Charged
Yaren slammed her door behind her the moment she reached her room, causing the sound to echoe through the small room. She shrugged her bag off her shoulder angrily and tossed it onto the bed, spilling a few books which she didn’t bother to pick up.
Her hands were trembling, and her breath uneven. For a moment, she just stood there brooding as her chest rose and fell heavily. She was upset, so upset that her body trembled almost violently. Then it all broke.
The tears came fast like they'd been waiting for the opportunity to fall, they were relentless and they kept flowing till she began sobbing quietly. She hated everything and everyone at the moment, she hated even herself but letting herself feel so much.
At this point, It wasn’t just about the professor's sharp words earlier, it was about everything, all the bottled-up frustration she’d been swallowing for weeks; her mom's health, being away from home and everything she was familiar with, her family's expectations, and the most painful which was her infatuation with the professor.
She climbed into bed without changing her clothes and she let her tears fall all the wanted as she thought about everything. Her chest felt so raw right now, so heavy, and so painful.
The professor had no reason to be so mean to her, all she'd done since he employed her was try to carry out her tasks and ease him, yet he had pretty much called her dumb earlier. It has her chest tightening till she could hardly breathe.
She sobbed breathlessly. She cried so much that her head began to ache once more and whatever energy she had left drained completely. Her sobs softened after a while, the anger and hurt had given way to exhaustion and her eyes began fluttering close tiredly.
And she want sure for how long she lay there but she eventually drifted off.
~~
The sunlight streaming through the window woke her late the next morning. It was faint and golden, the kind that usually brought warmth. But Yaren felt none of it, it was as if she'd work in the same wretched mood she'd slept in.
Her body was sluggish, her head wa foggy from all the crying, and a dull ache lingered behind her eyes. She sat up slowly, rubbing her face, and blinked at the time on her phone. Her heart dropped.
She had already missed the first lecture again!
“Come on,” she muttered to herself, dragging a hand through her hair.
She was exhausted, all she wanted to do was sit around and mope but she didn't have that much luxury. She got out of bed, showered and got dressed quickly.
Like yesterday, she made it in time for her second class. The day went by sluggishly and Yaren couldn't bring herself to find anything interesting. She was still disheartened, still sad about everything, her chest still felt heavy and she wasn't sure anything could make her feel better.
By late afternoon, most of the day’s classes were done. Yaren packed up her notes, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She considered heading back to the dorms since going to the professor's office wasn't an option, but then, it had been a while she checked in with Ms. Rebecca and she needed to do that.
She made her way to her office, all the while praying she wouldn't run into the professor in the hallway. To her relief, the hallway was clear and Ms. Rebecca's door was ajar. She only has to knock once before she answered.
She watched Ms. Rebecca's face light up with a warm smile on seeing her.
“Yaren, come in, dear. How have you been?” she asked, gesturing at a seat.
“I’ve been good, ma'am,” she replied as she settled down. “Just a little overwhelmed.”
“That’s understandable,” Ms. Rebecca replied. "College can be demanding."
Yaren nodded. It was indeed demanding, not the academic aspect though, just everything else.
"So, what have you been up to?" Ms. Rebecca asked.
Hee gaze dropped to her fingers which were fidgeting with the strap of her beg absentmindedly. She's been up to a lot lately, from partying to getting into one trouble with the professor another. But she forced on a smile.
"I'm interning for Dr. Gabriel Whitefield." She replied. "It's been very educating."
The counselor seemed impressed, very much so. Her smile intensified.
“Is that so? How’s it been going?”
“It’s…..good,” Yaren replied, choosing her words carefully. “He’s very particular, but I’m really learning a lot.”
“I’m glad to hear that. He’s one of the most brilliant minds in the department,” Ms. Rebecca said fondly. “And he doesn’t take students lightly. If he’s mentoring you, that says something.”
Yaren smiled politely, but her chest tightened.
Ms. Rebecca continued talking, mostly about upcoming research projects and the importance of maintaining balance between school, work and rest. Yaren listened quietly, grateful for the steady rhythm of the conversation. It grounded her, or at least it distracted her from her thoughts.
When she finally stood to leave, Ms. Rebecca gave her a warm, reassuring smile. “You’re doing well, Yaren. Don’t forget to rest, alright?”
“I won’t,” she promised softly.
It was 5:42 p.m. when Yaren stepped out of the office. The hallway was expectedly quiet and the sun outside was preparing to set. Her steps echoed faintly as she made her way down the hallway, she'd kept her head down and refused to look back at the professor's office which was at the other end of the hallway, she didn't want to see him, or at least she didn't want him to see her.
She was almost at the end of the corridor when she turned a corner and almost bumped into someone. It was the very same corner she'd bumped into the professor last time because she hadn't been looking.
Hee gaze snapped up quickly and her breath hitched on seeing an all too familiar pair of greys looking down at her.
She almost couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe that she had bumped into the person she'd been trying to run from.
The professor had stopped abruptly to stop the collision, his tall frame mere inches from hers. And for a heartbeat, neither of them spoke, the air between them felt charged and heated, and Yaren found her breath faltering.