PROFESSOR'S FAVORITE

It was two months to Christmas, Riley loved the smell of Christmas although she didn't have anyone to celebrate it with, this didn't stop her from loving and celebrating it, She would celebrate it with the little children at the orphanage, she would bake goodies and make smoothies and cook a big turkey and others, they would sing the Christmas carol and dance around the Christmas tree and tell Christmas stories after that they would sleep off, the children loved it whenever she came around.

Riley wished that this year they wouldn't get tired of it she wished this year Christmas would be different. Whenever Christmas was close she would take on different part-time jobs just to be able to make the foods and drinks and also buy them gifts.

Riley keeps moving around due to the disturbance of her phone.

"Ah!" she covers her ears with her pillow. It was so disturbing that she couldn't sleep she hadn't set an alarm, why would her phone be buzzing, she didn't have any lectures she thought. She picks her phone up it was a call.

She picks it up, "Riley! get to school now!" Eva yells through the phone.

"What, what's wrong?" she asks waking up from her sleep.

"Riley, don't tell me you are still sleeping?" Gaby says.

"What else should I be doing?" she says as sleep covers her face.

"We have English class right now!"

"What?" she jumps up from her bed.

"Better hurry, I would buy you time" Gaby cuts the call.

"What?" she picks her towel and enters the bathroom.

She comes out in a white towel she starts dressing, throws on a white shirt gown and a long black coat, picks her nose, and wears a pink high sandal.

She begins running to her lecture room, she wasn't leaving off campus which is her only luck.

Riley arrives at the room and stops she breathes in before she enters before entering a message enters.

"Girl, this lecturer is the finest young man I have seen!" Gaby sends, Riley chuckles seeing the message,

"She's got to be kidding me" she puts her phone in her bag and opens the door.

"Can I help you?" Riley is struck by the young man's beauty, he was indeed the most handsome man she had seen. He had broad shoulders and was in a white shirt which he unbuttoned the first three, this exposes his emerald necklace he was wearing, he also had on white trousers, it looked like an angel had dropped from the sky, he wore a clear glass and his black eyes sparkled. His sharp jawline was perfectly craved, and his black hair covers his forehead he indeed seemed like an angel. "Can I?" he calls her attention.

"Oh," Riley comes out from her thoughts, she had fallen in love with her professor.

"Are you in my class?" he asks her smiling. he stares at her from her feet to her face, her coat button was open which exposed her laps. Her skin was silky and smooth, it shined. His eyes stares at her lips, it was plum and looked juicy he wanted to taste her, he couldn't take his eyes off her, he thought for a while and her eyes shot at him wide.

"Yes sir," she says still staring at him as she walked inside

"Riley here!" Gaby directs her. The spark between the two was obvious and the whole class had noticed the way their lecturer had stared at her.

"Ah," she walks over to where Gaby was sitting.

"Girl, what was that?" Gaby shrugs her.

"Why didn't you warn me?" she says embarrassed by how she stammered because of his beauty.

"Did you see the way he looked at you?" she whispers.

"Do you understand!" he turns back hearing them whisper with each other.

"After class" Gaby whispers.

"For those of you coming in now, I guess you don't know who I am, I would be your substitute teacher for Eng 402 and I'm professor Daniel," he says.

Riley didn't like the fact that she would have to wake up again every 7 am heading for class, but this man would make her wake up by 5 am and she wouldn't mind. she laughs out.

"What's funny?" he asks her.

"Sir?" she says in shock, it felt as if he had heard her.

"Why are you laughing," he says again.

"I wasn't..." she tries explaining before he cuts her.

"What were you doing then?"

"Nothing sir," she covers her head in shame.

"Open your textbook" he continues. Riley couldn't stop crushing on him over and over, she hasn't seen someone look this handsome, his skin was like a mirror. The way he held the book in his hands sent shivers down her spine, his hands were long and beautiful, Professor Daniel and caught her staring at him while she was meant to be reading like the others, He smiles instead.

"I would take it from here" Everyone watches him read, but Riley didn't seem to understand anything, it seemed like he was purposely turning her on. His voice seemed magical and deep,

"That would be all for today, see you in the next class" he smiles and picks up his book, he stares at Riley before leaving.

