EMPTY LOUNGE

ARIANA'S POV

Ohhh… shit.

No way.

It can't fucking be. But I checked well… he wasn't there any longer.

Fuck.

I should have checked again.

Oh my God.

Why did this have to happen to me? I squeezed my eyes shut as I inhaled deeply.

Slowly, I turned around. My eyes met with grey ones.

Hold on… not blue?

The tightness in my chest instantly loosened.

It wasn't Professor Thiago. It was Professor Reynolds from Statistics.

Relief hit me so hard I almost burst into tears right there.

"Professor." I smiled weakly.

His brows pulled together slightly. "Are you alright?"

“Yes.” I forced out, even though my heart was still trying to recover from the five seconds of absolute terror I'd just experienced.

For one horrifying moment, I'd been completely convinced it was him.

Professor Thiago.

If it had actually been him standing there?

Oh God.

I would've simply evaporated, turned into dust or vanished from the face of the earth.

I would've prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I would've pretended I suddenly remembered an urgent appointment.

Honestly, I wasn't sure.

All I knew was that I wasn't ready to face him yet.

Not after everything that happened at his apartment, and definitely not after climbing onto his lap and—

Fuck.

That memory was banned.

Restricted access.

I mentally grabbed the thought and shoved it into a locked box somewhere in the deepest corner of my brain.

Thank God it wasn't him.

Professor Reynolds smiled as he adjusted the files tucked beneath his arm. “Alright.”

His eyes swept over me briefly before returning to my face. "I've actually been meaning to speak with you."

Immediately, my stomach tightened.

Had I missed an assignment? Was there another test? Had I failed his first test?

"Oh," I said carefully. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing serious." His smile widened slightly. "Just something regarding your coursework."

"Oh."

His eyes drifted to my thighs before nodding toward the hallway behind him. "My office is this way."

I hesitated at first as my brows furrowed slightly.

I couldn't shake off this weird feeling in my chest.

Maybe it was because this wasn't the first time I'd caught him looking at me strangely.

There had been little moments during lectures that I'd brushed aside because they felt too ridiculous to take seriously. There were times I'd looked up from my notes and found his eyes already on me before he quickly looked away. There were times I'd answered a question and somehow felt like he wasn't paying attention to the answer at all.

But maybe I was just imagining things.

My gaze dropped briefly to myself.

I was wearing a black mini skirt, white off-shoulder crop top and a knee-high boots.

The outfit had seemed perfectly normal when I'd put it on this morning, but standing here now under his stare, I suddenly felt painfully aware of every inch of exposed skin.

My thighs.

My stomach.

My shoulders.

Even my belly button being exposed suddenly felt inappropriate.

His eyes had found my thighs several times already.

I didn't like that.

Still...

Maybe I was just overthinking this.

I had just come from being emotionally disemboweled by Tania in the restroom and hiding from Professor Thiago like a wanted criminal. My brain wasn't exactly operating under ideal conditions.

Besides, Professor Reynolds was married. At least that was what everyone said.

Married professors didn't stare at students sexually.

Right?

And professors called students into their offices all the time.

This was completely normal.

There was absolutely nothing weird about discussing coursework with a lecturer in his office.

So why did my stomach suddenly feel tight? Why did I suddenly want to tell Maya where I was going? Why did a tiny voice in the back of my head keep whispering that I didn't want to be alone in a room with him?

I pushed the feeling aside. I was being ridiculous.

I glanced toward the hallway behind him before looking back at his face. "What exactly is this about?" I asked carefully.

His brows lifted slightly.

"The coursework you mentioned?" I added.

"Partly." He shifted the files beneath his arm. "I've been reviewing some of the first assessment submissions and I noticed something interesting about your performance."

My stomach dropped immediately. "Interesting good or interesting bad?"

A small laugh escaped him. "Interesting good."

I relaxed slightly.

"Your test score was one of the highest in the class, but your participation during discussions doesn't really match that." He tilted his head slightly. "You strike me as someone who's capable of a lot more than you're showing."

"Oh."

