Eliana's POV

"Aren't you going to answer that?" A curious Annabelle asked.

"No," I answered, shoving the phone into the pocket of my jeans. "Sorry, but I have to go now. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure," she said and I headed towards the side of the road to hail a cab. By the time I got to my new apartment twenty minutes later, Patrick had called me six consecutive times.

When I got into the living room, I tossed my bag onto the couch and started pulling my clothes. My phone rang again and I pulled it out and ended the call immediately. Two seconds later, the phone was ringing again. Having had enough, I navigated to the contact info, hit the three dots by the upper right corner and clicked the block button.

After everything that had happened during the breakup with Patrick, I never expect to hear from him again. I'd shed enough tears for him and all I wanted was peace. And to focus on my studies. Emerald University seemed like the perfect place to do that and I wasn't going to allow anyone to disrupt that.

After having lunch, I settled onto my bed and started reading the story the handsome professor had tasked us with. The next morning, I made sure I got to school early.

I was among the first five people to get to class and as I was settling into my chair, I looked up to see the boy from yesterday approaching again.

"Hi. I didn't get your name yesterday," he said with a boyish smile.

There was an air around him that I disliked and I hoped he saw that in the way I looked at him.

"That's because I didn't tell you," I answered curtly.

But he still didn't take the hint.

"What do you think of the story Professor Matthews asked us to read?" He came to sit beside me and for the first time, I paid him full attention.

He had a well shaped face and full lips. His hair was styled the same way it was yesterday and I had a feeling that that was how he always carried it. He was a pretty boy, no doubt, but nothing about him was appealing to me.

"The story was fine," I responded dryly, pretending to look for something in my bag.

"Eliana!" An excited voice called from afar. It belonged to Annabelle and she looked very gorgeous in her pink crop top and tennis skirt.

"Hi, Annabelle," I said, watching as she made her way towards me.

"Eliana. Beautiful name," Oliver said beside me. For a few seconds, I'd totally forgotten he was there.

"You two know each other?" Annabelle asked, wagging her finger from me to Oliver.

"We just met," Oliver answered while I shook my head vigorously.

The auditorium was already filling up then and Professor Matthews entered a few minutes later. Annabelle did me a huge favor by occupying the seat between me and Oliver. The Professor glanced around the auditorium before his gaze finally settled on me. Wearing a navy blue sweatshirt and brown office pants, he looked even better than he did yesterday.

"Good morning, class. How many of you have read the book I recommended yesterday?"

Almost everyone's hand went up immediately and he gave a satisfied nod. He looked around the auditorium again, as if he was looking for something, then he suddenly pointed his finger.

"Let's start with the pretty new girl. What's your opinion of the story?" He folded his arms to his chest and rested against the podium.

All eyes turned in my direction and I felt a wave of shyness wash over me.

"Go on," Annabelle whispered encouragingly and I took a deep breath before rising to my feet.

"I think the boy was a coward. He should have pursued whatever he felt for his friend's sister, rather than give up the way he did."

Something flashed in the professor's eyes and his lips curved into a smile that disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. Looking around the auditorium, he said, "anyone else willing to share their thoughts?"

A couple of hands went up and he considered them for a few seconds before pointing at Oliver. "Mr. Newton."

Oliver rose with a smile, his eyes trained on me. "I don't agree with what Eliana said."

The professor glanced briefly in my direction when my name was mentioned. "Tell us why that is," he said to Oliver.

Oliver was still glancing at me when he answered. "With everything that happened in the story, it was clear that the boy would have been wasting his time if he kept on hoping that something would happen between him and the girl. She didn't even show any form of interest in him during their brief encounter."

The professor allowed several other people to give their opinions on the book and then he went on to recommend another book to be read. Our eyes kept meeting all through the class and at one point, he held my gaze for so long that I felt something warm inside me.

When the class ended, he remained where he stood as everyone made their way out.

"Eliana," he called softly as I made my way to the door. Annabelle was beside me and she looked equally surprised when he called my name.

"Can I see you briefly?" He asked.

"Uhm, sure. I guess."

"I'll be at the Jefferson lounge," Annabelle said and winked at me before heading towards the door.

"That was a very good argument," he remarked. "I have a feeling you would have said more about it if I had allowed you to. Correct me if I'm wrong."

"You're not wrong, sir. The girl talking to him out of the blue could be interpreted as a form of interest. Who knows what would have happened if he had actually gotten her the things he promised to get her?"

"I must say I agree with you. I like the way you think." He looked genuinely pleased and it made me feel good that I was already making an impression on him.

"See you in my next class, Eliana," he said with a smile that made me weak in the knees. After he left, I headed to Jefferson's lounge but Annabelle was nowhere in sight. And since I had no way of contacting her, I decided heading home would be better than waiting.

