Alpha Professor's Forbidden Affair

A NICE PERSON

HIRAM’S POV:

Waking up early isn’t my forte. But a night spent away from my usual comfort makes it impossible to stay asleep for long. For half an hour, I lie there with my eyes squeezed shut, trying to will myself back into darkness. But my body refuses to cooperate. Giving in, I sit up, and the faint light of dawn outside the window tells me I’m not the only one struggling to rise.

I glance over, and there she is, lying next to me, utterly exposed. Her hair sprawls across the pillow in a tangled mess—my mess. Any regret I thought I’d feel is nowhere to be found. I should feel guilt. I thought I would. Instead, as I gaze at her, an unexpected possessiveness takes over me.

I reach out and brush a stray curl from her face, feeling the softness under my fingertips, and in a moment I can’t resist. I lean down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She doesn’t move; rather, she lies there in her immaculate form, with her soft breath filling up the space between us.

Quietly, I slide out of bed, gathering my clothes scattered across the floor. I pull on my shirt, then I grab the duvet and gently drape it over her, letting it cover her bare form. As I walk away, a part of me wants to go back, to slip under that warmth beside her again, but I cannot. We have done something that could alter our relationship, and I need to know how she feels about it.

In the sitting room, I sink into the couch and let out a long breath in the silence as I wonder what the hell I’ll do when she wakes up. My thoughts drift between impulses I can’t quiet, and a sense of responsibility crowds my mind.

The sudden, insistent buzz of a phone on the dining table breaks through the quiet, drawing me back to reality. I ignore it at first, half-hoping it’ll stop, but it doesn’t. With a sigh, I stand, walking to the table. I feel a rush of relief and curiosity as I realize it isn’t my phone at all, but Juniper’s, vibrating persistently. I know I should walk away, but curiosity gets the best of me, so I pick up the phone.

Cillian.

As I stare down at the name boldly on display, I feel anger course through my veins. I want to pick up the phone and ask him not to call her line, but she isn’t mine—yet. The call ends, and I am about to place the phone on the table when it beeps again. My brows twist, but then they straighten as I stare at a message from BEN.

“This is an automated message to remind you it is the weekend, and you need to pay up your rent.”

She owes rent? Is this why she is working at a bakery? I question myself. With no one around to answer my question, I slide open her phone, then I place a call to this Ben.

JUNIPER’S POV:

Hiram speaking on the phone is the first thing I hear when I wake up. I look around to see I’m covered in my duvet. The events of last night replay in my head, sending feelings of butterflies in my belly. I push myself out of bed, wrapping the duvet around my body, then I make my way to the living room to see him sitting on the couch. I stand there for a moment, watching him as more of last night floods in.

“I need two of everything,” he says, then he ends the call while I keep watching him like I have no dignity left in me.

“You’re up.” His voice cuts through the haze in my head.

I clear my throat at once.

“Yes.” He keeps his gaze on me, and all I can think of as I look at his beautiful face is what he looked like last night.

“I should probably get ready for school. I have about an hour and a half.” He nods when I say this, then I walk back to the room, shutting the door and pressing my back against it.

My heart races as I stand there. He says he doesn’t want anything serious, so I know I cannot talk about what we had, but I am scared. A part of me doesn’t want this to end, but I cannot put myself out there. He told me who he was, yet I chose to give myself to him.

“Breathe, June! Breathe!” I say to myself as I take deep breaths.

After a while, the air in the room stops thinning, and then I walk into the bathroom to take a shower. The warm drops of water on my body help to calm my nerves, so I shut my eyes. When I do, I feel his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me towards his chest, and his hands travel down my body, causing me to gasp.

Damn! I cannot get over this. What have I done?

Somehow, I manage to take a bath. I wear a pair of boot cut blue jeans with a black crop top, then I grab my bag and leave the room. A familiar scent hits me as I walk out, and I look over at the dining table to see Hiram standing with two paper bags with the name “SMITH’S” boldly written on it. Sally’s baking!

“I figured you’d need to eat before school, so I got you breakfast.”

The feeling of butterflies in my belly returns, and this time, it pounds harder.

“Thank you,” I mutter, walking over to the dining table.

He pulls out a seat for me, and I sit down while he helps unwrap the paper bags, which contain a coffee and a bagel. I take a deep breath, allowing the pleasant aroma of fresh pastries to fill my senses before I begin to eat.

He stands to eat while I try to steal glances at him, wondering if what we did last night bothers him even a little. Just as I take the last bite of my bagel, my phone rings, and I reach for it.

“Why is he calling?” I mutter, glancing up to catch Hiram’s eyes on me.

