My Professor's Secret

34|

thirty-four
208 days until wedding
trevor's pov

Days had passed since the last time I'd seen Alexandrea. Not spoken to her—seen her. The distinction mattered more than I cared to admit.

Knowing where she was should've made it easier. Her father remained hospitalized back in Dreycott, and the updates she'd given me before leaving campus were enough to make anyone understand why school and work had become secondary concerns. Still, understanding the reason for her absence did little to lessen how often I found myself looking for her anyway.

I caught myself checking my phone between lectures and glancing toward the door whenever someone entered Hinkhouse. Watching the clock during shifts she wasn't scheduled to work. Every time it happened, I reminded myself how inappropriate it was.

Alexandrea was my student. A fact that should've been enough to keep my thoughts where they belonged.

Unfortunately, repetition had done very little to solve that particular problem.

The longer she remained gone, the more difficult it became to ignore the unease settling beneath everything else. It wasn't just a concern anymore, though I would've preferred it had been. Concern would've been easier to explain.

What her family was going through wasn't something that a phone call or a sympathetic conversation could fix. Her father had survived a gunshot wound to the head. Even now, doctors weren't entirely certain what his recovery would look like. Compared to that, my unanswered texts felt insignificant.

Still, every day without hearing from her seemed to stretch longer than the one before. Valentine's Day wasn't helping.

Hinkhouse would be packed from open to close with couples pretending that overpriced steaks and pink cocktails were romantic. Kevin always made a point of being present for holidays like this. More customers meant more scrutiny, and more scrutiny meant questions. I was rapidly running out of answers to questions.

The moment I stepped into the kitchen, Josh motioned me toward the grill.

That alone was enough to tell me something was wrong. The lunch rush hadn't even started yet, and Josh usually saved conversations for moments when the restaurant wasn't actively trying to bury us beneath ticket orders.

"He's already asking about her."

I didn't need clarification.

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth." Josh shrugged before turning a burger over on the grill. "I told him I haven't seen her, which is true. Sawyer hasn't heard anything either."

Neither had most of the people looking for her.

The longer Alexandrea remained gone, the more noticeable her absence became. She'd somehow become one of the more reliable employees in the building within only a few months, which made Kevin's refusal to ignore her disappearance impossible.

"He seemed concerned."

Concerned wasn't exactly the word I would've used.

Kevin's concern generally lasted until it interfered with scheduling.

"I figured maybe you knew something."