Alex Vesper sat at his desk, the harsh fluorescent light above casting long shadows across his desk, reflecting off the polished wood. His fingers drummed absent-mindedly on the surface, his thoughts scattered like the notes on his syllabus.

He wasn’t usually this distracted. But something about you—your presence—had been gnawing at him.

You, sitting in the second row of his classroom, legs crossed, a faint aura of rebellion around you like an invisible force field. You never seemed to take anything seriously, your outfits always rushed—untamed, just like you. Your hair was barely contained, wild curls slipping out of the messy bun that always seemed so carelessly thrown together. And yet, it worked. It somehow worked.

The assignment you had turned in two hours ago was half-hearted at best. You couldn’t be bothered to put in effort, and it frustrated him more than he cared to admit.

His gaze shifted over the top of his reading glasses, locking onto you as you slouched in your seat, fiddling with your phone. Your gaze flickered to his, the briefest moment of contact before you looked away, as if the eye contact itself was too much to bear. He could almost taste the defiance rolling off you.

“Miss Emberlyn,” he said, his voice calm but laced with a firm edge.

You didn’t respond immediately, making him repeat your name, this time with a hint more bite.

“Hmm?” you asked lazily, eyes still fixed on the screen of your phone.

“Your paper. It’s… incomplete,” he said, using the word as an understatement. “Again.”

You shrugged nonchalantly. “I had better things to do.”

Alex’s fingers tightened around the edge of the paper in front of him, a flicker of frustration igniting in his chest. “You know the rules. You know better than to waste my time with excuses.”

You leaned back in your chair, ignoring the challenge in his voice. “I didn’t waste your time,” you said, the words dripping with playful sarcasm. “I gave you something. Consider it… a preview.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s not how this works.”