Acedemic Affections

Chapter 4.

Mina's Pov

I felt bad for the way I stormed off but I was angry and exhausted. The weight of my father's expectations bore down on me, exacerbating the frustration that had been simmering within. My departure wasn't a mere reaction to Mr. Evens' critique but an eruption of pent-up emotions, sparked by my father's dismissive phone call. He had the audacity to belittle my ambitions, urging me to embrace a 'legitimate' career or return to the shackles of our family enterprise. I felt the burden of perfection, and the need to succeed academically to silence the skeptics. In my frantic escape, I stumbled into a secluded nook, an overlooked room cluttered with the musty scent of aged books. As I shut out the world, I collapsed into the furthest corner, the dam of my restraint finally breaking, allowing the tears to cascade freely in my private sanctuary.

The sound of the door opening broke through my desire for solitude, but I couldn't bring myself to meet whoever had entered. "Just leave me alone!" I pleaded, assuming it was Ava or Tom, hoping they would respect my need for space. But then, a soft, familiar voice cut through my plea, speaking my name with such gentleness. It was Sebastian. "Mina..." he said, his voice filled with understanding and compassion. He sat down beside me, the warmth from his hand seeping into mine, grounding me in the present. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked, his voice a soothing balm to the chaos in my mind.

There was no judgment in his eyes, only concern and an unwavering patience that invited me to share my burdens. In that safe space he created, the words began to flow, and with each one spoken, the heavy weight on my chest lightened. He sat there patiently, not saying anything and just listening to me, I told him everything, the pressure, my parents, and the assignments. I stopped myself before saying anymore, afraid I might say too much. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bombing you with all my problems." I apologized. "No, please don't ever apologize for sharing your feelings with me. Remember, I'm always here for you," Sebastian reassured me, his voice firm yet gentle. He paused thoughtfully before asking, "If you were struggling with your assignments, why didn't you reach out to me?" His brow furrowed with concern. "I... I was worried it might seem odd since I already have two tutors," I admitted in a hushed tone, "I feared it could start rumors." Observing his reaction, I noticed the intensity in his eyes as he clenched his jaw and his hands formed tight fists – an unexpectedly attractive display of his protective side. "We better return before our absence starts raising eyebrows," he said, his voice a smooth melody, deep and velvety with a hint of huskiness that adds a touch of intrigue and is drownded in dominance, drawing me in. I felt a pang of worry that maybe I had unintentionally struck an unknown nerve. Instead of saying anything, I simply nodded in understanding and obediently trailed behind him as we made our way back towards the door. The silence between us was filled with unspoken thoughts, leaving me curious about what he might be feeling or thinking.

As I stepped into the lecture hall, my heart raced with a mix of nerves and guilt. I knew I had to face Mr. Evens and Mr. Mackie, and the weight of my actions weighed heavily. The room felt tense as if the air was thick with unresolved tension. My palms grew slightly sweaty and I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Professor Stan's unease from our conversation in the closet still lingered, and I could sense it in the atmosphere. With each determined step, I gathered my courage, reminding myself that taking responsibility was the only way forward. As I approached Mr. Evens and Mr. Mackie, their eyes locked onto me, waiting for an explanation. The silence in the room was deafening, amplifying my nerves. Most of the students were gone now so I knew doing this wasn't going to be that bad but I was still nervous knowing my actions were uncalled for. I took a deep breath and mustered the words to form a genuine apology. "Mr. Evens, Mr. Mackie." I started nervously, "I want to apologize for how I acted earlier, I've just been stressed out with some personal things and I shouldn't have taken it out on you guys or Mr. Stan, I'm sorry." I was staring at my feet now, not being able to meet their eyes out of embarrassment. Mr. Evens and Mr. Mackie looked at each other for a second and then back at me "Mina, we are not upset we are just worried to see you falling behind when you're such a brilliant student, and you were doing so well at the start." Mr. Evens said. "You can get to class now Mina." Mr. Mackie said waving his hand to the big metal doors that Mr. Stan and I walked through earlier.

I still had 30 minutes until Mr. Stan's class, but I decided not to go early just yet. Considering, I didn't think he wanted to spend any more time with me, and I didn't want to be a burden, especially since I wasn't sure why he was upset. So, I just decided to go get a coffee to wake me up a little bit, so I wouldn't end up falling asleep in his class again.

...

