He continues on with the lecture as I cross my arms and lean back in my seat, zipping my mouth shut in annoyance and slight embarrassment. Geez, my first day, first lecture, and I'm already in trouble. I thought university might be more bearable than secondary school with new people and less problems - clearly, it isn't.

I sigh. When the class finally ends, I practically skyrocket out my seat and shove my phone and student card into my hoodie pockets, mood brighter as I hurry towards the door. A tap on my shoulder stops me as I turn around to come face to face with my english professor. He catches Grant too, right before he worms his way out, and signals for us to follow him to his desk at the front of the room.

I sigh heavily, remembering that I have to stay behind as I drag my feet until I'm in front of his desk. He sits behind it. Glancing stealthily at the planner on his desk, I read the name Prof. Hartley. So that's his name...

"Mr Lincoln," he says, sliding a pair of glasses onto his face, "I recommend you get that swearing habit in check, along with your tendency to talk when your opinion is not asked for. No-one is going to want an impatient, cussing child to work for them."

I want to gasp at his harsh words and genuine, teacher-like attitude because of how young he appears, but all I can think of is how nicely those glasses fit his face. Ugh.

Professor Hartley's gaze sweeps to me as I pull my hoodie tighter around me, looking away, "Miss Neversea, I advise you buy a working watch, because as we saw from your wonderful etrance, yours must be dysfunctional. I'd also like to say that you should sort out that attitude and contribute more in class. I didn't sign up to teach a mute rock."

I'm seething at that as all thoughts of his attractiveness fly out the window. I bite my tongue and dig my nails into my palms, hoping that the semi-permanent crescent shapes will dullen my anger.

"You may leave. In our next lesson both of you will sit in the front. On time next lesson, Miss Neversea."

I turn around and swiftly march out, thoroughly irritated. I've been scolded before in school for my bad grades and apparently 'lazy' approach, but it's always been a 'you need to try harder, you can leave now' ordeal, never a full blown speech.

"Hey, sorry about getting you in trouble," Grant frowns as we leave room B18 with grim expressions, regret clear in his cerulean eyes.

I shake my head to try and lift my mood, "It's okay, don't worry about it, I got myself in trouble if anything. Are there any more stupid rules I need to know about before I break all of them and land myself in huge trouble?"

He laughs as we head towards the lift. All the dormitories are on the floors at the top while the lesson rooms are at the bottom. I tap the button impatiently as he fills me in, "Well, there's the no eating or drinking in lesson rule."

I frown, "That sucks."

We get into the elvator as it pings open, and I tap the top floor - floor eight - for my room while he selects floor six.

"Wait, you're on the top floor?" Grant asks, looking surprised, "That's... odd."

"Why?" I counter, confused as he mumbles to himself, "Well, I heard a rumour that this uni would do this... Our sports and other facilities are pretty great but all in all, the people in charge don't really care too much about the dorms and the constant issue we have with overflow and lack of rooms..."

That gets me worried.

"Well I mean, if you're worried that I'd be wasting space because I'm only one person in a fairly sized room, it might help to know I have a roommate. No need to worry," I offer as the elevator pauses and opens at Grant's dorm level.

The hallway is littered with a few students as he distractedly shakes his head, "Never mind. See you in a few other lectures hopefully?"

I nod and smile as he leaves with a wave and the doors shut again. The elevator flies up another floor before settling at my level. Stepping out, I look around. No-one else seems to be in the hallway at the moment but shrugging it off, I let myself assume that everyone is coincidently in their separate lectures at the same time. I arrive at door H2 after some walking and scan my student card before stepping in.

Settling in, I allow myself to sink against the wall, mentally hating myself for the terrible first impression I made on my surprisingly-attractive English professor. Shut up, Quorra. What? It's not like I'm gonna act on my inner hormonal girl, I can just sit back and admire quietly. Sigh.

It doesn't take long for me to turn sleepy with the travelling and drama of the day. I've spent the last few hours unpacking and decorating a little in my favourite cat pyjamas. I poked my head out earlier, and the hallway was still a complete graveyard of no students. That's odd, surely?

I decide to text my parents after evaluating that they've suffered enough in silence.

Got here a while ago. Busy. Went to a lecture.

Sending the brief and cold message, I yawn and pull my hair out of its ponytail, leaning back against my bed frame. This has been an eventful day. And my roommate hasn't turned up yet either. Is this whole thing just my room? Do I get two beds? Man, that sounds gr-

I pull the brakes on my rambling thoughts as I hear a click from outside my door. Is that the sound of the door unlocking? Is that my roommate? On cue, the door swings open. Someone walks in. Someone with black hair and brown eyes. Someone in a suit. Someone holding a briefcase. Someone that should absolutely not be walking into this room. My room.

Gaping, I freeze up.

