The email comes at 2:47 PM.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Office Hours
Miss Lane,
I need to cancel our 4 PM meeting. Upon reflection, I think it's best if we maintain more distance. What happened in class today cannot happen again.
We'll discuss your research progress via email going forward.
Professor Parker
I stare at my phone.
Professor Parker. Not EP. Not even Ethan when we're alone.
He's pulling back. Creating distance. Doing the smart thing.
The right thing.
I should feel relieved.
Instead, I feel hollow.
The late afternoon sun streams through our dorm window, casting long shadows across the worn carpet. Riley's plants line the windowsill, their leaves catching the golden light. Outside, I can hear the distant sounds of campus life: someone's speaker playing music, the squeak of bicycle brakes, voices carrying across the quad. The whole world continues like nothing's changed.
I type back: Understood. I'll email my progress reports.
Hit send.
