My Dark Scientist

51| Magnus

E L L O R A

“Who is Magnus, professor?”

He stares at me unblinkingly. 

Then he sighs. “Is this why I waste my time making questions to occupy your time here with something productive, only so you can waste your time instead snooping around and digging your nose in irrelevant things?” 

“I wasn't snooping-”

“You tell me. You needed Austen's Emma, to solve the problems I gave you?” 

I shut my mouth close as if someone dropped a bucket full of ice water on me. 

“E-emma?” 

“You've not quite hidden it well under the pillow, my little siren. And neither are you a silent walker. I could hear you rustling in the library from five feet away from the door.” 

Can the earth swallow me whole, please?

I try to play nonchalant. “Yeah, so what? I was searching for some reference books.” 

Can I get any more lame.

“Both of us know you were not there for reference books Ellora.” He says as his fingers open the first two buttons of his shirts. “I don't have the time to waste, get back on topic.”

“You didn't answer my question, professor.” 

He opens a second button on his shirt. “Get the work done, and I might.” He says casually, like he isn't surprised by the fact that I know the name. 

Like he knew I know. 

“You know I'm not the five year old kid you keep treating me as.” I mutter. 

He says something under his breath which very much sounds like, “Oh trust me, I know.” 

I have to choose my battles if I want to win the war. 

So I don't press the matter further and get back to discussing physics. 

Some twenty, twenty-five minutes later, he demands without looking up from the notebook he was checking, “Pass me the book on neutrons.” 

I look up with scrunched brows from the problem I was working on, as my eyes search the bed for the book in question. 

My eyes land on it right beside him under a few more books. “Its beside you, professor.” 

He probably doesn't hear me, or doesn't care as he continues working out the calculation he is currently working on without even looking up. 

“The book is literally beside you.” 

Again, he doesn't even look up. 

Taking a deep breath I keep down my paper, book and pen, then move all the scattered stuff from between us, making way for me to cross over. 

With the little space I've managed to create, I lean over to pick up the book. 

“What are you doing?” His deep close, to my freaking ear distracts me, and the hand supporting my body slips. 

I gasp as I tumble over him, on top of him. 

Of Course he holds me in time for me to tumble all over the bed. Or him. 

But the position I find myself in is…at best questionable. 

My arms around his neck, my body completely leaning over his, his face inches away from mine. 

I don't know why instead of moving, I start to explain myself at the moment. “Th-the book is…er, was beside…um, you…” 

He stares into my eyes- my soul, and answers in the quietly, “I could've taken it myself, Ellora. I heard you the first time.”