Alpha Professor's Forbidden Affair

CREEP

JUNIPER’S POV:

Today seems odd. I didn’t find Hiram’s car in school today, and now classes are over, I cannot spot him on the halls either. Students are not discussing him as usual. The hall is quiet.

“Is there something wrong?” Rhea asks, breaking the brain-racking moment I am having with my brain, trying to figure out why Hiram isn’t in school.

“No... Nothing,” I say to her, and she scoffs, grabbing my hands.

“Come on, June, I know something is bothering you. Did he say something to annoy you?” she asks, and I look at her, shaking my head.

“Good, or he will get what’s coming to him,” she says as we make our way out of the school building.

I look around the faculty building to see that his car is not there.

“I don’t think he came to school,” I say out loud, and Rhea shoots me a look, raising a brow.

“So it is about him,” she says, and I let out a sigh.

“Fine, I am worried about him, because he is not in school. It is unlike him, and he didn’t call either,” I say, and she leans in to me, making smooching sounds in my ears.

“Someone is in love,” she says, and I groan.

“I am not in love,” I say, and Rhea chuckles.

“Sure, June,” Rhea says, her eyes glinting with mischief. “That’s exactly what someone not in love would say.”

“I am just worried about him, that is all.”

She loops her arm through mine, pulling me close as we step onto the front steps of the school.

“Then call him.”

“No!” I reply immediately, and she throws her hands in the air.

We make our way towards the parking lot, then we stop in front of my car. Rhea opens the door and helps me in. I roll down the glass as she shuts the door and leans by the door, poking her head into the car.

“I just do not want to sound desperate. He says he doesn’t want anything serious, and he might think otherwise,” I say, and she grabs my cheek with her thumb and index finger, tugging at it slightly.

“Junie, June, June. Men are silly, and they shouldn’t bother you.” She lets go, and I rub on my sore cheek. “He is a big boy, and he should know how to take care of himself,” she says, and I sigh.

“I guess you are right,” I reply in a low tone.

“Are we still on for tonight?” she asks, and I nod at her. “Be at my place before seven, and I do not want to hear that your hot professor whisked you away. You have less than two hours,” she says, and I nod, then I start my car.

“Now, ride away, ma petite chérie,” Rhea says with a dramatic wave of her hand, putting on her best French accent. “Off you go, my little lovesick damsel.”

I roll my eyes, stifling a laugh. “I’m not lovesick.”

“Of course not,” she replies with a smirk, stepping back as I pull out of the parking space. “Just mildly, devastatingly concerned about a certain brooding professor. Totally different.”

“Bye, Rhea,” I say, chuckling as I drive off with her laughter echoing in my ears.

Soon I wheel into the streets, making my way down to the traffic light. I get into line, and as the timer counts down, my mind tells me to take a turn before the light on the left goes red. As soon as the timer gets to ten, I sigh deeply, wheeling my car to the left.

“Here goes nothing,” I say as I make my way down the road that leads to Hiram’s house.

Shortly, I come to a halt in front of his gate. I horn softly, and the gate slides open, then I drive in, stopping in the parking lot.

I take a deep breath before reaching for my bag and taking out his novel.

“You are here to return a novel, and nothing else,” I say to myself, then I reach for the door handle, pulling it open.

Slowly, I make my way to the front door, placing a knock on it. The door opens to Winston, who has a smile on his face.

“Good day Miss. Miles,” he gives a light bow.

“Hey, Winston,” I say, flashing him a smile. “Is Hiram home?” I ask, and he nods, opening the door properly for me to walk in.

He shuts the door behind me, and I stand there looking around the hall like I hadn’t been here before. Something about this house creeps me out. I cannot tell if it is the old aesthetics, but it feels like there are supernatural bodies waiting to scare me. My skin prickles as if there are shadows around, but I do not stop. I trail my hands on the artworks on the wall.

“Right this way, ma’am.” Winston’s voice startles me, causing me to withdraw my hands, then I walk down the hall, making it to the living room.

“I’ll take it from here,” I say to him, then I make my way up the stairs, following the directions from the last time.

