university | lrh

04 - i don't bite

Elise Halder
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It was near the end of our next lesson from Mr. Hemmings himself that I let it slip to Cassie that I'm supposed to stay behind, again, to speak to the man in the front of the room. I don't, however, mention the back pocket fiasco, mostly because I'm not quite sure what to take from that myself.

"Are you fucking serious?" She whispered quite harshly. "I should've seen this coming," she shook her head. "Is that why you're wearing a skirt today, Lisi?" She was grinning and pointing to the white, buttoned, denim skirt I was wearing, and I was quick to respond in confusion.

"What? Why would I do that? What does that have to do with-"

"Easier access." She spoke with no hesitation.

"Oh my god-" I momentarily forgot where I was and spoke a little too loud before I put a hand up to my mouth. It was too late, I already felt his eyes on me.

"Are you finished, Miss Halder?" His head was slightly tilted and he looked at me sternly.

After cursing myself out in my head for much too long, I nodded my head rapidly and tried to form a string of words to make out an actual response. "Yes, I-" I stopped when I realized making excuses was pointless and let out a small sigh. "-sorry, Mr. Hemmings." I finished and winced with my bottom lip caught between my teeth.

He didn't respond, only nodded curtly after glancing lower on my face for a small second and blinking blankly at me. When he finally turned to continue his lecture, I let out a breath of relief at the loss of attention.

And now, as we sit alone at his desk, I can't help but stare at the man while he focuses intently on re-reading my introductory assignment from weeks ago. I let my eyes wander over his ashy blonde curls and his broad torso and wonder who in their right mind let a man as attractive as him be a professor. I'm studying the light stubble over his clenched jaw when I force myself to look away.

You're such a creep, I think to myself.

I can't help but fidget in my seat as I wait for him to find what he's looking for in my paper. My knee bounces unconsciously and I place my hand on my thigh to stop myself. I cross one leg over the other in hopes of keeping myself still but it becomes uncomfortable once again. I shift in my seat before uncrossing and recrossing my legs once more, before I hear an almost inaudible mumble from the man in front of me.

"Fucking hell,"

My eyes widen and I'm sure I've heard him incorrectly when I snap my head up to see his eyes looking up at me from his downturned position.

"Wha-" He doesn't let me finish.

"You move around a lot, don't you, Elise?" There's amusement in his tone but there's something else in his eyes I can't figure out. What I do know is that I'm embarrassed he's noticed me fidgeting the whole time.

I stop my movement completely and look down. "Sorry." I say quietly, unsure if he even hears me.

He does. He also doesn't wait a second before responding. "It's quite alright, Miss Halder." I look back at his face to see a faint grin on his lips. I try not to read too much into his words before sending him a small smile in return.

He clears his throat after a moment before darting his eyes back to my paper still in his hands. "I noticed you wrote a lot in here about wanting to become a writer?" His words come out as a question. "Tell me about that." He speaks softly but I hear the undertone of a demand.

I try not to cower away from his intense eyes before nodding my head and thinking of what to say. "I do, yeah, I've always wanted to," I let myself smile at the thought.