Page 9 of The Professor's Possession (Crystal River Billionaire Brothers)

And then I’m all by myself.

I let out a long sigh and sit back down on my bed. I allow myself a moment to let my mind drift...

A solitary tear runs down my cheek. I’m far from home on this big new campus, and - despite the friendliness of my new roommate - I feel very much alone.

I stand back up with a newfound spark of energy.

I’m going to do what I always do when I feel like everything’s becoming too much.

I’m going to go for a run.

3

OLIVIA

It’s still rainingoutside when I leave the dorms dressed in my running gear, but it’s not heavy enough for me to make a hasty retreat back to the warmth of my bed. Hey, a little bit of rain hasn’t stopped me before, and it won’t stop me now.

Here goes. Time to get wet. Time to shake out those first day nerves.

Some people think it’s crazy how much I love a good run, but for me, it’s the best thing to do to clear my mind. Running, to me, is freedom. It’s the best way to warm yourself up, listen to music, be on your own, and justthink.

I like to watch videos of fitness influencers online. It’s not that I’m obsessive over counting my calories or anything like that, but it’s simply that I find the whole world of exercise a calming certainty in a world that can sometimes seem a little bit too much.

Probably on account of me always having my nose in a book, it generally comes as a surprise to others that I’m as athletic as I am. I never liked team sports or taking part in competitions; I’m more inclined to more solitary activities like running or swimming. But I love to get my body moving. To be honest, I’ll be perfectly happy to spend an entire weekend by myself simply reading and going for runs and never having to utter a single word or getting drunk and partying. I may be academic, but I love nothing more than to slot my headphones in, drown out the world, and just put one foot in front of the other around the block.

I sprint out of the doors of the dorm building. No one’s outside now; it’s dark already and the rain’s driven everyone inside. I hear some people chatting and partying on my way through the dorms.

Yeah, I am happier doing this in the rain than doing what they’re doing.

As I pound the sidewalks toward the center of Crystal River, I listen to music and think. I think about the last image I have of my mother this morning, waving me goodbye as I boarded the coach.

There wasn’t much to say goodbye to in my hometown. There weren’t any super close friends I am going to miss. Sure, I had people I knew, but I was always so wrapped up in the thought of leaving that I never really put down any strong ties to the place.

In terms of any sort of love life, there had been the most passing of interactions with boys in my teenage life, but nothing to write home about. I’m still a virgin, not that I feel anything wrong or ashamed of it; I’m just a very guarded girl who’s afraid to lend her heart out. And for good reason. It would have to be someone I really care about.

And so far, there’s been no one.

And that’s the plan for college. Do the same as in high school. Keep your head down and focus on the coursework.

Running is a way of keeping me separate from other people. I’m not one to make a scene. In fact, I actively hate being the person to cause a scene. I’m a girl who doesn’t like to take up much space. I don’t want people noticing me in a crowd. I don’t want to stand out. I like being anonymous; that way I don’t have to deal with conflict.

I jog past a park, and then past a parking lot.

And I realize I don’t know where the hell I am.

Rainwater mixed with my sweat rushes down my face. The skies have really opened up now; it’s practically a storm. It makes it hard to see more than twenty yards ahead.

Oh. I’m lost. I’m actually freaking lost.

I shake my head. It was foolish of me to go running in the dark and rain in a town I am literally, totally clueless about. What else was going to happen?

It’s time to find my way back home.

I continue to run, though. Might as well try to get back as fast as I can. Although the only problem is that I really actually don’t know where I am or where I’m going. I try heading back to where I've come from, but the streets are indecipherable from each other. I can’t tell if I’ve been down this way or not...

Fuck. I truly am lost.

I groan at my stupidity.

---