Professor's Favorite Student

15

The days had gone by so fast and it was already mid-December. The things with Elizabeth and her professor had gone back to normality — well, as normal as they could be after what took place that night — which meant they hadn't made out anymore and they were trying their best to maintain their professor-student relationship, as if it was even possible. But they both thought that the other meant what they said in the car that night so it was enough for them to back down and think that this was nothing more than lust and desire.

Elizabeth tried for the hundredth time to get him out of her head that day, which ended up being unsuccessful considering she didn't have any work to do with the bar being almost empty, except of a group of friends, all three men muscular and almost intimidating, who came to the bar and asked from her for two bottles of whiskey, something unusual when there were only a little few people, but she served it to them anyway.

After they were obviously drunk, they started hitting on her with some disturbing words and even though she tried to avoid them and their lusting gazes, it was becoming annoying and almost scaring.

Unfortunately, she was completely alone because the owner of the bar had sent Zed to buy some missing drinks.

"Stop playing hard to get, you slut," one of them shouted as she pressed her lips into a thin line, ready to confront them.

"Don't tell me you don't f**k with clients here."

"We can make it rough if you want."

Her hands were curled into fists now as she rolled her eyes, irritated. "Shut up and get out of here!" She demanded, anger radiating through her body.

"The girl got personality," one of them continued, not even moving to get out as she had demanded.

"It makes me want to f**k her more now," the other one said before getting up and grabbing her wrist and she could tell, if the bar wouldn't be between them to stop him, she didn't know what was going to happen.

A shiver of fear ran through her body as the realization hit her hard. She was completely alone and they were drunk, their bodies large, and obviously outnumbering her. Anxiety was kicking in but she tried to remain calm and cold so they wouldn't see the fear in her eyes.

"Let go of me right now!" She shouted, trying to release herself from his grab but he only tightened it more.

"You're coming with us sweetheart. We're gonna have some fun tonight," the light eyed man smirked and so did the others as she felt her heart jumping out of her chest, tears burning her eyes.

This couldn't be happening. They had to be kidding, right?

But the seriousness and lust in their intoxicated expressions was enough to get the panic attack closer as the two others went behind the bar where she was standing. She started shouting even though she knew no one outside would hear as the walls were thick and the music loud.

One of them lifted her from the ground and threw her body in his large shoulder, making his way outside the bar.

"Let me go, please," she kept shouting and hitting his back with her fists, to no result.

"You should do as she says if you don't want all the bones in your body broken tonight," she heard a threatening, deep and husky voice, oh-so-well-known to her ears. Was he really here or was her imagination playing with her? "Let. the. girl. go. NOW." He hissed through his teeth, feeling the blood boiling through his body at seeing his filthy hands on her.

"Mr. Ambrose!" She shouted, hope filling her voice that was already full of fear.

"And you'll be the one to break my bones?" The man who was still keeping her in his shoulder asked with a teasing tone and she felt her body shiver at the thought that he was alone and they were three. The two others laughed out loud and she felt like she wanted to cry at only the thought of him getting beaten because of her.

The man finally spun Elizabeth around and she saw the cold expression in Daniel's face, however, his eyes were filled with a type of anger she had never seen before in a person. If she wouldn't trust him that much, she'd be scared too for sure.

He chuckled in irony and she couldn't understand how he wasn't scared of these big men but when he took off his coat so unbothered and put it on one of the chairs, she could swear she hadn't seen anything sexier in her whole life. It was like he was getting ready to fight for her, and no matter how hot this might've sounded, she hated this so much.

"This seems interesting," one of the other men said only to make Elizabeth more helpless. She'd hope for them to go away but they didn't seem to give up now that he had threaten them.

The one carrying her finally dropped her in a chair and approached to Daniel, who had his fits in his pockets, clouds of anger filling his eyes since he had foot in this bar. The desire of him to destroy them only for thinking of touching Elizabeth was bigger than anyone could ever imagine. He wanted to ruin them, to make them feel pain.

But for everyone's surprise, the man who was standing now in front of him, punched Daniel so hard that he ended up in the floor in a split of second. Elizabeth left out a scream as she saw blood in his face, but he only brushed the blood off his cheek with his fingertip and after more than two long seconds, he stood up in silence and punched the man with a power that Elizabeth could never imagine it was possible to exist in a fist.

The man fell on the floor, his eye already darkened and bruised because of the silver rings in Daniel's fingers.

Elizabeth was in a big need for air, violence being the last thing she wanted to happen right in front of her eyes. But mostly, she was scared of his friends' reaction after they saw their friend getting beaten like that, her mind only working to find a way to get her professor out of this, safe.

"Please stop!" She demanded, but to no success.

"Who wanna try next?" Daniel continued, his voice even deeper, scarier.

Another one of the men tried to punch him but somehow Daniel managed to avoid his fist and punch this one in his stomach, not realizing the other one was behind him and had an empty whiskey bottle in his hand, ready to splash it against the back of his head.

"Daniel!" Elizabeth shouted his name loudly before somehow finding herself between them, both her hands wrapped around the bottle, preventing it with all her power from hitting his head.

