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."

to lose his job or anything like

I shook my head, my stomach too sick to eat anything. "You can't let him

a smirk tug at the corners of my lips. Edwin, jealous... As much as I hated

few moments of 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 good teaching assistant

several long moments. I felt her gaze boring into the side of my head, and it made my checks flush hotly. When I looked over at her, the knowing look in her eyes almost made

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 died on

crazy since that

of a familiar male voice caused me to turn. There, standing behind me in the crowded, noisy cafeteria, was Gavin-holding a cup of coffee in

us.

managed a tight smile despite the dozen or so eyes that were on us. "Yeah. I didn't

checks flushed a muted shade of red, and he jerked his head over toward the stairwell with a silent question in his eyes. 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 us going off alone together would just make

voice hiss amongst the crowd. "I wonder where they're

voice, this one brazen and loud, cried out. "Are you

made our way over to the space below the stairs where we'd be free from the prying

onto the bench that adorned the dimly lit space. "They're like vultures

mouth as though to 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 moments-we hadn't spoken since the party. Since he had tried to

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 think we should talk about this." "What's up?" I asked, even though

you think of...

head reeling even though I had expected it. Before I could even formulate a response, Gavin was holding his