It was almost midnight, and the dorm was filled with laughter and chaos. The four of us—Stella, Callista, Ainsley, and I—were far from sober. Stella’s cheeks were flushed, Ainsley had passed out on the couch mumbling incoherently, Callista looked utterly out of it, and I felt tipsy, my head spinning.
"He’s always demanding! Always teasing me... but then..." Callista slurred, taking another shot of wine.
"Maybe... because he's caught up with you," Stella said, her words barely coherent.
I hiccuped, leaning onto Stella’s abdomen for support. The room felt like it was tilting.
"At least Zaira has... a professor," Callista mumbled, glancing in my direction.
"What are you talking about... about?" I managed to ask, though the words felt heavy on my tongue.
Two bottles of rum later, I was drunker than I’d ever been in my life.
"Thorne... likes you," Callista muttered, her voice trailing off.
Before I could respond, Ainsley passed out completely, Stella burst into laughter, and Callista and I continued exchanging slurred, nonsensical sentences.
"Girls, remember the deal," Stella said, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.
"Thorne should be attracted to Zaira, or else I..." Callista didn’t finish her sentence before collapsing.
Stella dozed off with a wine glass in her hand, so I took it and drained the last sip. My vision swam as I tried to stand, but the ground beneath me seemed to wobble.
"Guys... an earthquake," I said, stumbling to my feet.
"I must hide the bottles," I whispered to myself.
Grabbing the empties, I stumbled outside. Somehow, I managed to hide them in a shampoo box and toss them in the trash. But as I tried to find my way back, the campus turned into a disorienting maze.
My vision blurred, and my surroundings felt unreal. Panic clawed at me as unfamiliar footsteps echoed nearby. I hid in a corner, curling into myself, hands over my ears, trying to calm my racing heart.
Suddenly, a hand covered my mouth. I gasped, ready to scream, but a familiar scent of clean leather reached me.
"Shh..."
Thorne.
He crouched before me, his sharp features illuminated by the dim hallway lights. Without a word, he pulled me to my feet and led me past the roaming security guards.
In a blur, I heard a door shut behind me. Relief washed over me when I saw his familiar face.
"Coffey," he said, his voice steady.
"Professor! We were just talking about you," I giggled, words tumbling out uncontrollably.
"You’re drunk," he observed, his tone flat but not unkind.
I shook my head in denial, but nausea hit me like a wave. I bolted to the nearest sink and threw up, Thorne holding my hair back and pressing gently on my stomach to help.
"That’s it. Let it out," he said, his voice soft.
Once I was done, he handed me a towel and a glass of water before guiding me into another room.
"Change your clothes," he instructed firmly.
"I’m fine, Thorne. Really—"
"Change. Now," he said, leaving no room for argument.
Once he stepped out, I changed into the fresh clothes he’d left for me. When he returned, he had a small bottle of pleasantly scented oil. Gently, he applied it to my stomach, his hands careful and precise, easing my discomfort.
"Why were you drinking?" he asked, his tone calm but demanding answers.
"You’re so bossy," I blurted out, my filter long gone.
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“Callista always said that you're a hot dreamy professor that everybody admired…” My mind kept putting me with words without even thinking straight. 
"Doesn't mean you look like a hot masculine God descending from the heavens with that blessed attractive perfect face of yours, using it for being a playboy" I continued, my thoughts spilling out unfiltered. 
"You flirt with every woman at school—like that curly-haired, hourglass-shaped one."
He chuckled, the sound deep and warm. "Astrid?" he asked, amused.
I groaned in response, too tired to form coherent sentences.
"Now, now, are you jealous of Astrid?" he asked softly.
Of course I wasn't jealous, I was just pointing out his mistakes that made me annoyed.
I didn’t respond, curling up instead. As sleep pulled me under, I thought I heard him whisper something, but it was too faint to make out.
When I woke up, sunlight streamed through an unfamiliar room. My head throbbed, and I squinted against the brightness. The modern decor—a grey leather sofa, a dark table, and sleek lamps—made it clear I wasn’t in my dorm.
Panic set in as I tried to piece together what happened. Then I heard the sound of a shower.
The bathroom door opened, and Thorne stepped out, wearing only a towel. His damp hair clung to his forehead, water droplets tracing the contours of his muscular chest.
I froze, my heart racing as he walked toward me with an almost lazy confidence.
"Like what you see?" he teased.
I snapped my gaze away, heat flooding my cheeks.
"You can look now," he said, now dressed in a dark grey robe.
My voice wavered as I stammered, "Did we...?" I pointed between us, mortified.
He smirked. "Don't worry, I don't sleep with my students."
Relief mixed with embarrassment as my face turned crimson.
"You were drunk," he said, setting a glass of water on the table.
"I could report this to the supremes," he added casually.
Cold fear gripped me. Expulsion was a real possibility, and my friends would suffer too.
"But as your colleague, I understand. As your professor, however, I won’t tolerate drinking on campus," he continued, his tone firm.
"I’m sorry," I said quickly. "It won’t happen again."
"Good," he replied, handing me the glass. "Drink. And since classes are canceled today, we’ll discuss this further over breakfast."
