CHAPTER FOUR: do you have any objections...

There was nothing much that had happened in Cyrene's life as the days went by and weeks quickly became months.

Every day, June seemed like a stranger but with the help of her notes and records, she was able to keep up as much as she could in their friendship.

The new professor hasn't behaved strangely toward her for a while, but she didn't know if it was a good sign or not. For some weird reasons, it was as if she craved his attention. The past few weeks that the professor hadn't said much to her or even noticed her it irked her to the core.

The strange feeling she had regarding him was still there despite how drawn she felt towards the mysterious man and she wasn't letting it go just yet. Instead, She had a plan.

If the professor was trying to keep a distance from her, she was going to be the one to breach that distance. After all, she was doing well on her own when he showed up at Beckharn for no reason.

With her mind made up about her plan, she wasn't going to let anyone stop her. Not even June. And as a matter of fact, she didn't bother telling June anything about it. She was going to, but it was going to be later.

Cyrene took a deep breath before she knocked on the door of Jason's office. As she walked into the office, she hoped that her nervousness wasn't as visible as she felt inside. It was true that she had encountered him before but that was before. This time she was walking in there with a whole different plan.

"Hello professor," Cyrene greeted wearing the brightest smile she could muster up.

"Miss Bernard," Jason acknowledged her with a nod. He continued speaking when she didn't say anything else, "how can I help you today?"

"I just came to see if you were in the office," she said with a smile brighter than the one she wore when she first walked in.

Jason raised a brow at her unexpected response and urged her to continue with a hand gesture.

"And to also tell speak to you about the email you sent us last night." She started pulling out a file from her tote bag.

"Really? I'm surprised that you are here to speak to me about it. You still have days before the submission date." Jason stated with a hint of surprise on his face.

"Yes I'm aware of it. I just got carried away while glancing through it and I ended up reading the whole thing," she smiled.

"Okay, let's what you have." Jason responded with interest as he closed the laptop on his desk and collected the papers from Cyrene.

"I don't know if this ledger you forwarded were from an actual enterprise or if it's something you made up but there are some serious discrepancies in them," As Cyrene continued to explain what she discovered, she seemed like a different person. The excitement on her face was on a different level. It seemed like she was on cloud nine.

Jason listened to her with enthusiastic curiosity as she went on and on about the errors she found. He kept switching from paying attention to what she was explaining to just getting lost in the sound of her voice. If Cyrene was truly Cyrene, his Cyrene...

"So professor do you see what I'm trying to explain?" Cyrene asked, cutting his thought short.

It was only then that she noticed that her head was a little less than three inches away from his.

She was shocked at that realization and for a moment she forgot what she was saying. It was then that she discovered that his pupils were not just light brown, they had specs of green in them. And the most important fact was that they were beautiful and pleasing to look at. She could sense a subtle connection between them although she quickly scratched it.

What are you thinking Cyrene?

She shook her head a little, slapping herself back to reality. She made a sound that resembled that of a dry cough before putting more distance between her head and Jason's head.

Jason leaned back on his chair looking away from Cyrene for a moment before he asked, "are you sure about what you just said?"

"Hundred percent," Cyrene replied looking a bit cocky.

"Very well," he paused. "You will be accompanying me somewhere tomorrow morning," Jason stated as a matter of fact.

Where are we going? Should I be excited?...or not?

So many thoughts raced through her mind as she just stood there staring at him.

"Do you have any objections Miss Bernard?" He asked raising a brow at her.

Cyrene thought for a moment before saying anything. It was her ultimate chance, the talks about the ledger were just a coy to catch his interest and she believed that it worked. Therefore, it was time for her to utilize the opportunity she managed to obtain.

"I kept you here through lunchtime," Cyrene reasoned looking at the screen of her phone. "Should we get something to eat?" She suggested as she tried to hide the uncertainty in her voice.

"Do you know what you are saying? You just asked your lecturer out for a meal Miss Bernard." Jason asked, this time he was trying his best to figure out what was going on in Cyrene's head.

"I'm your teacher aren't you worried about what people will say?" He tried to conceal the smile dancing on his lips.

"I don't care about their opinion. What about you? Do you mind?" She asked but she made it seem more like a challenge rather than inquiry.

"I have nothing to lose," Jason chuckled.

"So it's a yes then," she concluded with a hint of excitement.

"Do you know a good place, Miss Cyrene?" Jason asked.

Your place will be perfect! She thought to herself while pretending to think about his question.

"Buffers. I know it's mostly junk they sell but it's not a bad idea for lunch. It is not a date either," she later replied.

"I was thinking of real food Miss Bernard. If we're going to eat together we should probably do it right. Dinner instead of lunch at 8. Not my place, I will send you an address." Jason tried to reason with Cyrene, hoping that she would buy the idea.

It was Cyrene's plan anyways, so she didn't waste a second before jumping on the chance. Dinner was a little bit too much but she had nothing to lose as well.

As she walked out of the office that day, she felt more satisfied about herself than she had felt in years.

She was probably going to regret her hasty decision about the whole dinner stuff but she believed that there could never be a gain without a corresponding risk.