When it came to women, Leon knew what he was doing.
Three hours had gone by since that short kiss happened, but Carissa still felt restless and could not stop thinking about it. She stood by the window in her room, touching her lips that had just lost their innocence. This was unbelievable. Carissa did not know if this was luck or a mistake for her.
Getting her first kiss from Leon felt like a dream. A famous professor who girls everywhere idolized. That meant what she did was stealing some luck, right?
Besides, a few weeks ago, Leon had offered her a kiss too, but it did not happen because someone messed it up.
Carissa groaned and pulled at her hair, trying to deal with how frustrated she felt. She was still embarrassed. She had not even been able to leave her room since it happened, even though her stomach was growling for food. It was already afternoon, but Carissa was still in her pajamas with messy hair because she had not showered.
Knock knock knock.
A knock on the door made her jump more than it should have. Her eyes went wide, and she started pacing back and forth like she did not know what to do with herself.
"Car, can you come out for a second?" Leon's voice came from behind the door.
Carissa bit her bottom lip. She felt too shy to even answer him, let alone look at the professor who had taken her lips. She blamed his lips for tempting her. He already knew she had weak self control.
"What do you want? I can listen from here," Carissa said, trying to hold onto her embarrassment. Wait, did she even have any shame left after boldly stealing a kiss from her own professor?
Leon laughed softly. It was not a mocking laugh. It seemed natural, like he found what she was doing funny.
"Come out, Car. I need to talk to you about something."
Carissa's heart started beating faster. What did he want to say to her?
"Come on, Carissa..." he added, sounding like he was asking nicely.
Carissa squeezed her hands together. Then she reached out and held the doorknob, thinking for a few seconds before turning it and opening the door.
"Hey." Leon's warm smile was the first thing that caught Carissa's attention as soon as her door opened.
Carissa smiled back awkwardly and looked down. "Hey," she said, feeling shy.
Leon smiled again and looked away for a moment because he could not handle how red her face was. She looked adorable. How could a girl this cute have the guts to steal a kiss from him? He felt like a coward for not being as brave as Carissa.
"What did you want to talk about?" Carissa asked, bringing his focus back.
"I need to go out for a bit. I made food in the kitchen, so make sure you eat it since you did not have breakfast this morning," he said, pointing toward the kitchen counter with his chin.
Carissa followed his gaze to the kitchen counter. There were some plates and bowls set out. Leon actually made her a home cooked lunch. That was unusual. Normally he preferred easy things, like ordering fast food.
"Where are you going?" Carissa asked when she noticed Leon was already dressed in casual clothes. Nothing too formal. It looked like he was going out with a friend… or someone he was interested in.
Leon glanced at his expensive watch. "I have something to do outside," he answered.
"What time will you be back? If it is late, you should take the spare key," Carissa suggested.
Leon raised an eyebrow and looked at her in a way she could not quite figure out.
"Car, we already kissed. Why are you still calling me professor?" he asked, changing the subject. He was really tired of her calling him that. It made him feel old.
Carissa held her breath. How could Leon talk so directly about their kiss like that? Now she felt even more embarrassed hearing him say it.
"You still talk formally to me too," she said quietly, not wanting to lose.
Leon let out a long breath. "I will try to talk more casually with you," he said. Carissa nodded and smiled when she heard that. For some reason, she felt like they were opening the door to something… different than before. Not a professor and student relationship. Not just roommates either. But it was still too early to be sure about that.
"Oh, hey, Car," Leon called out before he actually left.
"What is it?"
A crooked smile formed on Leon's face. Carissa was quick at doing what he asked.
"I forgot to tell you. Your lips taste sweet," Leon said. In a flash, he kissed her lips and walked quickly out of the flat before Carissa could yell at him.
She did not even get the chance to yell. Instead, she stood there frozen, her whole body feeling numb after getting a surprise kiss from her flirty professor.
Carissa's guess was right. Wearing clothes more casual than usual, his hair styled up, and a fresh elegant scent coming off his athletic body. Anyone could tell from how he looked that Leon was meeting a girl.
Right. This afternoon, Leon had arranged to meet at a cafe with a woman named Kristal.
Looked like the rumors around campus a few weeks ago about the professor and the student were not completely wrong.
"Hey." Leon stood up from his seat to greet Kristal who had just arrived.
A sweet smile formed on her lips, painted in dark red lipstick. "Hey, Leon." Kristal sat down across from him.
Leon sat back down and raised one hand to get the attention of a waitress. The waitress saw his signal and came over right away.
"What do you want to order?" Leon asked.
Kristal opened the menu the waitress handed her. It took them a few minutes to decide what to get, coffee and dessert. In the end, they just ordered what the waitress recommended.
"When you dress casual like this, you look like you are only twenty five," Kristal said, looking him up and down with a playful gaze.
Leon smiled, feeling more confident after hearing that from Kristal. Even though he heard compliments like that all the time. His looks did make him seem younger than his real age. People called him babyfaced.
"You look sexy too," Leon said, looking at her with wanting eyes. Kristal's outfit was completely different from what she wore to campus. She knew when to dress for the situation.
Tight jeans that hugged her curves perfectly, paired with a sleeveless tank top that only covered half her stomach and chest. For a girl her age, wearing something that bold was pretty daring.
"What do you want to do after this?" Leon asked.
Kristal thought for a moment. "Watch a movie?" It was not really an answer. More like a question.
"I am bored of going to the theater," Leon said, turning her down. That meant he wanted more than just being close in the dark theater while a movie played.
Kristal smiled crookedly. "Who said anything about a theater? We can watch at my place."
This was what Leon liked about Kristal. She was not shy about being forward. Kristal was not naive.
"That sounds good," Leon said, clearly happy about it. Like he had hit the jackpot today. In the morning, he had been the first to kiss a girl's lips. And in the afternoon, he would be alone at a different girl's place.
When it came to women, Leon knew what he was doing.