Chapter 20
Chiamaka walked across campus with a determination she hadn't felt in weeks. The warmth of the morning sun couldn't reach the cold knot of resolve in her chest. She needed space. She needed distance. She needed to remind herself that her relationship with Tunde—the trust, the love—was real and worth protecting.
The memory of Professor Eze's hands, his lips, the intensity of their private moments, still lingered, but she forced herself to push it aside. Not today. Not now. I can't… I won't, she whispered under her breath.
Classes passed in a blur. She stayed seated in the farthest corner of the lecture hall, avoiding his gaze when he entered, keeping her focus strictly on her notes. She answered questions quickly, volunteered sparingly, and made sure every action signaled a respectful distance.
Professor Eze noticed immediately. His dark eyes scanned the room, finally settling on her. She felt the intensity of his stare, but she refused to look back. She kept her head down, pen moving across the paper, heart hammering with a mixture of guilt and determination.
After class, she exited the hall briskly, avoiding the usual lingering in the corridors. Every step away from him felt like a small victory, yet her pulse betrayed the lingering ache, the suppressed desire that refused to die.
Tunde appeared from the opposite direction, smiling as he approached. "There you are," he said, linking his arm with hers. "You seem… more relaxed today. Happier."
Chiamaka forced a smile, hiding the turmoil inside. "Yeah… I'm just focusing on exams," she said softly.
He glanced at her, reading the subtle tension in her expression. "Exams, huh? Are you sure that's all it is?"
"I'm sure," she whispered, avoiding his gaze. She couldn't risk letting him see the storm she carried—the longing, the guilt, the temptation that still clung to her heart.
Later that evening, she returned to her hostel, determined to stay away from the office, away from him, away from the temptation that had threatened to unravel her life. She poured herself into her studies, notebooks and textbooks spread across the bed. Every calculation, every highlighted note, every scribbled diagram became her armor against the desire she knew she shouldn't feel.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Professor Eze appeared:
"You're avoiding me… but I can see it in your eyes. Desire doesn't vanish with distance."
Chiamaka's fingers trembled as she read it. She wanted to reply, to run to him, to give in… but she didn't. She typed back carefully, trying to sound composed:
"I need time… for me. Please respect that."
Minutes passed before a reply came:
"Time is only useful if you're willing to confront what you feel. I'll wait… but not forever."
Her chest tightened. He knew her too well. He could read the suppressed longing, the forbidden curiosity, and the desire she tried so hard to ignore. She realized then that keeping her distance would be harder than she imagined.
The next day, she found herself walking past the office, heart thudding in her chest. She resisted the urge to look inside, to call out, to give in. Every fiber of her being screamed for him, but she walked on, forcing herself to breathe, to think, to stay in control.
Tunde met her at the library later, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. His presence, his steady warmth, was a tether to reality. "I was hoping to see you," he said, handing her a book she needed.
"Thanks," she murmured, letting herself relax slightly in his company. She clung to this moment, to this normalcy, to the sense of stability that Professor Eze's presence had disrupted.
Yet, as the sun set and she returned to her hostel, she knew one undeniable truth: keeping her distance would be a battle—against desire, against temptation, against the magnetic pull of a man who had claimed her heart and body in ways she couldn't forget.
Her phone buzzed again, but this time she didn't open it. She sat on her bed, hugging her knees, closing her eyes, and promising herself silently: I will stay away… I have to.
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Cliffhanger: Chiamaka tries to maintain distance from Professor Eze, creating tension as she struggles with desire, guilt, and loyalty. Readers are left wondering how long she can resist before temptation overpowers her.
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