Albert marched toward the faculty wing, his heart hammering against his ribs. The hallway was lined with identical dark wood doors, leaving him completely turned around. Luckily, the custodian was sitting nearby on a bench.
"Uncle!" Albert called out, sounding a bit desperate.
"Oh, Albert? What are you doing in this wing? Looking for trouble?" the older man teased.
"No, Uncle... I need to find Louise—I mean, Professor Stone. I... I need to see him."
The custodian chuckled, sensing the boy's urgency. "Follow me. He's in his lounge, probably buried under a mountain of files. That room right there, go on."
"Thank you, Uncle!" Albert took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands. He stood before the door, smoothed his uniform, and exhaled a long, shaky breath. "Uff... okay. You can do this."
He knocked softly. "Excuse me... Sir?"
Inside, Louise was hunched over a desk covered in heavy curriculum folders. He didn't even look up. "Yes? Come in."
Albert stepped inside. The room was quiet, bathed in the warm, honey-colored glow of the setting sun. The light hit Louise's face perfectly, illuminating his pale skin and the focused intensity in his eyes. He looked like a painting.
Albert forgot how to speak. He stood there, completely entranced, watching the way Louise's eyelashes brushed his cheeks as he read. His heart began to dance a wild rhythm. Without a word, Albert pulled a chair over, placed it directly across from Louise, and sat down. He just leaned his chin on his hands and stared, completely zoned out.
A minute passed in silence until Louise sensed someone was watching him. "Who is...?"
He looked up and jumped slightly, seeing Albert sitting right in front of him like a silent ghost. "Hello? Excuse me! Hey!"
"Ah!" Albert stumbled back, nearly knocking over the chair as he stood up. "H-hi! I love you! I mean—Professor! Sir! Oh... god."
Albert's face turned bright red as he fumbled over his words. Louise rolled his eyes, sighing as he stood up to leave the room. He didn't have the energy for more of Albert's antics.
"Wait! Wait, Sir!" Albert reached out, instinctively grabbing Louise's hand to stop him.
Louise froze. He looked down at the hand on his wrist, his gaze turning sharp and icy. "Let go."
Albert snapped his hand back as if he'd been burned. Louise crossed his arms, looking at him with an arched eyebrow. "What is it, kid?"
Kid? Me? Albert felt a pang of indignation, but he pushed it down. "Actually, Sir... I came to apologize. Not just for what happened in class, but for this morning at my house. I mean... the crush part is real," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"What was that?" Louise asked, leaning in.
"Nothing! I mean... I want to apologize for the fight and everything. I don't want you to resign! My friends, the whole class... we were afraid you'd leave because of us. Please, Sir, don't resign."
To Albert's shock, Louise let out a sudden, melodious laugh.
"Really? You all think I'm going to resign just because of some nonsense in a classroom?" Louise began to walk toward the door, a small, knowing smirk on his lips.
Albert scrambled to get in front of him, blocking his path. "So... you aren't leaving? We thought you were upset!"
Louise stepped back slightly, his expression softening. "Listen, kid. I've dealt with worse than this. I was a student myself not long ago—only two years back. This doesn't bother me as much as you think."
"Really? You're stay—Wait, take this!" Albert suddenly grabbed Louise's hand again, but this time he pressed the cold cup of Strawberry Mocha into his palm. "This is the most popular drink at the canteen. I bought it for you. To... to refresh you. And thank you, Sir! Thank you so much!"
Without waiting for a response, Albert let out a joyful shout and bolted out of the lounge, running down the hallway like he'd just won the lottery.
Louise looked at the pink drink in his hand, then at the empty doorway. "That kid... he's really something. A total flirt," he murmured to himself. He set the drink down on the table, a tiny, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "But a good person."
Feeling a bit more relaxed, he decided he needed to splash some water on his face and headed toward the restroom.
Louise returned from the restroom, his throat feeling parched and uncomfortably dry. He reached into his briefcase, searching for the water bottle he usually carried, but his hand found nothing but air.
"Ah... I forgot it," he sighed, remembering the rush to leave the house that morning. Between the tension with his uncle and aunt, he hadn't been thinking about hydration.
He looked at the desk. There sat the Strawberry Mocha Albert had just handed him—the peace offering. It was chilled, the condensation inviting. I shouldn't drink this from a student, he thought, but I'm so thirsty.
He took a long, desperate sip through the straw.
Immediately, his brow furrowed. "Oww... why is it so sour?" He pulled back, smacking his lips. Instead of a creamy, sweet coffee, a sharp, bitter, and almost medicinal sting hit the back of his throat. "Is it supposed to taste like this? Or is this another one of his bullying tactics?"
He stared at the cup. He wanted to throw it away, but his thirst was overpowering. He decided to just finish it to get the liquid into his system. He drank it all in one go and sat back down, trying to focus on his work.
Meanwhile, at the campus parking lot, the evening sun was dipping below the horizon. Albert stood by his motorbike, his eyes fixed on the faculty exit.
"Hey, Albert, who are you waiting for?" a friend teased. "Does his name start with 'Professor'?"
The group laughed, but Dany didn't join in. He came running toward Albert, looking breathless and pale. "Hey, Albert! What are you still doing here? Where is Professor Louise?"
"I'm waiting for him to come out," Albert said, confused. "Why?"
"Oh god," Dany whispered, grabbing Albert's jacket. "Albert, go fast! Get back inside! Professor Louise is definitely still in that lounge. You need to get him out of there right now before someone else sees him!"
"Dany, what are you talking about? What did you do?" Albert jumped off his bike, his heart suddenly racing with a bad feeling.
"I'll explain later! Just go! If anyone else finds him like that, it's over! Go!" Dany pushed him toward the building.
Albert didn't wait for another word. He sprinted back into the university, his boots echoing loudly in the now-empty corridors. He reached the faculty lounge and threw the door open without knocking.
"Professor?"
The room was dim. Louise was slumped over his desk, his head resting on his arms. Albert rushed over, and as he got closer, he noticed Louise's face was flushed a deep, burning crimson. His breathing was heavy, and he looked completely disoriented—like someone who had just finished a bottle of hard liquor.
Albert's heart dropped. He looked at the empty Strawberry Mocha cup on the desk and then back at Louise's dazed expression.
"Sir? Louise?" Albert whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder.