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

Chapter 33

Next, she shifted her attention to her flight outfit again, the cashmere sweater in a soft dove gray, paired with tailored white trousers that she knew would mold perfectly to her shape, highlighting just enough without trying.

Inés moved through the motions, her hands steady as she packed the essentials: a small purse for the evening, toiletries carefully selected, a new lipstick she had bought last week. She didn't need much—she knew exactly how to travel light, but always in a way that felt like everything she needed was effortlessly within reach.

With a deep breath, she zipped up her suitcase, the crisp sound of the fabric sealing itself echoing through the room. She stood back, thinking through the neat, organized contents once more.

At the same time of the night, Frida stepped into her bathroom, the sound of the door clicking shut behind her. The air was heavy with the scent of lavender from the candles she'd lit earlier, casting soft, flickering shadows on the walls. She stood for a moment, taking in the quiet—something she'd grown used to after her shift at the café, where the hum of chatter and clinking cups felt like a different world. Now, she could breathe.

She turned the water on, feeling the rush of warm steam fill the small room. As she undressed, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, letting her gaze linger for a beat longer than usual. The tightness she usually carried in her shoulders from the day seemed to melt away as the water started to pour over her. She closed her eyes, letting the steam curl around her, relaxing into the sensation.

She let her hands trail over her skin, scrubbing away the remnants of the day. Her mind, though, wasn't fully on the motions—it kept drifting back to the phone call with Inés. How the woman on the phone wasn't just someone with a title anymore, wasn't just "Professor Karimov." It was Inés.

She chuckled softly to herself, the warmth of the water mixing with the strange, heady feeling spreading through her chest. There was a flicker of guilt, though—a small, fleeting thought that she shouldn't be feeling this way about her teacher. That she shouldn't be thinking about her in the shower at all. But the thought was gone almost as quickly as it had come.

Frida stepped out of the shower, her skin damp and flushed, feeling a little lighter. As she wrapped herself in a towel and began to dry off, her mind wandered back to the conversation. She had said more than she'd meant to, and yet, somehow, it felt right.

The thought of seeing her again, even in a different context, made her stomach flutter. She smiled to herself as she stepped into her bedroom. It felt like everything was shifting, slowly but surely. And even though she couldn't quite make sense of it, she couldn't deny the excitement buzzing through her veins.

It wasn't just the water that was washing away the day—it was something else, something that had started when Inés' voice first reached her over the phone. Something that was starting to feel inevitable.

— o —

Inés sat at her kitchen table, the soft morning light filtering through the large windows, casting a gentle glow across the sleek, minimalist space. Her laptop sat open in front of her, the news spread across the screen—headlines of interest, updates on industry, and the occasional distraction that made her pause longer than necessary. She took the last sip of her coffee, savoring the warmth as it lingered in her hands, before putting the empty cup gently back onto the table.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted the stillness, pulling her attention away from the screen. She glanced at the clock—it was about time.

Inés rose gracefully from her chair, setting the laptop down on the table with a soft click, and walked toward the front door. Her coat was already draped across the back of one of the chairs, the rich cashmere a soft contrast to the bright light streaming through the space. She opened the door, and there stood Kristoffer, his presence familiar and unsurprising.