Estelle sat at her usual spot in the lecture hall, nervously tapping her pen against her notebook. It was Monday, and despite her best efforts to forget about the weird tension-filled encounter from Friday night, the memory of Celeste Thorne’s intense gaze—and Victoria’s unsettling interest—was impossible to shake. The idea of seeing Celeste again in the cold, professional setting of the lecture hall felt… awkward. Very awkward.
Mia, of course, wasn’t helping.
“Hey, don’t look now,” Mia whispered, leaning over with a barely suppressed grin, “but the Ice Queen just walked in.”
Estelle’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t stop herself from glancing toward the door. Sure enough, there was Professor Celeste Thorne, sweeping into the room with her usual sharp, controlled grace. Dressed in her trademark perfectly tailored suit, hair pulled back into a sleek bun, she looked as untouchable as ever. But something in the air felt different—charged, even.
Estelle quickly averted her gaze and tried to focus on her notes, but Mia wasn’t about to let the moment slide.
“So, what’s the plan?” Mia continued in a low voice, nudging her. “Are you going to pretend that whole thing on Friday didn’t happen? Or are you going to make a move and thank her for swooping in to save you from the terrifying Victoria?”
“Mia,” Estelle hissed, her cheeks burning. “I’m not thanking her for anything. She was just… making sure Victoria wasn’t distracting me. That’s all.”
Mia raised an eyebrow, her grin growing even wider. “Right. Because Celeste Thorne is known for going out of her way to stop ‘distractions’ for her students. Face it, Estelle, she was jealous. It was like watching a lioness defend her territory.”
Estelle groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Please stop. I have to get through this class without dying of embarrassment.”
Mia chuckled. “Relax. I’m sure she’s just as icy as usual. Maybe she’s cooled down since Friday.”
Before Estelle could respond, the lecture hall quieted as Celeste stepped to the front of the room, her commanding presence filling the space with an air of tension. Estelle’s pulse quickened. God, why did she have to look so composed all the time? It was maddening.
“Good afternoon,” Celeste said, her voice as smooth and precise as ever. “I trust everyone has been preparing for the upcoming mock trial.”
There it was—that quiet, authoritative voice that could slice through a person’s confidence in an instant. Estelle forced herself to focus, but her thoughts kept wandering back to the way Celeste had looked at her in the bar, the subtle undercurrent of something that had passed between them.
She felt Mia nudge her again and glanced over, only to find her best friend smirking. “She totally just looked at you.”
“She did not,” Estelle muttered, her face heating up.
Mia’s smirk only widened. “Oh, she did. And let me tell you, it was not a ‘just another student’ kind of look. More like a ‘let me remind you who’s in charge here’ kind of look.”
“Mia, I swear—”
“Miss Brooks,” Celeste’s voice cut through the room, startling Estelle out of her whispered argument. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she realized the entire class had gone silent, and Celeste’s cool blue eyes were fixed directly on her.
Oh no.
Estelle swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising panic. “Y-Yes, Professor?”
Celeste arched one elegant eyebrow, her expression unreadable. “Would you care to share your conversation with the class? I’m sure we’d all benefit from whatever insight you and Miss Anderson find so… amusing.”
The heat in Estelle’s cheeks intensified as she felt the eyes of her classmates turn on her. Of course, of course she would be singled out like this. She shot Mia a quick, murderous glance before looking back at Celeste.
“No, Professor,” Estelle managed, her voice embarrassingly small. “It wasn’t… important.”
Celeste’s gaze didn’t waver. “I see. Then I assume you won’t mind being the first to present your argument today.”
Estelle’s stomach flipped. She hadn’t expected to be called on so soon. She wasn’t unprepared, but being thrown into the spotlight like this, with Celeste’s gaze bearing down on her, made her mind go blank.
“Uh, sure,” she stammered, quickly flipping through her notes to find the right section.
Mia, ever the instigator, leaned over and whispered, “Told you she was paying attention to you.”
Estelle shot her a withering look before standing up, trying to compose herself. As she made her way to the front of the room, she could feel the weight of Celeste’s eyes following her every step. The same icy, controlled gaze that had pinned her in place at the bar now felt even more intense in the classroom.
She took a deep breath and began her argument, trying to focus on the case at hand rather than the professor standing just a few feet away. But as she spoke, her voice steadying, she couldn’t shake the feeling that every word she said was being scrutinized by Celeste in a way that went far beyond academics.
When she finished, there was a tense silence in the room. Estelle waited, her heart pounding, for Celeste’s response.
After what felt like an eternity, Celeste nodded slightly, her expression still neutral. “Adequate, Miss Brooks,” she said, her tone cool. “But next time, I expect you to keep your personal conversations out of my lecture.”
The words stung, but there was no mistaking the glint in Celeste’s eyes—a glint that said this had nothing to do with professional conduct. Estelle felt the familiar rush of heat flood her cheeks again as she quickly returned to her seat, trying to ignore the smug grin Mia was giving her.
Once the class moved on and other students began presenting, Estelle sank back into her chair, her mind racing. Adequate? The word kept replaying in her head. Celeste had a way of making even the smallest critique feel like a personal blow. But it wasn’t just the critique. It was the way she’d said it, the way she’d looked at her—there was something more beneath the surface, something Estelle couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Mia leaned over again, her voice barely a whisper. “Told you. That was a total power move. She’s messing with you.”
Estelle shot her a glare. “She’s not messing with me. She’s just being… professional.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Professional, my ass. She was watching you the entire time.”
Estelle didn’t respond, but she couldn’t deny it. There was something there. Something unspoken, something heavy. And she didn’t know what to do with it.
As the class finally wrapped up, Estelle gathered her things, determined to escape before Mia could tease her any further. But as she stood, she noticed Celeste watching her again from the front of the room, her expression still unreadable.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Estelle muttered to Mia, who was already heading for the door. Mia raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.
Estelle hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked to the front of the room where Celeste stood, carefully placing her notes into a leather briefcase.
“Professor Thorne,” Estelle began, her voice quieter than usual. “I… I just wanted to apologize. For earlier.”
Celeste’s eyes flickered up, meeting hers with that same icy intensity. For a moment, there was silence between them—thick, charged silence. Then, to Estelle’s surprise, Celeste’s lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. Not a warm smile, but a knowing, calculating one.
“There’s no need to apologize, Miss Brooks,” Celeste said softly, her voice low and measured. “Just… learn to focus. You’ll need it in the real world.”
Estelle nodded, though her stomach twisted in knots. There it was again—that feeling that Celeste’s words meant more than they seemed. There was an edge of control in her voice, something that made Estelle feel like she was being tested in more ways than one.
“Right. Of course,” Estelle muttered, feeling suddenly very aware of how close they were standing.
Celeste’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, and Estelle swore she saw something flicker behind those cold blue eyes—something that made her pulse quicken. But just as quickly, Celeste turned away, dismissing her with a nod.
“Have a good day, Miss Brooks.”
Estelle stood frozen for a second, her heart still racing as she turned and left the lecture hall, feeling like she had just stepped out of a battle she hadn’t even realized she was fighting.
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