As I walked into the coffee shop, a block away from the college, I felt relieved to see that there weren't many people inside. "Whew!" I thought to myself. I approached the counter and said to the barista, a brown-headed young woman who seemed a bit displeased, "One mocha frappe with extra whip and chocolate drizzle, please." Just as I finished ordering, I heard a voice chuckle behind me. "Not much of a coffee," the voice said. I turned around and saw a guy with light brown hair, honey-colored eyes, and an infectious smile that revealed adorable dimples on each cheek. "Hi, I'm Cooper," he introduced himself. "I'm Mina," I replied, grabbing my frappe. I knew it wasn't exactly coffee, but I had a serious chocolate craving on my way here. I was so anti-social and didn't know how to keep the conversation going, something I realized felt so natural to do with Mr. Stan. "Well, I -um I'm just gonna go now... Nice to meet you, Cooper." I said internally cursing myself for saying something so stupid and awkward. I basically ran out the door in embarrassment when I heard him call my name again and turned to see him trying to catch up with me. "Mina! Wait!" he said finally catching up to me "I- uh.. Do you go to NYU too? He asked shyly. Not wanting to give him too much information I replied "Do you?" he smirked at my question "Trust issues much, I'm not gonna stalk you haha. I thought I had seen you around campus and in some of my classes but I've never been able to say hi." he said lightly laughing, his nervousness showing through. "Ya know you're not really selling the whole 'not stalking' thing," I said sarcastically, he laughed at my words and and put his hands on his chest acting like I hurt him "Ow! Point to the red-haired lass." I rolled my eyes at his comment. "Ew, did you really just call me lass?" I pointed out. "Yes. I. Did." he said matter a fact. "it's normal for me, my parents are originally from Scotland but I was born here so, unfortunately, I don't have the accent everyone swoons over." he said still smirking.

We walked together for the rest of the walk talking about stupid nonsense and joking around until we were in front of the campus. "So what class do you go to next?" he asked. "Oh uh English," I answered. "No way! We have the same class!" he said excitedly. I hadn't noticed him in there but I didn't really pay any attention to any of the other students.

As we approached the door to Mr. Stan's class, the sounds of lively chatter from the other students flooded our ears. I made up my mind to take my usual spot in the front row, mainly because I didn't want to strain my eyes trying to read the board, and being closer to Mr. Stan would make it easier to ask questions. Cooper plopped down beside me, and for a split second, I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of Mr. Stan clenching his jaw and shooting him a glare. I brushed it off, pretending not to notice, and turned to Cooper, picking up our conversation right where we left off.

The class went normally except for the occasional glances from Mr. Stan. After class, I hurried out of the building and to the bus stop wanting to get to work as fast as I could so I could talk to my boss about taking a small vacation so I could get caught up with my classes. I quickly said bye to Cooper and made my way out of the building.

...

Every Monday different parts of the college faculty members would meet with the dean at the restaurant I worked at and almost always Mr. Stan was there. I walked into the kitchen ready to see what my section was, how many people were sitting there, and what orders I needed to take. I put my apron on over my golden button-up and was ready to take orders from the only table I had in my section and of course, the dean's name was on the ticket. I headed to the front where Amy was filling glasses up with all sorts of drinks. "I've kept an eye on your table so you can deliver these," she said. The dynamic between Amy and I was one of tough love; she was uncompromising, strict, and disciplined, yet with me, her demeanor softened to reveal a kind and humorous side, though worktime meant no special privileges. "Thank you!" I said taking the platter that held the drinks.

As I turned the corner, my gaze inadvertently locked with Mr. Stan's piercing eyes. Approaching the table, I began setting down the drinks with deliberate care, then proceeded to take orders individually. Throughout my tasks, the weight of Mr. Stan's unwavering stare bore into me, a silent pressure that seemed unnoticed by others, yet it left an unshakable tension hanging in the air between us. After a while their food was finally ready and I grabbed the platter and headed towards their table and carefully put each plate down. When it got to Mr. Stan I made sure to bend over a little more and put my hand on his shoulder.

I approached their table, the platter's heat radiating onto my hands, signaling the readiness of their meal. With each careful placement of the plates, the anticipation grew. As I reached Mr. Stan, I leaned in just a touch closer, allowing my cleavage to show, my hand finding its way to his shoulder, ensuring his undivided attention was captured along with his meal. Holding his gaze for an electrifying moment, I ensured every movement was a subtle performance. As he said, "True allure lies in the subtleties, the unspoken promises, and the art of leaving one craving more."

His eyes darkened at the sight and my sly smirk only grew, "I hope everyone enjoys their meal, let me know if you need anything else." I said acting as if nothing had happened and maybe that was what that was for him but for me, it felt exciting. I went back to the waitress station and grabbed a soda hoping it remedied my now parched mouth, I hadn't realized how nervous he made me until I came back here. Honestly, I didn't know what I was getting myself into and I felt really stupid for even entertaining the thought that he might actually like me.

The rest of the night went easier than expected I only had a few more tables come in and after my tables were empty and cleaned off, Amy decided that she would clean my sections so I could get some rest for school tomorrow. When I got home I plopped on my bed not even getting undressed from my work clothes and went straight to sleep.