Professor Off-Limits

Ray was cool

ALEENA'S POV

I immediately avoided her gaze and went straight into the bar.

I knew that Vivienne had seen me, she would want to taunt me with it, but I wouldn't give her that chance, so I went to the bar instead.

—

And hour later, I caught the sight of Xavier near the bar, while I was scanning the crowd, checking for an empty table or places to clear.

He was laughing to loud, and one of his arm was slung around someone I barely recognized. He was completely at ease in a way that made my chest tighten on it's own.

All of an instant sudden, the incident at Lorcan's office flashed in my mind, and my heart skipped a beat.

Had Xavier seen me blindfolded in my undies standing in Lorcan's office? Was he intentionally staying quiet to file it for later use?

I didn't have an answer to that, and not having one followed me for the rest of the hour, settling somewhere deep in my stomach and constantly nagging at my mind.

I started taking orders on the far side of the room instead, leaving the bar for Rosie to manage, and the space between us was something I could manage for a while, as long as he didn't see me, and my mind cleared up for a while.

But that didn't save me from the other person I was trying to hide from.

I was filling my tray at the service station when a strong smell of perfume hit my nostrils, and without thinking twice, I knew who it was.

“Are you running from me, Aleena?” She said from behind me in an amused tone, her heels clicking rhythmically against the floor. “Or you're just embarrassed you're wearing a plain waitress uniform, while I'm dressed like this?” She cane around and stood in front of me, gesturing at herself slowly, making sure I took in every inch of the dress.

I felt something rise in my chest, but I quickly pushed it down before it reached my face.

“I'm working, Vivienne.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “I don't have the time to argue with you.” I said, arranging the glasses on the tray. “Not everyone gets to spend their night, worrying about what people would think of their outfits… I have better things to do.”

For a second, something genuine flickered across her composure—something that looked like surprise, that maybe I didn't fold the way she had expected. But she recovered quickly, her mouth twisting into something sharp, but not fast enough to hide what I had already seen on her face.

“Well, that's not why I'm here,” she smiled and leaned on the table behind her, her gaze extremely sharp. “So since when do you work here?”

I frowned. “Since when do you party here?” I shot back.

She laughed a little too loud, and it sounded cold. “I party here frequently, Aleena. You would only know that if you could afford to buy a drink here.”

I scoffed. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I was hosting my pre-birthday celebration, so I thought to come here and unwind.” She shifted her weight on the table, and her gold dress caught in the light. “The real party is next week, at my house, and I thought it's only fair if you come.”

"I'm not interested.” I snapped back. “I’ll be working."

"What a shame." She shook her head and leaned closer. "You know, I've been thinking about you."

"I know that.” I tilted my head. “So do I look like I care?"

"Oh, you should." she lowered her voice. "I know you've been spending time with Professor Lorcan."

I kept my expression completely blank, even though my heart had already started beating fast. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

"Don't lie to me.” she stood. “I saw you leaving the faculty building three days ago. And I've seen the way he looks at you in class."

I blinked. “What the hell? He looks at everyone the same way!"

"No." Vivienne shook her head. "He doesn't."

I felt an impending headache coming. “So why do you care? You're falling for professor Lorcan too?"

Vivienne was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. “Well, I'm not desperate like you.” She said, not denying or accepting the fact.

“Oh please.” I almost laughed. “The queen of desperation, suddenly denying her role? Spare me Vivienne—I don’t have time for this.”

Vivienne's smile faltered, just for a second. “You do not know a damn thing about me, Aleena.” She said in a low voice.

I shrugged. "Well, I know enough."

Vivienne's eyes hardened. "Then you know that if I want to make your life hell, I can.” She leaned closer. “And I will." She said through gritted teeth, turned around and walked back to her table without another word.

I allowed myself feel it—the pride of watching Vivienne retreat—just for exactly one second without feeling any fear whatsoever from her constant empty threats, before I picked the tray back up and went back to work.

—

I went to table twelve, taking the orders of the guys who just settled there. There were three of them, and they looked about twenty four or twenty five.

Two of them were invested in themselves, leaving the third guy out, who seemed to be the youngest of them, about my age though—he looked twenty three. He had dark hair, an easy smile, and warm green eyes.

"You're new," he said, when I set his drink down. "I'd remember a face like that."

I lauged before I could stop myself—the first rwal laugh I've had all night. “That obvious?”

"You still look surprised every time someone tips you." He grinned. "Most people here stopped being surprised a long time ago."

I chuckled. "Guess I haven't been doing this long enough to get jaded yet."

"Don't. It's actually a good look on you." He said it easily, not pushy, and I didn’t even examine it further. Then he slid a folded bill into my tray that was triple the amount the drink costs. "You can keep the change.”

I shook my head. "You don't have to—"

"I know I don't." He shrugged, still smiling. "But I want to."

I felt the warmness that was spreading across my face, and for a second, I let myself enjoy it. Enjoy being looked at like someone worth noticing, without any of the weight that comes with the way Lorcan looked at me. Then I turned around and went to the bar before my face would expose what was in my mind.

—

A few minutes later, the guy came to the bar with his drink, and settled down on a stool.

“So, you didn't tell me your name earlier.”

“Oh,” I smiled. “It's Aleena.”

“Aleena.” He repeated like he was tasting how it sounded. “I'd remember that.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

“You didn't even ask mine?” He raised a brow, and that smile was still spread across his lips that made him look charming.

“Sorry,” I bit my lip. “I didn't know we were allowed to do that around here.”

“Oh come on,” he waved his hand in the air and laughed. “It's just a name. We're not exchanging numbers.”

“Yeah, right.” I chuckled nervously, realizing how comfortable I was getting with him, and it wasn't bad at all.

“It seems you're not gonna ask, so maybe I'd just tell you.” He said after a while, after we'd been staring for almost two minutes. “I'm Raymond. You can call me Ray.”

“Oh, that's cool.” I extended my hand. “Nice to meet you, Ray.”

He took my hand, and my cheek started to burn up instantly. Ray seemed like a cool guy—cooler than Lorcan's tight attitude and bossy nature.

Wait… Why was I comparing them? And why was I thinking of Lorcan?

I was still smiling, when I saw someone come up to the bar from the corner of my eyes, and my smile disappeared instantly.

Shit.

It was Lorcan.