After my first two classes, one of which was an elective, French, Lily and I headed to a cafeteria near the faculty.
Oh, and about my question? He ignored it. Completely. He continued teaching and after the class, he walked out like nothing had happened, as if he hadn't just humiliated me in front of the entire lecture hall. Well… technically, I humiliated myself, but still. And shame? It's far from me.
"I really admire your boldness," Lily laughed as we grabbed our trays from the counter in the wide, bustling cafeteria.
I only shrugged.
"But Dr. Lucian Drax is so freaking hot," she added, her voice dropping into a dramatic whisper.
"I know, right?" I grinned. "And he looks so young it actually feels appropriate to want him."
"Don't tell me you're ditching Drey for a lecturer now?" Lily teased, raising an eyebrow.
Drey, the hottest guy in our department, which was the Department of Natural Sciences, had been my crush since freshman year. He was into football, other sports, and, of course, looking ridiculously handsome. We hadn't really spoken, but I was pretty sure he'd noticed me. People talked about me a lot. It was inevitable—people will always talk about you, no matter what. But we barely had any classes together, since he was in Physics and I was in Chemistry. This semester, the only class we shared was Chemical Kinetics... and, yeah, he saw me embarrass myself earlier. But who cares?
"Can you even compare?" I gave Lily a pointed look. "I mean, look at Dr. Lucian? He's a … mannn"
"True," Lily laughed. "But that's someone you can't get. You couldn't even get Drey, someone on your level."
"Hold up," I raised my hands in defense. "I didn't get Drey because I didn't want to. It's fun to crush on someone from afar."
"Oh, really?" she teased.
"Yep. I can get anyone I want."
Lily rolled her eyes. "I almost forgot. The prettiest girl in all of Lakewood University." She smirked.
Okay, yes, I was pretty. But definitely not the prettiest. Lakewood was crawling with gorgeous girls, don't even get me started.
We placed our trays on the table and sat down.
"He might be married, though," Lily mused, pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail. Her hair was a bit longer than mine, with soft fringe at the front. She had freckles, striking ice-blue eyes, and cute chubby cheeks. Half-Japanese and half-French, she had this effortlessly delicate look.
"I don't think so. He didn't have a ring on his finger," I replied.
"Not all married men wear their rings."
"He looks like a decent man. But then again, you can't always tell just by looking" I said, taking a bite of my hamburger. We had ordered burgers and Lemonade.
"What were you thinking?" A loud voice interrupted us.
Austin.
He dropped into the seat beside us with a dramatic flair, looking scandalized. Austin was like an overly attached pet, except more of a pest. He followed us everywhere, loved gossip, and was probably the most uninvited third party in our little friend group.
"I knew you were crazy," he continued, eyes shining with excitement. "But I didn't know you were this crazy. That was cooool!"
I tilted my head, unimpressed. "Getting ignored?" I deadpanned, taking another bite of my burger. But then, just as I was about to roll my eyes at Austin's over-excitement, my eyes caught him.
Drey.
Messy brown hair falling effortlessly over his forehead, like he'd just tumbled out of bed and still managed to look perfect, a gray sweatshirt, and baggy black jeans that somehow fit him perfectly. He walked into the cafeteria with his friends, looking effortlessly attractive.
"That doesn't matter," Austin's voice faded into the background as my focus locked onto Drey.
Then, his amber eyes met mine, and he smiled at me, making my heart skip a beat.
I tried to smile back, but for some reason, my face wasn't cooperating. How the hell is this happening? Panicking, I quickly turned away and focused on Lily, who was innocently devouring her burger.
"Selene? You there?" Austin's voice snapped me back to reality.
"Drey just smiled at me," I blurted out, not quite believing it myself.
"What?! Seriously? Where?" Lily whipped her head around.
"Don't freaking look!" I whisper-yelled.
"Oh. Sorry." She lowered her gaze, voice hushed. "But he really did?"
I nodded, taking a sip of my juice.
"I told you, you were awesome," Austin twirled his fork in his spaghetti.
"This isn't good," I muttered. "I can't have two men in my life."
"Delulu," Lily laughed, shaking her head, which made me burst into laughter as well.
"We have to be delusional most times," Austin interjected. "Even in life, if you wanna succeed, delusion is key."
"Really?" Lily and I said in unison, glaring at him.
Austin held up his hands. "What?"
"So," Lily changed the topic, "since it's a new semester, and a new level, what's the plan?" she smiled broadly
"Getting 6 A's and 2 B's in all my courses," Austin answered immediately, always so confident.
I pursed my lips, distracted as I watched Drey and his friends laughing as they walked out of the cafeteria. They had only come to grab drinks and I was pretty sure it was something alcoholic.
Yeah, I do some crazy things, but alcohol? Smoking? That's not my scene. I care about my health. Now, if someone asked, What crazy things do you even do? I guess they'd never find out.
"Dr. Lucian is my only goal now," I responded, smirking "I guess I need to write down my plan and come up with a system." I smiled at them as they shot me a skeptical glare.
"For me," Lily said, shaking her head, "I don't want the same old routine. I want something different. I want—"
"Excuse me," I cut her off abruptly, shoving my chair back.
Dr. Lucian had just walked past the cafeteria window.
I bolted out of the cafeteria toward the wide parking lot, about 14 meters away.
When I reached the parking lot, I scanned the area, but he was nowhere to be seen. I could've sworn I saw him, so where did he go?
Suddenly, the air around me felt cooler, and a strange breeze swept past me. I hugged my arms around myself, shivering slightly, and turned to head back inside.
Okay, that breeze? That's not normal. Why does it suddenly feel like I stepped into a horror movie?
"Holy shit!" I screamed, my heart nearly jumping out of my chest. Dr. Lucian was standing right in front of me. His strong, masculine figure, his dark hair, and those piercing hazel eyes locked onto mine, unreadable.
Honestly, if I wasn't as strong as I was, I probably would've fainted.