My stomach churned at the thought.
"Professor, it’s the weekend," I said.
"We’re alone," he corrected with a knowing smile.
"Thorne," I said, trying to regain some composure.
"Yes, flower?"
“Don't call me that” I said looking away. I saw him smiling teasingly. And sighed, gathering the strengths.
I cleared my throat, avoiding his gaze. "If I said something last night, it was nonsense. I don’t remember much."
"Drunk words are often sober truths," he said, his tone teasing.
"Well, I guess I’m one of those who doesn’t," I replied.
He shook his head looking at me amused. "You’re indeed one of them who tells the truth," he corrected.
A glimpse of memory about what he said. flowed.  
“Doesn't mean you look like a hot masculine God descending from the heavens with that blessed attractive perfect face of yours”
My heart began to race again, drumming like thousands of drums. He moved closer until his presence seemed to consume the air I breathed.
"It seems you have been jealous? Am I right, flower?" he asked.
My blood was boiling; my body felt hot, my cheeks flushed red.
"Why would I be jealous? You can talk to any woman you want, even if it's in front of me," I said.
His jaw clenched, his raven eyes locked onto me.
"I don’t want anyone else to talk to. I choose the woman I’m willing to talk to, and that woman is you," he said.
My body went still, as if my feet were glued to the floor. I could feel my cheeks burning from hearing his words.
It's been two days since what happened. I went back and found that everyone was worried about me getting lost. And the last words that Thorne told me? he just smiled teasingly and walked away like he liked or nothing just happened. 
I told them Thorne saved me and assured them he wouldn’t tell anyone. Surprisingly, they weren't as concerned about the possibility of expulsion as I thought they would be. 
Instead, they were more interested in hearing about our conversation, which I couldn't share—partly because it was embarrassing, and partly because I didn’t want to lose our silly bet.
Now, it's the first day of our clinical experience. We decided to go together—me and the four other members. Three of us were waiting for the others, Caden and Thali.
It will be so awkward talking towards Thorne, referring to what happened between us two days ago. A few minutes before the call time, we spotted three men walking towards us: Arthur and Arlo, along with... Thorne.
As Thorne got closer, I stepped back and stood close to Caden. Our eyes met again then glanced at his papers. After our encounter two days ago I left. I didn't expect him to talk to me in the way that he talked to me last time. 
"Good morning," he greeted with his usual button up shirt, his one briefcase with a single paper in his hand 
We greeted back as a black carriage parked in front of us. We immediately went inside. I sat near the window, with Thalia and Keegan beside me. 
In front of us were Thorne, Arlo, and Arthur. As the carriage started moving, it was filled with silence. I watched the trees and farmers walking barefoot, carrying wood on their shoulders.
"Professor, how can we assist you today?" Caden asked, breaking the silence.
"One of you will be assisting my secretary, two of you will be assisting me, and two will be assisting with the medicines. Of course, you will be switching roles every day to ensure everyone gets a good experience," Thorne explained.
"So I'll be assigning you now," he said.
"Keegan and Lyric will be assisting me today."
"Rune and Vale will handle the medicines."
"As for Miss Coffey, you'll be helping my secretary," he said.
I nodded in understanding, avoiding his gaze. Even though his eyes were captivating, I had to stop myself from staring too long or I might get drawn in.
We stopped in front of a vintage-looking house. As we stepped down from the carriage, we saw a black door with a golden nameplate engraved with Thorne's full name. 
Inside, the room was aesthetically pleasing, neatly cleaned with minimal hanging pictures. It was a spacious area divided into equal rooms. Long, cushioned sofas lined the sides of the waiting area, and a high counter stood where patients could be seen and spoken to.
A woman with cat-eye glasses and a long lab coat greeted us with a smile.
"This is Shin, my secretary," Thorne said, introducing her.
"Shin, could you please show them around?" Thorne asked, before walking away.
Shin nodded, her smile never fading.
"Hello, I’m Secretary Shin. You’re in the waiting area of Dr. Ackerman's clinic. So, which one of you is assigned to me?" she asked, still smiling brightly.
I raised my hand, and Shin acknowledged me with a nod, her expression as lively as ever. We walked toward a corner with a curved design, where a white door awaited us.
"This is where Doc receives patients," Shin said.
She opened another door, revealing a long, spacious room filled with clean shelves and bright lighting. The room was stocked with medicines, drug vials, and herbal remedies.
"This is the storage for medicines. I get everything from here," Shin explained.
After the tour, we went to our assigned stations. I worked alongside Shin, organizing patient lists, answering phone calls, sorting through documents, and double-checking medication records for spelling errors.
"Robin Dirk, you're up next," I called.
I felt a chill as I sensed their eyes on me—maybe because of my pale skin and curly white hair.
The patient, Robin, was escorted into the doctor's office. I was alone at the counter until a frantic woman, dressed in saggy, dirty clothes, burst into the clinic. Her face was filled with fear as she held her young son in her arms. He seemed confused and terrified. His eyes locked onto mine, and he immediately started toward me.
"Please... help me, my child!" she pleaded.