I sighed in frustration, rolling over and staring at the ceiling. Why can't I just sleep? My mind kept racing, running in circles around thoughts of Professor Elsher. Every little thing about him, the way he spoke, the way he smiled, the way his eyes looked when they met mine. It was like I couldn't escape it.
Noa, stop it, I told myself. This is ridiculous.
But deep down, I knew I was lying to myself. I didn't want to stop thinking about him.
I grabbed my phone again, unable to resist. I opened Joshua's message and smiled at it, reading his words over and over. It felt like my heart was doing a little happy dance each time I saw his name.
Without thinking, I clicked on his contact and changed his name from "Professor Elsher" to "Professor Cutie <3." I chuckled to myself, feeling a little ridiculous, but I couldn't stop. It felt fun, playful, like I was giving in to something I wasn't quite ready to admit.
I stared at the screen, smiling even more as his new contact name popped up. What the hell am I doing? I thought, but the smile didn't fade. I was caught in the moment, and honestly, it felt nice to indulge in the feelings, even if I wasn't fully ready to face them.
I suddenly jolted awake, my alarm clock blaring in my ears. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the fog in my head, realizing I had no idea when I fell asleep. Just moments ago, it felt like I was tossing and turning, unable to drift off, and yet here I was, waking up as if I had been out for hours.
I let out a sigh, feeling the weight of sleep still lingering in my mind. Great, I thought. Now I'm going to be tired all day.
The bed felt too comfortable, but I knew I couldn't stay here any longer. With a groan, I forced myself out of the sheets, trying to shake off the haze in my mind as I prepared for the day ahead.
I went through my usual morning routine, the quiet rhythm of getting ready feeling almost automatic. As I glanced out the window, the sun was starting to shine brighter, its warmth slowly beginning to cut through the cool morning air. The weather was finally showing signs of getting better, and the thought of the cool breeze turning into something more comfortable made me smile.
Deciding it was time to switch things up, I opted for a thinner coat today, one that would keep me just warm enough without making me feel too stifled. I grabbed it from the closet and slipped it on, feeling ready to face the day with a little more freedom. With a final check in the mirror, I felt prepared to take on whatever the day had in store.
As usual, I quickly bid my goodbyes to my parents, the familiar rhythm of our morning routine comforting in its consistency. I grabbed my bag, making sure everything was in place, and walked out the door. The drive to school was quiet, my thoughts already drifting toward the day ahead.
John, as always, was ready to take me to school. He greeted me with a smile as he opened the car door. I gave him a small nod, thankful for his presence, before sliding into the passenger seat.
The ride was uneventful, but my mind kept drifting back to Professor Elsher... how could it not, after all that had happened? I quickly shook the thought away as I saw the gates of Stanford come into view, reminding myself that today was another day, and I had to focus on the here and now.
As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw Samantha standing by the entrance, her arms crossed and a mischievous smile on her face. She always seemed to be waiting for me, no matter what time I arrived.
"Hey, rich girl," she teased, her tone light but knowing. "You ready for today?"
I couldn't help but smile back, though my mind was still partially caught up in everything else. "You know it," I said, trying to keep my tone casual.
She raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? You look like you're somewhere else."
I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. "I'm fine, just... a little tired, I guess."
Samantha gave me a knowing look, but she didn't push it. "Come on, let's get to class. I swear, if you zone out again during lecture, I might just throw something at you."
I laughed lightly, appreciating her attempt to keep things normal. "I won't. Promise." We walked toward the entrance together, the usual morning buzz of students filling the air around us.
I glanced at Samantha, a little lost in thought, and asked, "Who's our professor today?"
She shot me a teasing look, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. "Duh, your lover," she said, her voice dripping with playful sarcasm.
My eyes widened instantly. "What?!" I gasped, trying to hide the heat rushing to my cheeks.
She let out a dramatic sigh. "You know, Professor Elsher, Noa. The one you can't stop thinking about lately." She waggled her eyebrows in an exaggerated manner.
"Shut up," I muttered, feeling embarrassed. I could feel my face flush deeper, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me squirm.
Samantha laughed softly, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Don't worry, girl. It's written all over your face. You've got it bad."
I rolled my eyes, trying to act unaffected, though the flutter in my stomach told me otherwise. "Stop teasing me. You're impossible."
