Selene's POV
Friday arrived a bit slow. I hadn't set foot in the lecture hall since the accident that left my hand branded with chemical burn. We normally didn't have sessions on Wednesday, and I skipped Thursday too as I was still nursing the burn on my hand.
My phone buzzed constantly with messages from friends. Some friends visited. Others just sent texts. But all I could think about was him, Dr. Lucian, and the way his gaze had drifted, just for a second, toward my chest before darting back up with that unreadable, slightly guilty expression. It played on repeat in my mind like a scene from a forbidden romance. I wanted to see him again. Badly. But this damn injury was getting in the way.
Drey had been texting me. Always checking in.
"You good, Selene?"
"Don't forget to eat."
"Let me know if you need anything, really."
That bad-boy kindness, totally my usual type
Freya, on the other hand… I hadn't responded to a single one of her messages.
"I'm sorry, please respond."
"Are you okay?"
"Can I visit you?"
I wasn't ready for drama. Not hers. Not anyone's. I needed space, clarity. The only thing I'd managed to do was compiling that list of class names Dr. Lucian had requested, a task I'd approached with embarrassing thoroughness.
⸻
After Friday's class, I stepped into the hallway, deliberately ignoring Lily's worried stares. She was probably too scared to approach me anyway, and Drey had missed class entirely, probably off doing whatever bad boys do when they're not being annoyingly charming.
I'd barely made it three steps when a voice called out, "Hey, pretty girl!"
I blinked, unsure if they were talking to me. I turned toward the voice.
A girl with short black hair, streaked with violet, was striding toward me. Confident. Cool. She wore denim shorts, a varsity jacket slung off one shoulder, and high-top sneakers that gave her an athletic, tomboyish vibe.
"Hi. I'm Maya," she said with a quick smile, stopping just short of me. "Heard you're Dr. Lucian's course rep."
"You in his class?" I asked, slightly guarded.
"Nah." She waved dismissively, like chemistry was beneath her. Then she reached into her bag and produced a cream-colored envelope, expensive-looking paper that caught the hallway's fluorescent light. "Could you do me a massive favor and give this to him?"
I stared at the envelope like it might bite me. "Why me?"
"His office door's been locked since yesterday, and the man's like a ghost, impossible to track down. But you're his course rep, right? I figured you'd have better luck getting to him."
"Allllright," I said slowly, taking the envelope with obvious reluctance. The paper felt thick.
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver." Her grin widened. "And don't worry, it's not a love letter or anything dramatic. I owe you one." She smiled genuinely and turned to leave.
'She seems cool,' I thought, resuming my walk. I looked down at the envelope in my hand. 'I wonder what's in the envelope?'. With a shrug, I slipped it into my bag.
⸻
Standing outside Dr. Lucian's office, my hand trembled slightly as I knocked gently.
Silence.
I waited, counting heartbeats, before pushing the door open to peer inside. It wasn't locked, never had been any time I'd come, except for that one time I thought he'd trapped me inside.
He was there.
Sitting on the edge of his desk in a pose that was devastatingly casual yet somehow predatory. One leg drawn up, the other planted firmly on the floor, a thick textbook balanced in his hands. His black dress shirt was rolled up, revealing his forearms, and the afternoon sunlight streaming through his window turned his dark hair almost bronze.
When his gaze lifted to meet mine, I literally forgot how to breathe.
Those eyes. God, those eyes could kill.
I closed the door behind me before I could think too hard about it and crossed the room toward him.
"Here's the list you asked for," I said, placing the paper on his desk. My manners had completely abandoned me as always. No greeting, no respectful 'Professor' or acknowledgment of hierarchy. Just me, standing in his office like I belonged there.
"I see you've accepted your duties as my course rep." His lips curved into a small, amused smile that made my stomach flip.
I rolled my eyes. Just a little. Maybe he noticed, maybe he didn't.
"And—" I added quickly, "someone gave me this for you." I pulled the envelope from my bag and held it out.
His brow arched slightly. "Who?"
"I don't know. Some girl."
He hesitated, then took it from me. As his eyes landed on whatever was written on the front, something passed over his expression. For just an instant, his features softened. His lips twitched into a faint, private smile, so small I almost missed it. But in that moment, he looked… human, instead of like some untouchable academic god.
Could it be his girlfriend? Someone special to him? Curiosity gnawed at me
He looked at me again, and the warmth disappeared.
"How are you feeling?"
The question caught me off guard. "Wha—?" I blinked, stunned that he even asked. "I'm… oka—"
Before I could finish, he reached for my hand, the injured one, with gentleness.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist, not painful but absolutely firm, and his gaze dropped to examine the healing burn it was still red, barely healing. As he studied the wound, something dark passed over his features. Anger. Sadness?
"You'll sit with Alfred in the lab from now on," he said, his voice low. More like a command than a suggestion.
I stiffened. "I don't need you to tell me what's right for me."
I tried to pull away, but his grip didn't loosen. Instead, he gave the lightest tug, barely anything, and I was pulled a step closer, my chest brushing against his. My heart kicked hard in my chest. He was strong. Effortlessly strong, like he could break me without even trying.
This close, I could see the gold threads swirling through his amber eyes. My breath caught in my throat. It felt like being trapped in some fairytale with a dangerously handsome prince who might just as easily save me or devour me.
He looked at me like he could see straight through to my soul, while his thumb traced gentle circles over the back of my hand. His touch sent shockwaves through my entire system. I was trembling, just slightly, but I knew he could tell. One thing about older men: they notice everything.
What is he doing? What is he thinking? Because all I could think about was tangling my fingers in his hair and letting him consume every inch of me.
And then, a knock came in.
I jerked bakward like I'd been caught doing something I shouldn't.
The door creaked open and Austin stepped in, blinking in surprise at the scene.
Dr. Lucian released my hand immediately, but the ghost of his touch lingered on my skin like a brand that would never fade.
"Selene," Austin said, then bowed his head respectfully toward the professor. "You good?" he asked quietly.
I nodded with my most sarcastic smile and turned toward the door. Students like Austin and Alfred, always the professor's favorites with their geek tendencies and perfect grades. Such weirdos.