chapter 4

Eliana's POV

Arriving at home, I climbed onto my bed and started reading the paper Professor Matthews gave to me. The more I read the paper, the more my curiosity about him grew. Reading through it, I concluded that he was a very intelligent person. His writing was flawless and the way he structured his analysis and stated his points were remarkable.

It was late in the night when I was done and I slept off immediately afterwards. After class the next day, I headed to the podium to give him the assignment but he asked me to bring it to his office later on.

“What's with you and Professor Matthews?” Annabelle asked as we headed to the lounge.

The place was almost filled up when we got there but we managed to find somewhere to sit. Two lovers were seated across from us, guzzling each other's lips shamelessly.

Annabelle watched them with amusement as she sipped her coffee. She had admitted to me earlier that she was a coffee addict and she didn't think she could survive her life without it.

“There's nothing wrong with us,” I replied absentmindedly.

“Are you sure? You guys seem to talk a lot,” she pointed out as she slurped the remaining coffee in her cup.

“He's just giving me a few extra assignments. That's all,” I insisted. “What can you tell me about him?”

She turned to me then, mischief dancing in her green eyes. “Aside from the fact that he's extremely hot? Not much. The guy barely has anything interesting about him.”

I disagree.

“Don’t tell me that he's caught your fancy,” she said, her eyes twinkling.

“Of course not.” I laughed, shaking my head at the idea. Annabelle's eyes told me that she didn't believe me but she shrugged and returned her attention to the kissing couple.

“I see Oliver has been making passes at you though,” She remarked.

“Yeah,” I said with disinterest, hoping she would shut down the conversation immediately.

“You don't like him?” It sounded more like an accusation than a question and I turned to her with probing eyes.

“Are you asking on his behalf of what?”

“What? No,” was her innocent response. “I was just curious. I'm not really a fan of him. He thinks he's sleek but he's not all that.”

“I think that applies to every guy I've seen in Emerald University so far,” I stated.

Except the professor, of course.

Almost an hour later, I grabbed my bag and rose to my feet. “I have to go see Professor Matthews now. I'll see you later.”

I patted her on the cheek and she smiled at me. The kissing couple finally detached and both of them looked equally dazed. As I was getting to the door of the longue, it came open and Oliver walked in with the stupid smile he always had on his face. I turned my face sideways, pretending not to see him.

“Eliana,” he said, but I hurried through the door and shut it behind me. After putting a good distance between me and the door, I looked back to see him still standing there and staring at me. I scoffed at that and continued walking.

The walk to Professor Matthews’ office took only seven minutes and I met the door open when I got there.

“Good afternoon,” I said to him as I produced the analysis paper from my bag. Leaning forward, I put it on his desk and slid it across to him.

“Hi, Eliana.” He picked up the paper with a smile. Opening the same drawer he'd opened the previous day, he returned the paper into it.

“I read through it and I'm surprised that you need my opinion on it. What you have there is perfect and I don't think I can ever write anything that good.”

“You really think so?” He asked, folding his arms to his chest. “Come on, have your seat.”

“Sorry but I have somewhere I need to be,” I said politely.

His face fell and the smile on his face faded a little. Seeing him that way made me feel bad, as if I’d done something to hurt him.

“Come on, just for a few minutes.” He got up from his chair and came around to where I was standing. “I'm starting to enjoy our conversations.”

He was so close to me that the room immediately felt small. His perfume was so nice that I had to fight the strong urge to bury my face in his shirt. He was wearing a brown shirt with the sleeves rolled up as usual. The top buttons were undone, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his chest.

Reaching behind me, he pulled out the chair in front of his desk to give me space to sit. With him so close, all my defenses were down and I gulped slightly and settled into the chair.

Instead of going back to his seat, he perched himself casually on the edge of his desk and pulled my chair closer to him.

“I can't remember the last time I had a student as intelligent and intriguing as you are,” he commented. It felt like flattery but he looked quite serious when he said it.

“Thank you, sir,” I said, barely able to take my voice beyond a whisper. It was very hard to think with him so close and I hated the way my body reacted to him.

I had the mind to jump out of the chair and run away from his office but I knew my legs wouldn't cooperate. Not with the weakness I felt in my knees.

“What's your favorite romance story?” He asked, folding his arms to his chest again.

How could he look so relaxed while making me self conscious and planting unholy thoughts in my head?

“Romance is not really my thing so I have none.” It took a great deal of effort and concentration to get the words out of my mouth.

He arched his eyebrows and said, “Why not? One would think an attractive young lady like you would be all about romance. Or did you get your heart broken?”

“Something like that.”

“I see,” he said and rose from the desk. Taking slow, deliberate steps, he came to stand behind me and his scent became thick in my nostrils.

I knew then that I had to get out there before I lost all control. With a jolt, I jumped out of the chair and dashed towards the door. He looked startled by the movement but I barely paid him any attention as I left the office and slammed the door behind me. Walking as fast as I could, I made it to the end of the corridor before leaning against the wall to catch my breath.