"You love it," she said, grinning ear to ear as we walked toward the classroom.
I shook my head, secretly hoping she was wrong. "Let's just get to class."
Samantha gave me a knowing look, her grin widening. "Oh, I will. But don't think you can hide it from me. You're totally into him."
I rolled my eyes again, but inside, I was anything but calm. My heart was racing, and the last thing I wanted was for her to see how true her words were.
As we reached the door to our classroom, she added, "Just so you know, I saw the way you looked at him last class. And the way you acted after he called you up... you were glowing, Noa. It was so obvious."
"Seriously?" I asked, my voice a bit too high-pitched. "You're imagining things."
She didn't miss a beat. "Am I? Or are you just too scared to admit it?"
I opened the door, trying to ignore her teasing, though it was hard to shake the nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I didn't want to think about Professor Elsher this way. I was still in denial, wasn't I? I couldn't possibly be into him.
But then, as soon as I stepped into the room, I saw him at the front, casually standing with his usual calm aura. The way he looked today... just as perfect as always. His sharp features and effortless style made my heart skip a beat.
"God, you're not helping, Samantha," I muttered, feeling her eyes on me.
"Just admit it," she whispered, "I can tell you're already hooked."
I sighed, and as much as I tried to focus on the lecture starting, my mind wandered back to him. His voice, his smile, his presence... it was like a constant hum in my head.
"Good morning, everyone," Professor Elsher said, his voice smooth and steady as usual. "As I mentioned in my email, we'll be having a long quiz today. So, that means everyone will need to surrender their devices here on my desk. Please, kindly place them here before we begin."
I sighed inwardly, gathering my phone, iPad, and smartwatch. As I stood up, I felt a nervous flutter in my chest. I knew I had to hand my things over, but being so close to him again made it harder to focus.
I joined the line and, as I neared his desk, I couldn't help but avoid looking directly at him. His presence was too distracting... his eyes, his voice, everything about him had me in a trance.
I quickly placed my devices on his desk, trying to act as normal as possible, and then hastily made my way back to my seat. My heart was still racing, though I couldn't tell if it was from the quiz or something else entirely.
"No worries," Professor Elsher said with a small smile, his eyes sweeping over the class. "After the quiz, you're all dismissed. So, focus up."
The way he spoke, the calmness in his tone... it almost made me forget the tension I was feeling. Almost.
As everyone surrendered their devices, Professor Elsher stood up from his desk and began handing out the test questionnaires. It was definitely a long quiz, but as I started scanning the questions, a confident smile crept onto my face.
I can ace this, I thought to myself.
"You can begin answering now," he announced, his voice calm yet authoritative. "Once you're done, you can come up to retrieve your devices and leave. Best of luck, everyone. And always remember..."
He paused, letting his words linger in the air as we all focused on our papers. I could feel his gaze briefly sweeping over the room, his presence still as commanding as ever.
"...Your integrity is just as important as your knowledge," he finished with a knowing look.
I nodded to myself, feeling a strange sense of reassurance from his words. With that, I got to work, diving into the quiz with determination. I was ready to prove myself.
I finished the questionnaire in just 15 minutes, the questions feeling almost too easy. As I stood up to hand in my paper, I noticed everyone's eyes on me, as if they couldn't believe I had finished so quickly. But then, I caught Professor Elsher's gaze. His expression told me everything, like he knew I could do it. It was a look of quiet approval, and I couldn't help but feel a flutter of pride.
I walked towards his desk, my steps a little faster than usual as my heart pounded in my chest. When I reached his desk, his smile was there again, that knowing, confident smile that made me feel like I was under his scrutiny, but in a way that somehow felt comforting.
"I knew you could do it," his eyes seemed to say.
I handed him my quiz paper, and he gestured for me to take my devices. My hands felt slightly shaky as I grabbed my iPad, and smartwatch. "Thank you, Professor," I said quickly, my voice a little too rushed, trying to get away before I said anything else that might make me seem more flustered than I already was.
He nodded, a slight smile still playing at the corners of his lips. I turned to leave, but couldn't shake the feeling that his eyes were on me the entire time.
I waited outside the classroom for Samantha, leaning against the wall. As soon as she walked out, I noticed almost everyone else following behind her. Looks like the quiz was finally over.