Throughout the cab ride back home and even after I got home, all I could think of was the professor's blue eyes and his pretty smile.

Derrick's POV

The next day, I got to class earlier than usual and Eliana hadn't arrived then. I'd been forced to wake up early when Susan made a fuss about not finding an important file she needed in the office and I hadn't been able to go back to sleep even after she found it. I was still a little bit sleepy when I got to class but I shrugged it off as soon as the students began to walk in. Eliana was the seventh person to enter and my jaw nearly dropped when she did.

She was wearing a short red gown that clung to her in all the places that mattered and I felt an ache in my loins as my eyes followed her to her seat. She glanced towards me as soon as she was seated and she gave a shy smile before looking away.

The class started and all of them brought out the book I asked them to read.

"Who's gonna read for us?" I asked and several hands went up. Eliana's own was among them and I pointed at her without thinking. When she stood up, I was rewarded with another full view of her in the dress.

She started reading and it took all the willpower in me to pay attention to what she was saying. Someone giggled suddenly but I ignored it until another person did the same thing a few seconds later. Eliana stopped reading then and I looked around the auditorium in confusion.

There were giggles and laughter all around as the students whispered to one another. Eliana and I seemed to be the only ones who didn't know what was happening.

"What's going on?" I asked no one in particular.

No one answered and the laughter and the whispers increased.

Irritated, I called on one of the people responsible for the disturbance. "William, wanna tell the class why you and your comrades are disturbing us?"

He stifled a laugh before answering. "You have a little situation down there, sir." He pointed his hand and I glanced down to where he was pointing to. I finally understood what had caused the laughter and the whispers when I saw the bulge in the front of my trousers.

The whole auditorium burst into laughter this time and I hurried out in embarrassment. I spent the next ten minutes in the bathroom trying to kill the boner and get the image of Eliana and her red dress out of my mind.

After handling the situation, I returned to the auditorium and the class continued. Half an hour later, I ended the class and packed my books. Again, Eliana had impressed me.

"Eliana," I called as she was walking down the aisle.

She came almost immediately, as if she had been expecting the call. Annabelle wasn't with her this time and I couldn't remember seeing her at all in class.

"Can you come by my office later?" I asked. "I have a special assignment for you."

"I don't know where your office is," she said in a manner that was too polite. She had seemed a little bit surprised by the request.

"Come with me and I'll show you," I said and started walking towards the exit. We headed to my office together and when I got there, I put my hand in my pocket to retrieve my key but I couldn't find it there.

Confused, I put my hand in the second pocket but it wasn't there either.

"Here. Can you hold this for me?" I asked, pushing the books in my hands towards her.

"Sure." She held her hands out to receive the book and as I put them in her hands, my finger slightly brushed her palm. Both of us stared at each other, showing that we were fully aware of the contact. But neither said anything and I continued my search for the key. After a few seconds I finally found it hiding deep inside the pocket I had searched the first time.

Inserting it into the door, I unlocked it and pushed it open. Eliana walked in too and I shut the door.

"You can have your seat," I said, indicating the chair in front of my desk. As I took the books from her, my hand brushed hers again and the contact felt deliberate on her part. After placing the books on my desk, I pulled my jacket off and hung it on the backrest of my chair.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" I asked her as I settled into the chair.

"No, thank you," she responded almost immediately. Her eyes met mine briefly before moving on to survey the office. They were hazel brown and pretty and they complimented the tone of her skin.

"You have a very neat office," she murmured as her gaze drifted back to meet mine.

"Thank you. Untidiness makes me irritated and I make sure I keep it far away from me."

"What's the special assignment you said you had for me?" She sounded suddenly impatient but her eyes said otherwise.

"Oh. Yes," I said, having forgotten the reason I called her to my office. Bending a little, I pulled one of the drawers of my desk open. I extracted a piece of paper from it and placed it onto the desk. "I'm working on an analysis for a literary magazine but I feel something is missing. I was hoping you could have a look at it for me. Take your time with it and give me your feedback tomorrow. Would that be possible?"

"Yeah. I can do that," she answered as she glanced through the paper. "Is that all?"

No. I want to know what you have on under that hot dress.

"Yes, Eliana. That's all. You look very pretty today, by the way."

She flushed, rising to her feet. "Thank you, sir. I'll go through this and give you my opinion tomorrow."

After she left, I exhaled deeply and relaxed in my chair. No matter how hard I tried, thoughts of Eliana stayed rent-free in my head. It felt like I was a teenager again and I was crushing on a girl I know I couldn't have. Except I wasn't a teenager and I know I could have her if I wanted to. It was all a matter of time.

