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Chapter 36

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"Just remember that no matter what he says, you're a bad ass bitch, who doesn't take shit from no one," says Anna over the phone.

I chuckle, carefully switching lanes. "Thank you...and thanks for checking in."

"Are you kidding? Shove that thank you up your— you know I'd do anything for you."

Anna's violent affection makes me shake my head. "Sorry I haven't been responding, I just don't like...dumping my mood on others."

"I hate it when you say that," she groans on the other line. "But you know what? At least you're trying, so I'll take it. Let's go out when you have time, I miss you."

I smile, even though I'm on my way to collect my stuff. "Love you."

"Love you more."

~

Leave it to me to dress my best when I'm headed for the worst meeting of my life. Not only do I have the pleasure of emptying my short-lived office under Dr. Dennis's scrutiny, but the Head of Human Resources will be there as well. A safe precaution for everyone. And by everyone, they mean Dr. Dennis.

Assholes.

Anyway, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's not letting men see me sweat.

And the court day doesn't count — I was sick and thrown off guard. Now, knowing I've left that slip already, I'm all set to prove them wrong.

I'm wearing a red blazer and dark denim jeans that hug my thighs, because nothing says powerful like a subtle hint on who's closer to their death bed. I'm also wearing my highest booties, so that I look down at the pests on my way out.

But my teeth grit with annoyance when I find the two already in my office, wearing judgements and shit-colored suits.

"Dr. Dennis," I greet, stepping in.

He gives me an obligatory smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Mia, this is Roy Rechter, Head of HR. He'll be assisting me on your exit interview."

Assisting my ass. "Do you want me to collect my things now or..."

He adjusts his glasses with discomfort at my tone and looks around, "Let's...just take care of it now, then we can continue in my office."

Roy Rechter is beside him like a quiet, traumatized, castrated mouse. A cardboard box already awaits on my desk.

"So who's my substitute?" I ask, removing books and candles from the shelves.

"She's a credible expert. Very strong-willed and seasoned."

I raise an eyebrow at his choice of words, but don't bother sparing him a glance. The box is nearly full and I haven't even packed yet. "Do you have another one?"

"Um, are those all your books?"

"Yup," I say with a sigh. "I don't like sticking just to the textbook. It's too condensed, outdated, and doesn't even play devil's advocate."

"We can get you more boxes after the exit interview...?" Roy squeaks in the awkward silence, sweating like I'm about to chop Dr. Dennis' head off.

His posture is stiff, lips pressed with displeasure. I give him a long look, hoping to melt some of the coldness. "Can't we at least discuss what happened? You know I care about—"

"I'm afraid not." He cuts me off with indifference. "You should be grateful that we haven't told your students, we wouldn't want them to think of you differently. That's our parting gift to you, so the memory of your first class stays positive, despite your decisions."

The insult drops to my stomach, but I keep my face unaffected. "I have faith that my students would at least be curious and ask questions, before jumping to conclusions."

"That's very idealistic of you, which is unfortunately also the root of your problem."

My lips pull up. "I thought you liked my idealism."

"I did, Mia." He steps closer, putting his wrinkled hands on my books and doubtfully shuffling through, as if to provoke me further. "I thought it was uncharacteristic of you to drop the MHA interview, but I assumed you were overwhelmed, so I didn't push it. If anything, I'm more disappointed in myself."

My shoulders sink unwillingly. "You've been my mentor, you know that?"

He meets my gaze, but it's as if I'm a stranger. "I know, I've let you down. I should've been more aware that you weren't ready."

My composure cracks, knitting my forehead with pain. I jerk the box back and pick it up. "Let's just get this over with."

Sudden footsteps dash from afar, stomping with an echo. The three of us turn towards the door as the panicked haste gets near. Kayden barges in, completely out of breath, eyes wild and a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"You guys have to come with me right now."

Dr. Dennis blinks, calm and collected. "Unfortunately, Dr. Moretti, we're in the middle of—"

"Now's not the time," he cuts him off, shocking me. "Let's go!"

With confusion and urgency, I drop the box on the table and follow him out. "Where are we going?"

"To your class." He dashes. Damn it, I forgot he's a gym rat, I can't keep up.

"Slow down! I'm wearing heels and I don't do cardio!"

"Hurry up!"

I look over my shoulder to Dr. Dennis and Roy speeding behind, then trip on my own foot and yelp. Kayden grabs my hand and leads us out of the building, into the sunlight. My lungs burn, heart pounds, and perspiration builds under the blazer as we skip up the steps to the next concrete building and run down the hall.

People give us strange looks and search around, but Kayden doesn't stop. Not until we halt in front of the giant doors of my lecture hall. He slams his hand on the handle, pushing it open with a heavy creak, and I—

Lose my fucking breath.

