ONE

Marian keeps moving around due to the disturbance of her phone.

"Ah!" she covers her ears with her pillow. It was so disturbing that she couldn't sleep; she hadn't set an alarm. Why would her phone be buzzing? She didn't have any lectures, she thought. She picked her phone up; it was a call.

She picks it up, "Marian! get to school now!" Gaby yelled through the phone.

"What, what's wrong?" she asked, waking up from her sleep.

"Marian, don't tell me you are still sleeping?" Gaby asked.

"What else should I be doing?" she replied as sleep covered her face.

"We have English class right now!"

"What?" she jumped up from her bed.

"Better hurry. I will buy you time," Gaby hangs up.

"What?" she picked up her towel and entered the bathroom.

She comes out in a white towel, starts dressing, throws on a white shirt, gown and a long black coat, picks her nose, and wears a pink high sandal.

She begins running to her lecture room, and she isn't leaving off campus, which is her only luck.

Marian arrives at the room and stops; she inhales and exhales before she summons the courage to go in finally. A text pops.

"Girl, this lecturer is the finest young man I have seen!" Gaby's message read; Marian chuckled, seeing her text.

"She's got to be kidding me," She puts her phone in her bag and opens the door.

"Can I help you?" The young man's beauty struck Marian, and he was indeed the most handsome man she had seen. He had broad shoulders and was in a white shirt unbuttoned the first three, exposing his emerald necklace. He also had on white trousers. It looked like an angel had dropped from the sky, he wore a clear glass, and his black eyes sparkled. His sharp jawline was perfectly carved, and his black hair covered his forehead; he seemed like an angel. "Can I?" he calls her attention.

"Oh," Marian murmured, her thoughts finally arranged. She had fallen in love with her professor.

"Are you in my class?" he asks her, smiling. He stares at her from her feet to her face, and her coat button is open, which exposes her lap. Her skin was silky and smooth. It shined. His eyes stared at her lips. It was plum and looked juicy; he wanted to taste her, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. He thought for a while, and her eyes shot at him wide.

"Yes sir," she said, still staring at him as she walked inside

"Marian here!" Gaby directed her. The spark between the two was evident, and the whole class had noticed the way their lecturer had stared at her.

"Ah," she walked over to where Gaby was sitting.

"Girl, what was that?" Gaby shrugged her.

"Why didn't you warn me?" she said, embarrassed by how she stammered because of his beauty.

"Did you see how he looked at you?" she whispered.

"Do you understand!" he turns back, hearing them whisper with each other.

"After class," Gaby whispered.

"For those of you coming in now, I guess you don't know who I am, I would be your substitute teacher for Eng 402, and I'm Professor Logan," he said.

Marian didn't like that she would have to wake up again every 7 am heading for class, but this man would make her wake up by 5 am, and she wouldn't mind. She laughed.

"What's funny?" he asked her.

"Sir?" she said, startled. It felt as if he had heard her.

"Why are you laughing," he asked yet again.

"I wasn't..." she tried explaining before interrupting her.

"What were you doing then?" he asked, this time the class went silent.

"Nothing, Sir," she lowered her head in shame.

"Open your textbook," he continued. Marian couldn't stop crushing on him repeatedly, and she hadn't seen someone look this handsome; his skin was like a mirror. How he held the book in his hands sent shivers down her spine. His hands were long and beautiful. Professor Logan caught her staring at him while she was meant to read like the others. He smiled instead.

"I would take it from here," Everyone watched him read, but Marian didn't seem to understand anything. It seemed like he was purposely turning her on. His voice seemed magical and profound,

"That would be all for today. See you in the next class," he smiled and picked up his book. He stared at Marian before leaving.

"How can he be so handsome?" gossip starts. The girls begin to complain about how handsome Professor Logan is. Marian and Gaby are still packing up when someone says.

"I noticed the way he looked at Marian."

"It seemed like he noticed she was in love with him!" they giggled at each other.

"Hey! Stop it," Gaby tried defending. In school, Marian wasn't outspoken, and Gaby had to protect her from those bullies.

