Chapter 6

Maeve.

I walked down to school, and it didn't even take five minutes. Rue had already messaged me that she was on campus and had saved me a seat.

I made my way to the business admin lecture hall in the Arts Department, where our lecture was scheduled to hold.

The moment I walked in, Rue spotted me and waved.

"Maeve!" she called out.

I gripped my books and walked over to her.She tapped the empty seat beside her.

"We're having Professor Hale this morning. I don't want to get on his bad side just yet," she giggled.

I smiled back at her. The class was about to start, and all the girls looked excited to have Nicholas teach the lecture.

Suddenly, someone covered my eyes from behind. I already knew who it was since Rue was sitting right beside me.

"Quit it, Phillip," I snapped.

He took his hands off, and the moment I turned around, he stretched out a rose toward me.

I let out a scoff. Even Rue snorted with laughter before quickly covering her mouth after receiving a glare from Phillip.

"Phillip, I..."

"Maeve, I said I'm sorry. I promise I will make it up to you," he cut in before I could say anything.

I shook my head with a small eye roll. He placed the flower on my desk, still standing in front of me.

"Why don't you come over to my place tonight? We can hang out," he suggested.

"No thanks, Phillip," I replied flatly.

"Maeve... I promise I will..."

He couldn't finish his sentence because people suddenly started murmuring, the girls growing overly excited. Nicholas had just walked into the lecture hall.

"He is so hot. I could literally cum just by watching him," the girl in front of me gushed to her friends.

"I want to kiss him. I want to walk into his office and be like, 'Professor Hale, I love you so much. Can you kiss me? Then when he does I will pass out!”

"I've been obsessing over his I*******m pictures. I could break up with my boyfriend right now if he told me to!"

I scrunched my face in disgust, although I wasn't any different from them. If anything, I was worse.

"We're about to begin the lecture. If you're not here for this class, kindly leave the hall," Nicholas's voice rang through the lecture room.

"Wait, Maeve..." Phillip started. He was staring at Nicholas.

"Isn't that the guy from yesterday? He's a professor? Maeve, how do you know him?" He finally turned to me.

I swallowed hard.

"I don't know him," I lied immediately.

The class had already fallen silent. The only voices left were Phillip's hushed questions, forcing me to whisper back.

"Maeve, don't lie to me. How do you know him? He literally showed up for you yesterday... Maeve..." he said in a rush, desperate for answers.

"The young man standing," Nicholas addressed calmly, his eyes fixed on Phillip. "Please take a seat if you're attending this lecture, or leave the hall. You're disrupting my class."

I saw Phillip clench his fists before finally giving in and walking out.

"He's such a nuisance..." Rue gritted through her teeth beside me.

"And Professor Hale is so classy and hot," she giggled.

After Phillip left, Nicholas began.

"I introduced myself yesterday, but I will say this again. I don't tolerate nuisance, favoritism, bribery, irresponsibility, or laziness. There are no shortcuts in my courses. You will have to work hard to earn good grades and graduate, that is, if you want to. Which brings me to the first assignment of the semester..."

A chorus of groans rippled through the lecture hall."The first assignment of the semester is a presentation," Nicholas continued. "I will be assigning each group a business-related topic. Your job is to research it thoroughly and present your findings in front of the class. I will be looking at your understanding of the topic, your presentation skills, teamwork, and how well you defend your arguments. Details will be communicated in due course."

A few students groaned while others immediately began whispering to one another.

I tried my best to pay attention, I really did, but it was hard. Every time I looked up, my eyes somehow found Nicholas. He stood confidently in front of the class, speaking with so much authority that everyone listened without interrupting him. Everything about him was perfect.

‘Focus, Maeve, I scolded myself. He's your professor.’

Easier said than done. My attention kept drifting back to him, and every time it did, my heart betrayed me.

The details of the assignment were passed around after the lecture while everyone hurried to copy them down. I barely looked at mine before stuffing the paper into my notebook.

The rest of the day wasn't any better. I still had two more lectures, but my mind was everywhere except the classroom. I caught myself zoning out more times than I could count, and by the last lecture, I was practically fighting sleep.

By the time the final lecture ended, I packed my books with a relieved sigh and walked out of the lecture hall together with Rue.

The moment I stepped outside, I halted

Phillip was standing by the corner, waiting for me