Eliana's POV

Arriving at home, I climbed onto my bed and started reading the paper Professor Matthews gave to me. The more I read the paper, the more my curiosity about him grew. Reading through it, I concluded that he was a very intelligent person. His writing was flawless and the way he structured his analysis and stated his points were remarkable.

It was late in the night when I was done and I slept off immediately afterwards. After class the next day, I headed to the podium to give him the assignment but he asked me to bring it to his office later on.

"What's with you and Professor Matthews?" Annabelle asked as we headed to the lounge.

The place was almost filled up when we got there but we managed to find somewhere to sit. Two lovers were seated across from us, guzzling each other's lips shamelessly.

Annabelle watched them with amusement as she sipped her coffee. She had admitted to me earlier that she was a coffee addict and she didn't think she could survive her life without it.

"There's nothing wrong with us," I replied absentmindedly.

"Are you sure? You guys seem to talk a lot," she pointed out as she slurped the remaining coffee in her cup.

"He's just giving me a few extra assignments. That's all," I insisted. "What can you tell me about him?"

She turned to me then, mischief dancing in her green eyes. "Aside from the fact that he's extremely hot? Not much. The guy barely has anything interesting about him."

I disagree.

"Don't tell me that he's caught your fancy," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Of course not." I laughed, shaking my head at the idea. Annabelle's eyes told me that she didn't believe me but she shrugged and returned her attention to the kissing couple.

"I see Oliver has been making passes at you though," She remarked.

"Yeah," I said with disinterest, hoping she would shut down the conversation immediately.

"You don't like him?" It sounded more like an accusation than a question and I turned to her with probing eyes.

"Are you asking on his behalf of what?"

"What? No," was her innocent response. "I was just curious. I'm not really a fan of him. He thinks he's sleek but he's not all that."

"I think that applies to every guy I've seen in Emerald University so far," I stated.

Except the professor, of course.

Almost an hour later, I grabbed my bag and rose to my feet. "I have to go see Professor Matthews now. I'll see you later."

I patted her on the cheek and she smiled at me. The kissing couple finally detached and both of them looked equally dazed. As I was getting to the door of the longue, it came open and Oliver walked in with the stupid smile he always had on his face. I turned my face sideways, pretending not to see him.

"Eliana," he said, but I hurried through the door and shut it behind me. After putting a good distance between me and the door, I looked back to see him still standing there and staring at me. I scoffed at that and continued walking.

The walk to Professor Matthews' office took only seven minutes and I met the door open when I got there.

"Good afternoon," I said to him as I produced the analysis paper from my bag. Leaning forward, I put it on his desk and slid it across to him.

"Hi, Eliana." He picked up the paper with a smile. Opening the same drawer he'd opened the previous day, he returned the paper into it.

"I read through it and I'm surprised that you need my opinion on it. What you have there is perfect and I don't think I can ever write anything that good."

"You really think so?" He asked, folding his arms to his chest. "Come on, have your seat."

"Sorry but I have somewhere I need to be," I said politely.

His face fell and the smile on his face faded a little. Seeing him that way made me feel bad, as if I'd done something to hurt him.

"Come on, just for a few minutes." He got up from his chair and came around to where I was standing. "I'm starting to enjoy our conversations."

He was so close to me that the room immediately felt small. His perfume was so nice that I had to fight the strong urge to bury my face in his shirt. He was wearing a brown shirt with the sleeves rolled up as usual. The top buttons were undone, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his chest.

Reaching behind me, he pulled out the chair in front of his desk to give me space to sit. With him so close, all my defenses were down and I gulped slightly and settled into the chair.

Instead of going back to his seat, he perched himself casually on the edge of his desk and pulled my chair closer to him.

"I can't remember the last time I had a student as intelligent and intriguing as you are," he commented. It felt like flattery but he looked quite serious when he said it.

"Thank you, sir," I said, barely able to take my voice beyond a whisper. It was very hard to think with him so close and I hated the way my body reacted to him.

I had the mind to jump out of the chair and run away from his office but I knew my legs wouldn't cooperate. Not with the weakness I felt in my knees.

"What's your favorite romance story?" He asked, folding his arms to his chest again.

How could he look so relaxed while making me self conscious and planting unholy thoughts in my head?

"Romance is not really my thing so I have none." It took a great deal of effort and concentration to get the words out of my mouth.

He arched his eyebrows and said, "Why not? One would think an attractive young lady like you would be all about romance. Or did you get your heart broken?"

"Something like that."

"I see," he said and rose from the desk. Taking slow, deliberate steps, he came to stand behind me and his scent became thick in my nostrils.

I knew then that I had to get out there before I lost all control. With a jolt, I jumped out of the chair and dashed towards the door. He looked startled by the movement but I barely paid him any attention as I left the office and slammed the door behind me. Walking as fast as I could, I made it to the end of the corridor before leaning against the wall to catch my breath.