"You guys kissed already?!" I scream.

Hannah physically recoils with a scarlet blush dusted across her cheeks, shushing me as we get confused and surprised stares from the other students in the lecture hall.

I don't care, hardly noticing them as I gawk at my seemingly-innocent friend in shock.

I see Slater turn around with a disapproving expression in my peripheral vision, "Miss Neversea, see me after the lecture."

Part of me is thankful for Hannah's sudden admission, because it completely takes my mind off the... events of yesterday. Ever since then, through a sleepless night, and right up to about ten seconds ago, my brain has been trying to process why on earth Slater finally made a move.

He blatantly expressed a sort of liking of me but always made it clear that he would never condone anything developing between us due to university rules. And then yesterday, he just throws his morals out to the backyard and kisses me senseless? I'm still in shock from it.

"I knew Lucas worked fast but damn," I continue our conversation in a lower tone, hearing the buzz of the classroom resume once again.

Hannah frowns, "You didn't have to yell it, you know."

Completely disregarding her, I lean my head onto my hand, supporting my elbow on my desk in total bewilderment.

"I ship it so hard," I whisper to myself unblinkingly.

She laughs at that, snapping me out of my initial shock as I break out in an ear-splitting grin. With a smile to match mine, she shakes my head, neatly writing her next line of work and multitasking despite our conversation.

"How did it happen?" I ask, lowering my volume even more when Slater casts me another warning look, "You guys did leave the dorm together."

Setting her pen down after finishing her work (my eyes flit down to the incomplete sentence I had written before she revealed the kiss to me), she shrugs, "I said I needed to get some extra errands done so he offered to walk me back to my dorm. I let him and when we were parting ways, he kissed me."

I bring my hands up to my cheeks, still reeling from the new information. He kissed her within an hour of meeting her? Bold.

The tapping sounds of boy scrawling away next to me with his tongue poking out his mouth become barely audible over the excitement running around in my system.

"How did he kiss you? Was it quick? Tongue? Details, Hannah," I demand under my breath, slapping her arm when she hesitates.

She winces and retracts her arm as I mumble a half-hearted 'sorry', "Ouch. And I don't want to talk about this anymore."

I gape at her for a whole new reason, feeling like a cardboard duck in a carnival game.

Shot down.

All of a sudden, the room erupts into chatter and Slater walks back to the front of the room, sorting through a pile of papers. I scowl, glaring at Hannah's luck in avoiding a much-needed conversation.

"Fine, you're telling me later, missy," I whisper harshly as Slater orders silence and turns to lean against the front of his desk, a stack of papers in his hand.

The picture-perfect image of him nonchalantly waiting for our attention to converge to him is one I hope stays imprinted in my mind forever. A silky lock of rebellious hair strays from the rest, hanging across his forehead as he looks down at the papers in his hand, adjusting his cuff slightly.

I have to resist sighing dreamily like a teenager caught up in a fanta-

Oh. Hang on.

"Alright, class. These are information letters for an upcoming trip where we will be going down to a nearby lake with a renowned campsite," Slater begins, the words rolling off his tongue as fluently as they always do, "This is a chance for you to build experience and extracurricular activities, as well as a reward for getting this far in the year. Having said that, it is a first come, first serve basis. Therefore, the first thirty pupils to pay online and email me confirmation will be going, and I'm afraid the rest of you will have to stay here at Harrow. The deadline is next Monday."

With that, he starts to hand out the permission slips. Chatter begins in the room as students already start to read over the word-filled page in anticipation.

"Sir, how will tents be organised?" a bespectacled girl in an oversized hoodie questions.

"You will be in tents of twos or threes maximum. We aren't going to allocate you tents; this is not primary school, but there will be a strict rule about only the same genders sharing a tent," he answers, but I'm too busy scanning through the letter as he starts to hand them out to my row.

The lecture ends officially soon after that, and as I tuck the trip letter into my notebook to prevent wrinkles and then slot it into my bag, I find my train of thought switching tracks from Hannah's first kiss to the lake trip.

How on earth am I going to get my parents to pay for this?

We're not exactly on speaking terms right now.

"Remember to pay as soon as you can, Quorra; you aren't abandoning me," Hannah urges, pulling her bag over her shoulder and heading out, "I need to go see another professor for some work, but I'll see you around."

I smile in goodbye, realising a second too late that she's just tactically avoided a confrontation about her and Lucas' kiss.

"Dammit," I mutter under my breath, my brain a jumble of thoughts and I get up and follow the last of the students out the room.

At least, I try to follow them.

"Miss Neversea," Slater calls, "you have awful memory."

I scowl and overheat with embarrassment at the same time. Even his voice is enough to reawaken memories that I really don't want to recall right now.

Turning around as the doors slams shut after the last student, I fall back into my chair and cross my arms defensively, "Why do you always keep me back? I didn't even do anything that bad and I'm working way harder."

"Quorra," he sighs, reverting to my forename as the rest of the students have disappeared, "You are not Boxer from Animal Farm."

I cock an eyebrow at his nerdy joke and roll my eyes.

"Hahaha, so funny," I deadpan.

