BELLA’S POV
“Do you already know Sandra?” I inquired of Professor Blake, my voice carrying a hint of surprise. The unexpected speed at which he recalled Sandra’s name caught me off guard. While he recently became our lecturer and is also Sandra’s history lecturer, I hadn’t anticipated him knowing names so quickly. Could there be a prior acquaintance between him and Sandra, or am I simply overthinking this situation?
“Yeah, I’m familiar with Sandra,” Professor Blake’s voice jolted me from my thoughts, and my demeanor shifted to a more earnest one upon hearing his response.
“I’m pleased you’re acquainted with Sandra; she mentioned something about you recently,” I mentioned, approaching him, and I observed a noticeable gulp from him.
“What did she share with you?” he inquired, and the curiosity in his voice was palpable.
“Well, Sandra told me that…” I paused, relishing the subtle tension in the air as I saw his brows furrow, fully aware of his curiosity. However, the truth was, Sandra hadn’t shared anything with me. It was just a pretext, a flimsy excuse to initiate a conversation with him. Sounds foolish, doesn’t it? Yeah, I’m aware of the folly, but I was desperate to engage in a meaningful conversation without stumbling or saying something foolish. The moment I noticed him approaching, I yearned for at least five minutes of dialogue. I craved to hear his angelic voice, to stand before him and talk, but I lacked the perfect words. So, I resorted to invoking Sandra’s name as my conversational conduit.
“Bella,” Professor Blake called out. “You said your friend, Sandra, told you something about me. What did she tell you?”
“Actually, Professor Blake, she didn’t tell me anything about you,” I confessed, lowering my head shyly.
“What do you mean?” he asked, and I raised my head to look at his face.
“What I mean is that I was just joking about Sandra telling me something about you,” I replied with a nervous chuckle. “Sandra told me nothing. I mean, what could she possibly tell me about you when she literally knows nothing much about you?”
“Oh, I see,” he said with a smile that made my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t help but gaze at his handsome face in admiration. The tension eased, and a warmth settled between us as our eyes met.
I continued to admire him discreetly, captivated by the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he smiled. His voice, a soothing melody, resonated in my ears as he spoke. Each gesture seemed to carry a certain grace, and my admiration deepened with every passing moment. It was as if time slowed down, allowing me to savor the details of his presence-the way he brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, the subtle intensity in his gaze. As he spoke, I found myself lost staring at him.
For goddess’s sake, this man was just too handsome to be my mate. It felt like the moon goddess had crafted him with meticulous perfection because I’d never encountered someone as strikingly handsome as him. In that moment, I couldn’t help but inwardly thank the moon goddess for granting me the privilege of having this breathtaking man as my mate.
As Professor Blake and I stared at each other in silence, a sudden interruption shattered the moment. A lady, dressed in a black revealing gown, walked up to him with a confident stride. Ignoring the invisible bubble I felt we had created, she reached out and held his hand, greeting him with a confidence that stirred a pang of jealousy within me.
“And who are you?” Professor Blake asked the lady who was clinging to him, seemingly oblivious to the presence of me and Sandra.
“My name is Justina, and I offer your course,” the lady replied with a smile that further fueled my growing frustration. The casual confidence in her response only intensified my sense of irritation.
“I actually brought a little something for you, Professor Blake,” Justina declared with a self-assured tone, her smile widening.
My jealousy escalated as she smoothly extracted a medium-sized box from her handbag. The package was meticulously wrapped, and the gesture seemed rehearsed, adding to the irksome display of her preparedness. With a sly smile, she handed the box over to Professor Blake, who accepted it with a polite nod. The air thickened with a blend of curiosity and tension, leaving me on the sidelines, grappling with a mixture of emotions.
“What’s in the box?” Professor Blake inquired, his curiosity evident as he held the elegantly wrapped package.
“Just tear the wrapper and check for yourself,” Justina suggested with a playful glint in her eyes, adding a layer of mystery to the situation. The hallway held a collective breath as Professor Blake, intrigued, began to unwrap the gift, the crinkling of paper echoing in the air.
Professor Blake unwrapped the gift and looked genuinely surprised. Inside the paper layers was a fancy and surely pricey wristwatch, shining with sophistication. Sandra gasped beside me as the watch’s intricate details sparkled, highlighting its exclusivity. My jealousy heightened when I identified the wristwatch as the latest and most expensive one in the city.
“That wristwatch seems really expensive,” Amelia, my wolf, interjected into my thoughts. “I wonder why she’s giving it to our mate as a gift.”
Justina grinned, watching Professor Blake’s reaction, and I felt like wiping the grin off her face with a slap.
“Justina,” Professor Blake began, still marveling at the exquisite wristwatch in his hands, “this is truly unexpected. It’s… it’s beautiful.”
Justina, wearing a confident smile, asked, “Do you like it, Professor Blake?”
“Yeah, I like it,” Professor Blake replied, and my jealousy reached its breaking point. The casual affirmation stung, and I struggled to conceal the turmoil beneath a forced smile. Justina’s confident demeanor persisted, adding a layer of tension to the room as I grappled with the unsettling surge of emotions.
Fueled by an overwhelming surge of jealousy, I moved forward with a determined stride, snatching the wristwatch from Professor Blake’s hands. Placing it firmly into Justina’s hands, I asserted, “This isn’t the right place to give someone a gift. If you want to give anyone a gift, go give it to your boyfriend, not Professor Blake.”
Justina seemed surprised, momentarily taken aback. The room quieted into an awkward hush as an overwhelming possessiveness drove me to grab Professor Blake’s hand, guiding him to his office. The sound of my hurried footsteps mixed with the lingering tension, leaving a stunned audience and a trail of unsettled emotions in the aftermath of my impulsive act of jealousy.
I continued leading Professor Blake to his office, my steps fueled by a mixture of jealousy and determination, oblivious to the stares from people in the hallway. The weight of their curious gazes bore down on me, but my singular focus remained on the path ahead. The rhythmic click of our footsteps echoed through the corridor as I navigated the onlookers with a sense of purpose, determined to distance him from the scene that had unfolded.
As we reached the sanctuary of Professor Blake’s office, the door closed behind us, muffling the noise from the outside world. The air inside carried a lingering tension, and I turned to face him, grappling with the aftermath of my impulsive actions driven by an overwhelming sense of possessiveness.
In the quiet confines of Professor Blake’s office, the realization of my impulsive actions began to settle in. The intensity of jealousy that had driven me to snatch the gift and lead him away slowly waned, allowing reason to creep back in. I took a deep breath, my racing heart gradually steadying as I came to my senses.
Looking at Professor Blake, I mustered the courage to speak, “I’m sorry for that. It was… an overreaction.” The weight of my actions hung in the air, and I awaited his response, hoping to salvage what remained of the awkward situation I had created.