11.Cool Profesor. Cold Mentor.
956 Words
Enya's Point of View
My body froze. I stared blankly at Noah.
The rules of the game were clear, but there was no way I was going to kiss a professor. Absolutely not, Professor Noah Watson!
I was ready to drown myself in liquor, glass after glass, to escape this awkward situation.
But the people behind me didn't think like that.
"Go on, Enya!" someone nudged me.
"Don't ruin the game!" another whispered.
Sandy, with her usual cheerful self, leaned toward Noah. "Professor, we're playing Truth or Dare. It's Enya's turn, and she got a dare. She has to kiss whoever walks in first from this door. And that person happened to be you!"
I wanted to dig a pit and bury myself. What kind of embarrassment did I bring upon myself?
But Noah… he smiled. Calm and relaxed. Like what he heard was something so normal.
"I guess I walked in at the wrong time!" he chuckled, his eyes playfully glancing at me.
"But it's part of the game. I don't mind."
My heart paused. What kind of professor would agree to a request like this? Why doesn't he try to take both of us out of this humiliation?
However, his response elicited a cheer from the crowd. Almost no one had expected it, so they were all in awe.
"You are so cool, Professor Watson!" Sandy cheered.
"Enya, do it now! Even the professor is cool about it!" someone shouted.
The cool professor wasn't going to make a fuss about it, and now everyone wanted me to go along. But I didn't want that.
I raised my head and looked at Noah nervously. He was staring at me with a slight smile.
I was about to say something when a deep voice rose, clear and steady, cutting through the noise of the crowd.
"I think we have played enough."
My eyes quickly shifted to the owner of that voice. Raphael…
It wasn't just me; everyone was staring at him in surprise. His tone was calm, but the displeasure in his voice was undeniable.
Sandy quickly spoke, "What? We were just having fun…" She sounded confused.
"A game should know its limits." Raphael's tone was still calm, but the weight it carried left everyone stunned.
Everyone looked at each other awkwardly. No one had ever heard Raphael talk like this or interfere before. Everyone was clearly intimidated by his words and, above everything, by the burning look in his eyes.
Well, not everyone…
Noah smiled lightly. He spoke in his usual calm tone, totally unaffected by what Raphael said. "It's alright, Raphael. I don't mind. We're outside campus. I'm not your professor now. So there's no need to be formal around me."
Raphael's eyes locked on Noah's. His gaze was filled with intense hostility.
"You don't mind. I do." His voice wasn't just cold, it was dangerous.
I swallowed hard, nervously looking between enraged Raphael and calm Noah. Why was Raphael so annoyed and angry? I couldn't think of a reason.
"What? Why? No one gets hurt by a little fun game?" Noah said, still not losing his calm.
"Not yet," Raphael said firmly. His eyes swept over mine for a split second. Why did I feel his words were not meant for anyone else, but for me? A shiver ran through my spine.
"What?" Noah asked back.
Sandy, who looked utterly surprised and a little scared, quickly intervened, breaking the intense atmosphere. She clapped her hands gently. "Okay, okay… maybe Raphael is right. Let's wrap up the game here. No harm!" she chuckled awkwardly.
The crowd whispered in disappointment, but none dared to argue.
Before the mood of the group sank too deeply, Noah spoke again. His unwavering smile pulled everyone's hearts back to ease.
"Then… how about this? I'll buy you all a round of drinks! My treat. Since I'm the academic advisor for you all, it's good that we get a chance to know each other better."
Excited whispers followed. A professor buying drinks? It was strange. It was normal for a professor to meet students outside college for coffee or maybe lunch, but not for a round of drinks in a noisy bar where no serious academic talk could happen. However, the light smile on his face and the honest, confident look in Noah's eyes reassured everyone of his intentions.
Then the group erupted in cheers again.
"Thank you, Professor!!!" Sandy cheered.
"You're so cool!!!" some girls said in awe. A cool, handsome professor, the ideal type of girls' fantasies.
Everyone returned to our table. Soon our drinks were served. The table filled again with chatter and laughter, as if nothing had happened earlier. Noah blended in with the group naturally. He was talking with the students, trying honestly to get to know them better. He didn't seem like a professor but more like a senior student. Everyone naturally felt at ease around him.
Well… not everyone.
Raphael obviously wasn't at ease. He just sat there, tall and gloomy, his glass untouched in front of him. This time, he didn't even try to hide his anger and displeasure. His usually cold eyes were burning with fury, his face shadowed with stormy annoyance.
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't understand his behaviour tonight. Why was he so hostile toward Professor Noah? In my past life, I had never noticed such hostility between them.
However, the Raphael sitting in front of me now was so much like the stepbrother I knew in my past life. Since my rebirth, this was actually the first time I felt this very familiar aura around him, the one whose fury could freeze the air itself.
And just like in my past life, my heart trembled…
- Writer
