Page 21 of Reckless Dare

She sent a silent prayer when she saw a few people inside and no other students.

“I need help with my access, please!”

She almost cried in relief when the security team activated her access on the phone and also issued her another ID card.

“Thank you so much!” she told them before rushing out.

By the time she scanned through the double doors and got to the lecture hall, the class was in progress. The room was big, with a stadium-like seating. There were three huge well-lit smart screens covering the entire wall in the front.

Ava felt all eyes shifting towards her as she hovered near the entrance.

The professor stopped talking and turned in her direction too. The older woman did not look happy.

Ava smiled nervously. “Hello, Dr. Rajpal. I’m Avantika Patel. Sorry, I’m late. I had a problem with my access and I—”

The professor cut her off. “Ms. Patel, you are late. And because of your tardiness the focus of the class is broken. I don’t know where you studied before, but at Simha we do not tolerate tardiness.”

Ava’s heart sank. “I… I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“There’s no time for excuses. You have thirty seconds to settle down.”

The professor turned back to the class and continued with the lecture.

Feeling dejected, she tried to find a place. There weren't any in the first few rows. Unclear where to sit, she just made her way up to the back row and stopped short when she saw an empty seat. It was the only empty seat. She settled into the chair.

Shaken and out of breath due to the mad rush of the last few minutes, she tried really hard not to cry. Barely an hour into her college life at Simha and she felt overwhelmed.

Keep calm.

She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths. When she felt slightly calmer, she opened them again, only for her calmness to completely vanish.

Her eyes fell on an object on her desk and she almost let out a shriek. Right in front of her eyes was her old ID card. One word was written on it with a black marker.

LEAVE.

With her heart thudding, she slowly raised her eyes and looked around. Abhiram Simha was sitting on the aisle next to her on the right.

Oh God.

“Miss Patel, can you please join the class assignment?”

Ava yanked her eyes away from him to look at the professor in the front.

The professor was pointing to something on the smart screen. “Abhi, can you get Miss Patel up to speed so she can join the assignment.”

“Sure, Dr. Rajpal,” Abhiram Simha’s deep voice replied.

Ava’s heart thudded as he walked the short distance towards her. He tapped on the screen on her desk. Although she kept her eyes on the screen in the front, she could sense his dark gaze on her. He was once again close enough for her to smell his cologne. She tried to shrink back on her seat, but she couldn’t escape his presence.

“Do you still think I’m joking, Harvard?” he asked, his dark voice settling into her stomach.

She trembled in shock even when he returned back to his seat.

*****

She wasn’t late to the next two classes. But she felt confused and shaken.

How did my ID card land on the desk?

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