Professor Hayes didn’t reply. His fingers
brushed against my ear, cool against my hot
skin. The atmosphere shifted, suddenly
charged.
I flinched and stepped back, clumsily changing
the subject. “There’s a lecture next week. Want
to go together?”
“A lecture?”
“Yeah.” I looked down, avoiding his gaze.
“Sure. Just let me know the time and place.”
Back in the lab, my face was still burning. And
his words kept echoing in my head: “I have a
girlfriend.”
We were student and teacher. Which meant his
“girlfriend” must be someone else. But… that
<
didn’t seem right. Professor Hayes was a high-
profile figure on campus; he didn’t seem to
have any other women in his life. If he really
had a girlfriend, there would be no need for me,
his gaming buddy.
The question bothered me for days, but I
couldn’t bring myself to ask him directly.
That Friday, Professor Hayes and I went to the
lecture as planned. I chose a seat near the
back, and he sat next to me. As soon as he saw
the banner on stage, he froze.
“Protecting Yourself from Online Scams and
Catfishing.”
He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to
suppress a laugh. After a moment, he turned to
me, an amused glint in his eye. “Amelia, what’s
the meaning of this?”
I pointed at the banner. “I thought you could
2:41
302 и
87
He shook his head, looking like he didn’t know what to do with me.
The lecture began. Professor Hayes leaned
back in his chair, looking straight ahead. I kept
stealing glances at him. He was smiling,
seemingly enjoying himself.
“Number one: Be careful who you meet online.”
“Number two: Anyone who asks you for money
online is probably a scammer.
“”
“Number three: Before you start an online relationship, ask yourself: Why would someone
this attractive need to look for love online?”
By the second half of the lecture, I was getting sleepy. Professor Hayes nudged me. “Stay awake. Pay attention.”
I couldn’t resist teasing him back. “I don’t need
Г
His smile vanished. He looked at me intently. “I’m not catfishing anyone.”
“Huh?” I started to ask him what he meant, but
he turned away, looking straight ahead again.
He seemed tired, resting his hand on the
armrest between our seats. His hand completely
covered mine.
We both froze.
His hand was warm and soft, trembling slightly. The air was thick with unspoken tension. I wiggled my fingers, and he quickly pulled his
hand back as if he’d just realized what he was doing.
I glanced at him. He was staring straight ahead, his expression neutral, like he was completely focused on the lecture. But his fingers were drumming lightly on his knee, a telltale sign that he was distracted.
I leaned closer and whispered, “Adam?”
“Hm?” He turned his head slightly, looking
down at me.
“I heard you tell that girl you had a girlfriend. Were you talking about me?”
