CHAPTER 2

Liam adjusted the strap of his backpack as he walked down the hallway of Westbridge University. The morning chatter of students filled the air, but his mind was still stuck on the events of last night.

Vanessa.

Their phone call had been something else, and even though he'd spent the rest of the night trying to focus on work, his brain kept replaying her voice. Good boy. He had barely known her for a day, yet she had completely thrown him off balance.

With a sigh, he shook his head and focused on the day ahead. His engineering class had a new practice teacher starting today, and he was hoping for a quiet, normal morning—one without any unexpected distractions.

But the moment he walked into the classroom, his world flipped upside down.

Because standing at the front of the room, in a fitted white blouse and pencil skirt, was Vanessa.

Liam froze mid-step.

She turned around, a confident smile on her lips as she addressed the class. "Good morning, everyone. I'm Vanessa Carter, your new practice teacher for this semester. I'll be assisting Professor Reynolds, so I hope we all get along."

Liam's brain short-circuited.

Vanessa? His Vanessa? Here?

He didn't even realize he was staring until her gaze swept over the class—then stopped on him.

Her eyes widened.

For the first time, Liam saw something he hadn't expected on her face.

Shock.

Vanessa blinked, then blinked again, as if making sure she wasn't seeing things. "Liam?"

The entire class turned to look at him.

Liam swallowed hard. "Uh… hi?"

Vanessa stared at him for another long second before a slow, incredulous smile spread across her lips. "You go here?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Yeah?"

A laugh bubbled out of her. "No way. I thought you were already graduated! With the way you look, I figured you were in your mid-twenties!"

A few students chuckled, but Liam was too busy trying to process this insane turn of events.

Vanessa was their new teacher?

As if this situation wasn't chaotic enough, she thought he was older?

His ears burned. "I'm… twenty-one."

Vanessa put a hand on her hip, giving him a once-over, and Liam swore he saw something flash in her eyes. "Damn. I thought I was playing with a man, but you're still a baby."

The class laughed, and Liam nearly choked on air.

Vanessa, however, quickly schooled her expression. She cleared her throat and turned back to the class, smoothing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I guess this semester just got a little more interesting."

Liam wasn't sure if she was talking about the class or them.

And judging by the mischievous glint in her eyes, neither was she.

Liam spent the entire lecture in a haze.

Vanessa—his Vanessa—was standing at the front of the classroom, speaking about engineering principles like she hadn't just flirted with him mercilessly the night before. Every time she turned toward the whiteboard, he had to fight the urge to rub his temples.

This cannot be happening.

She was supposed to be a mystery, a whirlwind that came out of nowhere to shake up his predictable life. Now, she was standing in front of his entire class, explaining differential equations like she hadn't stolen his phone and saved her number in it.

Liam had been expecting a lot of things when he walked into class that morning. This was not one of them.

His best friend, Jake, who was sitting next to him, leaned in with a smirk. "Dude. That's her, isn't it?"

Liam clenched his jaw. "Yeah."

Jake barely held in his laughter. "Bro, you're doomed."

Liam shot him a glare, but his attention was immediately pulled back when Vanessa turned around and scanned the room. Her gaze landed on him, and for the briefest second, her lips twitched as if she was holding back a smirk.

She knew what she was doing.

He looked away quickly, staring down at his notes, but he could still feel her gaze lingering on him before she continued the lecture.

After Class

The moment Vanessa dismissed the class, Liam shot up from his seat, intending to make a quick escape.

But Vanessa had other plans.

"Liam." Her voice rang out, smooth and teasing.

His body froze mid-step.

Jake snorted. "Oh yeah. Definitely doomed."

Ignoring his friend, Liam turned around stiffly. "Uh, yeah?"

Vanessa leaned against the desk at the front of the room, arms crossed, amusement dancing in her eyes. "A word?"

Liam hesitated. He could feel the eyes of his classmates flickering between them, some already whispering. This was not going to go unnoticed.

He forced himself to nod and stepped forward. The moment the last few students left the room, Vanessa sighed dramatically.

"Well," she said, tilting her head. "This is unexpected."

Liam exhaled. "You're telling me."