"How can he be so handsome?" gossip starts. The girls begin to complain about how handsome professor Daniel was, Riley and Eva, were still packing up when someone said.

"I noticed the way he looked at Riley"

"It seemed like he noticed she was in love with him!" they laugh at each other.

"Hey! stop it" Eva tries defending. In school, Riley wasn't outspoken and Eva had to defend her from those bullies.

"It's okay let's go" she drags Eva as they head out.

"Let's go visit him," the girls say. They were blindingly in love with their professor, every person that knew him talked about how handsome he was. Riley and Eva weren't exceptional.

"Ah, I admit Professor Daniel is handsome and young but how can they be so shameless?" Eva says as they walk out of the room.

"Let them be" Riley laughs.

"You too, I can't believe you, you had your mouth open when you saw him, what entered your head!" Eva says.

"Don't tell me you didn't stare at him" Riley says.

"I understand he's handsome but he isn't my style"

"Why?" Riley ask,

"Well, he... I don't know he isn't I don't feel any connections at all"

"But you texted me saying he was handsome!"

"Yeah, that what I saw" she laughs. It was a prank, a warning prank she had sent to Riley, she knew Riley was a sucker for fine men, she only had crushes but dated none.

"I hate you!" she walks faster knowing Eva had pranked her, When Eva finds a guy attractive she doesn't tell Riley, instead she goes for him secretly let alone her professor. She knew Riley wouldn't believe her and ended up getting shocked.

"Wait for me" Eva laughs chasing her.

****

After all the lectures she had for the day, she storms into the library, She picks a book, suddenly hears a footstep at the other side of the bookshelves then it stops.

"Am I hearing things?" she ask herself. "It better be" she continues reading standing in between the bookshelves.

The noise of a cell phone ringing scares her, "Mr. John?" she calls the library security who always lets her in.

The ringing stops and she bends hiding very close to the bookshelves, she begins to hear the footsteps louder and clearer till a hand touches her.

"You?" a man's voice says to her. She turns to the person who had tapped her.

"Professor?" she says shocked

"What are you doing here it's past 7 pm"

"Ah, I... I... um... " she stutters.

"Snuck in?" he looks around.

"Ah, Sir," she gets up.

"It's fine I won't tell" he walks to a table.

Riley, looks at him, her mouth twitched.

"I would be leaving" she notified him, taking three steps back.

"You don't want to read?"

"Huh?" she says quietly till shocked.

"Oh no, actually..." she scratches her hair.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" he smiles, His smile this time looked creepy to her. “Of course it uncomfortable who reads with their professor?” she cries in her heart.

"Huh no," she twitched again.

"I guess so" He smiles again and continues reading.

Riley couldn't explain what pushed her to sit opposite him, she just felt her body move she grabs a chair and stares into his eyes.

"Huh? A birthday present?" he comments on the book she was holding.

"You know it?"

"Of course it's a very popular book," he tells her.

"Are you a fan?"

"I wouldn't say, but the book really caught me... don't tell me you came here to read this?"

"Actually, Ah, how would I explain" she murmurs.

"You did? you see when I was still in Uni, I would sneak out and hide at the emergency staircase to read novels" he laughs.

"What?" she follows after him

"I had friends who would come over to my place to sleep and they snored so I couldn't concentrate..." he keeps talking. Riley couldn't understand how she was already laughing with him, he seems young. she looks at him softly. "I read so many novels and I couldn't even count anymore. He says smiling. She could see the genuineness in his eyes as he talked about books.

"What made you become a professor" she randomly ask.

Daniel stares at her without answering.

"I'm sorry if I went offline," She says.

Daniel still stares at her, without saying anything she stares back at him till she started feeling uncomfortable.

"I think I should head back," she says standing up.

"Can you tell me your name" he intoned.

"Huh?" she looks down at him.

"You won't tell me" he gets up.

"Riley, Riley Sage"

"Spanish?" he says.

"Yes, I guess my mom was" she looks around as he comes closer to her.

"Daniel Wilson," he says giving out a small flower.

"Oh okay... I guess you told us" she says. Daniel puts the white rose at the side of her head.

"You're pretty" he whispers to her ears. Goosebumps fill her body, she liked the sensation he caused. "I can give you a ride home" he smiles heading out.

Riley watched him as he walked away, he was dangerous but she still wanted him.