After a one night stand on New Year's Eve, Lia and Derrick don't expect to see one another again. After all, she's a Harvard PhD student and he's a professional hockey player for the Boston Knights - there's no way their paths should cross again.
E...
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One Year Later, November
I glanced at the clock hanging on the side wall and saw that it was twenty after four. Being that it was a Friday afternoon, I figured there was no harm letting everyone go ten minutes early. Especially because I happened to notice a special guest slip into the back of the lecture room at quarter after.
"Okay class, that's all for today," I said, my voice echoing off the walls of the large room. A murmur of excitement started amongst my students as textbooks were closed and belongings were tossed into bags. "Remember that your fourth assignment is due in the dropbox Monday afternoon, and if you have any questions, feel free to email me over the weekend or drop by my office Monday around ten for office hours. Otherwise, have a good weekend."
While most of the students left quickly, hoping for an early start to their weekend, a perky student from the front row lingered to make sure the notes she'd taken from today's lecture on the electrical function of the central nervous system were correct. And I gladly took the time to help, because she reminded me of myself at that age. Only a few months into university, and already so keen to learn as much as she could.
"These look good to me," I said after skimming over the diagrams and notes that were in her notebook. "But if you need an extra resource, everything in today's lecture is covered more in depth in chapter six of the textbook."
"Thanks," the student said, tucking her notebook into her backpack and smiling shyly. With no one left in the room except us two and the man at the back of the class, she flitted her glaze between me and him. "Have a good weekend Professor."
My lips quirked upward, and I felt a tinge of a blush dust my cheeks. "You too."
As she turned and walked up the stairs of the lecture hall, she waved at Derrick, wishing him luck on his game tonight before scurrying out of the room.
It was strangely well-known across campus, or at least the engineering department, that I was dating one of the star forwards of the Los Angeles Royals. We'd been photographed together on a few occasions over the last year and a half, and while no one ever pestered me about it, I always heard the whispers with each term when I got a new slew of students.
Essentially, I was the cool professor.
And, if that motivated students to study and work hard in my classes, I couldn't complain.
"Well hello there," Derrick said with a silly grin, coming down to the front of the room to wrap his arms around my waist.
It wasn't often we got to see each other during the season, but he was in Boston for the night and set to face off against the Knights in less than three hours, which gave us some extra quality time together.
"Hey," I replied, extending onto my tiptoes to brush my lips softly against his. "How was your flight?"
"Fine." He shrugged. "It's always tiring flying coast to coast, especially on a plane packed with athletes, but knowing you were waiting for me was definitely a bonus."
