Page 12 of Lessons in Sin

He smiles and unpacks his laptop. Turning to me, he holds out his hand, dark metal rings winking at me from his knuckles. ‘I’m Noah.’

I shake his hand. ’Scarlett.’

’So do you want to be desk buddies?’

‘Aren’t we technically already desk buddies?’ I gesture between us, and the desks we’re sitting at.

’Technically, yes, but if we make it official it’s an agreement, you know? Like I’ll save your seat, and you save mine.’

I nod gravely. ’That sounds very official. Shall we get a contract drawn up?’

He strokes a non-existent beard. ‘I think we should.’

We both laugh at the same time and that weird, first-meeting tension that always happens when you meet someone for the first time dissipates.

‘So.’ Noah yawns. ‘You here for the English or the professor?’

My brow furrows, confused at his question. ‘What do you mean?’

A girl in front of us turns around, her blonde curls bouncing. ‘You haven’t heard?’

‘Heard what?’ I glance between the two of them confused.

‘Tragic.’ The girl goes and Noah nods.

‘Agreed.’

The girl gets up in one swift motion, her books pressed against her chest and hops over the row of seats and plunks herself down into the seat at my other side.

She smiles at me and Noah. ‘I’m Lily.’

’Scarlett.’

‘Noah.’

‘Nice now we’re all acquainted let’s get to the good stuff.’ She tucks a blonde curl behind her ear. ‘Last year Professor John had a heart attack mid-lecture, he’s fine, thankfully, but he decided to retire. Fast forward to now and the new teacher is a total PILF.’

‘PILF?’ I question, dreading the answer.

‘Professor I’d like to fuck.’ Noah chimes in, a smirk on his face.

‘Exactly! He’s hot, like Greek god hot … well apparently anyway. I’ve yet to see him in the flesh.’

Noah leans back into his seat, one hand flung over the vacant seat beside him. ‘Why do you think this class is so full? They’re all waiting for Professor Pilf.’

Now that he’s mentioned it, the class is very full and not just that, the class is very full of girls all dressed to perfection, so very different to the sweatpants and tank tops I’ve seen most college students rock up in.

As Lily and Noah chat about the new professor, I bring up my text thread with Tristan - a new message waiting for me. The minute I see it, the answer, I feel my heart drop out from under me.

Tristan: I’m a professor.

Surely, it’s a coincidence. It must be. But something in my gut is screaming at me - run, hide, throw up - but before I can consider doing anything, silence ascends on the class like the quiet before a storm.

And then I hear him. That voice, it was the same one that made my heartbeat in time with my soul. The same one that had pulled at something deep inside me in the middle of a crowded club. The same voice that whispered my name over and over again as he came.

‘Good afternoon class. I’m Tristan Ryder and I’ll be your English professor for the foreseeable future.’

Oh fuck.

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