I didn't even plan to stay after class.
I usually didn't.
But then she said my name.
"Lucian, stay back a minute?"
Yeah. That was it. That was the whole reason.
Now I was sitting at the edge of her desk, trying not to make eye contact for too long in case I spontaneously combusted. She didn't look flirty. She looked like she meant business. Like a boss. Like a goddess in sneakers and an oversized cardigan. That oversized cardigan was gonna be the death of me. Soft, cozy-looking, drowning her frame in fabric I would never admit I wanted to touch. Ever.
And I was… not doing well.
She held my quiz paper like it was made of glass, her fingers moving so carefully I almost forgot to breathe.
"You did really well," she said, finally. "Top score in the entire class."
I swallowed. "Oh."
She glanced up, eyes briefly catching mine—and damn it, why did that feel like a full-body hit? Like every atom in my body straight-up reassembled itself around that one look.
"Lucian," she said, tone even. "You understand the concepts well. But I noticed you struggled a little with the question on entropy. Do you remember that?"
"Yeah," I croaked. "Kinda rushed it."
Her mouth twitched like she almost smiled—but didn't. Which honestly should be illegal. A half-smile from her could power a small country.
"You got the process right. But the last step—the sign reversal? You missed it. It cost you two points."
I nodded, pretending that I could focus on entropy when the real issue was her. Standing close enough for me to notice the smell of her—coffee and citrus and something warm, like comfort and chaos. Like a cozy autumn morning and a lightning storm all at once.
"I'd recommend revisiting the Second Law again. Especially Clausius' formulation. Just for clarity," she added.
I nodded again. A little too fast. Probably looked like one of those bobbleheads people put on car dashboards.
She didn't say anything for a moment. Just watched me.
Not like a teacher. Not exactly.
More like someone trying not to notice something they already had.
And me?
I was practically vibrating.
"I can send you some supplemental reading if you want," she said, finally. "No pressure."
"Y-Yeah," I said, trying not to trip over a one-syllable word. "That'd be great."
She looked back down at the quiz.
"You're doing better than you think," she said, almost softly now. "Just don't overthink every answer. You tend to doubt yourself mid-solution."
My ears turned red.
Because yeah—she noticed.
Of course she noticed.
I opened my mouth to say something stupid like thanks or you're the only reason I study or do you know what you do to me?—but then Ayaan knocked loudly on the doorframe.
"Lucian, bro, you good?"
He knew exactly what he was doing.
Daphne stepped back, cool and composed. "You're free to go."
I stood too quickly. The chair squeaked. My heart was already halfway out the door.
As I passed her, she added, just loud enough for me to hear—
"And Lucian?"
I turned.
She didn't smile. Not fully. But her eyes did.
"Nice work."
I left the room red-faced and mentally ruined.
My hands were shaking slightly, and I could still feel the weight of her words hanging in the air. It wasn't just about entropy anymore. It wasn't even about physics. It was about her. It was about the way she looked at me like I was worth noticing. Like I wasn't just another name on a quiz paper.
And I was completely, hopelessly, off-balance.
As I stepped into the hallway, Ayaan was still there, scrolling through his phone like he hadn't just interrupted the most important two minutes of my life.
"Took you long enough," he said without looking up.
I didn't answer. Couldn't.
Because my brain was still stuck back in that classroom, replaying every second on a loop. Her voice. Her eyes. The way she said my name like it tasted good in her mouth.
Yeah.
I was so screwed.
And yeah — I was totally gonna reread Clausius.
Twice.
Maybe three times.
Hell, I'd memorize the entire thermodynamics chapter if it meant she'd look at me like that again.