"I like to keep an eye on students with potential." He smiled. "Sometimes all they need is a little encouragement."

That sounded reasonable enough because Professors mentored students all the time.

"I'm not in trouble?"

He chuckled softly. "Far from it."

I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders. "Okay."

"It won't take more than a few minutes."

I nodded slowly.

"Good." He stepped aside and gestured down the hallway. "My office is this way.”

I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and followed him down the hallway, silently scolding myself for letting my imagination run wild.

Not every strange feeling meant something was wrong.

At least that was what I told myself as I walked after him.

His office wasn't far. He unlocked the door, stepped inside and motioned for me to sit.

I lowered myself into the chair opposite his desk and quickly used my hands to cover my exposed thighs.

Professor Reynolds closed the door behind us. Something about that immediately made me uncomfortable.

He sat down across from me and folded his hands together.

"So..." he began, eyes drifting to my thighs.

I shifted uncomfortably. Any decent man would have immediately handed me something to cover my thighs. Or look away, at least.

Someone like Professor Thiago would do…

My stomach flipped.

Why did I have to suddenly think of him?

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat when Professor Reynolds' stare became more intense.

Then, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his thumb against his lips."I've noticed you in class a few times."

My fingers tightened around my bag strap.

That didn't sound like he was talking about my grades.

"I try not to sleep through lectures," I joked weakly.

He laughed, and waved dismissively. "I wasn't referring to your academic performance."

My stomach twisted.

God, it shouldn't be what I'm thinking.

He smiled again, revealing his crooked dentals. "You're very pretty, Ms. Castillo."

My chest tightened.

So maybe I hadn't been overthinking after all. I began wondering if I should've listened to that little voice in my head after all.

"Thank you," I said, shifting uncomfortably.

His stare lingered on my face a little longer before drifting back to my exposed thighs.

I shifted, trying to magically extend the length of my skirt.

Fuck.

If I'd known this was going to happen to me today, I would have worn a baggy jeans and… his shirt.

Wait… whose shirt?

Shit… shut up!

I suddenly felt like leaving. I suddenly wished I was back hiding in the restroom or being emotionally destroyed by Tania or running from Professor Thiago.

Honestly, I'd take all three.

Anything but this.

Suddenly, he pushed himself to his feet.

My pulse quickened.

At first, I assumed he was reaching for a file or grabbing whatever assessment had supposedly brought me here.

Instead, he slowly walked around the desk.

My stomach dropped. "Professor Reynolds..."

He smiled as though he hadn't noticed the warning hidden in my voice. "You seem nervous, Ms. Castillo."

"I'm not nervous." I lied.

Hell, I was getting scared.

"Mm." His eyes swept over me again. "I think you are."

I stood up instinctively.

Sitting down while he stood over me didn't feel like a good idea.

His gaze flickered downward briefly before returning to my face. "You really are very beautiful, you know that?"

My chest tightened. "Professor—"

"You must hear it all the time."

I took a step backwards. "This isn't appropriate."

He gave a small laugh as though I was overreacting. "It's a compliment."

"You're my professor."

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "And you're an adult, Ms. Castillo.”

Adult?

My mouth went dry. "I think I should go."

"So soon?" He tilted his head slightly. "We haven't even discussed your academic life yet."

The way he said it made my skin crawl.

Then, he stepped closer. “Sit down, Ms. Castillo.” He said, and made to touch my shoulders but I quickly stepped back.

“No…” I cut in quickly. Then, I smiled nervously. “Uh… I forgot I have a class now. The professor is strict about late coming.” I said, and tried to move toward the door but he suddenly gripped my hands.

My heart skipped in terror.

“Not so fast, darling.” He said, his eyes dark. “All Professors are currently having a meeting at the event hall. So you are free for now.”

My stomach dropped.

Oh! No!

If all professors are currently having a meeting… what was he doing here?

And moreso, the events hall was miles away from here.

Then, a terrifying thought slipped in.

The professor's lounge was empty, meaning it was just me and him here.

Ohh… shit!

My heart began racing as panic surged through me.