Professor Astor (Off-Limits)

I pause on the square in front of Astor College, my eyes on the black helicopter approaching us. Campus security starts to cordon the area off, and I move to the side, confused as to what’s happening.

“It’s Professor Astor, isn’t it?” I hear a girl ask. “Typical of the Astor family. I heard he’s started to work for Astor Corporation in addition to being a professor here. I barely manage to make it to all of my classes. I can’t imagine doing more than one job.”

Another girl laughs, the fake sound grating on me. “It’s Adrian Astor. He’s on another level. He’s always worked hard, ever since he was young. It’s good to have him back.”

I turn around, glancing at them as discreetly as I can. I recognize one of the girls as someone Amara always makes small talk with but secretly hates. If I’m not mistaken, she’s a family friend of the Astors.

“It sounds like you know him,” someone else remarks, and she smiles, clearly enjoying the attention her connection to Thor is giving her.

“Of course I do. He’s working on a deal with my father. We’re having dinner tomorrow evening.”

I take her in, my eyes roaming over her long blonde hair, not a single strand out of place. Her face looks perfect too, the type of perfection that isn’t natural. Somehow, the thought of Thor having dinner with her doesn’t sit well with me.

The helicopter lands, and the murmurs around me increase when Thor steps out wearing a three-piece suit that looks annoyingly good on him. He seems so unapproachable, so different to my memories of him. He glances at his watch before turning and heading toward the college’s entrance, seemingly in a rush.

The blonde who’d just been speaking about him rushes after him, and I watch as she catches up to him. My heart squeezes painfully when he smiles at her and slows his steps to walk in line with her. Who is she?

I grit my teeth as I walk into the college, my mood turning sour. I was already not looking forward to attending my weekly meeting with him, but now I want to see him even less. I round the corner leading to his office and tense when I see him standing with that same girl, her hand on his arm. She’s smiling up at him, and he’s grinning back at her. What could possibly be so funny?

I should probably give him a moment to finish up his conversation, especially since our meeting isn’t due to start for another five minutes, but I just don’t feel like it.

“Professor Astor.” My voice is sharp, irritation leaking into it despite my best attempts to hide it, and he looks up. His gaze roams over my body, moving over the beige blouse I’m wearing, down to my pencil skirt, before lingering on my silver shoes. They’ve got a large rhinestone bow at the front, and they’re probably one of my favorite pairs. He smirks as his gaze travels back up my body, and I bite down on my lip, instantly nervous. Is he checking me out?

“Leia,” he says, pulling back his sleeve to check his watch. “You’re right on time. Please follow me.”

He turns back to the girl in front of him and smiles apologetically. “I have a meeting, but it was good to see you.”

She grins, her fingers brushing over his arm. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

He nods and walks past her, leaving me to follow him to his office. So she wasn’t bullshitting then. She’s really seeing him tomorrow night. What for? Is he going on a date? The thought of that infuriates me. He ghosted me, but now he can suddenly date?

He sighs as he unlocks his office door and holds the door open for me. I force a polite smile onto my face as I walk past him, catching a whiff of the same aftershave he was wearing years ago. Just the smell of it has a rush of desire spreading through my body, and I suck down on my lower lip in annoyance.

“Please, take a seat.”

I nod and sit down opposite him, trying my hardest to keep my eyes off him. He looks tired, but still as handsome as he was then. I still remember the way my fingers trailed over his cheekbones, the way his lips felt against mine. It’s strange to be sitting opposite him. Never in a million years could I have imagined that one day, the man who haunted my dreams would be sitting opposite me as my dissertation advisor. It’s strange to have him become part of so many aspects of my life, and each time we meet, he seems different.

At Amara’s wedding, he seemed insistent on talking to me about that night, but he’s nothing but professional this time, and somehow I find myself feeling… disappointed. I don’t want to listen to any of his excuses, but oddly enough, I don’t want to be just another one of his students either.

“I didn’t prepare for this meeting,” he says, smiling apologetically. “I was running late this morning. I apologize.”

