my professor, my obsession || cillian murphy

chapter twenty five

My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of shock and anxiety seizing me as I watched Hailey's mischievous grin widen. Her laughter sliced through the air, taunting me as she held up my ringing phone like a trophy. I struggled to grabbed it from her, but Hailey seemed intent on keeping my phone just out of reach.

"Please, Hailey, give it back," I implored, the desperation in my voice betraying the fear that clenched at my insides. The last thing I wanted was for them to hear his voice, to realize just how much older he sounded. 

Her laughter echoed around me, a cruel sound that only worsened the pounding in my head from the alcohol. With trembling hands, I made another futile grab for my phone, only to lose my balance and tumble to the floor. The humiliation of my fall mirrored the shame of that dreadful night on the street, the memories threatening to overwhelm me in the moment.

"He's the one, isn't he?" Hailey teased, her tone laced with amusement as she continued to dangle my phone just beyond my reach. "The guy you told me about in the car?"

"No, it's not," I insisted, scrambling to right myself even as panic surged through me, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Just give it back!"

But Hailey wasn't swayed, her laughter persisting as she remained firmly in possession of my phone. With a sinking feeling, I realized that denying it was pointless; she had already made up her mind. And before I could stop her, she answered the call, the speakerphone activating, sealing my fate.

The air seemed to thicken as his voice sliced through the atmosphere, every syllable dripping with familiarity and consequence. "Clementine?"

His call pierced through the haze of laughter and music, a chilling reminder of reality that jolted me to sobriety. The room fell into a sudden silence, the weight of his name hanging heavy in the air like a looming storm cloud. In that moment, dread clawed its way up my spine, cold and insistent.

Without a moment's hesitation, I finally got up and, propelled by a surge of panicked determination, snatched my phone from Hailey's grip. I hurriedly ended the call, and the silence that followed deafened in its intensity. It was as if the world had collectively held its breath, waiting for the fallout. With a shaking hand, I powered off my phone and stuffed it into my back pocket, as if hiding it there could erase everything that had just happened. 

Reluctantly, I forced myself to meet the gazes of the others, knowing that I had just exposed myself in the most humiliating way. The realization that everyone had heard Cillian's voice burned hot with embarrassment, staining my cheeks crimson.

"Damn, Clem," Nick's voice cut through the tension, a hint of amusement lacing his words, "who was that?"

"It was no one," I lied, the words tasting bitter on my tongue as I struggled to maintain composure. My eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for an escape route, for any way to salvage what remained of my dignity. "Um, I should probably go now—" My voice trailed off weakly, trailing off into nothingness along with my pride.

As if the situation wasn't already unbearable enough, Hailey's voice cut through the tense silence, dripping with mischief and a hint of malice. "Oh, come on, Clem. You can't just leave us hanging like that." Her words hung in the air like a challenge Every pair of eyes in the room felt like a spotlight, illuminating my discomfort.

My mind raced, desperately grasping for a plausible excuse to deflect their curiosity, but I found myself paralyzed by the suffocating pressure of the moment. I was speechless. 

"Was that supposed to be your boyfriend?" Gwen asked in an almost condescending tone. 

"It's none of your business," I snapped, the sharpness of my tone cutting through the air like a knife. The words left my mouth before I could censor them, laced with frustration and a hint of panic.