When I see Jake.

Behind the podium.

He's wearing a microphone headset, arm wrapped in a black sling. His coffee hair is messier, beard fuller.

The substitute teacher — the strong-willed and seasoned expert — is curled in the corner with a terrified expression, as if she's witnessing terrorism.

Hold on. Is that Anna next to him?

You're fucking kidding me.

All eyes turn to me, including theirs. Jake smiles, fluttering my chest with butterflies. My whole body tingles at the sight of him, his cool and casual lightness, as if nothing is wrong, as if nothing has changed, and I realize how much I've missed him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Dr. Dennis barks behind me. "Stop this—"

"I'd like to resume, if you don't mind," Jake speaks up, looking back at the students who have offensively never been more intrigued. Also, about a half of them have their phones out, eyes sparkling with thrill.

"Now, let's get back to our reasons on why Dr. Ayan is the shit," he continues in a professional, gruff voice.

"What the fuck?" I gasp as presentation slides appear on the large projector behind him.

A collage of me during lecture — with wild arms and facial expressions — flash on the white sheet. One of me swooning at Blair and Chuck. One pretending to throw up on Christian Grey, and another kissing Ryan Gosling's face.

Jake smirks, looking at the photos. "You see, most professors don't go to the extent of making slides. And if they do, it's a boring copy from a textbook, which they read monotonously. But Dr. Ayan isn't an ordinary professor. She makes the slides real and engaging, so that we better relate to it, connect to it, and actually apply it in our own lives."

Some students cheer 'yeah!' and 'woohoo!' as I look at Kayden, who's laughing with disbelief.

"Moving on." Jake lifts his chin at Anna, who smiles and presses the clicker. She's totally dressed for the occasion too — a pencil skirt and a white button down, so out of her element, yet having a blast.

"Dr. Ayan is stylish as fuck," Jake announces.

The class erupts with laughter at pictures I've sent only to Anna and Zhoe. They're goofy poses that I took in my office after Jake assembled my mango wood desk. I was so excited to finalize the space, that I went overboard and modeled in every possible corner.

"Without a doubt, Dr. Ayan is the most stylish professor, and her office aesthetics are goals."

Students whistle with agreement, I glance at Dr. Dennis, who looks like he might burst into flames. Kayden gives me a deadpan 'really' look, and I shrug with a sheepish smile.

The next slide is a collage of students in lecture. Some are closer shots in mid-speech, smiling and laughing with obvious interest and a sparkle in their eyes.

"Please raise your hand if you have any other professor who knows your name." Jake asks.

Nobody raises their hand. He continues. "Did you know that Dr. Ayan makes up songs about each one of you to remember your name? So that when you raise your hand, she addresses you more personally?"

The class 'aws' and claps. My throat tenses with a lump, and Kayden puts his hand on my shoulder with a reassuring squeeze.

"But now..." Jake brings the focus back to him. 'Let's discuss why Dr. Ayan isn't the shit."

"Huh?" I scowl. Anna smirks at me and switches to the next slide. "Oh my God, I'm going to kill him." I whisper as a picture of me in a black dress at a bar appears on the screen.

"Reason number one: Dr. Ayan is too young."

How is this supposed to help me?!

"She's so young that she still goes to nightclubs! Which is so inappropriate."

That's it. He's dead meat.

He smirks. "Because imagine if you're there, grinding on the dance floor, wasted out of your mind, and you turn around and see your professor next to you, doing the same." The class laughs with nods while I burn crimson.

He shakes his head. "No, scratch that. Imagine you don't even know she's your professor and you hit on her. Because let's face it, she's the most beautiful person there in the room."

As if my heart wasn't beating fast, now it's fluttering like a hummingbird.

"And she doesn't know either that you're one of her students, so she flirts back!" Jake pulls his eyebrows together with a crooked smile.

"And it's not one of those...awkward smalltalks that you have to do to hook up. No, she's roasting you like her life depends on it and laughing her ass off, while you just stand there, wondering how someone can be so funny and sexy at the same time...wondering what you have to do to make her yours."

Surprised murmurs spread around, but I'm locked in on Jake.

"Reason number two: she's too damn critical." He looks at the crowd and groans. "Not only does she have high expectations of every single one of us  which makes us better students — but she's also her own worst critic."

"It's true." Kayden leans in to whisper.

"Exhibit A: Me." Jake points at himself. "God has blessed me with this face and body. She has no choice but to be attracted, it's out of her hands."

I scowl while the class throws mixed signals, whistling and whining. It makes me chuckle under my breath.

Jake seems to be amused too. "Not to mention, I've been pursuing her non-stop since I've met her. During which, she's pushed me away so many times, it's enough to discourage a man to never talk to a woman again. Like seriously, I should see a therapist to recover from the amount of times she's rejected me."

