In My Dreams

Chapter 7

Yet again, Mr. Franz was a no show.

   Waiting for my professor of three years to waddle into the room was like waiting for a toaster to pop.
Most of us had our phones out, but I couldn't get my mind off of last night no matter how hard I tried, all of my questions bounced around in my head and resulted in a migraine.
Sarah could tell something was off before I left the dorm, but decided to give me some space. She didn't even bother asking for the date, and something about that made me feel even more dejected.

After a long while of waiting, I was just about to send another glance at the clock when the door opened and a tall figure slipped inside, leafing through a bundle of papers.
   If it weren't for my alarmingly low energy state, I would've screamed and ran straight out of the class, because where Mr.Franz once stood was no other than the man from last night.

Ugeene.

Picking my jaw up from the floor, I slid lower into my seat.

"Good morning, my apologies for being so late" the moment that womanizer smile flashed on his lips, he had even the guys nodding mindlessly.

"You can all refer to me by Mr.K, I'll be subbing for Mr. Franz until he recovers"

This raised some questions. Mr. Franz had been my Phycology professor for three years almost, and although I didn't stop and talk to him much, he brought a certain comfort everywhere he went.
But with Mr.K, there was no comfort. He was all eye candy and had women shifting in their seats just from the sound of his voice.
Alas, someone spoke up, Blythe.

"What happened to Professor Franz? I didn't hear anything about this on the campus page?"
The worry was clear with his voice and I couldn't blame him, even in such a short time, Mr. Franz was capable of becoming a source of comfort for him.
I knew exactly how that felt.

"He had to have back surgery, but I'm sure he'll recover fast, he's a fiery old man" he chuckled and a few of my classmates did as well. It was true, he was intense, but his intentions were pure.
Unlike Mr.K.

Something about him felt off. He had managed to weasel his way into my dreams last night, and not only answered my questions but also defied what I wanted to happen.

His eyes traveled up the rows of students and landed on mine, a knowing grin pulling at his lips.
"Neiva"

I sunk even deeper into my seat, glancing around for anyone else that would by any chance be named Neiva other than me.

"Would you help me pass out these papers?"

His eyes locked onto mine like a hawk and I just wanted to melt into my chair and never reform again, slowly pulling myself out of my seat and descending the steps.
"I'll play a video for the remainder of class, just fill in all the questions and hand it in before you leave"

The closer I got to him, the more he towered over me. He couldn't possibly be less that 6'0, and as someone who's fairly tall myself, I'm never usually shocked by height. I didn't get a chance to properly assess his height the first few times we met, whether in a grocery store or almost being hit by his car.

"Thank you, Neiva" My name kept rolling off his tongue as if he was practicing it.
I smiled briefly and ducked my head the moment heat started to fill my cheeks, taking the papers from his hands.
My fingers briefly brushed against his and he pulled his hand away as if I had burned him, shoving it into his pocket.