Marrianne’s Obsession
463 Words
Marrianne rested her chin on her palm, her eyes fixed on Professor Felix as he spoke. His voice was calm, steady—each word deliberate as he explained something about history, though she wasn’t really listening.
It didn’t matter what he was saying.
She just liked watching him.
The way he carried himself—the ease in his posture, the subtle way he adjusted his glasses before writing on the board—it was all so effortlessly composed. He wasn’t trying to be impressive. He just was.
She wasn’t subtle about it.
Everyone in class already knew.
It wasn’t like she wanted them to know, but she had never been good at hiding things. And honestly, she didn’t care. She had always been the type to fixate on things that interested her, and right now, Felix was the only thing that interested her.
“Marrianne, you’re staring again.”
She barely acknowledged her friend’s whisper.
“I know,” she murmured, not taking her eyes off Felix.
There was no point in denying it. If anyone asked, she’d say it plainly: Yes, I like him. So what?
He wasn’t just attractive—though he was, painfully so. It was the way he never stumbled over his words. The way his gaze was sharp and unreadable. The way he carried himself with a quiet authority that made it impossible to look away.
She didn’t giggle about it. She didn’t blush or play coy. That wasn’t her.
She just watched.
And maybe, deep down, she wished he’d watch her, too.
But he didn’t.
To him, she was just another student.
It should have been obvious, expected even, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating. He never scolded her for her blatant attention, never called her out on it beyond the occasional glance in her direction. It was as if he had already categorized her in his mind: irrelevant, harmless, unworthy of a second thought.
That irritated her more than she wanted to admit.
“Marrianne.”
His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and for a brief second, she thought—Finally.
“Yes, Professor?” she answered, sitting up.
Felix’s eyes met hers, unreadable as ever. “Perhaps you’d like to answer the question on the board.”
The class snickered, as if this was some grand humiliation, but Marrianne only exhaled through her nose and shifted her gaze to the board. The answer was easy. She said it without hesitation.
Felix gave a curt nod. “Correct.” And then he moved on.
Just like that, she was dismissed.
Marrianne clenched her jaw, gripping her pen a little tighter.
No reaction. No flicker of amusement or interest.
Nothing.
She hated that it didn’t bother him.
She hated that she liked him.
- Writer
