One Night With My Alpha Professor by Eve Above Story

Chapter 41 Audrey

I paced back and forth across my dorm room, the floorboards creaking beneath the carpet with each step. My hands repeatedly came up to clutch my hair, and my brow was knit so tightly together I thought it might get stuck like that for eternity. "I just don't understand how he thinks he actually has the authority to tell me and cannot date," I growled under my breath. "I mean, the gall!"

h** I can

Tina, who was perched on my bed with a bag of chips in her hand, watched me curiously. Popping another chip into her mouth, she replied, "That's f**d up, Audrey. He's not allowed to do that."

I let out a wry laugh. "Yeah, I know. But he's such a stubborn a** that he refuses to see how ridiculous it is."

My friend was silent for a moment. When I turned to look at her, she was watching me intently.

"Maybe you should tell the vice dean," she said after a few beats. "Tell her that Professor Brooks is trying to dictate your personal life outside of class. He'd likely get a scolding, and maybe you could switch to another professor for your teaching assistantship." For reasons I wasn't ready to admit to myself, I snorted derisively at the thought of working under another professor.

"No. I want to work for Edw-I mean, Professor Brooks."

Tina blinked at me in surprise for a moment. "You don't have to switch. But you could still talk to the vice dean about it. She'll put him in his place."

My throat worked helplessly for a moment as Tina's words sank in. Telling the vice dean... It was the most obvious, logical course of action here. I would have been lying if I said that I hadn't already considered it. And yet...

"No," I murmured with a heavy sigh, sinking back down onto the edge of my bed. "I... I can't. If anyone finds out about what happened between us on New Year's Eve..." My voice trailed off; I couldn't even finish the words.

Not that I needed to, of course. Tina understood the implications, and her hand came up to gently rest on any shoulder. "I get it, Audrey," she said softly. "You two could both. get in trouble. Especially him."

want him to lose his job or anything like that. So I have to be careful with what I

me, but I shook my head, my stomach too sick to eat anything. "You can't let him walk all over

I hated to admit it, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the idea. Not that

silence. "I won't allow him to get in the way of my personal life, but I also can't put my teaching assistantship in jeopardy. So I guess I just have to show him that I can still have a life and be a

of my head, and it made my checks flush hotly. When I looked over at her, the knowing look in her eyes almost made me shrivel up. "Do you even want

bottomed out. Ever since that picture with us in the background had been posted, people were in a frenzy. Other students were 'shipping' us, calling us the 'background lovers. But when it came down to answering Tina's question, the words

been pretty crazy since

familiar male voice caused me to turn. There, standing behind me in the crowded, noisy cafeteria, was Gavin-holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a weathered book in the other. Even now, without me even

us.

tight smile despite the dozen or so eyes that were on

I nodded and followed him, just glad to get out of the line of sight of the other gossipping students, even though I knew that

I heard a voice hiss amongst the

and Audrey!" another voice, this one brazen and loud, cried out. "Are

to the space below the stairs where we'd be

the dimly lit space. "They're like vultures

say something, but then shut it again, instead sipping his coffee and sliding onto the bench next to me. Neither of us spoke for a few

table in front of us, turning to me. I felt my stomach twist into a knot, but I managed to keep my shoulders pulled back as I turned to face him. "I

you

expected it. Before I could even formulate a response, Gavin was holding