"It's okay, let's go", she dragged Gaby as they headed out.

"Let's go visit him," the girls said. They were blindingly in love with their professor. Every person that knew him talked about how handsome he was. Marian and Gaby weren't exceptional.

"Ah, I admit Professor Logan is handsome and young, but how can they be so shameless?" Gaby said as they walked out of the room.

"Let them be," Marian laughed.

"You too. I can't believe you. You had your mouth open when you saw Mr Logan. What entered your head!" Gaby said.

"Don't tell me you didn't stare at him," Marian said.

"I understand he's handsome, but he isn't my style."

"Why?" Marian asked

"Well, he... I don't know if he isn't. I don't feel any connections at all."

"But you texted me saying he was handsome!"

"Yeah, that's what I saw," she laughed. It was a prank, a warning prank she had sent to Marian, and she knew Marian was a sucker for pleasing men. She only had crushes but dated none.

"I hate you!" she walks faster, knowing Gaby had pranked her. When Gaby finds a guy attractive, she doesn't tell Marian. Instead, Gabby goes for him secretly, let alone her professor. She knew Marian wouldn't believe her and ended up getting shocked.

"Wait for me," Gaby laughed, chasing her.

****

After all the lectures she had for the day, she storms into the library. She picks up a book and suddenly hears a footstep at the other side of the bookshelves then it stops.

"Am I hearing things?" she ask herself. "It better be," she continued reading, standing between the bookshelves.

The noise of a cell phone ringing scares her, "Mr John?" she calls the library security, who always lets her in.

The ringing stopped, and she bends, hiding close to the bookshelves. She begins to hear the footsteps louder and clearer till a hand touches her.

"You?" a man's voice said to her. She turns to the person who had tapped her.

"Professor?" she said, shocked

"What are you doing here? It's past 7 pm."

"Ah, I... I- um... " she stuttered.

"Snuck in?" he looked around.

"Ah, Sir," she got up.

"It's fine, and I won't tell," he walks to a table.

Marian looked at him, her mouth twitching.

"I would be leaving," she notified him, taking three steps back.

"You don't want to read?"

"Huh?" she said quietly, shocked.

"Oh no, actually..." she scratches her hair.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" he smiled. His smile, this time, looked creepy. “Of course, it is uncomfortable who reads with their professor?” she cries.

"Huh, no," she twitched again.

"I guess so" He smiled again and continued reading.

Marian couldn't explain what pushed her to sit opposite him, and she just felt her body move; she grabbed a chair and stared into his eyes.

"Huh? A birthday present?" he comments on the book she was holding.

"You know it?"

"Of course, it's a top-rated book," he told her.

"Are you a fan?"

"I wouldn't say, but the book caught me... don't tell me you came here to read this?"

"Actually, Ah, how would I explain," she murmured.

"You did? When I was still in Uni, I would sneak out and hide at the emergency staircase to read novels," he laughed.

"What?" she followed after him

"I had friends who would come over to my place to sleep, and they snored so that I couldn't concentrate..." he keeps talking. Marian couldn't understand how she was already laughing with him, and he seemed young. She looked at him softly. "I read so many novels, and I couldn't even count anymore. He said, smiling. She could see the genuineness in his eyes as he talked about books.

"What made you become a professor" she randomly asks.

Logan stares at her without answering.

"I'm sorry if I went offline," She said.

Logan still stares at her. Without saying anything, she stared back at him till she started feeling uncomfortable.

"I think I should head back," she said, standing up.

"Can you tell me your name" he intoned.

"Huh?" she looked down at him.

"You won't tell me" he got up.

"Marian, Marian Rivers"

"Spanish?" he said.

"Yes, I guess my mom was" She looked around as he approached her.

"Logan Noel," he said, giving out a small flower.

"Oh, okay... I guess you told us," she. Logan puts the white rose at the side of her head.

"You're pretty," he whispers to her ears. Goosebumps filled her body, and she liked the sensation he caused. "I can give you a ride home," he smiled, heading out.

Marian watched him as he walked away, he was dangerous, but she still wanted him.