my head.” Thorn offered with a slight scoff. At that, Nikki looked at him.

              “Oh?” she asked.

              “Yes.” He scowled. “I don’t like any of the female professors on campus because I constantly feel like they are trying to get me to sleep with them.” He revealed. Nikki had to hold back her chuckle. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I feel like they throw themselves at me no matter how I respond.” He complained. “So, I go out of my way to seem disinterested in them, thus causing them to respond unpleasantly to me.”

              “Why do you think that sounds ridiculous?” Nikki asked with a raised eyebrow.

              “I am sure that it is just women being weird, and none of them think of me in that regard.” Thorn sighed. Nikki looked at him in surprise. “They probably just think I am a huge jerk at this point, and I can’t exactly blame them since I went out of my way to be one.”

              “You…are surprisingly cute.” She said as she started to laugh. Thorn blushed at the sudden compliment, then scowled as she laughed at him.

              “I just told you something ridiculous, and you laugh at me while calling me cute?” He scoffed. Nikki continued to laugh lightly as she addressed him.

              “I am laughing because you doubt Professor Anderson is throwing herself at a tall, handsome, intelligent English gentleman like yourself.” She told him. “I would not be surprised if most women who interact with you try to throw themselves at you.” She teased him.

              “That’s-!” Thorn blushed as Nikki revealed that he was, in fact, quite attractive to the opposite sex. “Don’t stroke my ego.” He huffed.

              “As if I would!” Nikki exclaimed. Thorn continued to frown; then, a sly smirk formed on his face.

              “Does that mean you, too, have been throwing yourself at a handsome professor like me?” He teased her. It was Nikki’s turn to blush.

              “What? No.” She frowned. While she considered Thorn handsome, he had not given her the best impression the day before.

              “You listed off all these things that a woman would find attractive in me? But none suit your fancy?” Thorn asked, amazed by the sudden shift in her response.

              “You may be physically appealing, Professor, but you’re too intimidating for me to be genuinely interested in you,” Nikki admitted. “I’m not interested in being with someone who scares me.” She added.

              “I…scare you?” Thorn asked in a mixture of alarm and concern.

              “Well…you just have power over me.” Nikki corrected herself. “It’s unwise to be with someone who could expel you if you broke up, right?” She questioned.

              “Do I seem that petty?” Thorn asked with a raised eyebrow.

              “I did just meet you yesterday,” Nikki replied. “And so far, you do seem that petty.” She added as she crossed her arms over her chest.

              “That is true.” He conceded, rubbing his neck sheepishly in response to her calling out his unsavory behavior towards her so far. “I suppose it is best to keep our boundaries since we are a student and a professor, after all.” He nodded.

              “I am so glad you agree.” Nikki smiled. “Now, you brought me in here for a reason?” She asked as she stood in his messy office. There were piles of paperwork scattered throughout the room.

              “Uh, yes.” Thorn blushed as he realized how much of a mess his office was in. He went over to a spare chair and removed a pile of paper before pulling it out for Nikki to sit in. “My lady.”

              “Thanks.” Nikki laughed lightly as she sat down.

              “Now, I was telling you about the apprenticeship, right?” Thorn asked as he went over to his desk. He tossed his satchel to the side of his desk and began rummaging through the drawers.

              “Yes. What is this apprenticeship?” Nikki asked as she watched him in wonder. He seemed so put together in the classroom and his car, so his messy and disorganized office was surprising.

              “It’s for the PhD program we offer here,” Thorn said while he continued to rummage through his desk. “All the professors here are tasked with teaching up to three PhD candidates at a time, but we often don’t get enough students either interested or capable enough to qualify for our program.”

              “Yes, I read that Moonward University has one of the strictest PhD programs in the world,” Nikki revealed. “Most students complete a four-year degree here and then transfer out because even the master’s program is hard to get into.”

              “Our program is so strict because once completed, a work contract with Moonward Physics is signed,” Thorn revealed as he pulled out some paperwork. “They pay for candidates to get their PhDs, with the expectation that they will work for them for a few years as a researcher, before either being chosen to stay long term or moving on to work at any other space program in the world.”

              “I can see why it is such a selective program.” Nikki gasped.

              “Yes, yes. The apprenticeship, you see, is merely the first step of the program.” Thorn said as he looked over the paperwork and stood behind his desk. “Professors choose apprentices and help them get the PhD scholarship from Moonward Physics, then essentially teach the candidates in a way that couples education with real-world experience.”

              “So, the apprenticeship is used to determine if I would make a good candidate for the PhD program before funding is offered?” Nikki clarified.

              “Yes.” Thorn smiled. “Now, I know that the scholarship you currently have only covers a four-year degree, but if you agree to start an apprenticeship early and do well, I can help extend it to cover your master’s degree.” He revealed. “Then you can get into the PhD program and streamline your career from there.”

              Nikki could not believe what she was hearing. Her goal was to work for Moonward Physics one day, but finding a way to achieve it was mind-blowing. She looked at Thorn suspiciously for a moment.

              “Why offer this to me on my second day as a student?” she asked. “You don’t know me; you don’t even know how well I do as a student,” she pointed out.

              “Seriously?” Thorn chuckled at her. It took him a moment to realize she was being serious. “Miss Crowman, it was announced to all the professors yesterday that you are the first student in seven years to receive the Exemplary Student Scholarship.” He revealed.

              “Oh, right.” Nikki realized.

              “That scholarship is the most sought-after scholarship in the entire school, and you received it,” Thorn told her. “And you happen to be in my program already.” He added before frowning. “And all the other professors will want to snatch you up for their programs, so I needed to act fast before anyone else could take you away.”

              “I get it, professor.” Nikki laughed lightly as he continued to explain his reasoning. Thorn smiled softly as she laughed at him.

              “So, will you be my apprentice?” he asked. It felt odd for him to offer such a position, but as he looked at the young woman sitting before him, he knew he wanted her for himself. Thorn blushed at his possessive thoughts and shook his head before walking over to Nikki. He handed her the paperwork he had dug out of his desk and a pen.

              “Well…” Nikki looked up at him with her bright and ambitious eyes. She could tell he was anxiously waiting for her to say yes, and she had no reason to say no. “What the heck. Sure.” She smiled as she took the pen and paperwork from him.

              “Wonderful.” Thorn smiled in relief. Nikki had to do a double-take since it was the first time she had seen the professor with a genuine smile on his face.

              “Yeah…” She mumbled as she blushed slightly. She scanned over the paperwork he had handed her and giggled. “Professor Thorn, this paperwork is from two years ago.” She revealed.

              “It is?” Thorn asked as he blushed in embarrassment. “So sorry.” He apologized as he returned to his desk.

              “How about we just stop by the administration office after class?” Nikki offered. “I can complete it and turn it in before you take me home this evening.” She smiled.

              “Thank you for being understanding. I’ve never offered this role to a student before, so I do not know how to navigate everything yet.” Thorn admitted.

              “It’s okay, professor. We can figure it out together.” Nikki smiled. The two of them continued to hang out in Thorn’s office until it was time for him to head to class. Nikki headed to her first class of the day, the two parting ways until their next class that afternoon.