Chapter Text
“Miss Hunter?”
I sighed in relief as I walked up to the desk at the Academic Advisement office. I had been waiting for over an hour and I was completely ready to go home, but I had put off registering for classes until the last minute and had to complete it today. As soon as the receptionist saw me approaching, she waved her hand at the hallway next to her where the offices were.
“Office 4, Advisor Emily Zhang will help you out.”
I nodded my head, shuffling the folder in my folded arms and adjusting my shoulders carrying my side bag and walked down the hallway to the office in question. The office that was small and must have been sparse at one time was cute and homey- pictures littering the walls, a throw blanket and pillow on the chair in front of the desk and little knickknacks covering all the various surfaces. Several plants had homes everywhere from hanging in the ceiling to sitting on the floor in a variety of different types of pots in a dazzling array of colors.
The woman sitting in the chair behind the desk radiated a calm exterior of and older grandma, and her silver hair pulled back into a soft bun showed her age. Her face was clear but covered in fine laugh lines around her soft brown eyes that looked at me gently when I walked in. She took the dainty gold rimmed reading glasses off her nose and let them hang by a delicate chain with small beads looped around her neck. A gentle pulse of color drifted into my vision surrounding her form before I shut it out.
“Oh! Hello Miss Hunter! It’s good to see you again!”
I couldn’t help but smile. Mrs. Zhang had been my class advisor for all my years at the University I was attending and had never failed to make me feel right at home and welcome- even is she did still insist I drop the formalities and call her Emily.
“Hello Emily! How have you been? The grandkids still keeping you up?”
She smiled wide with a chuckle. “Oh yes! My knees aren’t what they used to be, but the twins keep me doing my exercise! My Sarah is only a few months away now too. I’m so proud of them all. Poor Eric would be too if he were still with us.”
I couldn’t help but smile with her- I remembered every one of her grandkids being born the past few years and had always managed to send along a small present for the kind woman. She had been there for me in so many ways since I met her and it was good to see her so happy with her growing family, even if the sting of losing her husband would never go away.
“I know he would be. You have a beautiful family and I’m glad they are keeping you busy.”
She tapped her hands on the desk in front of her.
“Yes, they are! But enough about me. This is a momentous meeting for you. Your final semester already! I can’t believe it!”
I gripped my folder tightly before setting it on the desk.
“Yes, and they approved my grant today for my classes. So I can finish them all together!”
She nodded, taking the folder and perusing the contents before taking a page out and laying the folder back down towards me. She stamped it with a well-worn hand stamp and placed it on her filing stand.
“That’s amazing news! Well then, let’s see what you need to deal with to finally get your degree then, hmm?”
She rotated her chair to face the screen next to her covered in a variety of little stickers around the edges and began typing away at her keyboard, pulling up my file and opening it up. After a moment, a printer behind her on the wall spits out a page and she grabs it, turning back to me.
“Well, you certainly didn’t leave yourself an easy set of classes to finish off with. I told you not to put off all those classes you didn’t want.”
My stomach dropped a little in trepidation. “How bad are we talking?”
She used her pen to point to the list on the paper as she began listing them off.
“Well of course you need your Art Capstone course. Then you still need your lab science. Even art majors need one. You need to finish one course for that Business Marketing minor and let’s see… Ah! Your final Mathematics course. Not an easy workload, especially with you working. Are you sure you don’t want to spread it out?”
The idea of having to drag out my studies again after so many years already made my stomach do a funny flip.
“No! I’ll handle it. Besides, I got the grant to pay for them all and I don’t want to waste it.”
She peered at me over the rims of her glasses for a moment, like she was assessing me.
“Alright- but if it becomes too much you come back here this instant and we will re-arrange some things. Okay?”
I nodded; determination written on my face as I brushed some of my hair behind my ears.
“Any Professors you know you would like for your courses?”
I spoke up immediately, excitement trembling in my voice.
“I was already pre-screened for Mr. Rafayel Qi’s Capstone. Does he have any spots left?”
She turned back to her computer with a hum, typing in a variety of things into search bars.
“You’re lucky! It seems he has one class still with openings. His spots have filled up so quickly. But it is a three day a week class on Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7pm and I know you normally hate those. Is that okay?”
I nodded quickly. “Of course! The chance to study under the Rafayel? I’d be crazy to pass it up no matter the time!”
She chuckled, adding the course into the system. “Alright then, anyone else?”
I shook my head, “No. You know the Professors and I trust you to choose good ones for me after all this time. My work schedule is still the same, so nights, weekends, and 8am classes are still my best times.”
She smiled and went back to her screen, typing in more things into the filters.
“For your lab course it seems like we don’t have anything left in Chemistry but there is a Biology that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm with one of the new Professors. He’s very competent and works as a consultant Doctor for the hospital.”
I shrug my shoulders “Sounds fine to me.”
She adds the course, moving onto the next set of filters.
“Now, how about for Business- there is a new Ethics course being taught this year. The Professor has a few businesses of his own so he might be a good resource for you for selling your works. It’s another Tuesday Thursday schedule, right after the Biology, at 7pm.”
I nod my head. “Sounds great to me. I can always use some contacts for when I get out of school.”
She hums again as she adds it and does her final search.
“Ah! And your Math class. Poor Matilda got sick at the last minute, so we have another Professor taking over her Mathematics for Arts courses. He just started last year in Astrophysics but he offered to take over for her this year to help out. Very Sweet young man. He seems to have a session left Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 5pm before your Capstone with Professor Qi. How does that sound?”