He takes his glasses off to rub his eyes, as if talking to me is exhausting, "It's not about working harder, Quorra, because for you that means slaving over work for longer. It's about working smarter, and using your time more wisely. For instance, short sessions of studying will be a lot more effective than hours of it, even if you think you're absorbing more information. But that's beside the point, we need to talk about us."

I'm confused, caught being feeling embarrassed and feeling awkward.

"Us?" I repeat, as he nods and slides his complementary glasses on.

He walks over to me as if the shortened physical distance will make his words have a bigger impact on me. Even though we've been alone and talked about our relationship before, it always has my heart hammering in my chest as if I'm a contestant in X Factor's elimination round.

"Yes, us. I feel as if you are taking advantage of our... recent romantic relations in class. You misbehave and expect to get away with it, and I admit, I let you at times," he finally says.

I narrow my eyes at him.

"We have a romantic relationship?"

He scratches the back of his head awkwardly, "Bad phrasing. I meant, you are taking advantage of the knowledge that I favour you and we have perhaps engaged in activites that are not appropriate of a student and teacher."

That has me blushing.

"Oh. Right. Today was an exception though, Hannah told me huge news and I would've imploded if I didn't do something," I swear, placing my hand on my heart like a criminal in court.

He offers me an unamused look.

I sense that this conversation is going nowhere.

"Well, just know that I'm not taking advantage of... us... and I will be on my best behaviour from now on," I say slowly, just wanting to leave the room already.

He nods wordlessly, seemingly satisfied with my promise and the traitorous colour blooming on my cheeks.

I attend two more one-hour lectures later in the day, diligently making notes and forcing myself to focus every atom of my attention on the professor. I ask questions when needed and ensure I thoroughly understand the answers. Amidst it all, I begin to realise that I'm taking Slater's advice unconsciously.

And it's working.

Studying smarter does feel gratifying.

As soon as I'm leaving my third and final lecture of the day, I spot Hannah waiting impatiently outside the room.

"Hannah?" I call curiously, and her wavering gaze flies straight to me before widening.

Folders stacked tidily in her hands, she rushes towards me, curls jumping with every stride, "I have important news! Quick, let's walk back to your dorm while I explain."

It's only when we get into the elevator that I take note of the large paper bag draped over her right arm. When I try to peek into it and inspect the suspicious-looking cuboid dragging it down, she lightly slaps my cheek, "No peeking."

"Can you at least explain the important news?" I ask, frowning at the faint stinging.

She grins, practically glowing, "Okay. I left Professor Hartley's lecture and was almost at my next one when I realised I forgot my phone because I was texting Lu- um, yeah, I forgot it."

I'm immediately conflicted at the mention of Slater, but she stops me recklessly blurting out anything mortifying by continuing, "So I went back to the lecture hall - you had already left by then, so only Professor Hartley was there - and grabbed my mobile. It was then that I realised he was talking to someone on the phone, it sounded like his parents, and do you know what they said?"

Narrowing my eyes, I feel as the story could go down any path at this point, so I answer, "N-"

"Happy birthday!"

I look left and right, confused.

"It's not my-"

"It's Professor Hartley's, dimwit!" she exclaims, as my eyes widen and the elevator opens at my floor.

Still in shock, I have no reply. I don't know why I am so surprised to be honest... everyone has a birthday.

I guess it just sounds so odd for someone who could be considered a robot to have something so human as a birthday.

Yeah - a robot who also happens to have undeniably mind-blowing kissing ability. You think they programmed that into him?

Hannah suddenly pulls me out of my thoughts and the elevator and hands me the bag with an encouraging, "Go on then! He's in you guys' dorm already. As soon as I found out, I went to tell you but your second lecture had just started. Luckily, when I returned to mine, it said it was cancelled and post-poned to later today, so I hurried out and bought a cake for you to give him."

I gasp, looking at her incredulously as we make our way down the carpeted corridor, "What?! Hannah, I'm not giving my professor a cake! He didn't tell anyone so he clearly doesn't want it to be a big deal. And how expensive was this?!"

I also really don't want to face him after our impromptu make-out session last night and our very awkward conversation after today's lecture, I don't say.

She shakes her head in disagreement, "It was under £10 and I know he'd want you to know," she insists, rejecting the cake as I try to give it back, "You think that just because I don't ask about you and him that I don't realise there's something going on? And before you say anything, I know it's against university rules but love is love."

Shock seems to be the general theme of today.

"We don't love-"

"Whatever, just go. Doesn't everyone deserve to just have one day a year dedicated to themselves? And vanilla cake, of course," she gestures down to the white box sitting in the bag.

I sigh, at least thankful that she hasn't questioned about Slater and I or what we are - because frankly, I don't think even God knows.

"Thanks," I voice my thoughts, as she nods with a smile, returning to her calm and collected self from the hyperactivity I just witnessed, "I won't ask you about you and Lucas then."

I'll ask Lucas instead, I think to myself as I wave her goodbye and smile at her wishing me 'good luck'.

I arrive in front of dorm H2, embarrassingly with a flurry of butterflies settling in my stomach. Before I can go back on myself, I scan my student card hanging on the lanyard around my neck, and enter.