Chapter 3

Two weeks later…

Candace 

“Oh, gosh, I missed you so much!” Jake, my boyfriend whom I loved very much two weeks ago, leaned in to kiss me on the lips but I swiftly avoided the contact, turning my head at the last second so he could kiss my cheek.

He pulled away, his brows coming together at the gesture. 

“Sorry! I ate too much garlic at breakfast but of course, I missed you too!” My tone went up at the end of my sentence but I covered it up by jumping into his arms for a hug.

When Jake told me he was popping around for a surprise visit two days ago, I couldn't have the heart to tell him no.

The truth is, ever since that hot explosive night with that stranger by the trees, my feelings for him had changed.

I know I sound like a cliche but now…Anytime I saw or spoke to Jake, it was like I was looking at a stranger. It doesn't help that I cheated on him and felt guilty about it.

“So what are you doing after class today?” He asks, slipping his hands into mine as he walks me towards the History building. “I was thinking we could have a little dinner thing and then I show you how much I really missed you.”

My cheeks turned red instantly and bless Jake, he thought I was blushing from the effect of his words but it was the opposite.

Since my late-night rendezvous with the stranger, all I could think about was doing it again.

I've gotten myself off to the memories so many times that I lost count.

It was so bad that I hopped on my phone to stalk the sexy stranger but then I realised that we were so caught up in our lust haze that we forgot to exchange names.

Or contacts. Which meant he could be anywhere right now… and that was high good and bad.

Good because he could be halfway around the world and I might never see him again or…

He could be five feet away and I might not be able to stop myself the next time we meet.

Urghh!

“Um, Candace?” Jake waved his hands in front of my face, jerking me out of my dirty thoughts.

“Yeah?” I blinked rapidly.

“I was talking about the dinner… what do you say?”

   

“Yeah, sure.” I rushed out to say, growing tired of this conversation. “It's cool but uh… I need to go… so I'm not late for class..?”

He leaned in for another kiss but I was already rushing towards the big doors, wondering what the hell I'm going to do about Jake.

 I was so lost in my thoughts that I walked right into… 

A fully seated lecture hall with the professor standing next to his desk.

I froze, as all eyes panned over to me, probably wondering who I was.

“So-sorry!” I whispered and dashed into the nearest available seat.

My heart was beating fast but it was nothing compared to when I raised my head….

I saw the new professor for the first time.

No, no, no… this can't be happening.

“Like I was saying, the beginning of the Rise and fall of the Roman Empire started just before…” the rest of his words trailed off as my eyes greedily latched onto his face, mouth, arms.

Hell, every part of him.

In the next sixty seconds, I was bombarded by so many emotions, first of which was shock, relief, joy, and then…dread.

Because my new professor was the same person I had sex with two weeks ago!

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

I tried to hide my face but that would seem too obvious so I brushed my head forward and leaned so far back in my chair that it looked like I was taking a nap.

I needn't have bothered because he kept on teaching, delivering passionate words as he explained what happened to the Roman Empire.

By the time the class bell rang, signalling the end of class, I was about to breathe a sigh of relief and dash out of the room when his head snapped up and he looked right at me.

In the dark, those icy blue eyes were sexy but right now, they seemed cold.

“You!” He called out, once again dragging people's attention to me. “Yeah, you with the sweatshirt… can you come over here please?”

I almost swallowed my tongue because… what?!

It's bad enough that I had to spend the last 45 minutes staring at him and now I have to talk to him?

Hell, what does one even say to a lecturer who screwed your brains out six ways to Sunday two weeks ago?

I summoned up courage, placing one foot in front of the other, and in no time, I was standing in front of him.

My eyes strayed to his desk and there I saw his name on the nameplate stationed on his desk.

Professor Elias.

Damn, even his name sounded sexy!

“Uh-huh, hi! Sir… look, I'm so sorry that I barged into the class like that.” I blurted out, suddenly nervous. “It's just th-that I-I was-”

“You can cut the act, I remember you from that night.” He cuts into my sentence, holding my gaze without flinching.

It's remarkable how calm and composed he was when I was internally panicking.

“Oh, um…” I swallowed. “Yeah, I wasn't… wh-what I'm trying to say is that I didn't know who you were that night an-and I-I swear, I didn't plan this or anything…”

He took a step forward, narrowing the space between us. “Take a deep breath.”

He held my gaze as he spoke and I obeyed, drawn to take his instructions.

“Again.” He murmured, his eyes dipping low to my lips when I sucked in another breath, exhaling shakily.

"Look, I meant what I said. I didn't know…” I blurted. "I mean, I thought… I thought you were just some random person. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

For a moment, he said nothing, just kept staring at me the same way he was that night before speaking up. "Yeah, well neither did I."

I looked up and in that moment, something unreadable crossed his face. The silence stretched the longer we stared at each other, thick and uncomfortable.

"So, what now?" I asked softly, biting down on my lower lip.

A grimace flashed past his face when his eyes dipped down to look at my lips… almost like he wished I could stop doing that.

He shook his shoulders as if he was joking himself back to reality. "Now?" he repeated.

“Y-yeah…” I nodded, my heart still beating fast in my chest.

He studied her for a long moment as though contemplating the question before speaking. 

“Now… we both walk out that door and we continue living our lives as usual. You're a student and I'm… your professor.”

My throat bobbed as I swallowed back the disappointment I felt.

But then again what was I expecting? It's not like we could pick up from where we stopped.

It was fine when we didn't know each other but now that we do, it's just… wrong.

 Or was it?

 “Okay, then. If there's nothing else, I think I should go….” I say, hiking the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder.

I spun around on my heel to walk out but at the last second, Elias grabbed my hand and closed the distance between us.

My heart all but stopped in my chest. My breathing hitched and in the split second that our eyes connected, I thought he was going to kiss me.

Electricity cackled between us and in the spots where our skin connected.

It felt like the world slowed down in these few seconds and nothing else mattered but the two of us… or so I thought.

That moment was quickly shattered when he deftly avoided my lips and spoke against my ear, his warm breath sending exciting tingles down my spine.

“Oh, and just so you know… I can't stop thinking about that night either.”

And just like that, he shattered my entire world again.