My Secret Billionaire Professor

Chapter Five: Beautiful Eyes

Belle’s POV

The next day, Arthur drove me to school in his Porsche. We got down together, then I headed straight to my first lecture of the day after wishing him a great day.

He smiled at me. “Have a beautiful day.”

I walked to class with a feeling in my heart that I couldn't describe. It was a mixture of happiness, fear, and excitement. The night before, Arthur and I had stayed up talking for hours. For the first time in a long time, I spent a whole four hours with him without imagining his hand around my neck.

I got to know him a little better. He plays the piano, paints, loves animals a whole lot, and owns a farm. “It’s a pretty little place just by a lake. It has a cottage, a grove, and a stable. I love riding horses,” he explained with a glass of wine in his hand.

He had prepared a delicious meal of stir-fried spaghetti and chicken. We were done eating and sitting in his living room. I was covered in a blanket, which he brought for me when I mentioned I was cold. He had wrapped it around me himself, gazing into my eyes half of the time.

“Your eyes are beautiful, Belle.”

“Thank you,” I responded, trembling underneath the blanket I was wrapped in.

He sat back down, and our conversation went on to all sorts of things. We even discussed global warming and possible solutions to help developing countries address it.

Most of the time, he sat on the couch while I sat on a cuter, smaller version of his very wide couch. A part of me wanted him closer, holding me while I lay on his chest.

I got to see a side of him I never thought existed. He played Tennis every Friday night with his tennis club friends. Unlike Danny, who picked up the habit of partying, something he never did while in high school. He is probably trying to impress the ‘cool kids’. None of my business, anyway.

Arthur was effortlessly charming. He used words like ‘indeed’, ‘frankly’, ‘certainly’, and ‘ridiculous’. I was intrigued.

I got to class and sat in a seat I normally wouldn't. I was feeling that great. The night before felt like a hug to my soul. We also talked about my mom— something I normally wouldn't do.

“She was my best friend,” I said, tears filling my eyes and pouring within seconds.

That's when he got up. He came closer and wrapped his hands around my petite frame. He held me close. “I know,” he whispered, his chin on my head while I lay on his chest, just like I wanted. My fingers grabbed onto his sweater and pulled gently as tears poured down my face, soaking the fabric.

He rested his hand on my head and stroked my hair gently. “I know what it’s like to lose your best friend. I'm so sorry, Belle,” he said, then planted a kiss on my head.

He did know. He knew very well which was why I felt safe speaking about it. I didn't plan to, but it happened, and I didn't mind…for some reason.

He reached for my face and raised my head to his slowly. Gently, he dried my tears, our eyes interlocked.

Time.

Slowed.

Down.

It waited for me to fall in love.

“You truly have beautiful eyes, Belle,” he said, his hand clutching my face while his thumb rested underneath my eyes.

“Thank you,” I said in a whisper, hoping to dear God that he would lean in and kiss me. That he could see me…differently.

He kissed my forehead instead, then gave me a small smile. He pulled me back in for a hug. I wasn't disappointed. For a minute, I considered how ridiculous I was for seeing him in a romantic light.

Dumb. It was dumb. Not just dumb but also wrong. He was my professor and my dad’s best friend. What was I thinking?

Nonetheless, as much as I wanted to fix the way I viewed him, he had looked too deeply into my eyes and he had seen a part of my soul no one else was allowed to.

“The human body is like a beautifully organized machine—every structure has a function, and every function is tied to structure.” Professor John explained. I took notes and watched as he taught us using the slides he had so neatly put together.

Before you know it, it was the end of the day. The end of a good day. I finished up my study session and then headed straight to the elevator.

“Hi,” Danny said as he stopped the elevator doors from shutting him out.

“Hey.”

He got in and stood beside me, an awkward silence filling the space between us. He didn't say another word to me until we got out. He didn't even say goodbye. He just walked out of the building then straight to his car.

I watched him, painfully enough. As much as I didn't want to, I watched him till he drove off, and I couldn't see his headlights. Was he ignoring me now? Does he think this is how to catch my attention?

I stepped out of the building after being frozen in a particular spot for a while. The time was 6:30 pm. I had already told Arthur that I would be studying late, to which he replied, “Quite the scholar, just like your father.”

When I got to his place, he was in the kitchen, a frown etched on his brow. “Hey,” I said warmly.

“Hi, Belle,” he said, looking up with a sudden realization of my presence. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

But he didn’t respond. He fixed his eyes on the chow mein rice he was prepping. He loved cooking his meals. It was “therapeutic”.

Something was wrong, but I didn't push. I could have, but I was still feeling quite heavy from my encounter with Danny. Plus, he is a grown-up. He must have a million things on his mind. So, I went up to my room, showered, did my skincare routine, got into comfy pajamas, and went straight to bed, my mind anything but at ease the whole time.

Weirdly enough, I dreamed of a butterfly gliding through the gloom. When I woke up, the time read 1:25 am. I was thirsty, so I went downstairs to get a glass of water. I gulped down my second cup when I noticed a shadow behind me.

My body jerked. It was Arthur, shirtless.