We didn’t go to Hiram’s bedroom, but we walked past it, so I trust my instincts and walk as much as I can remember. After minutes of walking, I hear his voice coming from a room, so I make my way towards it. Soon I find myself in front of his room, and I am about to reach for the handles when I hear a female voice.

“Look at you, Hiram, you are f*****g wasted,” she says, and I feel a strange feeling run through my chest. A bitterness pools in my stomach, like acid, twisting uncomfortably.

“You have been in bed all day, and I am all better.”

“Alex, leave me alone,” I hear Hiram groan.

“Come on, tell me about Nala. Did you two make up?” I feel the air in my lungs leave as I hear her ask about another woman.

My throat tightens, feeling as if I’ve swallowed a stone.

My breathing rises, and I turn around at once, walking as fast as I can. I try to steady my breath, but it seems impossible.

‘But he isn’t your boyfriend, so it isn’t cheating if he is with another woman,’ I say to myself as I make my way down the stairs.

This is a fact, but it still hurts. It hurts more than I expect, and it makes me unable to think straight. Soon I get to the foot of the stairs, and I hear the voice of the lady with him echoing down the hallway and footsteps approaching. My chest feels hollow, my thoughts spinning as I try to rationalize my reaction.

I feel the need to hide, so I take a turn down the corridor on the left. The corridor looks strange, and there are portraits of different men and women lining the passage. This piques my interest, and I walk further down, staring at the portraits that have a close resemblance to Hiram, and then it hits me at once. They are his ancestors.

A chill creeps up my spine as I realize each pair of eyes seems to hold the same haunting intensity as his.

How old is this house? I question myself as I come to a halt at the end of the passage, then I spot a door which is half closed.

Something tells me to turn around and leave, but I can still hear the voice of the lady, so I open the door and walk into it, causing my eyes to widen. It is a painting room. A beautiful one at that, with many canvases standing and expensive-looking painting materials.

“Must be fun being him,” I say out loud as I walk further into the room.

I notice some canvases are covered, which makes me curious, so I walk to one of them, drawing down the cover, which causes my heart to skip a beat. The book I have in hand slips to the floor, and I throw my hands over my mouth to prevent myself from screaming.

What kind of creep is this guy? I question myself as I stare at a naked painting of me.

Every inch of my skin crawls, heat prickling up my neck as the intimacy of the image sinks in. I feel exposed, like he’s seen parts of me I’ve barely known myself.

My eyes dart across to the remaining canvases that are covered, and the fear of discovering the naked paintings of other women makes me run out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I make my way out of the corridor, then I leave the house without saying a thing to Winston.

**

Shortly, I arrive at Rhea’s apartment. I place a knock at her door, and she opens it with a smile on her face.

“You are earl...” I push her aside, walking in before she can complete her statement, then I pace around her apartment.

“Okay,” she says in confusion, raising a brow as she shuts the door.

She turns to face me.

“Hiram is a creep that paints naked pictures of women he has s*x with, and I saw a painting of my naked body in his house.” The words fall out of my mouth at once, causing her face to fall.

“June,” she calls out immediately, rushing toward me and pulling me into a hug.

I clasp my hands around her, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

“Are you okay?” she asks softly, and I nod, though my voice trembles as I reply. “I think.”

She pushes my head to rest on her chest, her hand stroking my hair as I try hard not to cry. The warmth of her embrace is there, but a dull ache throbs in my chest.

“He just had to be a f*****g creep,” I mutter, squeezing my eyes shut.

The image of that painting—so raw, so exposing—flashes behind my closed eyelids.

“I’m sorry, June,” Rhea whispers, holding me tighter. “I can’t believe he would do that to you.” Her voice has a hint of anger as her grip around me tightens protectively.

I pull back, and she wipes my eyes with her thumb.

“I don’t know what I thought I was going to find. Maybe some kind of explanation. Maybe he’d be… I don’t know…different.”

Rhea cups my face, with her gaze boring into me. “You deserve so much better than someone like him, okay. There are better people out there.”

I hesitate to nod, because deep down, a part of me still wants him.