The Professor's Girl (18+)

Episode 32

Emma

I'm trying to breathe, but it sounds like I'm wheezing. Tears are streaming down my face, and I'm shaking out of fear. I look at Kai, wondering how the hell I got so lucky that he showed up at the end of my shift.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" I ask him.

"Are you okay? Let me see your neck? What did that fucker say to you?" He asks me too many questions that I can't process in the moment. A part of me is shocked that I was really just assaulted. Adrian kissed me by force and choked the hell out of me just for saying no to him. He attacked me because I didn't go out on a date with him.

I start crying harder, thinking of how terrified I was just a couple minutes ago. If Kai wasn't here, Adrian could've done so much worse. "H-he called me a stuck-up b-bitch," I stutter.

I bury my face in my hands, crying inconsolably. Kai steps forward and wraps his arms around me. At first, I freeze, completely disgusted by the body contact. I don't want anyone to touch me. Not after what just happened. But I remind myself that this is Kai, and he only has good intentions. I take in a deep breath and hide my face in his chest. He lets me cry it out. I'm not sure how long we stand there. Eventually, Kai pulls back out of the embrace and says that he's going to drive me home.

"No!" The word slips out of my mouth before I can think properly.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"He's still out there. What if he finds me? What if he comes back and tries something worse?" I'm still crying, and it prompts Kai to hug me tighter.

"Let's go to the police station. We need to catch this fucker. I'm sure the cafe has security cameras. They must have caught his face."

I shake my head, pulling back and looking him in the eyes. "No."

"Em, what do you mean no? We need to stop this guy."

"We can't. If he's on the security footage, then so are you. The police are definitely going to want to talk to you, and don't you think they'll find it suspicious that my professor was at the cafe where I work? What if they figure out that we were together? I don't want you to get into any trouble."

Kai sighs. "I don't want you to protect me; this is important."

"Please, no. I don't want to lose you. Let's just go home. Will you spend the night with me?"

I'm asking the question without thinking because being with Kai comforts me. I'd sleep a lot better if he was there next to me. Kai seems to hesitate for a second, but then he nods his head.

"Let's stop at my place first. I'll need to get a change of clothes for work tomorrow, so I can go straight from your apartment to the university."

~~~
Kai

Emma is silent on the entire drive to my apartment. I wonder what she's thinking, but I don't want to ask her any questions right now. She's in a very fragile state, and she doesn't need me making anything worse.

When we park outside, I tell her that I'm just going to run in and get my clothes. Her eyes widen, and I can tell that she's afraid. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"I'm sorry. I'm just afraid of being alone right now. Can I come with you?"

"Of course you can. Come on," I say.

It doesn't take long for me to grab my things. Fortunately, Chester isn't home right now. If he was, he would've seen Emma in this fragile state. She doesn't need any more people probing her about this experience.

When I've collected my things, I hold my hand out for Emma to take. She's been sitting on the edge of my bed while I get my clothes, her eyes looking completely vacant. It's a haunting expression.

She gets up robotically and takes my hand. We head over to her apartment—she puts the address in my GPS—while playing Khalid quietly in the background. When we arrive, I get out of the car and open her side door. She steps out, thanking me quietly before walking to her apartment.

Once inside, we take off our shoes. Emma immediately tells me she wants to shower. "I can still feel him on me," she says, her voice trembling.

"Do you want me to run you a bath?"

"You would do that?"

"Of course. Let me take care of you," I say. She sits on her bed while I fill the tub with water. I throw in a bath bomb and light some candles. When I come out, Emma is sitting stiffly in the position I left her in.

"I'm just waiting for the tub to fill," I tell her.

"Okay."

I debate asking about what he said to her. I don't want to make this situation worse, but I also don't want her to bottle up her feelings about the assault. "Emma, do you want to talk about what happened?"

She looks at me, her eyes hollow. "What is there to say? He choked the shit out of me. And then he forced his lips onto mine because I refused to go out on a date with him."

"What?"

"Yeah, he was working during my shift. At first, he asked me out nicely and I said no. Then he became pushy. I thought he eventually left, but it turns out he was laying in wait for me. If you weren't there...I don't even want to think about that. What were you even doing there?"

I decide to give her the honest answer. "Well, I was worried when you didn't come to class. You never sent me an email about missing today, which seems unlike your type-A personality. I decided to check out whether you came to work, and I happened to be here in good timing. I parked as soon as you stepped out of the cafe."

"Thank you for checking on me."

"I'm glad I did. I wasn't sure if that was okay because we decided not to date."

She frowns. "Yeah. Maybe we can be friends still. That's not wrong, is it?"

"I don't think so," I tell her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "C'mon, let's get you in the tub."