Chapter 24 BETWEEN TWO WORLDS.
CLARA'S POV:
By the time I stepped out of the lecture hall, the air felt heavier than usual - like the tension from earlier had somehow followed me outside.
The late afternoon sun was bright, but I barely noticed it. My mind was still looping through everything that had happened back there, like a movie that refused to end.
Elsie Silver.
Even thinking about her name made something uneasy stir in my chest.
She hadn’t come back to class after following Professor Asher out… neither had he. And that alone said enough.
Whatever that ‘word’ he wanted with her was, it clearly wasn’t a friendly one.
My bag strap kept slipping off my shoulder as I walked down the quiet path leading to my dorm, the rhythmic crunch of gravel under my shoes almost too loud against the silence.
I tried to focus on anything else - the rustle of trees, a group of students laughing in the distance - but my mind wouldn’t cooperate.
That look in Elsie’s eyes when she said my name… I couldn’t get it out of my head.
It wasn’t curiosity. It wasn’t surprise either. It was recognition - like she knew me from somewhere, even though I’d never seen her before in my life.
That small, knowing glint that had flashed in her eyes still clung to me, crawling under my skin like static.
And then there was Professor Asher.
God. The way his whole body had gone rigid when he saw her - his jaw tightening, fists clenching, like he was holding himself back from… something.
It wasn’t shock that crossed his face. No. It was anger. A quiet, controlled kind of anger that made the air shift around him.
But that’s what didn’t make sense. If she was supposed to be ‘Assisting him’, wouldn’t he have known she was coming? The administration would’ve told him. So why did he look at her like that?
It wasn’t the look of someone caught off guard. It was the look of someone who had seen a ghost they’d hoped to never see again.
I swallowed, hugging my arms around myself as a chill crept up even though the air was warm.
What unsettled me most wasn’t just Professor Asher’s reaction - it was hers. The way Elsie smiled at him, all syrupy and composed, like she was waiting for him to explode and enjoying every second he didn’t.
There was something smug behind that perfect smile, like she knew exactly what she was doing to him.
And the way she said, “Ohhh, it’s you, Professor Asher,” -
The tone of it. Sweet, but sharp underneath. Like there was a story behind those words, one filled with more venom than nostalgia.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had just witnessed something personal - something that wasn’t meant for anyone else’s eyes.
Maybe I was reading too much into it. Maybe she was just one of his old colleagues or something.
But deep down, I knew it wasn’t just simple.
Because when Professor Asher looked at Elsie Silver… his eyes weren’t just angry.
They were haunted.
And when she looked back at him - smiling like that, unbothered and confident - it wasn’t the smile of someone meeting a superior.
It was the smile of someone who’d already broken his rules once before.
I didn’t know what kind of history existed between them, but whatever it was…
it felt like it was about to drag me into it too.
Just then, a familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Hey,” Jake said beside me, his tone breaking through the quiet. “I don’t know, but did you kinda notice anything about the new lecturer? What’s her name again?”
He frowned, thinking for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Right - Elsie. Elsie Silver.”
By now, we’d both stopped walking. The path leading back to the dorms was empty except for the soft sway of trees overhead and the crunch of gravel beneath our shoes.
I hesitated, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder. “Umm… I don’t know,” I murmured finally, keeping my tone light.
It wasn’t entirely a lie. I didn’t know what Elsie was, or what her sudden appearance meant - but something in me didn’t want to spill my thoughts to Jake. Not yet. Maybe because I wasn’t even sure how to explain it.
Jake studied me for a second, his brows knitting slightly. Then he nodded, letting out a small exhale. “Yeah,” he said quietly, kicking a small pebble from the path. “Enough about her.”
I nodded too, looking away. My gaze followed the shadow of a passing bird across the ground. “Yeah,” I echoed, softly.
I was about to take a step forward when Jake suddenly reached out, his fingers wrapping around my arm - gentle, but firm enough to make me stop.
“Umm… Clara,” he said, voice a little rougher this time.
I turned to face him, and my stomach tightened when I saw the look on his face. His eyes weren’t teasing or playful like they usually were. They were steady - sincere.
He let out a small breath, rubbing the back of his neck before holding both my hands in his. “About the other day,” he started, his voice low. “When I told you how I felt… I meant every word.”
My chest tightened.
“I wasn’t just saying it to mess around or make you uncomfortable,” he went on, his thumbs brushing lightly over my knuckles.
“You mean a lot to me, Clara. You have for a while now. And I know I can be… I don’t know, a bit much sometimes - but I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted to take you out.”
