chapter 3

Derrick's POV

The next day, I got to class earlier than usual and Eliana hadn't arrived then. I'd been forced to wake up early when Susan made a fuss about not finding an important file she needed in the office and I hadn't been able to go back to sleep even after she found it. I was still a little bit sleepy when I got to class but I shrugged it off as soon as the students began to walk in. Eliana was the seventh person to enter and my jaw nearly dropped when she did.

She was wearing a short red gown that clung to her in all the places that mattered and I felt an ache in my loins as my eyes followed her to her seat. She glanced towards me as soon as she was seated and she gave a shy smile before looking away.

The class started and all of them brought out the book I asked them to read.

“Who's gonna read for us?” I asked and several hands went up. Eliana's own was among them and I pointed at her without thinking. When she stood up, I was rewarded with another full view of her in the dress.

She started reading and it took all the willpower in me to pay attention to what she was saying. Someone giggled suddenly but I ignored it until another person did the same thing a few seconds later. Eliana stopped reading then and I looked around the auditorium in confusion.

There were giggles and laughter all around as the students whispered to one another. Eliana and I seemed to be the only ones who didn't know what was happening.

“What's going on?” I asked no one in particular.

No one answered and the laughter and the whispers increased.

Irritated, I called on one of the people responsible for the disturbance. “William, wanna tell the class why you and your comrades are disturbing us?”

He stifled a laugh before answering. “You have a little situation down there, sir.” He pointed his hand and I glanced down to where he was pointing to. I finally understood what had caused the laughter and the whispers when I saw the bulge in the front of my trousers.

The whole auditorium burst into laughter this time and I hurried out in embarrassment. I spent the next ten minutes in the bathroom trying to kill the boner and get the image of Eliana and her red dress out of my mind.

After handling the situation, I returned to the auditorium and the class continued. Half an hour later, I ended the class and packed my books. Again, Eliana had impressed me.

“Eliana,” I called as she was walking down the aisle.

She came almost immediately, as if she had been expecting the call. Annabelle wasn't with her this time and I couldn't remember seeing her at all in class.

“Can you come by my office later?” I asked. “I have a special assignment for you.”

“I don't know where your office is,” she said in a manner that was too polite. She had seemed a little bit surprised by the request.

“Come with me and I'll show you,” I said and started walking towards the exit. We headed to my office together and when I got there, I put my hand in my pocket to retrieve my key but I couldn't find it there.

Confused, I put my hand in the second pocket but it wasn't there either.

“Here. Can you hold this for me?” I asked, pushing the books in my hands towards her.

“Sure.” She held her hands out to receive the book and as I put them in her hands, my finger slightly brushed her palm. Both of us stared at each other, showing that we were fully aware of the contact. But neither said anything and I continued my search for the key. After a few seconds I finally found it hiding deep inside the pocket I had searched the first time.

Inserting it into the door, I unlocked it and pushed it open. Eliana walked in too and I shut the door.

“You can have your seat,” I said, indicating the chair in front of my desk. As I took the books from her, my hand brushed hers again and the contact felt deliberate on her part. After placing the books on my desk, I pulled my jacket off and hung it on the backrest of my chair.

“Do you want something to eat or drink?” I asked her as I settled into the chair.

“No, thank you,” she responded almost immediately. Her eyes met mine briefly before moving on to survey the office. They were hazel brown and pretty and they complimented the tone of her skin.

“You have a very neat office,” she murmured as her gaze drifted back to meet mine.

“Thank you. Untidiness makes me irritated and I make sure I keep it far away from me.”

“What's the special assignment you said you had for me?” She sounded suddenly impatient but her eyes said otherwise.

“Oh. Yes,” I said, having forgotten the reason I called her to my office. Bending a little, I pulled one of the drawers of my desk open. I extracted a piece of paper from it and placed it onto the desk. “I'm working on an analysis for a literary magazine but I feel something is missing. I was hoping you could have a look at it for me. Take your time with it and give me your feedback tomorrow. Would that be possible?”

“Yeah. I can do that,” she answered as she glanced through the paper. “Is that all?”

No. I want to know what you have on under that hot dress.

“Yes, Eliana. That's all. You look very pretty today, by the way.”

She flushed, rising to her feet. “Thank you, sir. I'll go through this and give you my opinion tomorrow.”

After she left, I exhaled deeply and relaxed in my chair. No matter how hard I tried, thoughts of Eliana stayed rent-free in my head. It felt like I was a teenager again and I was crushing on a girl I know I couldn't have. Except I wasn't a teenager and I know I could have her if I wanted to. It was all a matter of time.