I get to my feet, holding Professor Wright's unwavering gaze.

"How's the uh..." his voice trials down, as he bends down slightly and glances at the window, peering outside before returning to me. "Sky gazing going?"

"As good as it gets," I mumble and look away.

Did he follow me here? I fidget with my fingers and quickly scan him, spotting a thick book in his grasp. Or maybe the book he was looking for was here. If so, it shows my luck has run out after I convinced him for considering writing a paper with me.

He tilts his head slightly to one side and studies me. "What's wrong?" he softly asks.

I gulp. Everything. "Nothing."

He sighs and places the book on the table. "Stewart," he tenderly calls, leaning down the slightest to me.

Hesitantly I peer up through my lashes. The way his dark blue eyes burn into me accelerates my heartbeat.

"You can share if you want," he softly offers.

His gaze locks with mine and confusion clouds my head. Based on what I've heard and seen this is so not like Wright. Yet here he is.

I lick my bottom lip before sucking it between my teeth and shake my head. "It's nothing important... just some personal problems."

Deep lines furrow his brow and he lays his palm flat atop the book. "Again?"

I fail to decipher the emotion underlying his tone as I run my finger over the brim of my wristwatch.

He pushes his glasses up and straightens himself.

"I'm not lying."

"Believe me, at this point, I wish you were," he mutters, shaking his head and crosses his arms in front of himself. "You let your surroundings, the people around you, affect you too much. First your midterm and now today. This isn't going to work, Stewart." His low and deep voice sends shivers up and down my spine.

I hug myself and glare at him. "It's not like I'm telling people to come and mess me up," I hiss.

A sardonic breathy laugh escapes from him. "I didn't say that." He shoves one hand into his pocket and stares down at me making me feel impossibly small before him. I had never noticed how much taller than me he is.

"These personal issues, or whatever you want to call them, never seem to end for you. I'm not saying you're an odd case, everyone has problems, all I'm saying is, you let these complications affect you to the point where it directly impacts your responsibilities as a student."

I glare at the chair across from me, press to the wall, below the window.

"Tell me, Stewart, this problem, does it have a direct impact on your present-day life? Does it change anything? Like have you lost the place you were living at? If not, then no. Does it have something to do with your past? Probably. Does it impact your future? I highly doubt that. But you are allowing it to influence your present which directly affects your future. Do you disagree?"

I dig my fingernails into my upper arms as I glower at the chair.

"I'll take your silence as a no. You have to learn to not let these complications influence your daily basis life, especially an issue from a past personal life. The way you allow them to do so, is frankly very concerning. You need to learn to not only separate your personal life from your professional or academic life, but you also have to learn to take control of what affects you and to what extent. Otherwise, you'll be the one who pays the price. And before we start doing anything, I've told you before, I'm telling you again, I don't put my energy into something that I see no future in it. If you keep up this act, I won't work on a paper with you. Are we clear?"

I scowl. "I'm just having one bad day." My voice raises a notch and he frowns.

"We're in a library Stewart," he harshly reminds me in a hushed tone and continues, "and no, it's not just one day. It happens too frequently. Learn to manage this and take control before it's too late. I'm not saying it's easy but it's possible."

I huff and shake my head. "You don't even know what's the problem and you're..." I wave my hand inclining to him.

He scoffs. "I don't care what's your problem... does it have anything to do with my class? My subject? Fine, even your academic life? Yes, or no?"

"No," I grumble.

"Then it's not my problem. When you're here, standing before me, your professor, I expect your entire focus to be on the task at hand, because I'll be doing the same for you."

I roll my eyes; what does he think I am? A fucking robot with a partitioned brain!

He points his index finger at me. "Don't give me this attitude," he warns. His deep voice with a dangerous ring seeps into me and quickens my pulse, pulling me to him.

I ignore how suddenly breathless I am and glare at him. "Do you realize how absurd you're being?" I seethe.

He backs away the slightest, his brows raising with surprise or maybe shock. I don't know, neither do I care. "Me?"

"Yes," I fire back and he gives an incredulous look. "What you're asking is literally impossible, it's like... you're trying to..." I trail down, hesitant about speaking the words.

"Trying to what?" he snaps and I look away from his glacial glare. "Find excuses to not work with you? You're forgetting that I'm not obliged to do anything for you, other than making sure you and your classmates learn what I'm teaching. So, Gracie Stewart, if I were you, I'd choose my words very carefully from now on."

My eyes jump to him. He knows my full name! I inhale sharply and straighten myself not finding any words to throw at him.

"And what I'm asking from you it's not impossible," he adds.

I roll my eyes but midway stop and catch him shooting a glare in my way. So much for impressing him only a few hours ago.

"It is, because as a person when something makes you-" I start but he interrupts me.

"It's not. You cannot imagine the state I was in this afternoon when you came to my office. Did I reflect it on you? No. so there you go, with proof, it is possible and this is what I expect from you. Because I refuse to put up with inconsistency, and for you to one day be active and the next not because of one problem and the day after that, because of another."

