Elvie
I had finally accepted it. I was heavily, completely crushing on Cassian. Yes you heard me right.
At first, I tried to convince myself it was just the physical attraction—the heat of his touch, the overwhelming intensity of our intimate moments. But the way I had rested so comfortably in his lap this morning, my heart racing not from fear, but from pure longing, proved otherwise. I was falling for my employer. My boss. My professor.
When I woke up earlier, a strange sense of relief had washed over me. I had told him one of my biggest, most guarded secrets, my history at Norman’s house. And amazingly, I didn’t regret it. It felt like a heavy weight had lifted off my chest, as if I was no longer carrying that awful burden alone.
Still, nagging questions lingered in the back of my mind. Why was he so fiercely determined to protect me? Was there something deeper going on between him and Norman? It felt like more than just protecting the university’s reputation or looking out for me as his student.
After we finished breakfast, Cassian had left the house for his errands. I had texted Gemma, inviting her over, and asked her to pick up some food on her way since I didn’t even have a set plan. Inviting her had just been a blurted-out thought to Cassian, and I was still stunned by how easily he had said I could do whatever I wanted in his house.
I was casually flipping through channels on the massive living room TV, looking for a movie we could watch, when the doorbell rang. It came in loud, aggressive, rapid bursts.
I froze for a second before getting off the couch and jogging to the front door. Swinging it open, I glared at Gemma. "Are you planning on breaking the door down?"
Gemma rolled her eyes, completely unfazed. "You were taking forever to open it!"
Without waiting for an invitation, she pushed right past me into the foyer, clutching a couple of takeout bags and a cardboard carrier with iced drinks.
I shook my head, shutting the door behind her. "Do you ever have patience for anything?"
Gemma stopped dead in her tracks, turning around to glare at me with wide, dramatic eyes. "Have patience? I am coming to my best friend’s house to hear all the juicy details about her steamy encounter with her wildly attractive, brooding professor, and you’re telling me to have patience?"
I couldn’t help the loud laugh that bubbled out of my chest. Honestly, was this girl entirely sane? Gemma had zero filter, no volume control, and an absolute obsession with romance drama. But I was still glad she’s my best friend.
"Put the food on the table before you drop it,"
"Oh, trust me, I’m not dropping the food," Gemma said, setting the bags down on the sleek glass coffee table before turning to face me, her eyes gleaming with pure curiosity.
"Now, spill what happened last night because I’m sure as hell knows you guys have been doing it all night. Couch, kitchen, bedroom, floor-"
I slapped her arm. "You’re crazy, Gemma. None of that happened."
Gemma let out a loud, theatrical gasp, clutching her arm where I had slapped her.
"Ouch! Violence?" she dramatically whined, settling onto the plush couch and kicking her feet up like she owned the place. "Don’t lie to me, Elvie! Look at you! You’re glowing, your hair is slightly messy, and you’re wearing an oversized shirt that practically screams I got claimed."
"I took a five-minute shower and threw this on, Gemma, stop it," I laughed, sitting down opposite her and opening one of the takeout containers. The smell of fresh food filled the room, making my mouth water. "Seriously, we didn’t do anything crazy last night. We just... talked."
Gemma tilted her head, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she took a sip of her iced drink. "Talked? Just talked? In his private study? At midnight?"
"Yes, just talked," I insisted, though my face warmed up as the memory of his hands on my skin earlier flashed through my mind. I quickly cleared my throat before she could spot the blush. "Well... I actually told him about my past. About living at Asher’s parents’ house."
Gemma froze, her straw slipping right out of her mouth. The playful, dramatic energy vanished instantly, replaced by genuine shock.
"Wait... what?" she asked, her voice dropping into a rare, serious hush. "You told Professor Cassian about the Normans? Elvie, you’ve never even talked about that with anyone except me."
"I know," I murmured, staring down at my food as I played with the plastic fork. "He asked me directly. He already knew I stayed there, Gemma. I don’t even know how he found out, but he knew. So I told him that I grew up there and that they helped pay my tuition."