I groan a little. This is what I get for postponing all those classes. Now Ill be working and have class all week. “It’s certainly not ideal- but I really want to get this over with and graduate. So I’ll make it work.”
She peers at me again. “Alright, Ill submit this. But don’t forget to care for yourself this semester! I expect at minimum monthly updates, and you are still invited to the Bridal shower next month for Sarah. The twins want to see you too.”
She pauses, typing a few things into the computer and having it print another page with my class schedule and handing it to me, before a familiar smile lights up her face.
“And it would be absolutely lovely if you could bring someone along with you. Life isn’t all class and work you know. You have to make time for love to find you in there somewhere.”
I felt my face flush immediately, though I should be used to her teasing by now.
“Emily! It will happen when it happens. I just want to finish my degree first.”
She laughs again softly and waves her hand at me.
“All right, all right. Indulge an old grandma then, would you? I’ll see you at the party sweetie. Good luck on your classes on Monday!”
I smile before coming around the desk to give her a quick hug and wave goodbye on my way out of the office.
*****
I don’t bother to look at my schedule again until I get back to my apartment.
Unlocking my door with my fingerprint, I dropped my shoes on the rack and breathed a sigh of relief at being home.
It’s not much, an open living space that has a small living room with a functional kitchen that is separated by a countertop bar I use as my table. My bedroom and a serviceable bathroom with a small tub/shower combination through a door to my right and a small balcony. It had come at a good price and was only a ten-minute walk from campus and a twenty-minute walk to work at the Library, which was perfect for me even with the size.
I had decorated it in soft ocean blue and grey tones that were calming for my eyes and I rubbed my temples as I plopped down on my couch, a headache already forming from being out around people too long.
Feeling something poke me, I sit up with a grumble, finding the offending paintbrush that had poked me. I sighed as I took in the mess of my living room. It functioned as my art studio, and it was covered in canvases, various paints, cups of brushes, charcoal and pencils, and finished canvases stacked to the side and draped in sheets. My easel stood off to the side, half facing the sliding doors to the patio for the natural light, a still life of the birds that came to my windows half-finished on it.
I didn’t care if anyone ever saw it- no one ever came over anyway. Except Caleb when he crashed on my couch occasionally, but he knew my messy habits. Tara and Simone had never even visited me here and I liked it that way, keeping my space separate from the outside world and its ocean of overwhelming colors. But I should still keep it clean, if nothing else so that my small couch didn’t become a danger of ending up with paintbrushes jammed into my ass.
I took a few minutes to tidy up what I could before grabbing a can of sparkling water and some chips, swiping my laptop and class schedule off the table and sitting back on the paintbrush-free couch.
Perusing the list of teachers, I didn’t recognize anyone right away but Rafayel, but that’s not surprising as he was world-famous artist who had decided a few years ago to begin teaching and had chosen Linkon University for his spot which was nearby to his home studio. I wasn’t obsessed with him or anything like a few of the other students in the Arts program that I knew, but his mastery of color was breathtaking, and he had undeniable talent.
I decided I might as well get to see who my professors were as I searched for the first name.
Professor Xavier Shen was the first on the list, and when his profile from the college popped up a thought immediately flitted into my mind.
Oh, he’s cute.
Soft platinum blonde hair fell softly over bright blue eyes and a young, but strikingly aristocratic face. His attire in the photo was simple, but obviously expensive, even topped off with quite a number of earrings, and his list of academic accomplishments was long. Blushing at my own very inappropriate thoughts about my new teacher I decided to check out the reviews for him as a professor online, but they were sparse as he had only been teaching for a year. The reviews for him were excellent though and they noted a calm and soft demeanor that was always willing to help students who were struggling.
Nothing wrong with a little eye candy while I learn, right?
I was already feeling pretty good about the semester as I looked at the next name on the list and typed the name into the search bar.
Professor Sylus Qin.
Well! Are teachers even allowed to dress like that?
The man in the photo was breathtaking, with white hair and crimson eyes. But his grey button-down shirt was overlaid with a leather harness that had matching arm bands and the top several buttons of his shirt were undone, leaving a bit of his obviously well defined chest available for view.
I coughed, quickly switching to looking up reviews. Unsurprisingly, most of them were people of all genders talking about how hot he is, but a few honest reviews popped up saying he was fair, took his teaching seriously, and that they learned a lot in his class.
Okay. Maybe I’ll have more than a little eye candy while I learn.
I looked at the next name on the list and froze. It hadn’t registered in my brain earlier when I skimmed it but… it couldn’t be him right? No. No way.
Professor Zayne Li.
I typed the name into the search, praying it was just a coincidence, but when the University faculty page popped up I knew I was fucked.
There he was- his dark raven hair longer than I remember but those same piercing Hazel eyes looking at me though the screen. He looked sinfully good in the suit for his photo, and it had me choking a little bit.
This is so not fair. The universe is playing a joke on me.
But it was undeniably Zayne- the sweet, quiet, nerdy Zayne who I grew up with. The boy who I had my first crush on. The first boy I ever dated-even if it was just one before his family suddenly moved. The boy who took my virginity.
And now the man who was now my Biology professor starting in a short few days.
I’m fine. This is fine. It’s all okay. No worries. Not gonna think about it. Nuh uh.
I let myself live in s apace of denial in my head as I got up to do more things around my apartment to distract myself.
Which worked until I woke up the next morning, tangled in my sheets, sweat dripping down my neck and back, pussy achingly throbbing and empty between my legs as I remembered the dreams that left me in such a state.
Well. Fuck.