Professor Workaholic

Adrian POV

I've never been so livid as I am right now.

The thought of some mother-fucking low life donkey putting his hands on my angel, on my baby girl, sets a fire in me I didn't even know existed.

I don't care who the fuck it is. I'll ruin every single one of them, mentally and physically, from generation to generation. Nobody messes with what's mine.

I sat there, waiting for that damn class to be over, pretending to take notes while my head was just filled with blood and anger. The second the last student left the hall, I walked straight to her desk.

"Who the fuck hit you?"

She froze up like a deer caught in headlights before slowly turning to face me.

"What?" she asked, all innocent like she didn't just hear me.

"I said WHO THE FUCK hit you," I repeated, stepping closer, eyes narrowing on the side of her face. The makeup couldn't hide shit. I saw that faint bruise near her jaw. My hands twitched.

"Oh that, I, um, I hit my face on my bathroom door this morning," she said, trying to act calm, like that was something people just did for fun.

"Oh really?" I raised my brow.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry. I'm fine. It was dark and I kinda misjudged the distance, so... it's nothing really."

I stared at her for a long second, trying to decide if she was lying. Something in me didn't buy it, but her eyes, they looked too soft, too calm for someone who just got hit. Maybe she really did just bump into something. Or maybe she didn't want me to know.

I sighed, leaning back a little. "You gotta stop fighting doors, sweetheart. They'll always win."

Her lips twitched, then she laughed. "You're so dramatic."

"Dramatic? You show up looking like a discount boxer and I'm the dramatic one?"

She laughed harder, covering her mouth with her hand. "You're ridiculous."

I grinned, finally relaxing a bit. "At least I'm cute though."

"Oh, confident much?" she teased, shaking her head as she started packing her things.

I grabbed her books before she could. "I got it. Don't argue."

She blinked up at me. "Adrian, it's just a few books."

"And I'm just a guy trying to impress his favorite professor," I said with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes but her cheeks went pink.

"Impress? You barely pay attention in class."

"That's because you're distracting as hell."

She gasped, pretending to look offended, but the small smile on her lips betrayed her.

"Adrian," she warned lightly.

"Yes, Mrs Stone?" I said, loving the way her name sounded in my mouth.

She shook her head, clearly fighting a smile. "You're impossible. And please call me Elara."

"Yes ma, beside I've been called worse," I said, following her to her office, still holding her things like some loyal puppy.

When we got there, she settled at her desk, instantly diving into her laptop. She looked focused, eyebrows furrowed, lips slightly parted as she typed. Damn, that look could kill me.

I sat on the couch by the window, just watching for a few seconds. The way her fingers danced over the keyboard, the small sigh she made when something didn't go her way, it was like she forgot the world existed when she worked. It was cute as hell.

After a while, I stood. "You need anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thank you." She didn't even look up.

"You sure? Coffee? Food? A man who'd worship the ground you walk on?"

She finally looked at me and laughed. "Oh my God, Adrian, you're too much."

"That's what they all say before falling for me."

"Yeah? How's that working out for you?"

"Still waiting on you to join the list," I said, grinning when she shook her head, cheeks turning even pinker.

"I have work to do," she muttered, clearly trying to hide the blush.

"Fine, fine. I'll behave. For now."

She kept typing for a few minutes, pretending I wasn't there, but I could see her lips twitching every time I sighed loudly or shuffled on the couch. She finally glanced up.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering how much longer I have to sit here watching you type before you acknowledge my existence."

She chuckled. "You could leave, you know."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" I said, leaning forward. "Besides, you'd miss me."

"In your dreams."

"Already there, sweetheart."

She laughed again and looked down, shaking her head. "You really have no filter, do you?"

"Nope. Keeps life interesting."

"Or gets you in trouble."

"Sometimes both," I admitted, grinning. "But I can handle trouble. Especially when she's sitting across from me."

She gave me that look, half glare, half smile, that told me she was enjoying this way too much but didn't want to admit it. I lived for that look.

"Adrian, seriously. Don't you have something else to do?"

"Yeah," I said, standing up. "I gotta get you out of this office before you forget what sunlight looks like."

She smirked. "I'll survive."

"You say that now, but next thing I know, I'll find you talking to your stapler."

She snorted. "I don't talk to office supplies."

"Sure, Professor Workaholic."

That made her giggle again. And damn, that giggle, soft, genuine, did things to me. "You know you're really annoying," she said.

"Only to people I like."

She paused for a second, caught off guard. Her eyes met mine, and something in the air changed. For a heartbeat, the teasing died down. It felt different. Real. I saw her swallow hard before looking back at her laptop.

"You shouldn't say stuff like that," she said softly.

"Why not?" I asked, stepping closer. "It's true."

She kept her gaze down, fingers trembling a little on the keyboard. "Because people might take it the wrong way."

"And what if I mean it the wrong way?"

That got her to look up again, her eyes locking with mine. There was a flicker of something there, interest, fear, maybe both. Then she laughed nervously and leaned back.

"You're such a flirt."

"Can't help it. You make it easy."

"You really should go to class," she said, changing the subject fast.

I grinned. "I like how you think you can order me around."

"I am your professor."

"And I'm your favorite student."

She rolled her eyes. "In your head maybe."

I pointed at her coffee mug. "That's my evidence right there."

"My coffee?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah. You drank it. That means you accepted my offering. We're bonded now."

She laughed so hard she had to grab her stomach. "Oh my God, Adrian, you're insane."

"Insanely charming," I corrected.

She gave me that teasing smirk again. "You wish."

"Don't need to wish when it's true."

She shook her head, standing up to stretch. Her shirt lifted a little, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of her skin before I quickly looked away. Focus, Adrian. Don't be a creep.

"You're staring," she said, arching an eyebrow.

I smirked. "Can you blame me?"

"Go to class."

"I'm trying, but you're very distracting."

"Adrian," she warned, though there was no real anger in her voice, just amusement.

"Fine, fine. I'll go," I said dramatically, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "But only because you said please."

"I didn't say please."

"You said it with your eyes."

She threw a pen at me, and I dodged it, laughing. "You're impossible."

"You love me anyway."

"Bye, Adrian."

"Say it properly," I teased. "I wanna hear the tone."

She shook her head, laughing under her breath. "Goodbye, Adrian."

I winked at her. "Bye, trouble."

And with that, I left, still grinning like an idiot all the way down the hallway.

Elara POV

By the time I finished my work, the sun had already started setting. My eyes burned from staring at the laptop too long, so I packed my things and headed home.

The drive was quiet. I had music playing low, something soft, but my mind wouldn't stop wandering.

I don't even know when I started smiling thinking about Adrian. That stupid boy and his stupid grin. The way he teased me so easily, like it was his mission to make me blush every five minutes.

God, he's trouble. Complete trouble.

I stopped at a red light and sighed, shaking my head. "You're losing it, Elara," I muttered to myself. "He's your student."

But then, as I drove past the main road, the neon lights of a club flashed from the corner, and suddenly a memory slammed into me, so vivid it made me gasp.

That night at the hotel. The soft lighting. The faint smell of whiskey. And him. Adrian.

The way I pulled him toward me making him kiss me……

"Oh no."