5 Past - Nathan replied like Regina was not even there
The next morning she arrived at her college early. She was a teacher's assistant, a TA. The professor's offices were upstairs, away from all the classrooms. At that time of day, the place used to bustle with activity, phones ringing and students like her running from here and there.
She walked into Ms. Vivian's office. But there was no indication that he was there, no steaming coffee mug, no glowing computer screen. She thought he would be running late.
She put her purse on her desk and walked out of her office and join the others. All the professors had gathered in a conference room at the end of the hall. One of the students James was standing outside the door to listen, but eventually, he came back saying that he could not hear a thing.
"Where is everyone?" A boy asked her in a panicky voice. His name was Mike, he was a tall skinny blonde with a skater's body but personality vise he was a total control freak and socially oblivious. Even though he was a bit hard to put up with, the professors loved him because of his impeccable work. Everything he does was perfect.
"They are in the conference room, discussing something." She said.
Mike huffed, "Discussing what? The classes had already started."
She nodded.
"I think they are discussing about the new temporary professor, I heard from one of the professors that Ms. Vivian suddenly left the university last weekend and went on a vacation without telling anyone where." James joined the conversation.
"What?!" Regina could not believe what she just heard.
"Since she left so abruptly, they had to find a quick temporary professor so that the students in her classes could complete their courses."
"I was Ms. Vivian's TA then why someone did not tell me that first?" Regina asked with confusion.
"Well let's go to our classes now, I think you can meet the new professor there." Saying that he left.
Regina could not believe, Ms. Vivian left just like that. A wave of shock hit her. For her, she was more like an elder sister rather than a professor. Her heart clenched inside her chest. She felt like a hole popped up in there that won't mend easily as she walked down the stairs and thought about Vivian.
Her mind was lost in Vivian's thoughts as she approached the classroom door. Normally, she would enter from the side and go sit in the first row, but not today. She stood in front of the main doors to the classroom and pulled open the classroom door slightly, she saw the endless rows of seats. They were all full while a student was talking, answering something.
Glancing down to the front of the room, she saw the new teacher in a black suit. She did not bother to look at his face and walked straight to her seat while staring at her feet. When she sat in her seat her attention went to the front of the room, at the guy teaching.
Her jaws dropped. She felt every inch of her getting heated and her brain breaking and falling apart inside her head.
It was Nathan.
Every inch of her skin was covered in goosebumps. A shiver of ice ran down her spine and mingled with the lust still brimming inside of her from last night. Standing frozen on the stairs, she gaped at him.
Nathan looked up at her with his gorgeous eyes. His mouth was paused midsentence as he stared back with his head tilted to the side. He blinked at her as if not believing his own eyes.
She had no idea what he was thinking. The expression on his face was neutral. Soon realization came to her when he looked away from her and started speaking to the class.
'Nathon is the temporary professor?!'
Her heart felt brittle, like glass, like it will shatter any time. There was too much pressure even though nothing was touching her. She felt a force crushing against her body, against her battered soul. Gasping, she covered her mouth and press her lips together so tightly that they hurt.
"Excuse me, Dr. Samson!" While she was lost, a girl raised her hand to ask something.
"Yes?" With a full smile on his face, as if nothing had happened, Nathan replied like Regina was not even there.
