Professor

Ch. 12- Emily Laufeyson

She was going to explode, right here, today, it was a certitude. Alice shot Loki a glance, but he looked away. As she felt Emily's fingers wrapping and pressing around hers, the young girl noticed the innocent smile on her face,

''Oh !'' Emily's eyes widened, ''Since Loki won't stop talking about you, would you join us for dinner tonight ?''

What the...

Once more, Alice looked into Loki's direction, completely lost. For a moment, she could have sworn he was blushing. It was wrong, so wrong. Her rage was about to erupt, but Emily spoke again,

''I'm going to be late.'' she grabbed a package on Loki's desk, ''Will I see you tonight, Alice ?'' Emily offered her a smile as she stepped towards Loki.

God, don't kiss him. Alice internally cringed.

Coming back to his senses, Loki's eyes settled on Emily,

''I think Alice has better things to do tonight. She missed my class this morning.''

His deep, icy green gaze came back to Alice and she instantly flushed,

''I was... sick. I had a terrible weekend.''

Emily kissed Loki's cheek, causing Alice's muscles to tense. Stomach clenching, guts twisting, she was sure she was going to be sick for real this time.

''I was hoping you would tame the beast,'' Emily groaned, giving a slight punch into Loki's shoulder as she hissed, ''while I'd introduce my boyfriend to him !''

Boyfriend ?

A frown appeared on Alice's face and her eyes pounced on Loki. Either he was worse than she thought with women, or he wasn't with her at all. Emily gently placed her palm on Alice's shoulder before waving her free hand towards them, a smile across her face,

''See you tonight !''

She disappeared behind the door, leaving Alice breathless.

What the hell had just happened ?

The young girl slowly turned to face Loki who was still leaning against the wooden surface of his desk. Their gaze met and his mouth opened as he shook his head,

''I'm sorry...'' he started, the words tumbling out, ''I told her about you and... She thought... She's just...''

His self-confidence nowhere to be seen, Loki Laufeyson ran his fingers through his dark hair, releasing an anxious sigh as he looked down for a moment. Hesitantly, he then stepped towards her, the distress consuming his body so unusual Alice had to keep repeating herself why she wasn't in his arms right now.

Remember, he hurt you, he hurt you so bad.

Loki was only a few inches away from her. Electricity filled the room as he stretched out his arms to cup the sides of her face with his hands, softly pushing strands of her hair aside. Alice closed her eyes. She missed his touch, his warmth, him. His green emeralds gazed at her for a while before he managed to speak,

''Alice, I need you.'' he finally sighed.

It all came back to her mind. No. As she opened her eyes, the young girl noticed the sliver hope in his eyes and pushed his hands away,

''It's too late.'' she whispered.

''No, it's not.'' Loki panicked, placing his hands on her waist as if he was afraid to see her run away one more time, ''Don't do this, don't go.'' he pleaded, his eyes looking for hers.

Alice tried to escape his embrace and it was too hard, not because he was holding her even tighter, but because that's what she wanted, to feel his body so close.

''You did this, Loki.'' she uttered, feeling the tears coming back, ''All I wanted was to be with you, but in the end, I'm nothing to you.''

A shadow crossed his face as he tried to hold her still.

''Are you going to stop squirming like an animal ?''

''No !'' Alice yelled.

In less than a second, he abruptly pushed her against the wall, his lips instinctively crashing down on hers. Alice quietly gasped at the sensation. It was both killing her and bringing her back to life in the same breath. She tried to shut her mouth, but Loki wouldn't allow it. Alice couldn't help it. She parted her lips for him, letting his tongue slip inside and tangle with her own. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, she pulled him closer while Loki's fingertips ran and burnt against her ribs.

Alice wanted to protest, to make him feel how he'd made her feel, however, a single look to his desperate eyes stopped her as she broke the kiss.

''It's over, Loki. I'm not going to be the girl you fuck, not anymore.'' she managed, panting against him.

''It's not over. I want you in my life.'' he held her gaze, shaking his head as his lips brushed against hers.

At this point, Alice was barely breathing.

''I can't...'' she blinked as to chase the tears stinging her eyes.

In an attempt to leave, she straightened her back, but Loki gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head.

''Alice,''  he growled, ''I think you highly underestimate the emotional and tangible impact you have on my life.'' he caught his breath for a moment, ''You're not just my student, nor a girl I fuck. For God's sake,'' Loki spluttered, ''do you understand what I am saying ? Just the thought that you can leave drives me insane.''

Alice gulped audibly at his revelation, however she promised herself to not let Loki and his ability to wordsmith trouble her mind.

They both fell silent for a while before he released a nervous sigh,

''So this is is, you want to leave me ?'' he asked, his voice broken and husky.

She could see the fear in his eyes as they became wet. A hint of pain and anxiety twisted her guts, and yet she slowly nodded,

''I can't be with someone who won't even talk to me.''

Loki progressively released his grip on her wrists, but he did not intend to let her go. His hands slid from her arms to her hips and he shook his head in dismay before pressing his forehead against hers,

''Is this the moment when I confess my darkest secrets in order to keep you ?'' he muttered.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds until he broke the silence,

''Alice, this is real life, some things are hard to talk about, we're not into a pathetic drama...'' but she cut him off, her voice shaking with emotion, ''I want to know if you have a wife, a girlfriend, someone I don't know about.''

Loki suddenly scoffed, staring at her in disbelief,

''You didn't listen to a single word I said.'' Seriousness written on his features, his eyes settled on her face, ''Obviously, I did have a girlfriend.'' her heart skipped a beat until he added, his fingers slightly squeezing her hips, ''A very insecure one.''

What ? Did he just... Oh, God.

Blinking in confusion, Alice drew a sharp intake of breath.

''I want to know who Emily is and then I'll decide if I want to stay.'' she said in a trembling voice.

Loki fell silent. He slowly stepped back and looked through the window. The last sunbeams were inundating his office, lightening his green gaze and pale skin. It took him a while to find the words.

''She's my daughter.''