He looks away immediately, but it’s too late. I slide the red button to end the call, tossing the phone aside. But just as I’m about to set it down, an email notification catches my attention.

My eyes scan the screen, widening.

“You paid my rent?” The words spill out before I can process them.

Hiram, in the middle of a sip of coffee, slowly sets his cup down with an unreadable expression on his face.

“This is… huge,” I manage to say as I am still in shock. “I—I don’t even know what to say.”

“You’re welcome.” His tone is calm as usual.

“Thank you, really. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you, but I’ll find a way, I promise. Just… give me time, and—”

“June.” His voice slices through my rambling. “If I wanted repayment, I wouldn’t have paid for it.”

My chest tightens at his words. I’ve never had anyone do something like this for me—without expecting something in return. He doesn’t want to keep me, but he goes ahead to do something like this.

Before I can respond, my phone rings again, snapping me back to reality. I see the caller ID, and my expression hardens. Without a second thought, I swipe to answer.

“Cillian, I’ve paid my bills, so I don’t have to screw you to live anymore. So why don’t you just f**k off?” I end the call and set my phone down, taking a deep breath.

When I look back at Hiram, his gaze is fixed on the crushed bagel wrapper in his hand.He releases it slowly, dropping it on the table.

“He sounds like trouble,” he says in a casual tone, but the way his eyes glare at me is far from it.

“Tell me about it.” I sigh, feeling the awkwardness creep in.

Talking about my ex with my professor, especially after what happened between us last night, feels strange.

I reach for my coffee, feeling the warmth under my palms as I bring it to my lips.

“Then why don’t you let him go?” His question hits me like a slap, and I swallow the hot coffee too fast, feeling it burn down my throat.

I massage my neck as I try to take in his words.

“Why do you care?” The words fall out of my mouth as anger courses through me.

“Maybe you’re still in love with him, because…” he starts, and before he can finish, I cut him off.

“I am not in love with him, Hiram,” I snap, locking eyes with him. “Why would I be in love with a guy who was screwing my roommate behind my back? Thinking about all those nights he was here… what they were probably doing while I was asleep… it makes me sick.”

I pause, feeling the bitterness curl around my words. I hate wasting my time on people who don’t deserve it, and Cillian was the biggest waste of all.

“Then why don’t you delete his number?” Hiram’s voice is calm, but the question makes something snap inside me.

Who is he to tell me whose number I can keep?

“Maybe because I don’t want to,” I say.

My phone rings again as if the universe wants this fight to happen. I hold it up, letting him see Cillian’s name on the screen. “Look. He is calling again. And I’m going to watch it ring, just because I can.”

“June, this doesn’t have to be a fight,” he says, but I’m too far gone to stop now.

“Because you want a small, quiet girl who you can control?”He is mute when I ask. “Oh, I know men like you. The ‘I do not want commitment. Because I want to go around and screw other women, but I want you to be obedient just for me. Delete his number, because you should only speak to me.’ Well, professor, I am sorry, but I cannot be your tiny doll!”

The words spill out with my chest rising as I glare at him. He opens his mouth to respond, but a knock on the door interrupts us. Taking a deep breath, I walk over, opening it to see Jax looking concerned.

“I heard yelling,” he says, frowning slightly. “Everything okay?”

I force a smile, trying to look casual.

“Yeah, just… practicing for a presentation.” I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s all I can come up with.

His expression softens, and I relax a little as he glances past me.

“Alright. I heard Susan moved out…” He begins.

“Can we talk about it later, Jax?” I cut him off gently. “I need to get to school.”

He nods, looking a little confused, but leaves without a fuss. I close the door and turn back to Hiram, who’s watching me with a strange look in his eyes.

“You judging me for that, too?” I ask in a defensive tone.

He shrugs, which only frustrates me more.

“Why do you care who I keep around? Not everyone’s interested in sleeping with me, you know.”

“You’d be surprised,” he mutters, and I scoff, folding my arms.

“And what’s it for you? We had s*x, sure, but you haven’t said a single thing about it since. You’ve made it pretty clear you do not want something serious, so why act like you care?”

“Nothing’s changed, June.” His voice comes out cold.

“I don’t care about whoever it was at hallway, and I only asked about Cillian because I saw how he grabbed you. I just want you to be safe, like any decent person would.”

The words hit me harder than I expect. I stare at him, feeling like the fool I probably am. Here I am, hoping for more, thinking maybe—just maybe—he feels something. But he doesn’t. He’s just being nice.

I can feel the sting of tears, but I refuse to let him see them.

“Well, you’re good at throwing me out of rooms. I’d throw you out if I could, but you covered my rent, so congratulations—you’re welcome to stay as long as you like, roomie.” I grab my bag and leave him standing there.