"Did you tell him about Asher?" Gemma pressed, leaning forward on the coffee table, her eyes wide with worry. "About what that jerk did to you?"
I shook my head quickly. "No. I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud to him. I just told him things got overwhelming and I had to leave."
Or maybe because I was scared Cassian will judge me for leaving the house that had taken care of me right from childhood because of a merely crush.
Gemma let out a breath she seemed to be holding, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Okay. Good. But Elvie... how did he react when you told him?"
I looked up at her, my heart giving a quiet, rhythmic thud in my chest as I recalled the fierce look in Cassian’s dark eyes.
"He told me they’d never hold anything over me again. He said... he said I’m safe under his care now, and no one is going to hurt me while he’s around."
Gemma stared at me for three full seconds, her mouth slowly forming a wide ’O’. The serious mood evaporated in a single heartbeat, replaced by a massive, mischievous grin that spread across her entire face.
"Oh. My. God," Gemma squealed, slamming her hands onto her knees. "He is down bad for you! That is not boss-employee talk, Elvie! That is full-on possessive, protective alpha behavior!"
"Gemma, shh!" I hissed, though a hopeless, fluttery smile broke across my face anyway.
"But I’m really scared, Gemma. I’m actually terrified."
Gemma lifted a brow, her grin softening into a curious look as she leaned forward. "Scared of what?"
"Of this. Of everything," I breathed out, running a hand through my hair. "He’s my professor, Gemma. He’s my boss, my employer, and the man who literally pays for the roof over my head. If anyone at the university finds out about whatever is happening between us, it could destroy his entire career, and I’d be kicked out with nowhere to go."
I swallowed hard, looking down at my bare feet tucked under me. "And on top of all the rules and risks... I think I like him."
I know I was being paranoid for thinking about it all these after having sex with him but I can’t help but think about what could have happened in the nearest future.
For a fraction of a second, the room was dead silent. Then Gemma completely lost her mind.
"YES!" she shrieked, bouncing up and down on the sofa so hard the cushions practically vibrated. "My best friend is falling in love again! Lord have mercy, the dry spell is officially over!"
Before she could start a full victory chant, I snatched a throw pillow off the armchair and hurled it straight at her face. It hit her square in the chest, cutting off her loud scream.
"You are absolutely crazy!" I groaned, "I am telling you something deeply serious that could blow up my whole life, and you’re over here throwing a one-woman parade!"
Gemma tossed the pillow aside, still grinning like a lunatic as she scooted right to the edge of the couch. "Who cares about the professor title right now? The man is gorgeous, ridiculously rich, insanely protective, and clearly down bad for you!"
I opened my mouth to counter her—to bring up all the logical reasons why this was dangerous but Gemma held up a hand, completely beating me to it.
"Look at me, Elvie," she said, her voice dropping into a rare tone of absolute seriousness. "Just enjoy it while it lasts. If you want him, go get him. Stop overthinking every single detail and let yourself feel something good for once. That’s why I’m your best friend. I’m here to tell you to live a little."
"Be messy with him. Let him make you moan, let him give you all the pleasure you’ve been missing, and just take what you want. You earned it after everything you’ve been through."
The raw honesty in her words hit me right in the chest. Beneath all her teasing and unhinged energy, Gemma truly just wanted me to be happy. Warmth surged through me, replacing the knot of paranoia that had been twisting in my stomach.
"Thank you, Gemma," I murmured softly, offering her a real, grateful smile. "Seriously."
She waved her hand dramatically. "Yeah, yeah. Don’t get all emotional on me now. So, what movie are we watching?"
"What movie do you have in mind?" I asked,
picking up the remote control from the table.
Gemma leaned back with a wicked grin spread across her face. "I want an R-rated movie. Something wild."
I gasped, immediately lunging my hand across the couch toward her neck. "Gemma! You are such a dirty-minded friend."
"And you have a crush on your hot brooding professor!" She countered back and damn that had me blushing from ear to ear.