Chapter 4 - Nice to Meet You, Professor

"I refuse to believe this is our prof."

"Yeah, for real. Why does he look like he can be the same age as us?"

"Hey Ben, ten bucks says he's a part-time model."

Small gossips and whispers filled the room in the matter of seconds right after Matt's new professor made his appearance. Matt's suitemates were talking about it too, though Matt was too shocked to even hear what they were saying. He was one of the few students who were completely quiet, but Matt was different.

Those quiet students didn't say anything because they didn't really care about how their professor looked, and meanwhile, Matt didn't say anything because thousands of questions were all over the place in his mind.

Students having a crush on their teachers, or vice versa, it happened a lot in books and movies, and Matt knew that it had happened in real life multiple times as well. But what were the odds that it actually happened to him? And more than that, what are the odds that it was exactly him who was assigned to be his professor for this class, of all the professors in this entire university? Matt soon found another question in his head—was he unfortunate or lucky?

"It's a pleasure to finally meet all of you!"

That deep voice of his that Matt had come to love was heard, making all the discussions come to a stop, though there were still tiny whispers that Matt could hear nearby. He didn't really care about them, since all he was thinking about was his new professor and how to get out of this situation safely.

Trying to hide himself, he lowered his head a little so that Eve was covering him, but not too much to make Ethan notice his unusual behavior. For the whole semester last year, Matt had always been serious about studying and had a straight posture, not only to listen and see the professor better, but to also make a good impression. So seeing Matt ducking his head down would make Ethan suspicious.

But then, he didn't even know why he was trying to hide from his professor in the first place. It wasn't like his professor was going to recognize him—before today, they had only met each other once.

"My name is Ray, Ray Angevine," his professor continued. "And I'll teach you organic chemistry this year. I hope we'll get along well."

Right after that, a girl behind him whispered, "Hey, isn't Angevine a French last name?"

"Yeah." The girl sitting beside her sighed dreamily. "It just makes him ten times more attractive."

Matt inwardly sighed at their comment. Having heard the discussion of almost all the girls in the classroom, it made him a little annoyed that they were literally checking their professor out right in class, but Matt couldn't deny that he was doing the same. The comments of the girls behind him were kind of right as well.

Ray, it was undeniably a nice name.

"This is our first day, so let's get to know each other, shall we?" Professor Angevine put his hand on his chest. "So, I've been teaching for two years. That would've been three years if it hadn't been for my study abroad trip in Australia last year."

That's why I never saw him until now, Matt thought as his heart skipped a beat after hearing a chuckle from his professor. God, even his little laugh was adorable.

"And a little fun fact, I'm a former student of this very university, so seeing you all sitting here reminds me of my college days."

The whole room gasped.

"Professor! May I ask which year you graduated?" A girl sitting at the front raised her hand, and the professor in question nodded.

"Of course. I graduated in 2013."

Matt immediately knew that question was an excuse to ask how old he was. He sighed. That trick was a little overused for him now.

But for some reason, Matt's brain started to process that new piece of information. So, he graduated in 2013, and he spent four years studying in college, so he started college in 2009. He had spent thirteen years studying before college, that meant he started elementary school in 1996. And if he took five away from 1996, he would have the number 1991, which was the year his professor was born. Now, this year was 2019, so if he took 1991 and subtracted it from 2019—

The result hit Matt hard.

"Wait, you're twenty-eight?"

It was initially just a thought in his head, but it wasn't until one hundred and ninty-nine pairs of eyes were staring at him that he realized he had accidentally said it out loud.

****.

"Dude, what the...?" Ethan looked over him with his eyes wide in surprise.

"What was that about, Matt?" Chloe whisper-shouted, turning her head back just slightly so that their professor wouldn't notice.

"Wait, no, crap, guys, uh, listen! It's, uh, it's, it's—"

Matt was in frustration right now, and his effort of trying to speak properly all went to waste. Damn it, Matt, he cursed himself. It was supposed to be just a thought that was meant to be kept to himself only. He wasn't supposed to say it so loud and clear that the whole universe could hear him, and it wasn't helping at all when he was so desperately trying to hide himself from the handsome man standing in front of him.

Great job, Matt. Great fucking job, he continued yelling at himself. Now, not only had he embarrassed himself in front of everyone on the very first day of class, but he had also successfully made a fool out of himself in front of his new professor, who also happened to be the only man on his mind.

Speaking of which, his professor was whipping his head to and fro, apparently having no idea where the voice came from.

"Um, excuse me, but who was that?"

Oh Matt, now you'd done it. No one said anything, letting the uncomfortable silence wash over the entire room. Receiving no response, Professor Angevine continued.

"Come on, don't be afraid. I'm not upset with you, so don't worry."

