MasukNyra didn’t sleep much that night.By morning, the shock had settled into something quieter but heavier, the kind of curiosity that sat at the back of her mind and refused to leave. Elara found her in the kitchen, hair pulled into a loose bun, already halfway through a mug of coffee she didn’t look like she was enjoying.They stood there for a moment, the aftermath of last night hovering between them, fragile but not broken.“So,” Nyra said finally, setting the mug down. “I need you to explain something to me.”Elara sighed, bracing herself. “Okay.”Nyra tilted her head. “Why does your professor look like he could walk into your family reunion, and nobody would question it?”Elara froze, then let out a slow breath. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I swear, I don’t. That’s part of why I’ve been losing my mind.”Nyra watched her carefully. “Because that resemblance isn’t normal, Elara. It’s not just similar features. It’s… unsettling.”Elara nodded, her hands twisting together. “That
Elara looked at her watch and smiled as the big hand hit 12, marking the 3 o clock hour. Adrian's final class of the day just ended, and as she gathered her stuff from the glossy library table, her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing him. She decided to wait at least 5 minutes before casually strolling towards his office hallway, but as soon as the thought landed, her phone rang.It was Adrian.“Hello?”“Hey love, where are you”, he asked in his deep sexy voice. Elara felt her toes curl in her boots and bit the inside of her cheek.“I'm in the library, just finishing up”, she said quietly.“Okay, cause I'd like to see you”, she said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She pressed her lips together in a secret smile.“Aren't you still in class?”, she asked shyly.“Nope. Finished early. I kept thinking about you, and it wasn't fair to my other students to I had to dismiss them early”, Adrian said with fake superiority.Elara rolled her eyes, “how noble of you”“Right? I kn
It takes less than a milisecond for the brain to make a connection, and in that tiny time frame, Elara realised she had just about ruined her life.Her eyes widened. She slapped a hand over her mouth, horror flooding her expression. “Oh my God,” she whispered. I just confessed to my professor!She turned toward the door, stumbling, her feet refusing to obey her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that. Please just forget it. Please-”Before she could reach the handle, she felt a warm hand wrap around her wrist, and before she could react, Adrian pulled her back in one swift, decisive motion, her momentum carrying her straight into him. She felt her body pressed flush against his chest. He was solid and warm and far too real, and the sudden proximity stole the air from her lungs.She froze completely. Slowly, he reached for her chin and gently lifted her gaze to his face. His expression was rigid, eyes dark and intent, something fierce and final burning behind them. Whatever int
The café Nathan chose was small and softly lit, tucked between a bookstore and a closed florist at the edge of campus. It smelled faintly of cinnamon and roasted coffee beans, just the kind of place that encouraged long conversations and quiet confessions.Elara arrived five minutes early and spent all of them convincing herself she wasn’t nervous. She didn't even know why she was feeling this way and she hated not understanding her feelings, especially because it was becoming a norm lately, with Adrian-Don't! She stopped herself before she could start thinking about a certain someone again. "We're here for Nathan," she muttered to herself, allowing her mind to wander to the dynamics of their relationship before Nathan's exchange program in Russia.They had been good together, amazing even. And the sex was even more amazing. Nathan knew exactly what her body wanted, needed and loved and she had learned and absorbed his body like a textbook for a core course. Her cheeks warmed with t
Adrian Moore closed the door to his office and leaned his forehead briefly against the cool wood. The sight of Elara made his stomach flip, which was so odd considering no woman had ever made him feel his way. He squeezed his eyelids shut, willing the thought of her to leave his head, but her confused face swam into view instead.He straightened almost immediately, smoothing his jacket, trying to regain control. The office was quiet, the late afternoon sun filtering in through the blinds and casting neat lines across his desk. Everything was in its place. Books aligned, papers stacked, no speck of dust in sight, evidence of the life he was building carefully, deliberately.And yet his mind kept circling back to the hallway, the collision, and a pair of eyes he had refused to meet.Avoiding her had been intentional. Necessary. For his mental health, his job. He knew he couldn’t risk getting involved with a student, not when he was her lecturer, and she obviously felt something for him
The hallway outside the lecture room buzzed with the low murmur of exhausted students. Papers were folded, bags slung over shoulders, complaints already forming in half-whispered conversations. Elara stepped out beside Nyra, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lights as if they might physically erase the last two hours of thinking.“That was evil,” Nyra said flatly, adjusting the strap of her bag. “Who gives a Saturday test and expects mercy?”Elara huffed a quiet laugh. “At least it’s over.”They turned toward the stairs, moving with the slow shuffle of people who had poured too much energy into concentration and now had none left for walking. Elara was midway through complaining about one particular question when she collided with something solid.“Oh—” she stumbled back slightly, instinctively reaching out.“I’m sorry,” a familiar voice said at the same time.Her breath caught.Adrian Moore stood in front of her, papers tucked neatly under his arm, his expression composed but di







