The Professor's Girl (18+)

Episode20

Emerald

I walk into class feeling extremely exhausted. My eyes refused to open this morning because of my sleep deprivation; Kai kept me up for half the night just talking. Don't get me wrong, I definitely wanted to talk to him, but I just don't handle staying up late well. I even had to put on extra concealer to hide my dark circles. Honestly, I should never be allowed to stay up until three in the morning because it's simply too draining.

Apparently, I'm not the only one that's exhausted because Kai shows up to class 12 minutes late. He's holding a large mug filled with black coffee, and it makes my stomach growl. I didn't get the chance to eat breakfast this morning because I had to rush out the door. Embarrassingly, Kai hears it and his eyes meet mine. I see a smile lift the edges of his lips. "Good morning," he says, his voice low.

"Morning," I mumble, yawning.

Most of class goes by with me staying silent instead of answering questions. My brain is simply too tired to function. Fortunately, Kai doesn't seem interested in pushing me on my lack of engagement. I hold a hand up to my mouth to keep from yawning for the millionth time. Luckily for me, Kai chooses to end class early at that moment.

He tells us that we can go as soon as he hands us our quizzes from the week before. I wait patiently for him to hand me mine, and it seems like he's going to give my quiz to me last. He probably wants to talk, and he is using the quiz as an excuse to get me to stay.

My suspicion is right—I am the last one to receive my quiz, and when he hands it to me the classroom is empty. I put the quiz into a folder, yawning again.

"Sorry for keeping you up late," he says.

I smile at him. "Don't be. I wanted to talk to you. I just didn't have time to make coffee before I ran out the door because I woke up late this morning. And I can't function without my morning coffee on a good day."

"Do you want some of my coffee?" He holds out his mug to me, and I look at him apprehensively. Is this wrong? I mean, it's only a sip. Granted, I would never take a sip from any other professor's coffee, but Kai has never just been a professor to me as much as I try to deny it in my head. It's just coffee, right?

I reach out for the mug, taking a small sip. Then I hand it back to him, but he stops me. "You can have more. I have plenty in my office."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," he says. "So what are your weekend plans? Anything exciting happening?"

"Chester didn't tell you?" I ask.

He looks at me with confusion. "Chester? What's going on with him?"

"He and I are road tripping to the beach. I wanted some time to unwind, and Chester told me he's been feeling lonely. We made plans to hang out all weekend at my mom's friend's beach house."

~~~
Kai

I fight down the surge of jealousy that spikes through me. Chester and Emma are hanging out without me? I suppose Emma and I talked about keeping distance between us, but it's painful to know that she's spending so much time with my brother. She should be spending that time with me.

Instead, a tight smile stretches across my face. "That's great. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun."

"I'm excited," she says, completely oblivious to my pain.

I watch the way she grabs her backpack and slings it over her shoulder. She hands me back my mug, and I notice a pale pink ring of lipstick where her mouth was. I didn't even realize she was wearing lipstick. It makes me wonder what she would taste like if I kissed her.

"Kai?" She breaks me out of my reverie.

"What was that?" I ask her, trying to think of anything but the feeling of her lips against mine.

"I asked if you had any plans."

"Just spending time with Ellie. Not much else going on."

"Aw, I'm sure she'll be excited to spend time with you. She's with your ex this next week, right?"

I nod my head. "Yeah, Sadie has her for the next week."

There's a pause for a moment; it looks like Emma wants to say more. For some reason, she closes her mouth and holds back. I want to press her to keep going, but I don't.

"Anyway, I should get going. I have to go to work."

"Where do you work?"

"The Small Bookshop Cafe just outside of town. I recently got a job there. I'm kind of regretting getting the job because I should be studying for my MCAT, but I can't quit now."

"Sure you can—you just started. It's the best time to quit."

She laughs. "Okay Kai." Emma waves goodbye, and I watch the door swing shut as she leaves the classroom. I gather my things and head to my office, doing my best to concentrate on my work. I can't keep focusing on Emma, otherwise I'll never get any work done.

Maybe I should go out on a date and distract myself. I could meet someone that actually is available and move on. Then I wouldn't have to be so hung up over Emma. Besides, she and I decided that it would be best if we didn't date, so it's not like I'm doing anything wrong. I'm single.

Maybe it's time to put myself out there again. I sigh, downloading Tinder onto my phone. Here goes nothing.