Sleep had come eventually. Lucy just hadn’t realized when.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him.
Kane.
She saw his smile, the way he’d looked at her.
The way he whispered, Happy birthday, Lucy.
Even in her dreams, he refused to leave.
The shrill ringing of her alarm shattered the memory.
Lucy groaned and reached blindly for her phone.
8:15 a.m. Her phone read.
Staring at the screen, her eyes widened, "oh, shit!"
She shot upright, nearly dropping her phone. "I’m late!"
Throwing the blanket aside, she scrambled out of bed and dashed toward the bathroom.
Lucy bathed and dressed in record time. When she stepped out of her room, she met a half asleep Chelsea holding a mug of coffee.
"Good morning, Chel."
"Morning Lu." She responds. "Damn, you look awful."
"I overslept."
Chelsea smirked, a knowing look in her eyes. "Or you were dreaming about the stranger you kissed last night."
Lucy’s face heated up, blushing without realising.
"I wasn’t dreaming about anybody," she denied instinctively.
Chelsea’s smirk grew wider. "Of course you weren’t. That’s why your entire face is as red as a tomato."
Lucy’s expression blanched. "I’m not having this conversation with you," she picked up one of the sandwiches on the table, "I’m late. Bye."
Without waiting for Chelsea’s reply, she dashed out of their shared apartment. Once she was out, she took deep, calming breaths, patting her cheeks.
"Calm down, Lu. Stop thinking about him. It’s not like you’d see him again."
As she uttered these words, her expression crumpled. She really... really wanted to see him again.
Maybe... they could finish what they started.
"I’m going crazy," she muttered, shaking her head as the thought crossed her mind.
Lucy walked into the lecture hall, and heaved a sigh of relief when she noticed no one on the podium.
Great. Her professor hadn’t arrived and she wasn’t late. She would not be embarrassed today.
Taking a seat at the corner where she could directly see the professor, she brought her phone out only to find text messages from several unknown numbers.
Frowning, she opened them and her expression darkened while reading them.
Unknown: Lucy baby, please forgive me.
Unknown: It wasn’t what he looked like.
Lucy rolled her eyes while she read that. It wasn’t what it looked like, yet she could not forget how he was groaning while he stuck his dick into the girl who moaned loudly.
She shook her head, eager to get rid of the image from her mind.
Unknown: Lucy, if you don’t give me a reply, I’d not take you back.
The remaining texts transited from begging into plain threatening.
Again, she rolled her eyes. Who was interested in taking him back? Who needed a cheat as a boyfriend. Certainly not her.
A memory flashed through her mind: One man’s stupidity doesn’t define your worth.
It was true. Bryce didn’t determine her worth.
With this thought in mind, she promptly blocked each number and threw her phone into her bag.
"Good riddance," she murmured under her breath as she brought out her books, methodically arranging them.
While she busied herself, gasps erupted around her, mostly from the girls and her brows furrowed.
Raising her head, she said, "what’s with the—" the words died in her mouth as her eyes landed on someone.
A familiar man stood at the front of the room.
No.
Her heart stumbled.
No, no, no... it couldn’t be.
"Kane."
She was breathless, the single word coming out as a prayer.
In the harsh morning light, he looked nothing like the mysterious stranger she’d met beneath flashing club lights.
He was taller than she’d remembered, broad-shouldered beneath a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms. Dark trousers hugged long legs that carried him with effortless confidence.
His black hair was slightly tousled, as though he’d run a hand through it one too many times, and the sharp line of his jaw only made the calm expression on his face more intimidating.
His features were unfairly perfect—high cheekbones, a straight nose, and lips she knew far too well for someone she’d met only the night before.
But it was his eyes that stole the breath from her lungs.
Cool.
Composed.
Impossible to read.
They swept over the room with quiet authority before settling, if only for the briefest heartbeat, on her.
Lucy forgot how to breathe.
Recognition flickered in his eyes for the briefest instant.
Then it was gone. His expression settled into one of cool professionalism, as though they’d never met before.
Panic crawled into Lucy’s skin, tempting to swallow her in.
"What was he doing here?" She whispered under her breath.
Around her, excited whispers and squeals erupted from every corner of the lecture hall.
All of Lucy’s hopes dashed when Kane settled on the podium.
"Greetings ladies and gentlemen," he started and Lucy blinked. His voice was colder now, different from the one who had said ’happy birthday, Lucy.’
"My name is Kane Sterling and I’d be your professor for this course for the rest of the academic year."
All the blood drained from Lucy’s face.
Did she... kiss her professor last night?