He paused, searching my face, his tone growing softer. “It’s been two days already, so… have you thought about it? About the date, I mean?”
The world felt oddly still.
I blinked at him, unsure what to say. His hands were warm around mine, grounding and familiar, but my heart felt distant - quiet in a way that made guilt slowly creep up my throat.
The truth was… no, I hadn’t thought about it. Not once.
Between the sleepless nights, the dream, and everything that happened today - Professor Asher, Elsie Silver - Jake’s confession had been buried somewhere deep beneath all that chaos.
And even now, standing here with him looking at me like that, I realized I didn’t want to think about it.
Because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t force a feeling that just wasn’t there.
Jake was kind, sometimes infuriating, sometimes reckless - but good. He didn’t deserve a lie. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to say the truth either. Not right now.
I looked away, pretending to adjust the strap of my bag again just to escape his gaze. “Jake…” I started softly, but my voice trailed off before I could finish.
His eyes searched mine, and something in his expression flickered - hope fading into quiet understanding.
He gave a small nod, forcing a crooked smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s fine,” he said quickly, cutting me off before I could even respond.
“You don’t have to say anything yet. Just… think about it, okay?”
I wanted to tell him there was nothing to think about - that I didn’t want to hurt him and I couldn’t give him what he wanted.
I opened my mouth to say something - to finally tell Jake the truth, to explain that I didn’t feel the same way - but the words froze on my tongue.
Because right then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them.
Professor Asher and Elsie Silver.
They were standing a few meters away, near the far end of the faculty building.
From where we stood, I could see them clearly.
And they weren’t talking. They were arguing.
Professor Asher’s back was turned to us, his shoulders tensed beneath his shirt, like he was one second away from losing control.
Elsie, on the other hand, looked completely composed. Her arms were folded across her chest, head tilted slightly to the side, that same smug, knowing smile curving her lips.
She looked amused. Like his anger was some kind of performance put on just for her.
The sight made my stomach twist.
Even from this distance, I could feel the tension between them - the sharp, dangerous kind that felt too familiar, too intimate to be casual.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t professional.
Jake eyes followed my gaze. “Isn’t that-?”
But I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
Professor Asher suddenly stepped forward, his voice low but rough. I couldn’t make out the words, but I saw the way his jaw clenched, veins on his forearm standing out as his hands tightened at his sides.
Elsie didn’t flinch. If anything, she took a step closer, smiling wider.
And then - before I could even blink - she lifted her hand and pressed it flat against his chest, blocking his path as he tried to walk past her.
My breath caught.
And she said something - too low to catch - but the way her lips curved told me everything.
It wasn’t an apology. It was something else.
And then she kissed him.
Right there, in the open.
Her fingers curled into the front of his shirt, pulling him closer as her lips met his.
For a moment, he didn’t move.
Didn’t push her away.
Didn’t even try.
He just stood there, still and silent, as if caught in the moment - or maybe choosing not to stop it.
Something inside me cracked open, sharp and unexpected.
It wasn’t supposed to hurt. It shouldn’t hurt.
But it did.
It hurt in a way that made my chest feel too tight, my throat dry, my pulse unsteady.
I didn’t even understand why.
I just knew that seeing him like that - with her - felt like watching something I wasn’t meant to see, something that left a bitter taste at the back of my tongue.
The sound of my heartbeat drowned out everything else - Jake’s voice, the wind, even my thoughts.
And before I could stop myself - before I could even think - the words just slipped out.
“I’ll go out with you.”
Jake blinked, startled. “Wait - what?”
I swallowed hard, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “The date,” I said quickly, my voice barely steady. “I’ll go with you, Jake.”
He stared at me for a second, confusion flickering into cautious relief.
“You - really?”
I nodded, managing a small, uneven smile. “Yeah. Really.”
He exhaled, a slow grin tugging at his lips. “Okay. Wow, uh - okay. That’s… great.”
But I didn’t answer.
Because my eyes were still drawn to where Professor Asher and Elsie stood.
She had finally stepped back, brushing her fingers against her lips like she was savoring the taste of victory.
And Professor Asher - he just stood there, expression unreadable, before walking away without a word.
Jake was still smiling beside me, probably thinking I’d finally come around.
But all I could feel was the aftertaste of something I couldn’t name - jealousy, confusion, heartbreak. Maybe all three.
And for the first time since I’d met Professor Asher, I realized-
I didn’t just care.
I was hurt.