Count to three: My affair with my dynamics professor (teacher x student)

Chapter 33

I swallowed, my fingers knotting into the fabric of the mat without meaning to. "I don't know," I said truthfully, my voice thinner than I wanted it to be. "Just... makes it harder to pretend I'm not thinking about you."

For a second, I thought maybe the call had dropped—the line went so still it felt like even the air was holding its breath.

Then Inés spoke, her voice low and almost rough: "Maybe I shouldn't call you, then. If it's such a hazard."

I laughed softly, shaky. "Maybe you should call me more."

There was a soft exhale from her, almost like a laugh but not quite. Then her voice softened, almost tender, like she was letting the moment settle. "Goodnight, Frida."

I held my breath, the warmth in her voice made it hard to think straight.

"Goodnight, Inés," I replied, my words coming out a little softer than I intended.

Saying her name, just like that, instead of "Professor" or "Professor Karimov," felt... different. It wasn't just her name, it was Inés. The way it rolled off my tongue made the words feel heavier, warmer, somehow more intimate. It sounded so natural, so... easy. And yet, it felt dangerously sexy, like the weight of it could change everything between us.

The line went quiet as we both lingered for a moment, each of us wrapped in our own thoughts, before Inés finally ended the call with a gentle click.

I lay there for a while longer, the mat soft under my back, the coolness of the floor grounding me, even as everything else seemed to spin. I stared at the ceiling, a slow smile pulling at the corners of my lips, and I couldn't shake the feeling of warmth spreading through me.

Her voice lingered in my mind, soft and warm, and I couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd said my name. Just Frida. The way she said it—like it was something personal, like she was savoring it. It made my chest tighten, my breath a little shallow.

My stomach felt strange, heavy in a way that was both unsettling and thrilling. A mix of nervous energy and something deeper, something I was afraid to name. It was like I had just stepped into a new world, and now I wasn't sure what to do with it. How much she was affecting me, how quickly it was happening, made everything else seem small in comparison. It was dizzying, but I couldn't help but smile again, unable to shake the way her words still echoed in my mind.

I lay there, lost in the sensation, until finally, I forced myself to sit up and drag my attention back to the workout. I had to finish my set. But the smile didn't fade, and the strange feeling in my stomach didn't disappear.

It stayed with me, a reminder that somehow, without even trying, Inés had wrapped herself around my thoughts in a way I didn't know how to control.

— o —

Inés stood in front of her walk-in closet, the soft hum of the room's lights making the space feel oddly intimate. She had already picked out her flight outfit, but now, as she surveyed the shelves and racks of her carefully curated wardrobe, she took a moment to consider what to pack for the actual event.

Her fingers skimmed the luxurious fabrics—silk, cashmere, and the occasional leather piece that caught the light just right. She wasn't a fan of overthinking her outfits, but this event in Malmö... it was another round of navigating her old life, the one with Kristoffer, the one that made her feel like she was wearing a mask, even if it was a tailored one.

The event attire was easy enough to choose. She slipped the garment into her bag carefully, folding it just so to keep it pristine. It was part of her armor, her way of blending in, while still standing out.