I frown, realization dawning. He arrived by helicopter because he was running late for this meeting? Surely not?

“That’s quite all right, Professor. I’ve already ran you through my research, so the primary objective of this meeting is to discuss the changes I want to make based on recently published findings.”

He nods and indicates for me to continue. “The study released last week indicated that reproductive outcomes when utilizing robotic surgery appear similar to alternative approaches. But simultaneously, when using robotic surgery we’re seeing a requirement for specialized training, increased costs and longer use of operating rooms. This study basically says that there’s no real point in utilizing robotic surgery when costs of labor, training and facilities increase.”

Thor looks at me, and something about his gaze unsettles me. He still looks at me as though I’m the only girl in the world, and I can’t help but wonder if the girl I saw him with earlier felt the same way. I feel stupid, and I’m surprisingly upset with myself.

“I’d like to make a change to my dissertation. I’d like to implement machine learning into the robotic surgery equipment I’m designing. Right now, we can’t control costs. That’ll come with time, as is always the case with innovation. I can make the greatest impact by improving the tools we use. I’d like to focus on creating equipment that learns from each operation, so that reproductive outcomes when using my equipment increases versus manual surgery.”

He nods and runs a hand through his hair. “That won’t be easy, and it’ll be quite the adjustment to your dissertation, but it’s possible. I’ll give you access to all of my research, both published and unpublished. That will give you a head start.”

I look at him in surprise. “You’d really do that?”

He smiles at me sweetly and nods. “Of course I would. I’d like to see you succeed, Leia. If you can accomplish what you’ve set out to do, it could make a huge difference to the biotech industry. But don’t forget, all you need for now is a good concept. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Once you have something worth publishing, you’ll not only have your doctorate, but you’ll also have a good starting point to gain funding for the ideas you have.”

I nod. That was my exact thinking too. This dissertation is only just the beginning of what I want to accomplish. I hear what he’s saying too. I can’t be a perfectionist when it comes to this. If I want to make a real impact, I need to finish my doctorate and find funding for my research.

I grin at him, relieved I came to this meeting after all. I’ve been feeling out of it, unsure how to handle being one of his students, but he’s acted professionally throughout this meeting, leaving me feeling like an idiot for expecting anything else from him. “Thank you, Professor Astor.”

He nods and leans back in his seat. “Leia,” he says, his voice soft. The way he says my name has my heart skipping a beat, and I swallow hard.

“That girl just now… her name is Eleanor Williams. I’ve got a meeting with her father tomorrow evening because I’m attempting to acquire his company, and it appears she’s attending alongside him. That’s all it is.”

I tense, trying my best to hide the surprise I feel. “Why are you telling me this?” I ask, even as relief rushes over me. This entire time, my heart has felt heavy. Just those few words took away the jealousy I’d been battling. Did he realize how I felt?

Thor rises from his seat and runs a hand through his thick dark hair. It’s slightly longer now, and it looks surprisingly good on him. “No reason,” he says, smiling. “I need to head back to Astor Corporation. I’ll send you the research you might need, but don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything else.”

I stand up and nod, my thoughts reeling. “You… did you come in just to have this meeting with me?”

His eyes trail over my face, lingering on my lips for a moment before moving back up to my eyes. “Yes,” he admits, before gesturing to the door. My heart is in disarray as I follow him.

“By the way, Leia,” he says, turning back to me. His eyes drop down to my shoes, and he bites down on his lip for a moment before smirking. “I love these shoes you’re wearing today. They look great. Looks like you have a thing for unique shoes, huh? These remind me of your sunflower shoes.”

I stare at him, wide-eyed. He remembers the shoes I wore that night? “I… um, yeah,” I mutter eventually, brushing past him and into the corridor. I look back at him, feeling conflicted. “Thanks for today, Professor Astor.”

He stares at me, his gaze unreadable. “Anytime, Leia.”

I walk away, but I can feel his eyes on me every step of the way.