One Night With My Alpha Professor by Eve Above Story

Chap*** Audrey

A month passed, and the days were a blur. Senior year was no joke-constant essays, projects, and exams, each one more difficult and time-consuming than the last. I watched myself and my friends slowly crumble, already yearning for the end of

the semester.

But each week, I had something that would drive me along.

Every Friday night at ten PM, like clockwork, I would slip away to meet Edwin in our hidden room in the basement.

Often we would spend the entire night making love, our bodies moving together in a dance we were quickly perfecting as the weeks went on. There were always movies and games and books and snacks to enjoy, but we mostly just enjoyed each other, memorizing every part of one another.

Still, it wasn't all fun and games. As our weekly meetings went on, I began to grow restless; Edwin wasn't any closer to handling the Fiona situation, and thus we never had the chance to leave our little basement room.

I wanted more. I wanted to be able to walk down the street together, hand-in-hand. I wanted to spend the night in his apartment, ruffled sheets and the smell of old books. I had fallen in love with him. I hadn't said it out loud yet, but I knew it

was true.

We still had the matter of our differences in status at Grayspring of course, but... It could be handled. I had done my research, and there were procedures we could do through, papers that just needed to be signed if we wanted to be together. I wasn't taking any of Edwin's classes this semester, and I wasn't TA'ing for him.

It could work.

But whenever I broached the subject, his response was always the same: "Soon, Audrey. Be patient."

Yeah, well... My patience was wearing thin.

More than that, though, the guilt of lying to my friends was eating away at me. Especially to Tina, who kept giving me suspicious looks every time I slipped out of my dorm on a Friday night, dressed like I was going to the club.

"Another Tinder date?" she would ask, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," I would lie, hating myself a little more each time. "Just a casual thing."

The gifts from Edwin didn't help. He had started bringing me expensive, high-quality fabrics for my sewing projects from his personal sewing room-little treats to make me smile, he said, even though I told him he didn't have to.

He had started doing it after I had begun pestering him about Fiona. I knew he was trying to butter me up, but it worked

anyway.

Tina noticed, however, I had to claim I

day, running her fingers over a length of fine silk that probably cost more than a month's worth of cafeteria lunches. "This is top-notch fabric, Audrey." I shrugged

further. The look of disappointment on her face, though, was almost worse than

***

approached, the excitement on campus was palpable. Everyone was talking about the big festival and bar crawl downtown. There would be vendors, live music, a costume

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of my favorite yearly traditions, one that Tina and I had always attended together. And this year, our entire group would be together. I had already started working on my costume weeks ahead. That Friday, after Edwin and I had finished another intense round of lovemaking, I broached the subject. We were lying tangled together on our makeshift bed, my head on

the Halloween festival is next weekend," I started, tracing patterns

with

come with me?" I said, propping myself up to look at him. "I'm making a Little Red Riding Hood costume. I

the big, bad wolf, complete with an all-black suit and a mask. I could already imagine the way his eyes would glow yellow

slightly, and I felt my heart sink before he even spoke. “Audrey, you

in costume. No one would even know it's you. We could just meet up for a

better if we keep our meetings to this room," he said firmly, his voice leaving no

this.

Edwin watched me,

"It's late."

"Audrey..

whirled to face him as I tugged my jeans back on. "I'm just tired of having to keep this a secret all the time," I said. "Lying to my friends, sneaking around... don't you ever want more out of our relationship than..." I

His next words made me freeze. "Is that what this is to you?

asked, my voice suddenly too meek for my

hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. "We've just

the gut. Tears p**ed at the backs of my eyes, and I knew I had to get out-away from here-before I cried

have to

already

more tears, a rare text came through: "I'll explain everything next week. I promise. 09:29 Thu, Sep

****

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sent back a quick, cold response: "I'm going to the Halloween festival next Friday, so

across my heart. Was that all this was to him? H**king up? Did he even see the

of my mirror, tugging annoyedly at the too-thick crinoline beneath

the urge to rip the costume off

far as to hand-embroider little flowers and whorls along the bodice of my dress. But without its other half,