The Learning Curve - Jim Hopper x Reader

i. Trouble

"Hold it!" came a deep voice from the outside, followed by a large hand blocking the elevator's doors from closing.

Holly held the door open with an extended foot, all of the blood rushing from her face as she took in the appearance of the man whose voice beckoned for her.

Absolutely gorgeous, she thought, subconsciously biting her bottom lip as her eyes stared at the man entering the lift.

The man stood about seven inches taller than her, probably over six foot tall judging by the small gap in between the roof of the elevator and the man's head. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, his clean-shaven face temptingly smooth enough to touch. His chest was incredibly broad, the material of his powder blue dress shirt clinging tightly over it, a thick red tie dangling in between two large pectoral muscles. A pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses sat perched on his nose, an image that put Clark Kent to absolute shame.

He smiled at her brightly upon entering the lift, clutching a thick manilla folder over his lower stomach as he drawled in a deep voice, "Six, please."

She nodded her head slowly, mentally floundering for the next step she needed to take. She pressed the already-lit button once more, causing her to chuckle nervously, a blush rising to her cheeks as she glanced up to his eyes.

How could eyes get that blue?

The elevator door shut, the distance between the both of their bodies comically wide as the lift began to ascend. A slight pause introduced itself before he thankfully broke it.

"So, you excited for the semester?" the stranger asked, peering over her figured with a friendly smile.

"Y-Yes!" she stuttered, her thick eyelashes fluttering rapidly as she stared at her feet. "A little nervous, but I'm very excited."

"First semester?" he asked, brows furrowing in confusion as he looked over the contours of her face.

"Yeah," she drawled, twirling the hem of her white dress in between her fingertips.

"You don't look like a freshman," he smirked, a slight wink tossed in her direction that almost caused Holly to collapse on the floor.

"I'm twenty-two," she said airily, her voice light and smooth as she dared to finally make long-lasting eye contact with the handsome man beside her. "Started late."

"Ah," he sighed, nodding before lifting his chin to look over you. "Well, better late than never, right?"

"Exactly," she winked back, feeling confidant.

The bell within the elevator dinged, the doors opening to the sixth floor of the building. History Department was embellished on a bright yellow sign to indicate its location.The man motioned for her to go in front of him, a true gentleman if Holly had ever met one before. The girl bit her lip and exited, waiting for him to join her in the hallway.

"Well, it was nice meeting you..." she extended her hand, waiting with baited breath to finally put a name to his face.

"Jim," he smiled, taking her smaller and softer hand in his grasp, his palm dwarfing her hand in a way that made her feel like she didn't have kneecaps.

"Holly," she squeaked, licking her lips before smiling at him.

"Holly?" he quirked an eyebrow, releasing her hand as he opened up the folder in his hands. "You last name wouldn't happen to be DelMonica, would it?"

Her mouth went dry, her heart in her throat as disappointment began to fill her thoughts, "Professor Hopper, aren't you?"

"The one and only," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, avoiding eye contact with her as he admired the tiles of the floor.