My Missing Puzzle Piece

Chapter 2

It was an understatement that all thirty seniors in Owen Grady's class were thrilled to go back the following week. Each and every one of the guys would high five him when passing him in the hall, girls would all smile and giggle to their friends at the sight of his charming smile, and then there was Claire, who not only smiled but would feel tickles in her belly every time she saw him.

On Owen's end, he already had a nickname for all his new bros from his class and he would make sure to nod when given one of those girly giggles, but every time his hazel eyes fell on a certain redhead...he couldn't stop himself from smirking back and keep eye contact until leaving each other behind. Sometimes he would look back, other times she would.

Claire and Zara were back in their dorm, the redhead was lying on her bed, scrolling through her Instagram feed. The brunette was putting an outfit together for her weekend away with her boyfriend, and in doing so, trying to engage her best friend into helping her decide which beanie she should wear with the jacket she had decided to take with her. However, all Claire heard was beanie and her mind traveled back to that one photo Owen had posted a few days back. She smiled to herself and somehow she ended on his profile.

"Earth to Claire!!!?" Zara rolled her eyes after hearing the redhead had let out a sigh. Green eyes were taking in every detail on that photo, she loved how the grey beanie highlighted the green in his eyes and that sexy grin he had.

"Hmm?" The redhead finally turned to look to her friend, "oh... yeah a beanie would look cute." She nodded and smiled her way.

"Yeah, but which one?" Zara was holding up a maroon and a fern green one.

Claire tilted her head trying to focus and figure out what was it that Zara said about her plans not even five minutes ago, right before she had gotten distracted on her phone.

"Alec rented a cabin by the river so we can go kayaking??" Zara was a little upset she had to repeat herself, "I don't know it must be a guys' thing." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah~I saw Professor Grady likes doing that too." She casually nodded before nibbling on her pinky and smiling to herself.

"How many times have you watched that video by now?" Zara shook her head.

"What video?" Claire cleared her throat and looked away, fetching her notebook so she could study the notes she had taken in her afternoon class.

The English girl so familiar with the Professor Grady plugged-in observation pattern by now, that she had decided to call her out on it. "You know, I'm not judging. I obviously watched the video too." Zara shrugged watching Claire sit up cross-legged on her bed and going through those notes.

The English girl chuckled, "This is so typical of you...I won't drop it until you admit it!" She teased her. Claire always went 'back to study' when she was done talking about a certain topic; either because it was a lost battle for her or because she was guilty as charged.

"I watched it once, Zara." Claire admitted dryly, her eyes still on her notes.

"Once every day..." She laughed, not believing that. Claire looked up from her notebook and shot her a death glare; she didn't find this amusing, especially because when acknowledging her little crush it made her feel a little gawky.

"You know you wouldn't be the first or last one to crush on a professor, right? Zara tried to keep her lips pressed down to avoid laughing.

"I'm not 'crushing'." Claire air quoted before closing her notebook. "I'm not crushing." She shook her head, she had to repeat that a second time for her own benefit, maybe if she said it three times it would go away? "I'm not crushing..." She frowned and let her green eyes make contact with Zara's brown ones, her cheeks pink at the realization that she was in fact crushing more than a little bit.