His Forbidden Obsession

I see you

(Roxie)

I don’t like things I can’t explain.

And right now… Clara Stone was one of them.

I tapped my pen lightly against my notebook, my eyes drifting from the front of the lecture hall to where she sat.

Same seat as always.

Same quiet posture.

Same “I don’t want attention” energy she carried like a shield.

But something about her wasn’t adding up.

It hadn’t since the first day.

At first, I thought she was just nervous. A lot of people were. This was med school, not some playground. Pressure got to people quickly.

But Clara?

She wasn’t nervous.

She was… distracted.

And not the normal kind.

Not the “I didn’t study enough” distraction.

The kind where your body reacts before your brain catches up.

I narrowed my eyes slightly as Professor Hart’s voice filled the room.

Calm. Controlled. Precise.

Everything about him screamed discipline.

Which was exactly why this didn’t make sense.

“Miss Stone.”

I didn’t turn immediately.

I didn’t have to.

I already knew what I’d see.

Clara straightened.

Too fast.

“Yes, sir?”

Her voice was steady, but her fingers tightened around her pen like she was bracing for impact.

Interesting.

She answered the question correctly—of course she did. She was top ten, not stupid.

“Good,” Professor Hart said.

Just one word.

Simple.

But something about it felt… heavier.

I glanced at him then.

His face hadn’t changed. Still that same unreadable expression he wore like armor.

But there was something there.

Something small.

Something most people wouldn’t notice.

But I’m not most people.

I leaned back slightly in my chair, watching the two of them without making it obvious.

There was a rhythm.

Call.

Response.

Silence.

And in that silence… something lingered.

Something unspoken.

My lips pressed together.

That wasn’t normal.

Not for a professor and a student who supposedly didn’t know each other.

The rest of the lecture passed, but I barely paid attention.

Not because I couldn’t.

But because I didn’t want to.

Not when something more interesting was unfolding right in front of me.

By the time class ended, I already knew what I was going to do.

I packed my things slowly, keeping Clara in my peripheral vision.

She didn’t wait around.

Didn’t chat.

Didn’t linger like the others.

She moved like she was trying to get out of there as fast as possible.

That alone was suspicious.

I followed.

Not too close.

Just enough.

The hallway was busy, students moving in clusters, voices bouncing off the walls.

Clara walked straight ahead, her grip tight on her iPad like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

And then—

She slowed.

Just a little.

Barely noticeable.

But I saw it.

I shifted my gaze forward.

And there he was.

Professor Hart.

Standing a few feet ahead, talking to someone from the faculty.

Clara didn’t look at him.

Not directly.

But her body reacted.

That same tension.

That same awareness.

Like she knew exactly where he was without needing to see him.

My brows pulled together slightly.

Okay…

Now that was interesting.

She walked past him.

Quick.

Controlled.

Like she was trying not to draw attention.

And for a second, I thought maybe I was reading too much into it.

Until—

His eyes lifted.

Just for a moment.

And followed her.

Not long.

Not enough for anyone else to notice.

But long enough for me.

I stopped walking.

My chest tightened slightly—not out of jealousy.

Not yet.

But something close to curiosity.

Sharp. Focused. Growing.

That wasn’t nothing.

People don’t look at each other like that for no reason.

Especially not people like him.

Especially not in a place like this.

I watched Clara disappear around the corner, then shifted my gaze back to him.

He had already looked away.

Like nothing happened.

Like he hadn’t just tracked her movement across the hallway.

My lips curved slightly.

“Okay,” I muttered under my breath.

Now I was interested.

Later that evening, I sat at my desk, my laptop open in front of me.

I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about this.

I had notes to review. Material to cover.

But my mind kept going back to that moment.

That look.

That tension.

Clara Stone didn’t behave like someone who had just met her professor.

And Professor Hart definitely didn’t behave like someone who saw her as just another student.

I tapped my fingers lightly against the keyboard before typing his name.

Professor Callum Hart.

Results popped up almost immediately.

Of course they did.

He wasn’t just good.

He was exceptional.

Publications. Awards. Recognition.

Exactly the kind of man institutions like this loved to show off.

I scrolled.

And then I paused.

A small article.

Easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention.

Something about a previous investigation.

No full details.

No names.

But enough to make me sit up straighter.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I read it again.

Once.

Twice.

Slowly.

A faint smile crept onto my lips.

“So…” I murmured.

“You’re not as perfect as you look.”

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the screen.

Then Clara’s face flashed in my mind.

The way she reacted.

The way he looked at her.

That tension.

That awareness.

The pieces didn’t fully fit yet.

But they were starting to form something.

And I was very good at solving puzzles.

I reached for my notebook and flipped it open.

Clara’s name was already there.

I stared at it for a second before adding beneath it:

Professor Hart

I paused.

Then wrote:

Something’s off.

I tapped the pen against the page once.

Slow.

Thoughtful.

Then I underlined it.

Because I knew one thing for sure.

I wasn’t imagining this.

And if there was something going on between them…

I was going to find out.

No matter how long it took.