She stretched her arms lazily and sighed. "So, where are we heading now?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. You think."
Her eyes lit up. "Coffee?"
I paused, pretending to think about it, but deep down, I knew I needed caffeine. "Hmm… yeah, okay. Let's go."
With that, we started walking toward our favorite café, the sound of students chattering around us blending into the background.
As we walked toward the café, Samantha was rambling about how ridiculously long the quiz was. I nodded along, only half-listening, my mind still somewhat distracted.
"Ugh, I swear, my brain shut down halfway through. How the hell did you finish so fast?" she groaned.
I smirked. "Maybe you just need to study more, Sam."
She gasped dramatically. "Wow. Rude."
I chuckled, shaking my head. As we neared the café, I instinctively reached into my coat pocket, searching for my phone. My hand met nothing but fabric. I frowned and patted my other pockets. Still nothing.
Confused, I stopped walking.
"What's wrong?" Samantha asked, noticing my sudden halt.
"My phone… I can't find it." I muttered, rummaging through my bag now, growing more panicked by the second.
Samantha blinked at me. "Did you leave it somewhere?"
And then it hit me.
Oh. My. God.
I never took it back from Professor Elsher's desk.
As soon as I realized what I had done, panic shot through me like lightning.
Oh. My. God. No, no, no.
Without thinking twice, I turned on my heels and sprinted back to the classroom, silently praying that Professor Elsher had already left or, at the very least, that he hadn't touched my phone.
By the time I reached the door, I was gasping for air, my heart pounding in my chest. I hesitated for a second before pushing it open.
And there he was.
Professor Elsher sat at his desk, leaning back in his chair, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.
And in his hand?
My phone.
Fuck.
"You forgot something, Miss Schmid," he said, casually holding it up.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my face neutral. "Oh. Uh... yeah. I... um... I just realized."
He arched an eyebrow, still smirking. "I was about to send you a message, but then I saw your… unique contact name for me."
My entire body froze.
No. No. No.
He saw it.
He fucking saw it.
Professor Cutie.
Kill me now.
I let out a nervous laugh, desperately trying to think of an excuse... any excuse. But my mind was blank. Completely, utterly blank.
Professor Elsher tilted his head, his smirk growing as he spun my phone lazily between his fingers. "Professor Cutie, huh?"
I felt my soul leave my body.
"That's… that's a typo," I blurted out, waving my hands. "It was supposed to be 'Professor Elsher.'"
He let out a low chuckle. "Oh? And how exactly does 'Elsher' autocorrect to 'Cutie'?"
Shit.
I opened my mouth, then closed it. No explanation in the world could save me now.
"I mean…" I cleared my throat. "You know how autocorrect works. It just... uh... has a mind of its own sometimes?"
He nodded slowly, clearly enjoying my misery. "Mmm. I see. So, should I expect more… flattering typos in the future?"
"Absolutely not." I grabbed my phone from his hand as quickly as possible, clutching it to my chest like it was my last lifeline. "In fact, I'll change it back right now."
He chuckled again, watching me with that amused glint in his eyes. "No need to. I think it suits me."
I nearly choked. "Excuse me?"
He stood up, gathering his things, and started walking past me, but not before leaning in slightly and lowering his voice just enough to send a shiver down my spine.
"I'll see you Saturday, Miss Schmid," he murmured, still smirking. "And don't worry, I'll try my best to live up to my new title."
And with that, he walked out, leaving me standing there, phone in hand, face burning, and heart doing somersaults in my chest.
What the hell just happened?
Professor Elsher stopped just before exiting the room, turning slightly to glance at me over his shoulder. His smirk hadn't faded... not even a little.
"By the way, Miss Noa Ysabelle Schmid," he said smoothly, his voice laced with amusement. "We lawyers don't make that kind of lame excuse."
I stood there, completely frozen, gripping my phone like it was the only thing keeping me upright.
"I... I wasn't making an excuse," I stammered, trying to save what little dignity I had left. "It was just..."
"Autocorrect?" he finished for me, raising a brow.
I pressed my lips together, glaring at him. "Exactly."
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Mmm. Sure. Let's go with that."
Then, without another word, he finally walked out, leaving me standing there, feeling like I had just lost a very crucial case in the most embarrassing way possible.
I groaned, covering my face with my hands.
I was never living this down.