I huff. "How can you expect from me, or from anyone to just flip the switch!" It's not like I'm one of The Vampire Diaries' vampires.

"What?" he frowns with confusion and my eyes widen.

Holy shit, he hasn't seen the series. I thought everyone has seen it. "Nothing. The point is you can't be sad one second and then normal the next."

"You can, especially if you try. And I don't think what I'm asking from you is far from mind. All I'm saying is, just learn to manage your emotions, and be professional."

I scoff. "You can't manage them. And I am professional." He opens his mouth to object but without thinking I blurt out, "Has it ever crossed your mind, that you might be the one who is not normal?" I quirk an eyebrow.

His expression goes blank as he stares at me for a beat before blinking. "Did you just call me abnormal?"

I shrug.

He shakes his head. "You really don't think before you talk, do you?"

I gape at him. "Oh, I do think. But maybe if you stop annoying me, then I'll get the chance to actually think." I snap and cross my arms in front of me.

A second later, the words I uttered sink in, and I watch Wright with horror as he gazes at me with his mouth slightly hanging open.

I look away, heat rushing to my cheeks. Oh God, I fucked up.

"Stewart," he calls and tentatively I return my gaze to him. "You do realize I'm your professor, not your friend, right?"

I plant my palm on my burning cheek and ramble in a pitched voice, "I'm sorry, but I'm going through a really rough time and you're not helping at all."

"I'm giving you a solution to stop you from ruining your present, and probably future, with unimportant things."

"You cannot just stop feeling sad or angry! You just can't." I drive my hand through my hair with frustration and hold his gaze. "I'm sorry, professor, but the way you're saying to just shut it out, makes me wonder maybe you've never actually felt real pain. Maybe you've never allowed yourself to truly and wholly feel anything."

He vacantly watches me. An agonizing moment stretches between us as I study his face, hoping to catch a glimpse of what's going on inside his head. But it's futile. My heart pounds in my chest as my palms get clammy.

Finally, with a hint of intrigue, he slowly asks, "Is that how you perceive me?"

I avoid his searching dark blue eyes and lift a single shoulder.

"You're free to think as you like. I said the things I wanted to say and I hope you remember them and work on yourself for improvement." He states and picks his book from the desk, holding it in one hand at his side.

Wright walks away but only a few paces away, a question sparks in my head, and as if whatever I've done and said today didn't have the required damaging effects, I call out. "Professor."

He whirls around and our eyes lock. I fidget with my fingers as he raises an eyebrow.

"Can I ask something?"

He nods and pushes his hand into his pocket, waiting for me.

"How did feel or react when you found out my brother slept with your girlfriend?"

His eyebrows raise and a glint of realization sparks in his eyes before he smiles, amusement gleaming in his features. "I didn't mess up any of my exams or quizzes, if you were trying to figure that part out." He holds the book in front of himself with both hands.

I stop myself from rolling my eyes. Asshole.

He strides to me. "But to answer your question, I was... surprised."

I raise one brow, waiting for him to continue but he doesn't, so I probe, "And?"

He shakes his head. "That's it, I was just surprised."

I gape at him; this guy's human side is definitely broken. "How?"

He chuckles, "The unpredictability of human nature never seizes to fascinate me. I wasn't expecting it to happen, so it surprised me when it did."

I open and close my mouth multiple times with disbelief like an idiot fish, before finally asking, "Didn't you do anything?"

"I made sure she fails all the classes she was counting on me to complete their assignments for her." He smiles, a cheeky boyish smile, as I gawk at him.

This man is insane. "That is literally the most passive-aggressive way of expressing yourself... at least I allow myself to feel and then overcome it, rather than doing that."

He takes another step toward me, closer than he has ever been, the same masculine cologne the papers he gave me a week ago faintly smelt of, overwhelms me as he towers over me, forcing me to crane my neck to hold his gaze. "Stewart?" he whispers, his low voice makes my heart hammer in my chest.

"Yes, sir." My tone sounds unsteady even to myself as our eyes stay locked and my mouth remains dry.

"Did I ask you to analyze my behavior?"

"No, Professor."

"Then don't do it." He takes a step back and offers me a small smile. "I suggest you leave if you don't have any classes, it'll be raining soon." He inclines his chin to the window.

I follow the path of his attention. The blue sky has darkened considerably, thick grey cloud covering it.

"Take care, Stewart." With that he spins and walks away, leaving me staring at his retreating form.

∞ ∞ ∞

Tell me what you think about their interaction? Do you think they have chemistry? Or is she a better pair with Brian? =)

Oh my gosh, I cannot wait to write and upload the next chapter xD the next 2 chapters(or maybe 3, I'm not sure, haven't written them yet) are going to be... very interesting (sorry, can't say more, it'll be a spoiler xD) so tune in for that tomorrow =) [especially if you ship Gracie and our profy, lol xD]

Thank you so much for reading. Comment your thoughts and vote if you enjoyed.

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading <33