DAVID'S POV

I couldn't sleep. That was the first problem. The second problem was why. I lay flat against the mattress in the darkness of my apartment, one arm behind my head while rain tapped softly against the balcony glass outside. 2:07 AM. And somehow, I was still thinking about Eva Roy.

This was getting ridiculous. I closed my eyes again. Immediately, her face appeared. Black off-shoulder top. Bare skin glowing beneath classroom lights. Silver chain at her waist. Dark hair falling over one shoulder while she stared down at her phone like she had forgotten I existed for a moment.

Then another image replaced it. Her walking beside Aarav Mukherjee. Laughing slightly. Comfortable. Too comfortable. My jaw tightened instantly. I opened my eyes again. Enough. I sat up sharply, irritated with myself.

This was exactly why boundaries existed. Attraction was manageable. Fixation was not. And I knew the difference professionally. Yet my brain refused to cooperate tonight. I pushed a hand through my hair before standing from bed. The apartment was silent except for distant thunder outside.

Most professors slept peacefully in the Staff Wing at this hour. Meanwhile I stood shirtless in darkness because a nineteen-year-old girl had somehow invaded my thoughts like a slow infection. Pathetic. I walked toward the kitchen and poured water into a glass before drinking half of it immediately. Still didn't help.

Because every time my mind quieted, her image returned. The way she looked nervous inside my office. The way her eyes widened slightly when I took her phone. The way she said, "Sorry, sir." Soft. Controlled. But not submissive.

That was the dangerous part about Eva Roy. She obeyed rules while looking like she secretly wanted to break them. I leaned against the counter silently. Then laughed once under my breath. God. What the hell was wrong with me?

I had taught hundreds of students over the years. Some beautiful. Some intelligent. Some emotionally manipulative enough to blur lines intentionally. None of them stayed in my head after lectures ended. None. Yet somehow after two days, I could remember the exact shade of gloss on Eva's lips.

I exhaled slowly through my nose. No. I needed sleep. Nothing else. This would disappear by morning. I returned to the bedroom and removed the rest of my clothes irritably before lying down again. Dark ceiling. Cold sheets. Silence.

For approximately thirty seconds. Then my mind replayed the moment she entered class beside Aarav again. Something ugly twisted low in my chest instantly. Jealousy. The realization irritated me enough to sit up again. Unacceptable.

I wasn't jealous. I had no right to be jealous. Eva Roy was a student. And I barely knew her. Still, the image of another man walking beside her calmly made my mood darken immediately. I got out of bed again. At this point sleep clearly wasn't happening.

The shower water was cold against my skin. I stood beneath it quietly while water ran through my hair and down my shoulders. Usually showers cleared my thoughts. Tonight they made things worse. Because now there was no distraction. No work. No conversation. Only her.

Eva laughing softly in the cafeteria. Eva looking up at me during lectures. Eva sitting in the middle row pretending not to notice how often I watched her. Then suddenly, my mind replayed the message I typed into her phone. I closed my eyes briefly against the falling water.

Don't stare at me like that again.
I don't scratch.
I bite.

Jesus Christ. What kind of impulsive stupidity was that? I actually laughed quietly this time. If anyone discovered that message, my career would collapse instantly. And yet, I didn't regret writing it. That was the concerning part.

Because when I imagined her opening the note later, my chest tightened with something dangerously close to satisfaction. I shut the water off abruptly. This obsession was escalating too quickly. And worst of all, part of me didn't want it to stop.

Around 2:43 AM, I gave up on sleep entirely. I sat at my desk in the apartment wearing grey sweatpants while my laptop screen illuminated the dark room. Academic reports. Administrative records. Attendance files. Normal work. Safe work.

I forced myself into routine. Typing feedback. Approving schedules. Responding to faculty emails. The storm outside slowly faded into silence while the Staff Wing remained asleep around me. Then, without realizing it, I opened her file again.

My eyes stopped at the name immediately.

EVA ROY

Nineteen. Literature department. Residential status pending. Connection admission through director recommendation. I stared at the screen too long. Again. Every instinct told me to close the file immediately.

Instead, I kept reading details I already memorized. Her emergency contact numbers. Previous academic scores. Permanent address. Even her handwriting from admission forms. Controlled. Elegant. Sharp pressure against paper.

I rubbed a hand over my jaw slowly. Obsessions always started like this. Small details becoming significant. Attention becoming ritual. I understood the psychology perfectly. Which somehow made experiencing it worse. Because now I recognized every warning sign in myself.

And ignored them anyway.

By sunrise, I still hadn't slept. Golden morning light slowly entered through the balcony doors while exhaustion settled behind my eyes. I dressed automatically for class. Light blue formal shirt. White trousers. Watch. Glasses. The familiar armor of professionalism.

By the time I stepped onto the balcony with black coffee in hand, the campus below had already started waking up. Students crossed pathways sleepily. Hostel wardens yelled at boys near the central garden. Someone played music too loudly from the Boys' Wing. Normal university chaos.

Then I saw her. And every thought in my head disappeared instantly.

Eva walked below toward the Girls' Wing beside Rose. Light blue sundress. Open hair moving softly in morning wind. Silver bracelets glinting beneath sunlight. White sneakers. No heavy makeup today. No dark colors. She looked dangerously soft.

I gripped the coffee mug slightly tighter. My first thought arrived automatically. She joined the hostel already? Then immediately after, Why do I care where she sleeps? Yet I continued watching her anyway.

From above, she looked almost unreal against the university gardens. Light blue. Sunlight. Graceful movements. And somehow, that innocent dress affected me more than yesterday's black outfit. Because now she looked younger. Sweeter. Like temptation disguised as softness.

Rose said something that made her laugh quietly. The sound didn't reach me from this distance. Still, I imagined it perfectly. Then she disappeared inside the Girls'Wing entrance. And suddenly the balcony felt empty again. I looked away first.

Class. I needed distance.

The Literature Wing smelled faintly like old paper and coffee when I entered an hour later. Students filled the lecture hall slowly. And there she was. Middle row again. Of course. Eva looked up the second I entered.

Blue dress. Dark eyes. Hair over one shoulder. Something in my chest tightened painfully for one irrational second. I ignored it. Professional. Controlled. That was the goal today. I placed my files on the desk before starting the lecture normally.

Psychological conditioning. Behavioral response theory. Safe topics. Academic topics. I forced my focus onto teaching. It almost worked. Until I noticed a boy in the back row staring directly at Eva. Not casually. Openly. Repeatedly.

The boy barely looked at the board once. His attention remained fixed on her legs every time she shifted in her seat. My irritation arrived instantly. Sharp. Unexpectedly violent. The lecture stopped mid-sentence. "Mr. Sen."

The boy jumped immediately. Entire class turned toward him. I removed my glasses slowly. "Would you like to explain the topic since you seem deeply uninterested in listening?" The boy stammered something incoherent. I already knew the answer.

"Get out."

Silence filled the room instantly. "Sir?" "You heard me." The boy grabbed his bag quickly and left under everyone's stares. Eva looked confused. Rose looked terrified. And I, I continued the lecture calmly afterward like nothing happened.

Even though my pulse still felt uneven beneath my skin. What the hell was happening to me?

Halfway through class, another knock interrupted the lecture. Sister Amelia entered carrying several registration sheets. "Sorry to interrupt, Professor D'Costa." I nodded once. "Fresher's party coordination," she explained to the class. "This will only take a few minutes."

Students immediately became interested. I stepped away from the front desk while she began explaining event details. Without thinking, I moved toward the back rows. Toward her. By the time I realized it, I stood beside Eva's bench.

Too close. Close enough to smell her perfume faintly again. Vanilla. Soft. Distracting. Sister Amelia continued speaking enthusiastically. "Dance performances, drama auditions, singing registrations." Students whispered excitedly.

"We will also have a ramp walk competition and selection for Miss Fresher and Mr. Fresher."

The room exploded with reactions instantly. Rose grabbed Eva's arm dramatically. "You're participating." "No." "Yes." "I hate you." "You're literally perfect for it."

I kept my expression neutral while pretending to review documents nearby. But every word registered clearly. Especially when Rose signed both their names into participation sheets anyway. Dance. Ramp walk. Miss Fresher. My jaw tightened.

Because suddenly, an image formed in my mind automatically. Eva on stage beneath lights. Men staring at her openly. Judging her body. Wanting her attention. The thought made something dark move inside me immediately.

Possessive. Primitive. Unreasonable. I hated it. Yet couldn't stop it.

The announcement finally ended. Students crowded around registration forms excitedly while Sister Amelia organized papers near the front. I remained beside the back rows pretending to review attendance records. Mostly because leaving suddenly would look suspicious.

Eva glanced at me once while speaking quietly to Rose. And for one second, it felt like she knew exactly how intensely I watched her. Dangerous thought. Very dangerous.

Eventually the students started leaving. Noise faded slowly from the lecture hall until only scattered papers remained behind. I returned toward the desk while signing participation approvals absentmindedly. Then noticed something folded between the sheets.

A note.

My eyes narrowed slightly. I unfolded it slowly. And froze.

Because written in elegant handwriting were the words:

Let's play the game, Mr. David D'Costa.