7

JEREMY

I raised a confused brow as my eyes darted around the class before my gaze flickered over to Lucia, whose expression was even stonier than before.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, unable to mask the confusion in my voice.

Lucia rolled her eyes behind her glasses, clearly annoyed as she shook her head. 

“It’s clear that you have not been paying attention now, have you?” She asked, her voice stern as those eyes were filled with disappointment, and I did not feel good about it one bit.

“I—” I tried to defend myself, but she was not having any of that.

“See me after the class.” She growled before continuing with the class, and I would have been upset, but at that moment, I was just glad that I would get some extra time to speak with her.

“Uh-oh. You’re in trouble.” I heard Ryan whisper to me, and I rolled my eyes, trying to pay attention this time. I wouldn’t want to be caught slacking off again.

Finally, the class was over, and I packed my stuff in my bag just as the other students trooped out of the hall. 

“We’ll be waiting outside the class. Goodluck.” Dean said, slugging his backpack over his shoulder, and my eyes widened slightly with alarm.

The last thing I needed was my friends outside the hall, where they could easily eavesdrop on the conversation between Lucia and I.

There’s no need to wait outside the hall. I’ll meet you outside the school when I’m done.” 

Ryan raised a brow at that. “You sure?” He asked, and I nodded instantly, my eyes darting over Lucia, who was busy packing her computer into her bag.

“Fine. We’ll see you later.” Dean replied with a shrug, and the two of them wasted no time making their way out of the lecture hall.

Once the hall was empty, I walked towards Lucia, nervous as hell. As beautiful as she was, she was also intimidating, and I could feel my hands sweating at my sides.

“Lucia.” I whispered with awe, unable to help the smile which slid onto my face once I arrived in front of her. 

Her lips thinned, and her eyebrows furrowed into a frown once her eyes landed on me.

“I told you not to call me that.” She said, her harsh words slicing through my heart like a sharp knife. 

I let out a loud sigh, running my fingers through my hair. “Sorry. Professor Darwin. You wanted to see me?” 

She instantly placed her hands on her hips, and I just knew that I was about to receive a scolding. I had no choice but to instantly brace myself for it. 

“Do you not care about your studies, or is this course a joke to you?” 

My eyes widened with instant horror. “What? Of course not—” 

“Do not think I will not hesitate to fail you if you do not pay attention in my class.” She cut me off, her expression turning icy, and at that moment, my eyes narrowed on her. 

I became overcome with a sudden boldness as I took a step closer to her.

“W–what are you doing?” She stuttered, taking a step backwards, and I moved close to her till our faces were only inches apart.

“Is this about that night? Are you trying to punish me because we slept together? If that’s the case, then it's a shame because I was under the expression that you enjoyed it very much. So did I.”

Lucia’s cheeks slowly turned beet red, and I nearly swooned, wishing I could capture this moment forever. 

“You’re ridiculous, Jeremy!” She exclaimed, looking affronted as her cheeks grew even redder. “Get out.” 

“But, Professor—” 

“Go. Now!” 

I let out a sigh, adjusting my backpack before turning around and walking towards the door. Just before I left, I turned around to look at her, but I saw that she was already looking at me, her expression unreadable.

“Go.” She whispered, and another sigh escaped my lips as I trudged out of the hall in a sour mood once again. 

I wished I could speak to Lucia for much longer. At this point, I didn’t even care that she was being cold and harsh towards me. Any chance to talk to her would be welcome. 

I needed to devise different means to spend more time with her, even if it meant getting in her bad books one more time.

It would be worth it. Anything to just get her attention would be worth it. 

Since I was done with my only class for the day, I made my way out of the school, ignoring the usual adoring looks from girls that I got and before long, I met up with Dean and Ryan. 

We made our way to the nearest restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat, and once we settled in our seats, we began talking. 

“So what did the hot professor say to you?” Ryan asked, and I cleared my throat, popping a stick of fry in my mouth as I instantly avoided eye contact.

“Nothing much, really. It's just a bit of scolding and all.” 

“I wish she would scold me instead.” He said with a dreamy look in his eyes, and I instantly shot him a glare.

“You are ridiculous.”  Dean said, whacking him right on the head, and that action made me glad.

“Ow!” Ryan exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head as an annoyed expression made its way onto his face. 

I shook my head as we continued eating, our conversation turning light, and soon, it was time to go home. 

After saying our goodbyes, we went our separate ways with me driving straight home.

My father was one of the wealthiest businessmen in all of New York, and it was no surprise that we lived in an overly large mansion.

A mansion that felt empty and lifeless half the time despite the fact that I lived with my family.

After packing in the driveway, I dragged my feet over to the front door, pressing the doorbell. 

After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing Thomas, the family butler, dressed in an immaculate black suit with a crisp white shirt beneath.

“Welcome home, Mr. Hale.” Thomas greeted me as I walked into the mansion.

“Looking sharp as always, Thomas.” I said with a wink as I entered further into the mansion, and I heard him chuckle behind me.

“Are you ready to have lunch, sir?” 

“No, that’s alright. I grabbed lunch with my friends.” I replied, taking my bag off my shoulder and pulling off my jacket.

“You friends? Are you still hanging out with those boys?” 

“Yes?” I answered, raising an unsure brow as I turned to him. 

“Your father asked you not to hang out with them, didn’t he?” Thomas asked, his eyebrows scrunched up with worry.

“Well, you’re not going to tell him now, are you?” I asked, a sly smile making its way onto my face as my expression turned mischievous.

Thomas was usually a stoic and quiet man, but I knew he would never rat me out to my father. 

“Fine. I won’t. Just be careful.”

“Thank you, Thomas.” I said with a smile, and he nodded before walking away while I went straight to my room. 

My room was like any typical college boy’s room, but it was much larger and much more luxurious. I collapsed on my king-sized bed with a large sigh without even bothering to pull off my shoes. 

It didn’t take long before thoughts of Lucia drifted into my head once again. I already had a plan formed in my head, and I couldn’t wait to execute it tomorrow and the days that followed.

I would try as much as possible to get in trouble in her class and then she would have no choice, but to scold me after which meant that I would get more time with her and maybe I would be able to convince her to like me again. 

Despite the fact that she was different. Colder and meaner now, it was still hard not to fall for her. She was just that terrific woman. 

I got consumed by thoughts of her, and I decided that I needed to clear my head for a moment.

I slowly got up from my bed and picked up my guitar, which was lying in the corner of the room. I then went back to my bed and began strumming it with a huge smile on my face.

Apart from Lucia. Music was also one of my favourite things. Music was my life. 

I strummed my guitar, lost in my own world, when I suddenly heard a bang on the door.

“Mr. Hale. Put the guitar away. Your father is back!” Thomas’ voice echoed through the door, and I instantly shot up from the bed, my eyes wide with alarm.

I fled to the corner of the room, tucking the guitar away safely, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. 

Why the hell was dad home so early? He was not supposed to be back for hours.