4

LUCIA

The few days that passed after the wedding, my thoughts wandered over and over to the stranger and the only thing that prevented me from losing my mind was the fact that I would be resuming my job soon.

That thought alone was enough to keep me slightly grounded. Beth would have helped to distract me from thinking about him, but she was currently in Italy with her husband for their honeymoon.

I missed her badly, but my life had to go on.

Over the weekend, I managed to organize my stuff, and my apartment now looked livable . After going through the necessary procedures, I would need to begin my new job online, I was ready.

On Monday morning, I alighted from the cab and stood in front of Crawford University with my heart pounding loudly in my chest.

I was extremely excited about my new job, but at the same time, I was nervous, and I had no idea what to expect.

I let out deep breaths, wiping my sweaty hands over my black wide-leg pants, before adjusting my pristine white shirt, which had been tucked into it.

My black stilettos clicked against the floor loudly as I kept walking, clutching my handbag tightly.

“Could you please show me where the humanities department is?” I asked one of the students I ran into, and she wasted no time showing me where it was.

After having a quick talk with the head of the department and a few professors, it was time for me to teach my first class as the ethics professor.

My heart beat skyrocketed, and I let out deep breaths, trying to calm myself before making my way towards the lecture theatre, which I knew the third-years would already be waiting for me.

Once I arrived in front of the room, I pushed the door open and walked in, looking straight ahead.

The chatter in the class instantly died down, the class growing silent, and when I took my spot in front of the class, I faced the students, a small smile making its way onto my face.

Some of the students were slouched lazily on their chairs while some were seated upright, but they all had their gazes on me, curious and expectant.

“Good morning, everyone.” I said in a surprising, clear voice despite my nervousness.

“Good morning.” Some of the students answered while some of them simply muttered their answers.

At age twenty six, I could be considered typically young to be a full-time university professor and I knew that some of the students might not take me seriously, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I was young, but I was damn competent, and I knew I would be good at my job. They had no choice but to take me seriously.

“I’m Lucia Darwin, and I’ll be teaching you Ethics this semester.” I said, my eyes darting from one student to another.

Suddenly, one of them caught my eyes, and I breathed as I nearly had a stroke where I stood.

Staring back at me were a pair of cerulean blue eyes that I tried to forget, but I couldn’t get off my mind for days.

Sitting right there in my class was the singer I hooked up with just days ago, and he was staring at me, his eyes smouldering and intense.

My legs grew weak as my expression clouded over with disbelief. It couldn’t be. How could it be? How could he be here?! That was impossible.

As a result of the abrupt shock of seeing him, I remembered his name instantly. Jeremy.

I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths and hoping that this was all a bad dream or maybe a hallucination. I was probably seeing him because I thought of him too much.

When I opened my eyes, he would not be there, and I would continue my class like nothing happened.

I let out another breath, slowly opening my eyes and keeping my fingers crossed. I nearly passed out when I saw that he was still sitting at the back of the class, staring at me intensely.

My entire body trembled slightly as sweat trickled down my forehead and my brows. What the hell was he doing here?!

There was only one explanation for this. He was my student. I had a one night stand with my student at my best friend’s wedding.

What the hell have I done? How ridiculous was this entire situation?!

Jeremy wouldn’t stop staring at me, and my embarrassment intensified the more he stared. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

“Uhm–professor? Are you okay?” One of the students in the front row asked, instantly snapping me out of my reverie.

I had been standing in shock in front of the class for some minutes without saying a word. It was only right for them to be concerned.

I coughed loudly, forcefully tearing my gaze from Jeremy and dropping my bag on a desk in front of me.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.” I answered, my voice a little less confident than it was before. I was still shaken by Jeremy’s presence in my class, but I managed to continue the class.

My eyes kept wandering towards Jeremy against my will, and whenever it did, I always found him staring back. It was like he never looked away.

Whenever our eyes met, the hot steamy night we spent buried in each other at Beth’s wedding flashed through my mind and I got so flustered that I forced myself to avoid looking in his direction no matter what, but that did little to ease my frazzled state.

I had no choice but to end the class early, my hands trembling and slightly sweaty. The students began to troop out of the class, and that was when my eyes found him once again.

“Jeremy Hale. I would like a word.” I said in a stern voice, and I did not miss the small smile that graced his features as his eyes lit up instantly.

Now, I remembered why his name sounded so familiar earlier. I had seen it in the mail which was sent to me by the school. The mail contained the student’s information and everything I needed to know about them.

I should have tried harder to remember where I had seen that name. If I had, then I wouldn’t be in this mess right now.

He spoke to two other students whom I assumed were his friends, and they fist bumped before the students made their way out of the class.

Jeremy grabbed his bag before making his way over to me, and my heartbeat skyrocketed as he approached.

He looked even more handsome than the last time I saw him, and he was dressed like a normal college student.

He wore a white T-shirt and on top of it was an unbuttoned flannel shirt. He also wore a pair of denim pants and white sneakers, and his tousled dark hair fell over his forehead as he approached.

Bile rose up my throat as I simply watched him. None of this was okay. How did I end up sleeping with my student? A college student?! It was so embarrassing and shameful.

“Lucia.” He said in a breathy tone once he stood in front of me and despite the fact that my body instantly shivered after hearing his voice again, my eyes darted around in terror, but luckily there were no students left in the class.

It was just the two of us.

Jeremy towered over me and as horrific as it sounded, I wanted nothing but to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him senseless, but that would be as good as killing myself.

I managed to hold myself back regardless, maintaining the stern expression on my face.

“It’s Professor Darwin to you.” I said through gritted teeth.

“Right. Professor.” He said, his smile widening even more as he stared like I was the only thing that mattered.

“Why the hell are you smiling?” I growled, unable to help myself as my brows shot up.

I was losing my mind over our incredibly awkward situation, and he was smiling.

Jeremy took a step closer to me, and my eyes widened slightly as I gulped, my heart rate quickening.

“I’m just glad to see you again. This feels like fate, don’t you think?”

He took another step closer to me, his hot breath fanning my face.

“I’ve not been able to stop thinking about you since that night. Why did you not say goodbye before leaving?” His eyes were intense on mine, and I could see a bit of sadness swimming in the very depths of his soul.

I placed my hands on his chest, pushing him back gently, my eyes darting around to make sure that no one was in the vicinity before I looked back at him.

“Look, Jeremy. Whatever happened between us that night was a mistake. It should never have happened. Right now, I am your professor, and you are my student. That’s all this is. Nothing more. It would be best if you forgot about whatever happened between us in the past.”