RUMORS AND ROSES
1091 Words
Aurora barely slept.
Professor Shen's confession echoed in her mind all night.
"I'm jealous."
Those two words didn't sound like the cold, emotionless professor everyone feared.
They sounded like...
A husband.
She rolled over and groaned, pulling the blanket over her face.
"No," she muttered to herself. "I'm not falling for that."
One honest sentence couldn't erase months of humiliation.
It couldn't erase the countless times he'd embarrassed her in front of the entire class.
Or could it?
She quickly shook the thought away.
---
The next morning, Westbridge University buzzed with excitement.
Students gathered in groups, whispering about an upcoming campus festival.
Aurora walked through the front gate with her backpack slung over one shoulder.
"Aurora!"
David jogged toward her, carrying two iced coffees as usual.
"I figured you'd need this."
She accepted it with a grateful smile.
"You keep spoiling me."
"Someone has to."
They laughed together as they walked toward the Mathematics Building.
Neither of them noticed dozens of eyes following them.
Near the fountain, three girls stood whispering.
"Look."
"She's with David again."
"I heard Professor Shen kept her after class yesterday."
"No way."
"Maybe she's trying to flirt with him for better grades."
Another girl rolled her eyes.
"Please. Professor Shen doesn't even smile."
"He probably can't stand her."
Aurora pretended not to hear them, but every word stung.
David noticed her expression.
"Ignore them."
"They've been talking about me for weeks."
"They're jealous."
She laughed softly.
"Of what?"
"Your grades."
Aurora wasn't convinced.
---
Inside the Mathematics Department...
Professor Shen stood in front of the faculty notice board, reviewing examination schedules.
Several lecturers chatted nearby.
One of them smiled knowingly.
"Professor Shen."
He looked up.
"Professor Miller."
"I've noticed you're quite strict with Miss Blake."
Shen remained expressionless.
"I treat every student equally."
Professor Miller chuckled.
"I've taught for twenty years."
"You don't call on every student every lecture."
Silence.
"I hope the poor girl doesn't think you dislike her."
Shen calmly signed a document.
"That won't affect her academic performance."
Professor Miller laughed before walking away.
If only he knew.
---
Meanwhile...
Aurora and David found seats beneath a large oak tree outside the student center.
David opened his notebook.
"Let's finish that assignment before your favorite professor invents another impossible deadline."
Aurora smiled.
"I still can't believe he changed it to tomorrow."
"He definitely has something against me."
Aurora looked up.
"What do you mean?"
David shrugged.
"Every time I'm around you, he suddenly appears."
Aurora blinked.
Now that David mentioned it...
It was true.
Every single time.
She quickly dismissed the thought.
"No."
"That's impossible."
David laughed.
"I hope so."
As they studied, Aurora struggled to focus.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to the previous night.
"And he's too close to my wife."
Why would he admit something like that?
If he cared...
Why couldn't he simply treat her kindly?
Why couldn't he stop making her feel small?
She sighed.
Love shouldn't feel this confusing.
---
From the third-floor office window...
Professor Shen watched the pair below.
David leaned closer to explain a formula.
Aurora smiled.
She looked relaxed.
Happy.
A feeling settled heavily in Shen's chest.
His secretary knocked before entering.
"Professor?"
"What is it?"
"Your flowers have arrived."
She placed a beautifully wrapped bouquet of white lilies on his desk.
"They're beautiful."
Shen looked at them briefly.
"They're not for me."
The secretary smiled.
"I assumed as much."
She hesitated.
"Should I have them delivered?"
Shen nodded once.
"Without a name."
---
Thirty minutes later...
Aurora returned to her locker.
Something caught her attention.
A bouquet of white lilies rested neatly inside.
She frowned.
"Who..."
A small card lay between the flowers.
It simply read:
Take care of yourself.
No signature.
David walked over.
"Wow."
"They're gorgeous."
Aurora looked around.
"I wonder who sent them."
David smiled mischievously.
"Maybe someone has a crush on you."
She laughed.
"I doubt it."
Not far away...
Professor Shen watched quietly from the corridor.
He saw Aurora smile at the flowers.
A tiny smile appeared on his own face.
Then—
David picked up the bouquet.
"They smell amazing."
Aurora nodded.
"They really do."
Shen's smile disappeared.
---
That afternoon...
Advanced Mathematics began as usual.
Professor Shen entered the classroom precisely on time.
Every student fell silent.
He wrote several equations across the board before turning around.
His gaze swept across the room.
Then stopped.
Aurora.
Beside her...
David.
Without warning, Shen spoke.
"Mr. Carter."
David stood.
"Yes, Professor."
"You'll solve the first problem."
The class looked surprised.
Aurora glanced at David.
It was the first time Professor Shen had called on him.
David confidently walked to the board.
Halfway through the solution...
He got stuck.
Professor Shen waited patiently.
"Continue."
David swallowed.
"I...can't remember the final step."
Shen nodded once.
"Miss Blake."
Aurora sighed inwardly.
She stood and walked to the board.
Within moments, she completed the proof.
Professor Shen looked at the board.
"Correct."
He turned to David.
"Learn from Miss Blake."
David smiled politely.
"I will, Professor."
As Aurora returned to her seat, she noticed something strange.
Professor Shen hadn't embarrassed David.
He hadn't embarrassed her either.
Instead...
He had praised her.
Very quietly.
Very briefly.
But enough for the class to notice.
Whispers immediately filled the room.
"Did he just compliment Aurora?"
"I've never heard him say 'correct' twice in one week."
"Maybe he's finally being nicer."
Aurora looked at Professor Shen.
He was already continuing the lecture as though nothing had happened.
---
When class ended, students poured into the hallway.
Aurora packed her bag.
David waited beside her.
"You know..."
He smiled.
"I think Professor Shen is starting to respect you."
Aurora wasn't sure.
Respect?
Or something else?
Before she could answer, her phone vibrated.
A message from her grandfather.
Grandpa: "Come home this weekend. I miss you, sweetheart. I've planned a family dinner, and I won't take no for an answer."
Aurora smiled warmly.
She adored her grandfather.
But her smile slowly faded.
How long could she keep lying to the man who had raised her?
How long before he discovered that his beloved granddaughter was secretly married...
To the one man he would never accept?
She slipped the phone back into her pocket, unaware that Professor Shen had seen the message flash across her screen.
His expression darkened.
If Aurora returned to the Blake Mansion...
The truth might not stay buried for much longer.
And if Richard Blake learned that his granddaughter had married a Shen...
The fragile peace between the two families could shatter forever.
- Writer
