His Forbidden Obsession

The Safer Option

(Clara’s POV)

The next day felt heavier than it should have.

I sat in the lecture hall with my iPad open in front of me with my stylus in hand. My eyes were fixed on the screen but nothing was sinking in. Words blurred together, diagrams meant nothing, and the professor’s voice faded in and out like background noise I couldn’t quite grasp.

I was present but I was not really here because no matter how hard I tried…

My mind kept circling back to the same person…….

To the way he stood in that café yesterday like he belonged everywhere he stepped.

To the way his eyes found mine across the room.

To the way he looked right through me like I was nothing.

My jaw tightened as I tried to redirect my focus. I wasn’t here for him.

I pressed the stylus harder against the screen, forcing myself to write something…..anything at all.

All I could force out was half a sentence.

“You’re doing it again.” I heard someone say causing me to blink out of my thoughts.

Ethan sat beside me, his elbow resting casually on the desk as he watched me with mild curiosity.

“Doing what?” I asked, even though I already knew.

“Disappearing,” he said simply. “You’ve been staring at the same spot for a while.”

I glanced down at my screen.

He wasn’t wrong.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly.

Ethan gave a small, knowing smile. “Yeah, you keep saying that.”

I exhaled quietly, leaning back in my seat.

“I just need to adjust,” I added. “It’s a lot, you know? New environment, new expectations…”

“And one very intense professor,” he added lightly.

Even though I knew he was joking, my heart pounded faster.

“Yeah,” I said after a while. “That too.”

Ethan studied me for a second longer than necessary, like he was trying to figure something out.

“You don’t like him,” he said. He was not asking me a question, he was telling me.

I hesitated a bit as I didn’t want to be fast with a reply.

Did I like him?

That wasn’t even the problem.

“I just don’t like how he makes me feel,” I said carefully. That was closer to the truth…. I couldn’t tell him that Callum Hart set my skin on fire anytime he’s near.

Ethan nodded slowly. “Fair enough.”

Silence settled between us for a moment before he spoke again.

“Or maybe,” he added, “you’re just thinking too much.”

I let out a quiet sigh. “That sounds about right.”

The lecture dragged on after that, each minute stretched longer than the last. I tried…..really tried….to focus, but my thoughts kept slipping through my fingers.

By the time the class ended, I was exhausted but not physically. I was mentally and emotionally tired.

I packed my things slowly, hoping maybe if I moved carefully enough, my thoughts would settle too but I was wrong.

“Hey.” I heard Ethan say, forcing me to look up.

He was standing beside my desk now, his bag slung over one shoulder.

“Come out with me,” he said with a boyish smile.

I blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Not a big thing,” he added quickly. “Just… get out of here for a bit. Walk, food, something that doesn’t involve lectures or stress.”

My first instinct was to say no. I should study or go home to rest, avoid unnecessary distractions and catch my thoughts but the truth lingered in my chest, I wasn’t going to study and if I went home, I would just think.

About him.

“I don’t know…” I started.

“You need a break,” Ethan said, softer now. “Because whatever’s going on in your head? It’s not helping.”

I looked at him…. I mean…really looked at him. He wasn’t insisting or prying, he was just… offering.

It was something very simple and normal.

“I’ll only stay for a bit,” I said finally.

Ethan smiled. “That’s all I’m asking.”

I returned his smile, got up from my desk and walked out of the hall with him.

The air outside felt lighter and suddenly I realized that this wasn’t such a bad idea. I could finally breathe without something pressing down on my chest.

We walked side by side without rush or pressure. Just two first year medical students, trying to ease up after hours of lectures.

“So,” Ethan said after a moment, “rule number one…..no school talk.”

I glanced at him. “Seriously?”

“Dead serious,” he said. “You need at least one hour where your brain isn’t being tortured.”

I huffed a small laugh. “That sounds amazing, actually.”

“Good,” he said. “Then we’re starting now.”

We ended up at a small diner a few blocks away. It wasn’t fancy…..just warm lighting, the smell of fries and coffee, and a low hum of conversation in the background.

It was….comforting.

We slid into a booth, and for the first time since everything started spiraling…

I felt something close to normal.

We talked about random things……Our pre-med struggles, terrible professors, ridiculous exams.

At one point, I laughed….really laughed at Ethan telling me a story of how his roommate went out with no shoes on because he was late for an exam and it startled me.

“You have a nice laugh,” Ethan said, watching me.

I blinked. “What?”

He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. “Just saying.”

Heat crept up my cheeks, and I looked down at my drink.

“Thanks.” I replied, not knowing what else to say.

The conversation was slow after that, settling into something quieter.

“Can I ask you something?” he said after a moment.

I glanced up. “Depends.”

He smiled. “Fair. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

I waited to hear his question as I sipped my drink.

“What’s actually going on with you?” he asked gently.

There it was. I should have expected this question.

“I told you,” I said lightly. “I’m just adjusting.”

Ethan didn’t look convinced…..not one bit.

“Clara.” He pressed.

Something in his tone made me pause.

“It’s more than that,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me everything, but… it’s clearly bothering you.”

I stared at my hands for a moment because the truth was right there but I couldn’t tell him I hooked up with a random stranger weeks ago and that stranger turned out to be Professor Callum Hart.

“I just don’t like feeling out of control,” I said finally.

It wasn’t everything but it wasn’t a lie either.

Ethan nodded slowly. “Yeah. I get that.”

And just like that, he let it go.

I was glad he didn’t press on, he just understood.

“You’re easy to talk to,” I said before I could stop myself.

He smiled. “That’s kind of my thing.”

We stepped outside not long after, the sun was about to set so the sky painted in soft shades of orange and pink which was beautiful. I have always loved sunsets.

We walked again, much slower this time.

“You’re doing it again,” Ethan said suddenly.

I frowned. “Doing what?”

“Zoning out.” He replied sincerely.

I stopped walking.

“I’m trying,” I said, more frustrated than I meant to sound.

“I know,” he said gently.

I looked at him. He stepped a little closer.

“You don’t have to figure everything out right now,” he added.

I held his gaze as he was close. Close enough that I could see the small details in his face.

Close enough that it would be easy.

This was what I needed…..safety, something normal and simple. But still, my chest tightened because it didn’t feel the same.

“I should head home,” I said suddenly, stepping back.

Ethan blinked, surprised but not upset. “Yeah. Of course.”

“I had fun,” I added quickly.

“Me too,” he said with a small smile.

We stood there for a moment before I turned and walked away.

And the further I got…

The clearer it became.

Ethan was everything I should want. He was kind,easy, safe and not my Professor.

But no matter how hard I tried…

He didn’t make me feel the way Callum Hart did.

And that was the problem.

Because the man I couldn’t stop thinking about…

Was the one I should stay far away from.