What the actual fuck? I need to get my head checked out, I think I'm delusional. This can't be. My roommate can't be... oh god. I want to hide in a hole.

But why the fuck else is my English teacher walking into my room, closing the door behind him, and taking off his- OH MY GOD, is he taking off his shirt?!

I'm confident that my blinking has stopping. As has my breathing. And then the life has pretty much abandoned my body when he looks up, shirt unbuttoned and becomes anchored in place.

"Miss Neversea?" he gives me a strange look, almost confused as he briefly turns around the check the door, "Why are you in my room?"

I find a voice in the overwhelming shock raiding my system.

"Me? In your room? You're in mine!" I fire back, standing up and peeling my eyes away from the gap in his shirt which exposed a chiseled section of skin, "Sir," I add hesitantly.

He narrows his eyes, "Well I don't doubt that they'd do this," he sighs, completely ignoring me as he dialls a number on his phone and lifts it to his ear.

"Hey, Marlene, why is there an extra bed and a student in my room?"

As he prattles on in deep conversation with whoever is on the other end, I silently beg the gods to let me change room. Being stuck in an enclosed place with a male, let alone a hot one, and let alone my teacher, for the next few years sounds absolutely awful. I'm a clumsy person. How many embarrassing moments is he going to encounter?

When he ends the call, I nervously meet his gaze.

"Miss Neversea, it appears we will be sharing a room for the forseeable future," he says formally as I quirk an eyebrow, nerves tangled up in my stomach.

"W-why? A teacher and a student in the same room, especially of opposing genders, is not... moral? Acceptable? I-I don't know, I don't talk fancy shit like you!" I blurt out before I can hold back and immediately regret it.

"Fuck, I mean fancy stuff," I add, resolving the situation.

Oh.

His disapproving gaze soon turns to an even more unamused one, "If we are going to be sharing a room, it would be best for you to speak in proper English and refrain from the obscenities you are so fond of. And to answer your question, this university has always had an issue with not enough dorms and rooms, what with so many intellectually challenged teenagers getting accepted in every academic year. Therefore, the university has deemed fit that pairing up a teacher and student, who just so happen to be opposite sexes, in the same room is the most logical solution."

My jaw hits the ground. So is that the reason why this floor is deserted? It's the teachers' dorms? Wait- did he just call me intellectually challenged?

"And why does that mean that they can shove an innocent, female student in with an old, male professor?" I'm still in a state of shock as the words leave my mouth - this new information hasn't seemed to have clicked yet.

He turns away from me to take off the rest of his button-down shirt, and I can't help but let my eyes follow his back muscles as he grabs a cotton singlet and pulls it over his head. His reply only comes once he leaves the room to change out of his suit trousers in the bathroom and reenters, "First of all, 23 is not considered old, and second of all, I never go by Professor Hartley. Sir is fine."

"With all due respect, sir, I don't want to share a room with you. Can the officials not swap me with someone else? Or at least another teacher?" I protest as he notices my pyjamas.

"Are those kittens?"

For some reason, a word as innocent and frankly, normal as 'kitten' sounds so odd leaving his lips. A laugh bubbles up my throat but I compress it to keep up my annoyed demeanour.

"Can I not be swapped?" I ask again as his sharp gaze meets mine, as if analysing me.

He wanders over to his bed as I shuffle back to create space and sit down on my mattress, "There's no point, most students are settled in by now, especially considering that many brought their possessions yesterday during the briefing and unpacked then to save time. Unlike others. Also, I should imagine that rooming with another teacher would be much more uncomfortable. For me, that is," he replies.

I don't reply for a long while, baffled by the information.

"If you're so bothered by it, you can ask them yourself. I don't recommend you waste your time though," he adds after an uncomfortable silence.

"Do you expect me not to be bothered?" I question incredulously, "I've just been told I'm sharing a room with a fully grown man who also happens to be my fucking teacher for the next few years!"

He looks like he wants to make a comment on my choice of words, but doesn't and offers a shrug, instead saying, "I may be a fully grown man, but rooming with a female will not be of any problem to either of us. Miss Neversea, I would never try anything with a student, especially seeing as it is against school policy for students and teachers to form emotional or sexual relationships. Besides, neither of us are attracted to the other and quite frankly, I believe most of my students abhor me."

You'd have to be a potato to not see this Greek god's attractiveness, but his words still relieve a small part of me. I do not need to be in a relationship right now. But am I really stuck in a room with my very-strict, very-annoying, and very-hot English professor?

University could not have started out worse.

●（=｀～'=） ●

I think you mean better, Quorra. Oh, for anyone struggling with the pronunciation of her name:
Ker-wore-rer (don't linger on the r sounds though)

So, opinions on the story so far? I know my pacing is shit as usual, and the chapters are quite short right now, but they will be getting longer :)

xBish