Forbidden || Theo James

three / unexpected

(word count:872)

It was a pleasant night walk, the weather was nice despite the breeze, but Theo's leather jacket kept me warm. It was a little big on me, but comforting. He walked me to what I pretended was my home, stopping a couple of blocks short of my actual dorm for safety.

"This is me," I said as we arrived at a random apartment building.

"Oh," he replied, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well, tonight was...a night. I loved it."

"So did I," I said, smiling before giving him a slow, gentle kiss on the lips. "Good night, Theo," I whispered.

He smiled back and then turned to leave. I watched him go for a moment before heading to my real dorm. As soon as I walked in, I kicked off my heels and made a beeline for the shower. Fifteen minutes later, I was ready for bed. I decided to check on Anne and found her still up in her room.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Where is my Rose and who are you? Her evil twin?!" she teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

I rolled my eyes and sat next to her. "How was your night?"

"Well, Brian... Brian is great. I guess we're serious," she said, hiding her blush behind her hands.

"That's great!" I said, genuinely happy for her as I hugged her.

"What about you? And sorry for leaving you... not a good girlfriend."

"That's okay, Anne," I reassured her. "Well, I met this guy. He was amazing, but I forgot to give him my number or Insta."

"Ooooooo, wow! So, how was he in bed?"

"Who said anything about that? We just made out, and that's all," I said, laughing.

"Well, that's lame if the guy was that good—" She stopped mid-sentence and focused on the TV. "Sorry, I just love this movie. Anyway, why wouldn't you sleep with him?"

"Well, the kiss we had was so intimate... but I guess I wasn't ready."

She wrapped her right arm around me as we continued watching the TV. I focused on the movie for a few minutes, trying to relax.

"Oh. My. God."

"Rosie, I know he is hot, but I never thought you would react like that."

"No, Anne... it's him. That was my guy."

She turned to me, eyes wide. "Wait, Theo James?"

I nodded, feeling a mixture of excitement and disbelief. "Yeah, it's him. I can't believe it either."

Anne's jaw dropped. "If you're telling the truth and you're not delulu, then... well, you better find a way to see him again."

I laughed, the reality of the night starting to sink in.

We sat together, the movie playing in the background, both of us lost in thoughts about the unexpected turns our nights had taken.

The weekend flew by. I slept in most of Saturday, trying to catch up on rest, and spent all of Sunday buried in university assignments. But no matter what I did, my thoughts kept drifting back to Theo. How could I not have noticed it was him?

Still, it didn't really matter because I hadn't had such an encounter with anyone in a long time. Friday night had left a mark on me, and I couldn't get it out of my head. I felt a whirlwind of emotions, and now, looking back, I couldn't understand how I had lived these four years without feeling anything close to what I experienced that night.

Monday came, and as I walked across the Oxford campus, I was heading to my literature class. I was excited because today's class was special because we had a guest professor. I walked into the huge lecture room and sat in the third row. I got my laptop out of my bag as well as my notebook and a pen waiting for the lecture to start.

I was nervous, fearing that my personal life might interfere with my studies. But I reassured myself that it wouldn't matter because I probably wouldn't see him again. However, as I sat in class waiting for it to start, my mind wandered back to Friday night, and I couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope.

After waiting for twenty minutes, all the students had arrived, and the door finally opened. The professor walked in, and my heart skipped a beat.

"No way," I mumbled, catching his gaze.

It was Theo. He looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as we locked eyes. I quickly looked down at my notebook, my heart racing. How was it possible that the man I had spent such an unforgettable night with was now standing in front of me as my professor?

Theo cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Good morning, everyone. I'm Professor James, and I'll be teaching this course."

His voice, so familiar and yet so different in this setting, made my pulse quicken. I could feel his eyes on me, but I tried to focus on my notes, pretending not to notice. The room was filled with the usual first-day-of-class chatter, but all I could think about was our encounter.

As he began the lecture, I found it hard to concentrate. Every now and then, I would catch him glancing my way, and I wondered if he was as distracted as I was. How were we supposed to navigate this? 

______

Tbh wish i was Rosie. What are your thoughts? let me know in the comments!

- fallen angel