The Professor Read Online Free Page A
Author: Kelly Harper
To not stop running until I was in the safety of my home where I could pretend the whole day had been just a dream; or a nightmare.
“I should go,” I said sharply.
He nodded at me weakly, his eyes never straying from mine. He sat there rigid as I grabbed my things and fled toward the door. I cleared the length of the room in only three steps and threw it open. I was about to break into a run when Ethan stopped me.
“Kayla?” he called out.
I froze in place - as though he were some predator that would attack if I moved a muscle. I looked at him over my shoulder, but said nothing. He hadn’t moved a muscle either.
“Same time next week?” he asked.
My mouth tweaked, not wanting to reveal anything, and not knowing what to say. I didn’t trust myself to speak - so I just nodded my head curtly, and slammed the door shut behind me.
* * * * *
What is wrong with you, Kayla?
I chastised myself, and not for the first time since leaving Ethan's office. Why did I let myself get that close to him? Nothing good would come of it - but I couldn’t resist. Boys were trouble, I knew that, but I still let myself get attracted to all the wrong ones.
I sat in my dorm room that evening, doing anything to distract me from what happened that morning. But nothing worked. Images of the Professor - Ethan - flashed through my head. I couldn't get the soft look of his eyes, or his overpowering scent, out of my head. He was intelligent, worldly, exotic. He was everything a girl could want in a man.
And that was the problem.
I had a short list of serious boyfriends for comparison, but Ethan blew each of them out of the water. Not many guys could handle my drive - my ambition. It was what got me through the awkward years in high school and what saw me through to success in college. I knew men were intimidated by me, and that made it easy to not pay them any attention.
My mom always told me that when the right guy came along I would know. He would be the guy that I couldn't push aside; the guy I was willing to make sacrifices for. That's when I would know it was right. Anything less wasn't an issue. If I never formed an attachment in the first place, then I couldn't be hurt.
Ethan wasn't intimidated by me, though - was he? So far he had been the guy to buck the norm. He had his own drive, his own ambition, his own reason for waking up in the morning. He paved his own way in life and was already successful. He wasn't like any other man I had met. So what happened if I couldn't ignore him? What happened if I couldn't control myself?
What are you even talking about?
Why were thoughts of Ethan and boyfriends even coming up together? It was a non-issue because it had to be. There was no scenario that led to Ethan and I ever being together - he was my Professor, nothing more.
I flopped onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling. The dorm halls outside were quiet, everyone was spending their Saturday night out on the town, getting in trouble or having fun in some other way. I was probably the only one cooped up inside; trapped with my own anxiety.
My dorm room was tiny, but it was my own. Being a Resident Advisor meant I didn't have to tolerate a roommate. My family didn't come from a lot of money and I knew a long time ago that sacrifices would be made to achieve my goals. In this case, a roof over my head and food to eat came with the price of my freedom four nights a month. It was a small price to pay.
My phone chirped and lit up on the nightstand next to me. The small screen read "Dana".
"Hey," I answered.
"What you up to?" she asked in her cheery voice. Judging by the noise in the background she was out somewhere.
"Sitting here, bored out of my mind."
"Come out, me and a few girls are at Chilis and we're going down to Fourth Ave after dinner."
I groaned in jealousy. "I can't. I'm on duty tonight. Got to stay here and make sure no one tries smuggle alcohol into the building or burn the place down."
She groaned, too. "I'm sorry,
“I should go,” I said sharply.
He nodded at me weakly, his eyes never straying from mine. He sat there rigid as I grabbed my things and fled toward the door. I cleared the length of the room in only three steps and threw it open. I was about to break into a run when Ethan stopped me.
“Kayla?” he called out.
I froze in place - as though he were some predator that would attack if I moved a muscle. I looked at him over my shoulder, but said nothing. He hadn’t moved a muscle either.
“Same time next week?” he asked.
My mouth tweaked, not wanting to reveal anything, and not knowing what to say. I didn’t trust myself to speak - so I just nodded my head curtly, and slammed the door shut behind me.
* * * * *
What is wrong with you, Kayla?
I chastised myself, and not for the first time since leaving Ethan's office. Why did I let myself get that close to him? Nothing good would come of it - but I couldn’t resist. Boys were trouble, I knew that, but I still let myself get attracted to all the wrong ones.
I sat in my dorm room that evening, doing anything to distract me from what happened that morning. But nothing worked. Images of the Professor - Ethan - flashed through my head. I couldn't get the soft look of his eyes, or his overpowering scent, out of my head. He was intelligent, worldly, exotic. He was everything a girl could want in a man.
And that was the problem.
I had a short list of serious boyfriends for comparison, but Ethan blew each of them out of the water. Not many guys could handle my drive - my ambition. It was what got me through the awkward years in high school and what saw me through to success in college. I knew men were intimidated by me, and that made it easy to not pay them any attention.
My mom always told me that when the right guy came along I would know. He would be the guy that I couldn't push aside; the guy I was willing to make sacrifices for. That's when I would know it was right. Anything less wasn't an issue. If I never formed an attachment in the first place, then I couldn't be hurt.
Ethan wasn't intimidated by me, though - was he? So far he had been the guy to buck the norm. He had his own drive, his own ambition, his own reason for waking up in the morning. He paved his own way in life and was already successful. He wasn't like any other man I had met. So what happened if I couldn't ignore him? What happened if I couldn't control myself?
What are you even talking about?
Why were thoughts of Ethan and boyfriends even coming up together? It was a non-issue because it had to be. There was no scenario that led to Ethan and I ever being together - he was my Professor, nothing more.
I flopped onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling. The dorm halls outside were quiet, everyone was spending their Saturday night out on the town, getting in trouble or having fun in some other way. I was probably the only one cooped up inside; trapped with my own anxiety.
My dorm room was tiny, but it was my own. Being a Resident Advisor meant I didn't have to tolerate a roommate. My family didn't come from a lot of money and I knew a long time ago that sacrifices would be made to achieve my goals. In this case, a roof over my head and food to eat came with the price of my freedom four nights a month. It was a small price to pay.
My phone chirped and lit up on the nightstand next to me. The small screen read "Dana".
"Hey," I answered.
"What you up to?" she asked in her cheery voice. Judging by the noise in the background she was out somewhere.
"Sitting here, bored out of my mind."
"Come out, me and a few girls are at Chilis and we're going down to Fourth Ave after dinner."
I groaned in jealousy. "I can't. I'm on duty tonight. Got to stay here and make sure no one tries smuggle alcohol into the building or burn the place down."
She groaned, too. "I'm sorry,
Readers choose
David Hagberg
Sarah Daltry
David Guterson
Barbara Parker
Ashleigh Raine
Unknown
Helena Hunting
C. R. Daems
Beth Pattillo
Elizabeth Thornton