INICIAR SESIÓNPresentation day had finally arrived, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this nervous about standing in front of a classroom.I sat in my usual seat with my presentation notes resting on the desk. I had gone through them several times the previous night and even practised in front of Tyler. He had complained that I was disturbing his peace, but he still listened and gave me a few suggestions. I had also followed Lily’s advice and practised looking at one particular person instead of trying to look at everyone in the room.Of course, that person was Lily.She had told me to look at her whenever I felt nervous. According to her, it would make the whole thing feel like I was having a conversation with someone instead of speaking in front of an entire class. I had tried it several times in my apartment and it had worked. Still, I wasn’t completely sure I could do the same thing when the moment came.I glanced at the front of the classroom as another student finished his pres
I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming, but I wasn’t. I looked at Lily for a moment as I tried to understand what she had just said. She had actually offered to kiss me if I answered her question correctly. I knew it was supposed to be a simple challenge to motivate me to study, but the thought of kissing her was enough to make me forget everything I had learned.“Lily, did you really mean that?” I asked, trying not to sound too excited.“Yes, Logan,” she replied while looking directly at me.I swallowed and glanced at the book in front of me. The question was still there, waiting for an answer, but my mind had suddenly become useless. I had spent the last few minutes trying to understand what happened when demand and supply increased at the same time. Now that Lily had given me a reason to get the answer right, I couldn’t even remember what she had explained earlier.I wanted that kiss. There was no denying it.I wanted to lean across the table and kiss her right there. I wanted t
“From where we stopped last time,” I said. Lily looked up from her notebook and nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.” She adjusted her glasses before turning to a fresh page. “We’ll start by practicing your presentation. Let’s do that one more time. After that, I’ll ask you questions based on your test material.”I nodded. “Okay, ma’am.” She immediately looked at me. I smiled. “Sorry. Okay, Lily.” She laughed and shook her head. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”“Well, you did question my choice of words yesterday.” “Logan!” I laughed. “Alright. I’m done.”She placed her pen on the table and leaned back in her chair. “Okay. Let’s do this. And remember what I told you. Always look at me when you’re presenting. Don’t worry about the whole class. Just imagine you’re explaining everything to me.” I nodded. “Okay.”“Good. Now stand up and begin.” I pushed my chair back and stood in front of the table. I adjusted my shirt and took a deep breath before looking at her. She was already wat
Later that evening, I was lying on my bed scrolling through my phone when a message from Lily popped up. I immediately opened it.Lily: Hey Logan. I'll come tomorrow so we can continue preparing for your presentation and test.I smiled because I was already looking forward to seeing her again. It was strange how quickly I had gotten used to having her around, and a few weeks ago, I would never have imagined myself waiting for a girl to visit my apartment just because I wanted to spend time with her. But here I was.I typed a reply. Me: Okay, ma'am. I stared at the message for a second. Ma'am? What the hell? I immediately tried to delete it before she could see it, but it was too late.A reply appeared on my screen. Lily: Ma'am? I closed my eyes. Great. Just great.Me: Sorry. That was a mistake. Lily: A mistake? 😂 Me: Yes. My fingers are clearly not cooperating with me today. Lily: So now I'm your ma'am? I laughed and shook my head.Me: Don't start, Lily. Lily: I haven't even started
“Alright, dude,” I said, and Tyler burst into laughter again.I picked up one of my pillows and threw it at him, but he quickly dodged it. “You’re so annoying!”He caught the pillow and placed it on the chair before looking at me with a mischievous smile. “Don’t worry, bro. Your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell anyone that you’re in a relationship with your pillow.”“Get out of my side of the room!” He laughed even harder before finally standing up. “Just admit you like Lily, Logan. There’s nothing wrong with it.”I rolled my eyes. “She’s my tutor. Can we please leave it at that?”“Sure, Professor Carter.” I picked up another pillow, and he quickly raised both hands. “Okay! I’m leaving!”He walked out of the room still laughing, and I shook my head. Honestly, I didn’t know why I was even entertaining his nonsense. There was nothing between Lily and me. We were only following an agreement that benefited both of us. She needed me to pretend to be her boyfriend, and I needed her help
It wasn’t long before we were done with the presentation practice.Honestly, I was surprised by how much progress I had made in such a short time. At the beginning of our session I could barely introduce myself without feeling as though I was about to embarrass myself in front of the entire university. Now I could explain my topic and answer most of the questions Lily threw at me.I wasn’t saying I was suddenly ready to stand in front of a classroom full of students. That would have been an exaggeration. However, I was beginning to believe that I might actually survive the presentation without making a complete fool of myself. And for someone who had spent the morning struggling to remember information he already knew, that was a huge achievement.Lily closed her notebook and stretched her arms above her head. “Well, I think that’s enough for today.”I looked at her in surprise. “Already?”She gave me a tired look over her glasses. “Logan, we’ve been doing this for hours. My brain is







