Guidance

chapter 2

Looking back on it, leia could not grasp exactly what led her to agree to the professor's terms with such little information on what was expected from her. She should have pushed for more information. Maybe it was the desperation clouding her usually calculating manner.

Even with her confusion and shock over the conversation with the professor, the girl found herself quite relieved. The professor had offered her a place to stay as well. It seemed like an easy win. She could take a step back from all the responsibilities that crowded her every waking hour. She could focus on studying now, she could go about normal college going girl activities. In a way she felt freer than she had ever felt before. It was a feeling completely unknown, the unfamiliarity was making her apprehensive to no end.

The move seemed uneventful, she had very little things that needed to be transported from her quaint dorm room to the professor's guest room. The professor's house was not overly extravagant, but it exuded an air of affluence that could only be acquired through years of interaction with the cultural elites. Everything in the house looked expensive, but in a muted way. It matched the professor's personality, leia thought to herself. Once she had settled in, her mind ran amock with uncertainty. She hadn't yet met the professor since their little talk a few days ago, the sparse communication they had had since then was all over text. The new environment, the unpredictability of the professor, the close run ins with failure- all of it seemed to be catching upto her now. Her mind felt restless confronted by the complete lack of things she could do to occupy herself.

Just as she felt like she would sink into the whirlpool of emotions brewing within her, the professor's figure materialised in the doorway. She hadn't heard her walk upto her room. HER ROOM. God this was all so bizarre.

"I hope you've settled in alright. Have you had dinner yet?" The professor surveyed the room. The girl hadn't moved much around, it looked almost completely like it did before.

Leia felt hot all of a sudden. She had no idea what she was doing here. The professor's intentions were so very unclear to her, her face betrayed no emotion whatsoever, her nonchalance unnerved leia to no end.

"Uh, no ma'am. I haven't had dinner yet. I didn't realise it had gotten so late."

"Good. I haven't eaten yet either. There are leftovers in the fridge, the box is labelled. You think you can warm them up while I freshen up."

The question felt rhetorical but leia was quick to answer anyways.

"Yes, Ma'am."

She ducked her head and went straight to the kitchen. Sharing the same air as the professor made her breatheless. There was something about her that made leia deeply uneasy. It had never been this hard for her to read another person before. Circumstances had forced her to learn as much as she coukd about a person from very little interaction. She could feel a gaping hole in her usual defenses.

The food was warm. Leia sat at the table, toying with her fork, bracing herself for the professor's return. She needed to get more information. If she played her cards right she could get the upper hand in this situation.

The professor didn't keep the girl waiting for too long. She had changed into more comfy clothing, splashed some water on her face and hurried back down to the treat that awaited her. The girl's discomfort was glaringly obvious to the professor. The control that the girl was unknowingly offering felt like a breathe of fresh air after spending years in a cellar with only putrid, stale air. The professor sat down across the girl. She went straight to eating, leaving no time for the girl's questions, no space for small talk. She knew it would put the girl on edge.

Leia, watched as the professor rolled the spaghetti around her fork. She watched as the professor brought the fork to her mouth and cleared the fork with ease. She couldnt help but fixate on the professor's nimble fingers as she worked the fork, her full lips, her languid and ever so graceful movements. Her mouth felt dry.