004

I froze at the door. His words were ringing in my ears.

“You remember?” I said rushing back towards him.

“Miss Finland,” he said flatly.

“Sit.”

I dropped into the chair. My legs were already shaking.

He stared at me for a long moment before speaking.

“Yes, I remember that night. I’m not in the habit of forgetting the women who leave my hotel room without a word.”

I winced.

“Omg…. I'm so cooked….look, that night was the biggest mistake in my life and I was literally drunk. I didn’t know you’d end up here as my professor.”

His jaw clenched.

“And I didn’t know the girl who kissed me first at the bar was going to be in my Psychology class. Life doesn’t always give us convenient timing.”

I bit my lip, nerves and curiosity mixing dangerously.

“When I woke up… you were already at the shower. I didn't want to disturb.”

"Disturb? I looked for you" he said.

" Look for me?" I was slightly surprised.

"Forget about that"

“So… what now?” I asked quietly.

“Now,” he said, leaning forward,

“we pretend it never happened. You are my student and I am your professor. You will attend tutoring sessions, prepare for the competition, and that is all. I just wanted to make everything clear with you. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded once.

“Good. You may leave.”

I stood up quickly, folder clutched to my chest, and practically ran out of his office. My cheeks were burning.

---

I needed air to help digest what happened at the office, so I headed to the campus cafeteria. Ela was already there, waving me over with two slices of cake.

“OMG girl!!!! He looked for you? He's definitely obsessed” She said, excited as ever.

“That's what I don't want. I don't him to get obsessed. Student -professor relationship is a no no for me” I said, taking a bite of cake.

I had barely taken two bites when Selena walked in.

Selena strutted toward our table with two of her friends, her eyes lighting up the second she saw me.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Ethan’s little charity case.”

I ignored her, but she wasn’t done.

She “accidentally” bumped into our table, knocking her large strawberry smoothie right onto my white dress.

“Oops,” she said with a fake smile.

“My bad. Guess you’ll need a new outfit… and maybe a new personality while you’re at it.”

A few people around us laughed.

My dress was ruined, clinging wetly to my chest.

I wanted the ground to open up.

“Selena, what the hell—” Ela started.

Suddenly, a deep voice cut through the murmurs.

“Enough.”

Professor Howard walked straight to our table, his presence making the entire cafeteria go quieter.

He had clearly just come from somewhere formal. he was wearing a dark suit jacket over a crisp shirt.

He looked at Selena, voice ice-cold.

“That was deliberate and I saw it. Apologize to Miss Finland now.”

Selena’s smug face faltered.

“Professor, it was just an accident…..”

“I don’t tolerate bullying in my presence. Apologize.”

She muttered a half-hearted

“Sorry” before hurrying off with her friends.

I sat there, mortified, arms crossed over my ruined dress.

Professor Howard shrugged off his suit jacket and held it out to me.

“Put this on.”

I hesitated.

“Sir, you don’t have to….’

“Now, Miss Finland.”

I stood up and slipped into his jacket. It was warm, carried his cologne, and thankfully covered the mess.

It was huge on me, the sleeves swallowing my hands. I felt ridiculous and strangely protected at the same time.

“Thank you,” I whispered, looking up at him.

His eyes softened for half a second before the professional mask returned.

“Go clean up. I’ll handle this.”

I nodded and rushed to the restroom, heart racing the entire way.

In the mirror, I looked flushed and overwhelmed.

His jacket smelled exactly like that night in Texas

When I came out a few minutes later. The cafeteria had mostly returned to normal. Professor Howard was gone.

I was still wearing his jacket when I got back to the hostel.

I collapsed on my bed and heaved slightly.

“That man definitely still wants you” Ela started overreacting again.

“Whatever,. you're just over acting again Elena.”

“And that bitch Selena needs to know her place. Who does she think she is? To pretend like it was a mistake. I'm gonna teach her a lesson soon enough”

“Don't worry about it Ela, she's just crazy and jealous because I'm better than her” I winked at her

“You're so fucking right babe” She winked back.

“But how are things gonna happen between you two. I mean you and professor Howard and how are you gonna return his jacket?” Ela asked.

“I don't know…. I'm so caught up in everything. I wish the ground could just open and swallow me. Every time I see his face, I kept thinking about that night and anytime he talks, I always think about the filthy things he said to my ear. This is so frustrating” I buried my head on the pillow.

“Look, didn't he say you should pretend?”

“That's actually awesome and a relief, you shouldn't think about it” Ela exclaimed.

“I hope so Ela, I really do”

I took my phone and went online to check out school group.The group was usually full of nonsense, but today my name was trending.

My stomach dropped.

There were photos.

Photos from the cafeteria twenty minutes ago him standing close to me, handing me his jacket, both of us looking at each other and the comments were flooding in.

“Wait… are Prof Howard and Aurora Finland a thing???”

“He gave her his jacket in front of everyone??? That's been my dream since he came….Gosh”

“she's just throwing herself at him because she needs someone to talk to after Ethan broke her heart”

“This is why she got picked for the quiz team so quick…”

"No wonder she always goes to his office everyday"

This was getting crazier than I thought.