But the man slapped her in her face with the back of his hand so hard that she fell on the floor, causing a deep bruise in her bottom lip and she could already feel blood filling her teeth.

Daniel saw nothing but dark after that, his control snapping entirely as he took the bottle from the man's hand who tried to attack him again, wrapped his hand around his throat and pinned him against the wall so roughly that Elizabeth thought for a moment the wall was gonna break.

"Man, man we're good, we're going," another one called from his back, clearly less drunk now as he was seeing his friend's life almost slipping around Daniel's hand.

But oh boy there was nothing that could stop him now after he saw what the man did to Elizabeth. Absolutely nothing.

Except her.

"Daniel," she was able to get up and approach him saying his name once again, begging in her eyes and voice. "I'm alright now. Let him go," she said softly, touching his shoulder as his expression softened a little. 

"If you come for my girl once again I'm gonna rip your skin alive!" He threatened before letting the man go as the three of them ran outside and they were now facing each other, alone.

His girl. He had said his girl. Her heart was melting by that fact only as his eyes were holding her so dearly, like they were just gonna lose her after some seconds.

She felt tears filling those beautiful eyes he loved that much when they're smiling. But he could drown in them now and he found himself wanting to make them smile again.

They stood like that for some more seconds, only staring at each other, feelings overwhelming both of them as he opened his arms a little to welcome her in a hug.

"Daniel," she whispered before throwing herself in his arms and burying her face in his chest, as he held her so tight, trying to chase those scaring thoughts away from his mind. She was safe now, he had saved her. Nothing would happen to her, everything was alright.

Her body was trembling in his arms, it was the first time she was that vulnerable in front of him and it broke his heart as she felt her tears in his dress shirt.

"Shh it's okay Lizzie, I'm here with you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head and keeping her tightly in his chest. He had called her Lizzie. It was a nickname only her brother and grandmother used for her and it always made her feel like a little girl. This time it made her feel protected and safe in his arms, like she belonged there, like their warmness were made for her only.

"I was scared for you," she admitted softly between sobs and he felt tears making their way to his eyes. He was literally crying. After God knows how much time, he was crying because of her. Because how much she meant to him.

He whipped her tears from her face as he cupped her cheeks with his hands, a worried expression in his face. "Are you in a lot of pain?" He asked while brushing her lips with his fingertip and even though it was still hurting a little, it made her feel things she shouldn't be feeling right now.

"I'm alright," she whispered, still not going away from his arms.

He sighed deeply, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his hands on her waist gripping her tighter.

"Are you alright?" She asked at the reminder that he was punched in the face, hard, but that wasn't what he was sighing about, not at all.

"I was so worried," he whispered. "What if my timing would be wrong? What if they would take you? I swear to God I'd kill them with my bare hands."

She found the power to smile, the thought of him being that worried about her causing warm flip flops in her stomach. She ran her hands through his dark hair and that feeling only made him wanting to not let go of her anymore, ever. What if something like this would happen again? He could never bear watching her getting hurt, he had now realized she was too important to him.

They were interrupted by Zed coming into the bar, his eyes opened wide while seeing the view in front of him, a professor hugging his student like that. But that was the last thing Daniel cared about in that moment, anger filling his judgment again.

"How could you f*****g leave her alone?!" He shouted angrily, catching Zed, who didn't know anything, completely by surprise. "If I wouldn't come here she'd—" but he couldn't finish the sentence as he clenched his teeth together at the reminder of what could've happened.

"What happened?" Zed asked intimidated, but before anyone could answer, Mrs. Wilson entered her bar with a big annoying smile in her face.

"Do you always leave your female workers alone with disgusting men or was it only tonight?" Daniel hissed at her as she furrowed her eyebrows together, Elizabeth being the last of her concerns.

"Mr. Ambrose, it's okay, it's over now," she whispered to him, not wanting to make a big deal out of this but he couldn't agree at this.

"I swear to God if something would've happened to her tonight I would've sued you," he continued, leaving her completely speechless. "If something else happens to Elizabeth you're the one I'm going to blame first, remember this, old lady," he finished it off before grabbing her wrist and pulling her with him out of the bar. She didn't object, she knew how mad he was right now.

They were already in his car now as he tried to regain control by breathing hard several times, before finding a ointment in his things.

"What is it?" Liz asked, but he didn't mind answering as he took some in his index finger and brushed it in her lip. She half-closed her eyes as she felt tingles run down her body and he grinned for the first time today. She appreciated it.

"Keep it," he said, putting the thing in her backpack and this time it was Liz who grinned at how careful he was about little things. "You can come to my place if you want. I live alone," he said, before realizing that it sounded extremely wrong. "I mean— if you don't want your roommates asking anything," he explained in a rush and she chuckled softly.

"It's okay. They'll worry more if I disappear all night anyway."

Like that he started the car and after some minutes there were in front of the campus, a sign she had to go now.

With the look he gave her, it was almost like he was so worried to let her go, like he wanted to have her around all the time now to make sure she was safe.

Elizabeth brushed his cheek with her fingers softly and hesitantly as he leaned in her hand almost desperate for her.

"Thank you Daniel," she whispered, taking the courage to give him a hug. "Thank you so much."