"All right, five-minute break, everyone. Stretch, snack, breathe—whatever keeps you sane through electromagnetism," I said, stepping back from the board with a small smirk.
Laughter scattered across the classroom as students pulled out water bottles, granola bars, and half-crumpled notes. Some stayed glued to their seats, some stood and stretched, groaning dramatically like I'd just given them a week off instead of five minutes.
I turned to grab my own water bottle off the desk, rolling out the tension in my neck. My head was pounding a little—too many deadlines, not enough sleep, and entirely too much of a certain boy in my peripheral vision every time I tried to focus.
That's when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I glanced down, expecting some harmless reminder or maybe a text from Kalpo about dinner plans. But the name on the screen made my stomach drop.
Asha — Assistant.
Of course.
Why now?
I hesitated, biting my lip. I didn't have time for this. I was halfway through a lecture on magnetic flux, for God's sake. But ignoring it wasn't an option. Not when calls like this usually meant fire alarms going off at Valora.
With a quiet sigh, I slipped my phone out and ducked into the hallway, hoping five minutes would be enough.
"Yeah?" I answered quickly, keeping my voice low and professional.
"Ma'am, I know it's the weekend, but we have a serious issue," Asha's voice came through, tight and strained. "The investor call's been moved up. They're demanding answers by this afternoon or they're pulling out."
I closed my eyes for half a second, pinching the bridge of my nose.
Of course they were.
"Do you want me to stall or—?"
"No. No stalling," I cut in, my voice shifting into that cold, sharp edge I reserved for boardrooms and emergency meetings. The version of me nobody here knew existed. "Get the updated projections ready, tell finance to be on standby, and make sure the new marketing draft is cleared by legal. I'll call back in fifteen."
"Yes, ma'am."
I hung up and let out a slow, unsteady breath, leaning against the wall. My heart was pounding harder than it should've been. One minute I was a physics professor, and the next—CEO mode. I hated the whiplash.
Just five minutes.
Just five minutes to breathe and go back to being Professor Mehra.
I slid my phone back into my coat pocket and turned to head inside—
And froze.
Lucian was standing by the classroom door.
Still. Quiet. Hoodie sleeves half-pulled over his hands, leaning slightly against the doorframe like he hadn't meant to be caught there.
Our eyes locked.
For a second, neither of us moved.
His gaze dropped to the phone still clutched in my hand, his brows pulling together ever so slightly. I knew that look. Curious. Suspicious. Too observant for his own damn good.
"I was just getting air," he blurted, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
I lifted a brow, studying him. He looked pale. Paler than usual. Sweat clinging to his temples. His hands trembling, just a little, hidden inside his sleeves.
Something wasn't right.
I should've asked. Should've said something.
But I didn't.
Instead, I forced a small, tight smile and slipped my phone away. "Right. Of course."
His eyes didn't leave mine.
Didn't believe me. Didn't say a word about it, either.
We passed each other in silence—him heading back into the room, me following like nothing happened.
But something had.
And I felt it in the way his gaze stayed on me through the rest of the lecture, even as his body started to lean against the desk, his eyes glassy, his skin growing paler by the minute.
I felt it in the pit of my stomach.
A storm was coming.
And neither of us was ready for it.