Just By Chance || Niall Horan (2)

Chapter 22.

• Twenty Two : Is he flirting with me? •

✨January 29th 2018;

"Assignments to be emailed to me by midnight on Friday, one minute after and you will fail. I want it detailed. There has to be some aspect of your life than hasn't been good, that has left you questioning everything, and I want it on paper. The best ones will get you top marks and also I'll award you with extra credit points. That is all, you may leave now," I quickly gather my things, slipping my laptop carefully into my bag, and grabbing my phone off the desk as I begin to descend the steps.

"Freya can you stay behind?" My eyes widen in surprise, but nonetheless make my way towards my professor, reaching his desk just as the last student exits the room.

"Is there a problem?"

"Freya, you're a very talented girl when it comes to your writing. You're not just beautiful, but you definitely have brains," I tilt my head at him, shocked. Is my professor flirting with me?

"Uh, thank you?"

"I expect great things from you in this assignment, Freya," he reaches his hand out, resting it on top of mine which I had placed on his desk for support. I quickly pull mine from underneath his, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Anything else?" I take a small step back from his desk.

"You're very attractive, Freya. I'm sure many students here at the university have made that clear to you, however I've noticed you don't give them the time of day. Perhaps you need someone older? Someone more mature for you?" He definitely just made a pass at me.

Don't get me wrong, he is extremely attractive, just no. He is my professor, I am his student.

"Have you... you've been watching me?"

"I like to think of it as admiring you from a distance. You're quite the site to see, Miss Clarke," he bites his lip, stepping out from behind his desk, and it's then a small sense of panic washes over me. It's definitely something to do with the Eoin situation, no doubt. It's no lie to say I've been completely on edge since that phone call.

This whole Eoin situation is, in one way or another, left me in some form of my past. I'm restless at night, barely getting any long periods of sleep at one time because of the nightmares that have come back; and by come back, I mean they seem more detailed and vivid than what I remember them being.

Most times I wake up in the middle of the night, tears rushing down my face and my body covered in sweat. One night in particular though...

One night I woke up and completely went into this frenzy of panic when I felt someone was spooning me from behind. I didn't think of taking in my surroundings to see where I was, I was quick to shove Niall away, completely scaring the crap out of him and nearly causing him to heart attack as he sprung awake, staring at me with completely terrified eyes from the impact that woke him. When he noticed my tears and trembling body, though, he understood what had happened without having to ask. He held me, he listened to what I had to say, and never let go of me once as he tried to calm me down and eventually both fell back asleep.

That boy is there for me always. He's simply amazing.

For him though, he's never really experienced me going though these nightmares for long periods of time. For him, he only really got to experience four of them, and even then they weren't the worst of them, and the ones I'm having now are definitely taking quite the tole on him, especially the worst night of them all.