english - c.hood 01 | au

thirty

n o e l l e

we both got taken to the deans office.

eyes were glued to us, the whole sight truly embarrassing on both of our parts.

i was mortified.

"miss carter, you're one of our highest-ranked english majors here in n new york." the dean said, going over my file. "yet here you are, risking everything by fooling around with one of your own advisors, which may i remind you is deemed forbidden here."

and then he turns to calum, and i can feel my heart sitting at the bottom of my stomach.

"and you, mr hood, i expected better from you. you're an excellent professor on your part, and your students adore you. i don't understand why you would jeopardize that."

"sir, if i may?" i raise my hand slightly to speak, and he nods. "how long have you and your wife been married?"

"36 years next month." he smiles at the thought, but his face grows cold once more. "what does this have to do with anything, miss carter?"

"so for 36 years, and maybe so even more than that, you've loved your wife, right?" i ask, and he nods in agreement. "that's the thing about love, that i find at least. it doesn't matter who it is, but a bond like that can be created with anyone and last for a really long time."

"what are you trying to tell me, that you're in love with your professor?" he questions. "and what, that he loves you back? you can't just expect me to let this slide, miss carter, nor you, mr hood."

"and we fully understand that, there are rules and regulations in place for a reason." calum says. "but to my understanding, you've also gotten this information through our exes, one who has a restraining order placed against him by miss carter. you jeopardized her safety for the personal gain of what? our embarrassment, punishment? that's something that we, more specifically i, can't seem to let slide, dean gregerson."

"but you don't care, do you?" i question the dean. "you just want your perfect image to be kept. that's what matters to you more than anything. your image, your school, you."

"you're allowed to be a little selfish in life, miss carter, there's nothing wrong with that." the dean says.

jackpot.

"so why is it when for once in my life, something good comes my way and i want to hold onto that, it has to be ripped away from me?" i ask. "why can't i be selfish for once too? i've lost my father and little brother to cancer over a three-year span. i was abused by my ex, i'm not even speaking to my own goddamn mother as of right now! so why is it, that you can be selfish and tarnish our reputations and ruin our lives and we can't if there's nothing wrong with being selfish?"

"you only reap the rewards when you put in the work, miss carter." he says.

"you said it yourself, she's one of our highest ranked english majors here." calum said. "and that my students adore me and i'm doing my job accordingly. but you just have to get your way, don't you? so i'll make this easy for you, gregerson. you either keep everything hush hush and let this slide, keeping it under wraps."

"or what, hood?" he questions.

"or i walk out this door and i don't come back." he says, making my eyes widen. "either way, nothing happens to her."

"wait—"

"you're free to leave if you wish, mr hood." he nods. "you're also free to return back to your classes, miss carter."

and so calum grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room, closing the door behind him before he lifted me up and spun me around.

"but cal, your job—"

"means nothing to me unless you're safe first." he smiles. "and besides, now i can do this freely."

and with that, he pressed his lips against mine.

and it was as though nothing else in the world mattered.