Roy squeaks to Dr. Dennis if that's true, but my boss only grumbles, crossing his arms.

"But instead of calling the cops or filing a restraining order, she's been beating herself up over it! Blaming herself for my own decisions, my own reckless choices, and my own stubborn feelings." He looks at me across the room and murmurs. "And it's not her responsibility...it's not her fault that I'm head over heels in love with her."

I cover my mouth with shaking fingers, as two hundred heads look between us, pointing their phones back and forth.

"Third," Jake continues, "Dr. Ayan's worst reason on why she's not the shit, is because she doesn't give herself enough credit."

"Forget the fact that she's the youngest associate professor at this school. Forget the fact that she's brought this institution more fame than all the professors combined. And forget the fact that she shows up for us even when she's sick as a dog with snot dripping down her chin."

A picture of a baby pug wrapped in a blanket appears, along with the view count of my YouTube and TikTok videos, and an article of me from the school's newspaper.

Jake lowers his gaze, as if talking to himself. "She's so selfless that she'll give up everything for people she cares about, without even realizing. And God forbid if you try to tell her, she'll bite your head off."

Anna leans towards the microphone. "Yes, yes she will."

People chuckle and Jake takes a deep breath. The silence stretches as everyone waits. My pulse hammers in my ribs, everything inside vibrates.

He lifts his gaze, exuding calm and focus. "To conclude...if I have to choose a professor, I'll go with someone who cares enough to know my name, passionate enough to pursue my engagement, critical enough to push my limits, and selfless enough to sacrifice for my benefit."

When he pauses, it's as if the whole room stops breathing and everyone leans forward.

"And yeah...there's a scandal," he says with bitterness. "She broke an ethical code, because I couldn't give up on her. Because I love her. And I don't regret pursuing her. The only thing I regret is the fact that people used my love in court to keep a daughter away from her father."

Kayden meets my gaze for a brief moment and slowly blinks, telling me he's okay.

Jake raises his voice. "And now it's also being used to fire her from this institution."

He steps around the podium, facing the class with an open palm. "Guys, I'm graduating, this is my last class. Our relationship won't affect the school anymore. So I ask you...to help me, and fight for her to stay."

Then he looks over my shoulder, his eyes hard on Dr. Dennis. "Because if you don't, it'll only be your loss. Not hers."

Tension cuts in between the spaces and I hold my breath for the worst to come.

Except Anna starts to clap.

Then Kayden.

I whip my head with a slack jaw, but he just smiles and cheers harder.

Then row after row, students stand, and roar with applause. Like a thousand drums, the noise builds and erupts across the walls.

They yell, cheer, holler, shout. Waving their arms, pumping their fists, jumping up and down. Someone even takes their shirt off and throws it on the podium, screaming nonsense.

"You have to keep her now," Kayden grins at Dr. Dennis.

He doesn't respond, he doesn't even move. Although, surprisingly, Roy shows a little smile.

"Go up there!" Kayden nudges me.

An uncontained grin splits across my face as I head to the front, breathless and dizzy with adrenaline, not even sure if any of this is real. The ground feels like a cloud, warmth radiates head to toe, the air is moist, and I can't think straight.

Anna greets me with open arms and wraps me tightly. "I wanted you to be surprised!"

She releases me, and I come face to face with Jake. Things inside that felt lost fall back into place as we stand still, looking into each other's eyes. Every nerve ending tingles and my throat grows thick as the magnetism between us buzzes with longing, and my favorite smirk etches on his lips.

"Kiss him! Kiss him!" students scream on my left.

"I can't believe you did this for me." My voice cracks as I lay a hand over my heart, still soaking him in.

"I'd do anything for you." He smiles, warmth and softness overflowing in hazel eyes.

He takes off the headset and hands it to me. "Kiss him now! Kiss him!" They continue to roar.

I put the headset on while Jake watches me, waiting. And despite the stupid grin on my face, I roll my eyes. "I'm not going to kiss you, get back to your seat."

Students whine with disappointment, but he just chuckles and turns around.

"You too." I look at Anna. She points a surprised finger at herself, then rushes after Jake to sit in the front row.

I strut behind the podium, place my nervous palms on the wood and square my shoulders. Over two hundred familiar faces look back, and an overwhelming sense of belonging blankets the room, decluttering all thoughts with bliss.

"Alright guys. Finals are just a week away." I smile at them. "Let's get to work."

~~ A/N ~~

Does this make up for all the shit Mia went through in the last couple of days? (I hope so!)

Now, what are we going to do about his family? Hmmm...

Thank you guys for reading, voting, and commenting!