She grinned. "I seriously thought you were older. I mean, look at you." She gestured to him vaguely. "Broad shoulders, muscles, the whole 'quiet and mysterious' thing going on. I assumed you were, like, twenty-five. But twenty-one?" She shook her head, laughing under her breath. "Damn."

Liam scratched the back of his neck, unsure how to respond to that. "Sorry?"

Vanessa smirked. "Oh, don't apologize, big guy. It just means you're even more interesting than I thought."

His throat went dry.

Vanessa stepped closer, looking up at him with that same playful mischief in her eyes. "But this does complicate things, doesn't it?"

Liam's heart pounded. "Complicate… what?"

She hummed. "Well, I was planning on spending our first date figuring out all the ways I could make you blush."

Liam's ears burned.

Vanessa giggled, clearly enjoying his reaction. But then her expression softened, and she sighed. "But now…" She glanced around the empty classroom. "I'm technically your practice teacher, which means…"

Liam nodded slowly. "We probably shouldn't—"

"—be doing anything scandalous," she finished, though the way she said it made it sound like she was considering breaking that rule already.

Silence stretched between them for a moment.

Then, Vanessa smirked. "Well, at least for now."

Liam blinked. "What?"

She leaned in just slightly, lowering her voice. "I'm only here for the semester, Liam. Four months. After that? There's nothing stopping us."

Liam inhaled sharply.

Vanessa's eyes glimmered with amusement. "So, what do you say, big guy? Think you can behave for four months?"

Liam wasn't sure.

Especially not when she was looking at him like that.

Vanessa chuckled at his silence and patted his chest lightly. "See you in class, Liam."

And just like that, she sauntered away, leaving him standing there—again—completely wrecked.

Liam exhaled shakily.

Four months.

This was going to be torture.

Liam sat in his seat for a moment, staring at the door Vanessa had just walked through. His brain was still trying to process everything.

Vanessa. His Vanessa. The woman who had flirted with him shamelessly just last night—was now his teacher.

This is insane.

With a heavy sigh, he gathered his things and left the classroom. He barely made it into the hallway before Jake appeared at his side, grinning like an idiot.

"Oh man, I wish I had recorded that." Jake laughed. "You looked like someone hit you over the head with a textbook."

Liam shot him a look. "Not helping."

Jake smirked. "Dude, this is gold. She was all over you last night, and now she's your teacher? This is straight out of a rom-com."

Liam groaned. "This isn't funny."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "You're right. It's hilarious."

Liam ignored him and kept walking, his mind still reeling. The Vanessa he met last night was bold, flirtatious, and completely unpredictable. The Vanessa in class, while still teasing, had kept things professional—mostly. But the way she had smirked at him, the way she had promised things would be different in four months…

He exhaled sharply. This is going to be a problem.

Later That Evening

Liam sat at his desk, staring at his phone.

He knew he shouldn't. He really shouldn't.

But his fingers moved on their own, and before he knew it, he had opened his messages and tapped Vanessa's name.

Liam: So… that was unexpected.

It took less than a minute for her to reply.

Vanessa: I'll say.

Vanessa: You should've seen your face, big guy. Priceless.

Liam sighed. Of course she found this entertaining.

Liam: I still can't believe it.

Vanessa: Neither can I. When I saw you, I almost lost my composure. Almost.

Liam: Yeah, you looked pretty shocked.

Vanessa ✨: Not my fault. You didn't tell me you were a student. I thought I was flirting with a full-grown man.

Liam's face burned.

Liam: I am a full-grown man.

Vanessa: Oh, sweetheart, you're adorable.

Liam ran a hand over his face. He had a feeling this was going to be the longest semester of his life.

Then, another message came in.

Vanessa: So, tell me, Liam… can you behave for four months?

His heart pounded. He knew what she was doing. Poking at him, testing him. And damn it, it was working.

But he wasn't going to let her have all the control.

Liam: I don't know. Can you?

For a few minutes, there was no reply. Then—

Vanessa: Oh, big guy.

Vanessa : I was hoping you'd say that.

Liam exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.

Four months.

This was going to be absolute torture.