Desirous [H.S.]

Three

HARRY STYLES

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

❦  ❦  ❦

Anastasia Hall.

Of all the people I thought I would see in my classroom today, I never would have pictured her; as my teaching assistant, no less.

I remember her saying years ago that she wanted to be a teacher, but I guess I never wondered if she managed to follow through.

I hadn't seen her in eleven years, and she looked even more beautiful than I remembered. If that's even possible.

I sigh heavily as I make my way up the stairs to my office, my cheeks still burning from our interaction. I was so caught off guard when she asked me to get drinks. I felt awful saying no, but she's my teaching assistant, not my friend. I can't afford to cross that boundary with her.

I unlock my office door, and step inside, flipping on the light. I throw my things onto the desk, and sink down into the chair with a groan.

How the hell am I supposed to do this?

Dr. Gray assigned her to my classroom without mentioning it to me, and now I have to put on a smile and work with the girl that dropped me like I meant nothing to her for a full year? The least he could have done is give me some time to prepare.

I pull my cell phone out of my bag, and find Dr. Gray's contact, pressing it and holding the phone to my ear. After a few rings, he picks up.

"Dr. Styles," he answers loudly. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I nod, pulling on my lip nervously. "I just wanted to talk to you about the teaching assistant you assigned to me, Anastasia Hall?"

"Right, yes," he hums. "How did her first day go?"

"It went fine, I think," I hesitate. "I just don't know if she's the right fit."

He stays silent for a moment. "Why is that?"

"I just think she would be better suited with another professor," I suggest, clenching my eyes shut as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

I've always encouraged the Dean to assign a teaching assistant to one of my classes, and the last thing I want is to come off as ungrateful.

"Why? Did something happen?" He asks.

"No, sir," I say quickly. "I-"

"If there's no cause to remove her from your class, I'm afraid she'll have to stay," he sighs. "It's too late to give her a new assignment now that the semester has already started. If things don't work out by finals, then we can look into transferring her."

I purse my lips in frustration. This wouldn't have happened if he had just told me beforehand that she would be the one in my classroom.

"I understand," I mutter, leaning back in the chair as my fingers brush through my hair.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Dr. Styles," he says graciously. "We'll be in touch."

Without another word, he hangs up, and I toss my phone onto the desk.

"Fuck," I mutter through gritted teeth.

I stare up at the ceiling, my arms hanging over the sides of the chair. I feel the corners of my eyes prick with tears, and I bring my hands up to wipe them away before they start.

I never thought I would see her again, and I made peace with that. Now, she's back in my life and I have no clue how to feel about it.

I reach for my laptop, pulling it out of my bag and opening it up. I click open the browser and log into Facebook, typing her name in the search bar. My heart skips a beat when I see her profile on the screen in front of me.

I removed her from my friends list right after everything happened, and I've had to convince myself to not look her up many times. It was too painful.

As I'm sitting here, staring at her name and her profile photo, I'm reminded of just how painful it is.

The picture is of her and Johnathan, her boyfriend since our senior year of high school; she looks happy. She's smiling wide, staring up at him in adoration, while he has a blank expression on his face.

I scoff, my resentment building up as I think about how one of the most beautiful women I've ever met is looking at him with love, and he looks like he couldn't care less.

I click to the next photo, which is of her holding a rose up to her face. Her eyes are closed, and her dimples are popping out as she's smelling the flower. My chest flutters as I admire her.

God, I've missed her.

A loud knock at the door causes me to jump, and I look up to see Niall standing in the doorway; he's wearing a pair of dark khakis and a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Jesus, you scared me," I huff, shutting my laptop quickly.

He holds his hands up in defense as he steps into the office, shutting the door behind him. "Sorry," he chuckles. "What are you doing over there?"

He takes a few steps towards me, looking at me curiously.

"Uh, research," I lie, clearing my throat.

Niall stands in front of the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're a terrible liar, Harry."

I scoff at him, rolling my eyes and crossing my hands in front of me. "I found out I have a new teaching assistant," I admit.

His brows perk up as he sits in the dark blue, cushioned chair across from me. "Oh?"

"It's an old friend, actually," I chuckle sadly. "Anastasia."

"Anastasia, huh?" He repeats, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Now, was she just a friend or..."

"It's not like that," I grumble. "We were best friends in high school. I guess we sort of drifted apart in our freshman year of college."

Drifted apart is an understatement. She flat out told me she couldn't be my friend anymore, with no explanation. After that, she wouldn't answer my calls or texts. I still don't know why.

"That's good then, isn't it?" He presses. "Now you can reconnect."

"I guess," I murmur, looking down at my rings as I fiddle with them. "It feels weird. She asked if I wanted to get drinks with her tonight."

"And you said yes, right?"

I pull my lips to the side, keeping my head down.

"You said no?" He questions, furrowing his brows.

"She's my teaching assistant," I explain. "It would be inappropriate."

He shakes his head at me, chuckling softly. "Maybe she is now, but she was your friend first. Plus, it's only drinks. It's not like you're taking her back to your place to-"

"Niall," I stop him, holding my hand up.

"I'm just messing around," he laughs, standing up from his seat. "Look, it's okay for you to be friends with her, just give her another chance."

I sigh heavily, nodding slowly. "You're right. We're friends, that's all."

~~~~~

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