The door to the apartment opened, and Lucy walked in, immediately dropping to the couch as her bag fell from her hands.
She dragged a hand through her hair while she breathed out.
"Damn it."
The curse slipped from her before she could stop herself.
"Lu," Chelsea walked out of her room, staring at Lucy. "You’re home."
"Hmm," Lucy replied absentmindedly.
Chelsea plopped down beside her, her brows pulled in taut concentration. "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
Lucy turned her head in response to her words, her lips trembling.
"Come on Lu." Chelsea urged. "What’s wrong?"
"The man I kissed last night..." she paused, closing her eyes in the process. "...is my new professor."
Chelsea’s jaw dropped open, her eyes widening. She had expected a lot... but definitely not this.
"And it’s not just that. He chose me as his student rep. I have to be in touch with him... constantly."
"Damn it, Lu," Chelsea dragged in a deep breath. "This is..."
"Fucked up?" Lucy supplied quietly. "Yeah. I know."
Chelsea winced.
"But look on the bright side. At least, you didn’t sleep with him."
"Chelsea!" Lucy groaned, holding her head in her hands.
"What?" Chelsea bit out. "Silver linings, okay? Silver linings."
Lucy shook her head.
"I’m just saying. It’d have been awkward if you both had gone all the way in."
"I don’t know if I should feel better with your words."
Chelsea sighed, and wrapped an arm around her. "I’m only trying to cheer you up."
Lucy breathed out, leaning into her embrace. "I don’t know if I made an impulsive mistake last night."
Chelsea’s teeth caught her bottom lip and she said nothing.
Later that night, Lucy was seated opposite her laptop, staring at the blinking cursor.
She typed a sentence. Deleted it.
Typed another one. Deleted that too.
This went on for about ten minutes.
Every hero she tried to write somehow ended up with warm brown eyes flecked with amber.
Every line of dialogue sounded suspiciously like Kane Sterling.
"Unbelievable," she muttered, dropping her forehead on the desk as she whispered, "I can’t even write anymore."
Then—
The vibration of her phone dragged her back to reality.
She frowned. No one ever texted her this late except Chelsea, who was literally in the other room.
She picked up the phone.
Unknown.
And it read:
This is Professor Kane Sterling. Kindly create a class group before tomorrow’s lecture and send me the invitation link once it’s ready. Thank you.
Her heart stopped.
She read the message once again.
Create a class group?
Lucy blinked.
How exactly was she supposed to do that? She barely knew anyone in her class. She had spent the last two years quietly attending lectures and going home.
"Urgh!" She groaned, dropping her forehead on the desk with eyes closed. "This is frustrating."
Taking a deep breath, she considered her options. She had a few of her classmates’ numbers. If she created the group and sent the invite link to them, they could spread it around.
It wasn’t ideal. But it would have to do.
Ohh... and she had to save his number.
She promptly added his name to her contact list.
Professor Kane Sterling.
She stared at the name for a long moment.
Somehow... seeing it in her contacts felt far more dangerous than it should have.
She typed: Certainly, Professor.
His reply came quickly.
Lucy held her breath.
Only for Kane to react with a thumbs up.
Lucy stared at the screen, unblinking.
"...A thumbs-up?"
That was it? After she’d spent the last five minutes agonizing over a two-word reply.
He sent her a thumbs-up.
Lucy let out a long sigh and dropped her phone onto the desk. "Why was I even expecting anything else?"
She stared at the message for another full minute before forcing herself into motion.
Apparently, being a student representative came with responsibilities.
Unfortunately for her... this was only the beginning.
***************
By the following morning, the class group had already been created.
After several awkward messages, forwarded links, and introductions from classmates she barely knew, almost everyone had joined—including Professor Kane Sterling.
A notification appeared on her screen.
Professor Kane Sterling joined using this group’s invite link.
Lucy hadn’t expected something as simple as seeing his name among the participants to make her pulse race.
"I think I’m going crazy," she murmured as she moved into the bathroom to prepare for the day’s lecture.
**************
Kane arrived at the university with one hand tucked into his pocket.
After greeting a few colleagues in passing, he stepped into his office and shut the door behind him.
He tossed his keys onto the desk before lowering himself into his chair.
Almost absentmindedly, he reached for his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen.
Then, against his better judgment... he opened their conversation.
There wasn’t much to see. Yet somehow... he found himself staring at it.
"Get a grip," he muttered, locking the screen.
A sharp knock sounded at the door, pulling back to the moment.
"Come in."
The department secretary stepped inside carrying a blue folder.
"Good morning, Professor Sterling."
"Morning." He gave a clipped reply.
"I have the finalized laboratory schedule." She placed the folder on his desk. "The department also asked me to remind you that the student representative usually helps coordinate the laboratory groups and practical attendance."
Kane glanced down at the folder, and he mentally sighed. "I’ll... inform her."
The secretary nodded, and left, closing the door softly behind her.
Silence followed, enveloping the office. Kane looked down at the laboratory schedule before his gaze drifted to his phone.
The sensible thing would be to ask the departmental secretary to relay the information.
Or post the schedule in the group.
Either option would spare them another meeting.
But neither option felt right. He didn’t want that.
He ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it in the process, jaw tightening.
He had never felt this stuck... this conflicted.
Not even when he chose to pursue a different career than the one expected of him.
He picked up his phone and opened their conversation.
His thumb lingered over her name.
This wasn’t about laboratory schedules anymore.
The real problem was far simpler.
He wanted to see her again, and that realization alone unsettled him.
And he had no business wanting that.