His calm and relaxed voice had almost convinced Matt to show himself until he realized one more problem - what if the professor's voice was just naturally calm like that and he was actually annoyed on the inside because Matt had interrupted his class? The blond halted, once again debating whether or not he should risk it. But still, it was his fault that the whole class was dead silent now, so he guessed he had to do it either way. Taking in a deep breath, he gulped and slowly stood up.

"I-It's me, p-professor."

Finally hearing an answer from him, the professor turned his head to his direction. Matt had expected him to scold him a little, but never had he expected the professor to have a stunned expression on his face as soon as he spotted him. Their eyes met, and Matt once again found himself getting lost in his professor's eyes. Matt could stare at those beautiful blue eyes forever, but he was still aware of the situation he was in. More than that, he questioned why his professor was looking at him like.

That look Professor Angevine was giving him, it might look normal, but Matt could sense something, something that made his gaze more than how a teacher looked at his student. However, he couldn't exactly pin-point what it was.

"Oh, so it was you?" his professor asked, snapping Matt out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yes..." Matt voice was very small, so he hoped that his professor could hear him. "I'm, I'm sorry for interrupting your-"

"No, you don't need to apologize," said Professor Angevine.

Matt was speechless, as well as the other thirty-three students.

"Wait, you're not... mad at me?"

"Of course, I said I'm not upset with you, didn't I?" Professor Angevine tilted his head a little as he spoke. "I'm actually impressed that you were able to do the math so fast."

Once again, Matt didn't know what to say or how to even react.

"Professor, may I ask what you mean by that?"

"Well, right after I said I graduated in 2013, you immediately figured out my age, and it was within seconds as well." His professor smiled. "You have the ability to process information very fast, and that's one of the things I always seek in my students."

Matt was sure his cheeks were burning up. He was actually being praised by his professor right on the first day, instead of being criticized like he had expected. And even better, his professor was the one he had been unable to stop thinking about for the whole week before this day.

He felt like he was in heaven, but with the girls' intense stare on him, he certainly felt a little uncomfortable. Some of them were clearly jealous of him that he was getting their professor's attention so easily. If Matt had been a girl, he bet those girls would have tried to kill him as soon as he was alone. This was one of the situations where he was glad he was born a male.

"So, may I know your name?"

"Huh?"

"I'd like to know your name and get to know you better."

Dear god, Matt really was in heaven now. A gorgeous smile was seen on his professor's handsome face, and that smile was, without a doubt, meant for him only.

"Y-Yes, my name is Matthew Parker." He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Angevine."

"The pleasure is mine as well," Professor Angevine said. "You may sit down now, Matthew. Thank you."

Inwardly sighing in relief, Matt sat down with the whole room's bewildered stare on him. Matt didn't know how he felt about this. He was absolutely more than happy to talk to his professor, even if it was just for a few minutes, and it definitely felt amazing being complimented by him. But in the moment of glory, he still couldn't forget the fact that this particular young man was his very professor, someone who was going to teach him until he graduated.

And speaking of young, Matt still hadn't been able to get over the fact that his professor was twenty-eight years old. Matt had expected him to be around twenty-five or even younger. With such a youthful and attractive face, Matt could not believe that he was almost thirty already. And meanwhile, some of his high school friends looked like they were forty instead of eighteen.

Was life playing a trick on him?

After Matt had introduced his name, Professor Angevine decided to let the others do the same as well. He could hear other students saying their name one by one, including his friends': Ethan Price, Chloe Flores, Eve Campbell, and the list went on until the last student told the class his name. Nodding, his professor smiled.

"Thank you, everyone. It's very nice knowing your name. Now, do you have any question for me?"

Just like Matt had expected, thousands of questions popped up.

"Professor, do you have any other job besides teaching?"

Well, that was a pretty strange question to ask a professor, wasn't it?

Professor Angevine shook his head. "No, I don't. Teaching is my only profession."

"You heard that? He doesn't have a part-time job, so that means he can't be a model. Alright, ten bucks, pay up."

Oh, that's why, Matt chuckled quietly as he thought back at what those two had bet at the beginning of class.

"What are your hobbies, professor?"

"Well..." his professor trailed off, thinking to himself for a while, "I love reading, especially with a cup of latte by my side."

Those words caused Matt's body to jolt upward. He turned his head to look at his professor and confirmed that his suspicion was correct. Those words were hinting at him, and the professor, for a split second, had his gaze on him before he turned his eyes to another direction. And it wasn't just an ordinary gaze. It was a very thoughtful one, and Matt's heart skipped a beat, his face burning up once more.

"Dude, are you okay?"

Ethan placed his hand on his shoulder, startling him greatly.

"Wh-What—" Matt stumbled over his words. "O-Of course I'm okay! What makes you think otherwise?"

"Your face, Matt. It's as red as a cherry."

"I-I'm fine! J-Just ignore it, okay?"

Why does this have to happen to me? Matt sighed as he thought about his life choices.

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