Chapter 2

What was one supposed to do upon discovering their one-night stand was their professor? At that moment, Kelly felt utter despair.

Melissa, still buzzing with excitement, looked down and saw Kelly slumped over her desk. "What's wrong, Kelly? You look like you just swallowed a pile of—"

"Melissa," Kelly croaked, close to tears, "I'm done for. Absolutely, completely done for."

"Why?" Melissa asked, confused.

A calm voice echoed from the stage. "Settle down." It sounded exactly like the man from the night before. Kelly's last shred of hope vanished. It was him. Even though his voice had been raspier then, she'd recognize it anywhere.

The classroom fell silent. The man's pleasant voice filled the room through the microphone. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Leon Butler, and I'll be teaching you anatomy this semester."

"Whoa!" "Oh my god…" The room erupted in excited squeals.

Kelly realized the stark difference between her feelings and everyone else's. She thought her eardrums might burst when Melissa started screaming like a fangirl.

Leon raised his hand, silencing the students. "Alright. Let's dive into a brief overview of the fundamentals of human anatomy."

The projector screen lit up with a PowerPoint slide. Leon stood tall and poised, elegant and composed, effortlessly captivating everyone's attention. "Anatomy is the scientific study of the structure of the human body. Through observation, microscopy, and imaging, we explore the shape, placement, relationships, and development of human organs and tissues…"

His voice filled the classroom, every student captivated except Kelly, who squirmed, unable to focus.

Melissa whispered, "What's with you? Do you have hemorrhoids or something? Why are you squirming?"

Kelly, huddled in her seat, finally straightened, her back aching. As she lifted her head, her eyes met Leon's. For a second, her mind went blank. Leon paused mid-sentence, his eyes fixed on her.

"What's going on?" "Why did the professor stop?" The class murmured.

Melissa whispered, "Is it just me, or is the professor looking straight at you?"

Kelly pretended to look behind her. "No way! He's probably looking at someone behind me," she said with a strained smile.

Leon's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his composure and continued. No one noticed how tightly he gripped the laser pointer, his knuckles white. Did he recognize her? Probably not… right? Kelly hoped he didn't.

"Please, please, please, God," she prayed silently.

Leon's voice cut through the silence. "Alright, you there, in the third row from the back, fifth seat from the right—the young lady in the gray jacket. Can you answer the question I just asked?"

Kelly was caught off guard as all eyes turned to her. She met Leon's deep gaze. Was it too late to take off her gray jacket?

Bewildered, she stood. With a gentle smile, Leon said, "Please answer the question I just asked."

Kelly had no idea what the question was. Her mind was blank. "W-What's the question again?"

Snickers rippled through the room.

Leon patiently reiterated, "I asked about the most commonly used staining method for paraffin sections. We covered it just a few minutes ago."

Kelly looked to Melissa for help, but couldn't understand her mouthed answer. "I… don't know."

He looked at her calmly. "What's your name?"

Kelly almost gave a fake name, but she didn't. "My name is Kelly Valencia," she answered meekly.

A flicker of something unreadable crossed Leon's eyes. "So, Kelly, is that right?"

Her scalp tingled. "Spacing out in my very first class," Leon said lightly. "Drop by my office after class."

Kelly's heart sank. "Yes, Professor Butler."

She sank back into her seat, overwhelmed with dread.

"Don't worry, Kelly. He seems super gentle. He definitely won't do anything to you," Melissa whispered.

Kelly remained still. Gentle? Hah. He'd been anything but gentle in bed.

Melissa added, "Besides, now you've got an excuse to talk to him alone. It's a win-win situation!"

Kelly didn't want that. The class ended. Leon left, leaving behind giddy students raving about his looks and voice. Kelly couldn't bring herself to smile.

"Melissa," Kelly said, grabbing Melissa's hand, "If anything happens to me… burn me a copy of the ending of The King of Pirates."

She walked away with a determined look. Melissa stared after her, dumbfounded. Kelly was just going to meet their professor. Why did it seem like she was going to face certain death?

…

Kelly stood nervously outside Leon's office. She raised her hand to knock, then dropped it. After hesitating, she resolved herself. Whatever. It was better to just get this over with. As long as she kept denying it, he couldn't prove she was the woman from the other night.

She took a deep breath and knocked.

Leon's calm voice came from inside. "Come in."

As she pushed open the door, her heart pounded so loudly it drowned out everything else.