When She Gets Burned

Dark Part 2

Ezra sat in his cluttered office, surrounded by stacks of papers and the lingering scent of aged books. A discreet knock echoed through the room, and he smirked, assuming it was Alani, ready to sneak in for a secret rendezvous.

As he swung the door open, that smirk faltered. There stood Teresa, her eyes holding a mix of concern and suspicion. "Mind if I come in, Ezra?" she asked, her voice betraying a sense of formality.

Ezra, masking his surprise, gestured for her to enter. "Of course, Teresa. What can I do for you?"

Her gaze lingered on the dishevelled room as she responded, "No particular reason, just checking in. There've been some things said about you lately in the office."

His façade slipping, Ezra's eyes betrayed a flicker of anger and confusion. "What things?"

Teresa leaned against a cluttered desk, her expression revealing more than her words. "Casual conversations in the workplace. About you and your student."

Ezra, feigning innocence, asked, "Which student? I have many."

Her eyes bore into his, unwavering. "We both know which one."

Ezra, now fully grasping the gravity of the situation, denied it vehemently. "There's nothing going on, Teresa. Just baseless rumours."

Teresa, her scepticism evident, sighed. "I hope so, Ezra. For your sake and hers."

As she left, closing the door behind her, Ezra's eyes darkened. The weight of the rumours pressed on him, and he knew he had to confront this before it spiralled out of control. The air in his office became charged with a sense of urgency, as the city outside hummed with its own secrets, waiting to reveal the consequences of clandestine affairs. The stale air of the classroom clung to Ezra as he anxiously awaited the arrival of his students. The shuffling of feet and the murmur of voices filled the room, but his eyes were fixated on the door, anticipating Alani's entrance.

Finally, she arrived, a minute late, flanked by Owen and a new face, Elijah Kiszko. Alani's laughter resonated in the room as she shared a joke with her companions. Ezra's eyes narrowed, and a knot tightened in his stomach as he noticed Elijah leaning in, conversing with her. A surge of jealousy, raw and unbridled, coursed through him.

As the class progressed, Ezra found himself increasingly distracted, his eyes involuntarily drawn to Alani and Elijah's interactions. The material he was covering lost its significance in the shadow of his growing unease. The once-engaged professor now seemed disinterested, prompting whispers among the students.

Alani, seated at her desk, couldn't escape the growing unease in the room. People began to murmur, "What's going on with him?" Her concern mounted as she sensed the strange energy in the room. She exchanged glances with Owen, who shared her confusion.

Ezra's gaze, like a laser, found its mark on Alani. His jealousy painted his eyes with an intensity that wasn't lost on her. The class became a theatre of unspoken tensions, with students stealing glances at their distracted professor and Alani sensing the weight of his stare.

Owen, ever the observant friend, leaned into Alani, his voice barely above a whisper. "What the fuck is wrong with him?"

Alani, just as baffled, shook her head. "I don't know. He seemed fine on the phone this morning."

Owen, always ready with a quip, smirked and said, "Clearly, someone hasn't been giving him what he wants." He punctuated the statement with a playful wink.

Alani couldn't help but let out a slight laugh. "Believe me, that's not the case." But as she said those words, she realized something. Her eyes flicked to Elijah on her other side, showing her the poem, he had written earlier. It was beautiful, a masterpiece of words that painted emotions in vivid strokes.