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

Chapter 36

Inés woke slowly, the morning light creeping through the blinds, casting soft slats of warmth across her skin. Her body felt heavy, both from the weight of sleep and something else—something that lingered. She stirred beneath the cool sheets, her bare skin prickling as the quiet of the room surrounded her. She blinked against the light, the memories of the night before weaving together in fragments—sharp, disjointed moments of heat and closeness. Kristoffer's hands, his familiar scent, the tangled mess of their bodies.

But then, there was the sudden emptiness of her own bed. The distinct absence of him. She reached up, brushing her fingers through her messy hair, trying to piece together what had happened after they'd both collapsed in the dim light of the hotel room. The memory felt distant now, almost surreal, as if it belonged to someone else. At some point in the night, she'd gotten up, left the room. She didn't remember exactly why. She just knew she'd walked out.

A faint bitterness curled in her stomach, a familiar knot that had nothing to do with physical discomfort. She knew that walking away hadn't been about the moment itself but about something else entirely— the confusion, the boundaries she'd crossed yet again. The pulse of desire that had led them there was still alive in her veins, but it was tempered by the weight of the decision, or maybe the lack of one, that had followed.

Inés closed her eyes, trying to steady her thoughts. She should have stayed. She should have confronted whatever it was she was avoiding, but instead, she had slipped away into the cold comfort of being alone. It was easier that way. Easier to deny the complexity of it all, the messiness of the choices she kept making.

But now, in the quiet of her own bed, the sharp edges of her emotions cut deeper. What had she hoped to prove by running away from him again? She wasn't sure. Her thoughts drifted to Frida then, that image of her in the café, her face so open, so trusting. Inés pushed the thought away, but it lingered stubbornly.

She didn't know what came next. Didn't know if she could keep living this tangled double life, spinning in circles, hoping no one noticed how dizzy it was making her. Her heart gave a small twist, and the ache of it, the fear of being exposed, pressed down on her chest.

She glanced at the clock on her bedside table, blinking at the time—8:11 AM. Half the day left before their flight back home. She had time. Time to clear her head, maybe. Time to put the pieces back together.

With a sigh, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, the coolness of the floor sending a slight shiver up her spine. She walked into the bathroom, the soft hum of the hotel room quiet around her. The mirror reflected a face she didn't quite recognize: smudged makeup clinging to the curves of her cheeks, her eyes heavy with the remnants of sleep. Her hair was a mess—disheveled from the night, strands sticking to her face as if they were reluctant to let go.

Her eyes moved lower, noting the red marks on her hips, her thighs, her abdomen—faint impressions of their shared passion, of moments she'd hoped to forget. She traced her fingers lightly over the bruises, a quiet sigh escaping her lips. Another reminder of where she'd been, of what she'd allowed herself to become tangled in.

She turned on the tap, the cool water rushing into the sink, and began to clean her face, wiping away the remnants of the night. As the makeup came off, so did the facade she'd tried to maintain, and what was left was just her—vulnerable, exposed, unsure. She leaned into the sink, taking a deep breath before turning toward the shower.

The steam greeted her as she stepped inside, the warm water pouring over her skin. She closed her eyes, letting the heat soothe her tense muscles, trying to forget the weight of everything that had happened. For now, it was just her, the water, and the quiet pulse of her thoughts.