Chapter 3

[Elara’s POV]

My cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. Quickly, I snatched the jacket from him and wrapped it around myself.

“I’m taking you back,” he said firmly.

“That won’t be necessary,” I told him tersely. “I’m here with a friend.”

Killian’s doubtful look turned somber when he turned his head in the direction that I pointed at Ava. His shoulders briefly relaxed.

“Just get home.” And with that, he turned on his heels and left.

I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming sense of loss that washed over me as I watched him walk away. God damnit. I didn’t even get a real chance to talk to him and ask him what his life had become since he vanished years ago.

Ava scurried up to my side with a buzzing look of curiosity. “Ooo, so who was that?”

“No one,” I muttered.

“Really? Cause, I gotta tell you, the two of you looked pretty well-matched just from your silhouettes alone,” she explained. The two of us watched Killian’s figure retreat through the crowd. “Hmm, not gonna lie. He looked oddly familiar. You sure nothing happened?”

I shook my head, not wanting to relive the embarrassment. “Let’s just head back to the dorm.”

That night, while Ava was busy taking a shower, I began getting ready for bed. I’d placed Killian’s jacket over the back of my desk chair and noticed something sticking out of one of the side pockets.

I crossed the room and reached out for it. My brows jumped in surprise as I gazed down at the Fairmont University pamphlet.

Just when I thought I had successfully pushed Killian Knox out of my thoughts, it all came rushing back like a maddening storm. This damn pamphlet brought on a whole new slew of questions.

What exactly were his plans when it came to this university? Was he planning on staying in town long? Was he still staying in the same house next to mine?

Placing the pamphlet back in the pocket, I grabbed my phone to send a quick text to my dad, hoping for some information about Killian’s whereabouts.

It came as no great surprise when he didn’t respond. That familiar feeling of disappointment came, knowing that our communication was always one-sided.

-

The next day, I settled into my honors Biology class and couldn’t help but overhear the chatter that surrounded me. Apparently, we were expected to get a new professor today.

“I heard Professor Abram transferred here from across the country,” one student remarked.

“This guy is a pretty big deal. I heard that he’s behind this major theory in our field.”

“Sounds like some big-shot Alpha.”

That last statement caused me to turn my head in their direction. Alpha? That was an unusual term that one didn’t normally hear on a regular basis. With a raised brow, I gave them a questioning look.

“What does that mean?”

The group shared a knowing smile amongst each other.

“It just means that this new professor is highly accomplished,” one of them explained.

“Has anyone actually met him yet?” I asked.

They all shook their heads, leading me to feel deflated and left wondering about this mysterious new professor.

But as if answering my curiosity, someone murmured that they'd seen a man at the Admin office. He was discussing something about the honors Biology class with the Dean—mature, handsome, with dark hair, and an impossibly hot build that made him look like anything but a professor.

Similar appearance. The pamphlet in the pocket.

My blood suddenly turned to fire. The new professor...Was it Killian?

The rest of class went by smoothly. By the time the bell rang, I grabbed my bag and headed toward the library.

Buzz. Buzz.

Just then, I glanced down at my phone to find that I had received a new email from the university’s supervising department.

My heart raced with anticipation. In order to support myself financially through the semester, I had applied for a part-time teaching assistant position in our Biology department for incoming Freshmen.

I opened the email and discovered that I’d been accepted into the position and felt a great wave of relief and excitement. But as I read through it, I soon came to realize that my new supervisor was none other than the new hire, Professor Abram.

I swiftly sent him an email, wanting to formally introduce myself and put my best foot forward.

Much to my surprise, and contrary to most arrogant academics, Professor Abram had replied to my email rather quickly. He seemed already somewhat aware of me as a student and even passed the remark that since I showed so much interest in the field, I was likely enrolled in another course that he taught.

Professor Abram had recommended that I look into a short list of literature on the course. I was touched by his insight, as it also reminded me of a certain someone who once went out of their way to recommend books to me when I was younger.

--

I stood tall in front of my floor-length mirror in my dorm, looking over my outfit for any possible imperfections. Today was my first official day as Professor Abram’s new teaching assistant for his freshmen-level class.

I’d chosen a white Oxford shirt with a sensible pair of beige pants, not wanting to draw any real attention to myself. I was determined to come off as the mature and insightful upperclassman that I was.

After all, I was merely doing a job—not trying to impress anyone in particular. Especially not my supervisor.

Having pinned back part of my hair, I deemed myself ready and grabbed my bag. The moment I entered the classroom, my eyes instantly fell to Jasmine. She was sitting with a group of her friends, close to the front of the class.

I inwardly groaned. Oh, great.

No matter, I set my stuff down on the front table and began running through the attendance sheet. As I ran through the other typical TA procedures, I noticed Jasmine had gotten up from her seat and began making her way over to me.

My stomach churned.

“What is it, Miss Travers?” I asked flatly.

Jasmine’s gaze flickered with taunting amusement. “For an outsider, you must think you really are something special, huh?” she asked sardonically.

An outsider? So, that was how she saw me now...One moment we were close friends, and the next I somehow fell to the lowest level on the social hierarchy.

“Excuse me?”

“First, you try to latch on to Brad, and now you’ve gone ahead and stolen the TA position. What, are you trying to show off or something?” The corner of her mouth curved upward in a jeering smirk. “You know, Brad told me that he never really found you interesting. He and I are perfectly happy together.”

Oh, wow. I seriously can’t believe that I once thought she and I were best friends...

I let out a long sigh and took a moment to respond. While her words regarding Brad and I’s previous relationship slightly stung, I couldn’t help but pick up on Jasmine’s sense of insecurity. Perhaps it was because of my clothes that my newly acquired position was an act of rivalry.

“Miss Travers, I assure you that I applied for this position last semester like everyone else,” I told her softly. “It has literally nothing to do with your relationship with Brad.”

Her mouth twitched into a doubtful sneer.

It wasn’t a lie. It truly had nothing to do with Jasmine or Brad. But I’d be lying if I said that my mind hadn’t been reeling ever since the TA email.

My mind was left buzzing with building anticipation. However, for the last handful of days, I really tried to keep my wits about me.

In short, there was no legitimate proof that this was my Killian. Not the same man who lived next door to me. Not the same man who used to speak kindly to me and speak about books.

Right as she was about to comment, the door opened and in walked the professor.