Louise looked up, his face pale yet flushed with a feverish heat. When his eyes landed on Albert, a loopy, childish grin spread across his face.
"Oh! It's the kid!" Louise chirped. Before Albert could react, Louise scrambled up onto his chair and then stepped unsteadily onto the mahogany table.
"Sir! What are you doing? Get down!" Albert shouted, his heart leaping into his throat as he reached out to steady him.
"Haaaa! I'm not going to fall!" Louise's voice had lost all its professional weight; he sounded like a mischievous toddler. He started swaying his hips in a clumsy, dizzy rhythm. "Shakira! Shakira!"
Albert's jaw hit the floor. "Omg, Sir! What happened to you? Please, get off the table!"
Albert grabbed Louise's hands, trying to pull him down to safety. Louise stumbled, his feet tangling on a stack of files, and he fell forward. Albert braced himself, catching the full weight of the Professor as they both crashed onto the floor.
Albert groaned as his back hit the carpet, but Louise didn't seem to notice. He was sprawled on top of Albert, his hands wandering over Albert's chest.
"Ohhh... you're so hot, kid," Louise whispered, his breath smelling faintly of that sour mocha. "This morning... what a show. Your physique... your abs... your lips...your—"
Albert's face turned bright red, his body freezing under Louise's touch. "Shhh! Sir! What are you saying? Please don't shout!" Albert hissed, pressing a hand over Louise's mouth as footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Louise licked Albert's palm and pulled his hand away, leaning in to whisper loudly. "Actually... That was so big. You look so hard. Whoever sleeps with you is definitely going to enjoy it! Haaaaaaaa!"
Louise burst into a fit of giggles. Albert was traumatized. What did he drink? Was it the mocha? Did Dany put alcohol in it—or something worse? Suddenly, the sharp click-click-click of high heels sounded just outside the door.
Albert panicked. He rolled Louise off his body and lifted him as gently as possible, shoving him into his swivel chair. Louise was still mumbling nonsense about "hard abs" as Albert bolted toward the door.
He stepped out just as Professor Luna Re was about to reach the handle.
"Oh! Albert?" Luna stopped, looking surprised. "What are you still doing here? Go home safely, it's late. I just need to grab my bag from the lounge."
"Wait! Wait, Ma'am!" Albert stepped in front of her, blocking the door with his body. "I think... I think you forgot something very important!"
Luna blinked. "What do you mean, Albert?"
"Your glasses! Yes! I saw them in your last classroom. You should go get them before the janitors lock up! Go fast, Ma'am!"
"Oh! I did forget them! Thank you, Albert!" Luna turned and hurried back down the hall.
Albert didn't waste a second. He ducked back into the room, grabbed Louise's suitcase, and shoved all the files inside. He then swung Louise's arm over his shoulder, lifting the smaller man effortlessly. He had to get him to the parking lot before Luna came back—or before Louise started singing again.
Albert lugged the semiconscious Louise toward the parking lot, his muscles straining. Luckily, the campus was nearly empty. He managed to prop Louise up against the motorbike and shoved the suitcase into the side carrier.
His face was red with fury as he pulled out his phone and dialed Dany.
"Dany, you idiot! What the hell did you mix in that drink?" Albert hissed as soon as the line picked up.
"Hello? Albert? Sorry, bro... I, uh..." Dany stumbled over his words. "I mixed a very strong shot of grain alcohol in it. I thought it would help!"
"Are you insane? Why would you do something so stupid?"
"Look, you said you had a crush on him!" Dany defended himself. "I thought if he got a little tipsy, you'd have to take him home, get close to him... you know, move things along!"
"Dany, do you have any idea what you've done?" Albert's voice cracked. "He's a guest in my home! If my dad, Stove, sees him like this and finds out I was behind it, he'll kill me! And Louise's Uncle and Aunt are right there too!"
On the other end, Dany gasped. "Wait... Uncle Stove? If the Commissioner knows I'm behind this... oh my god."
"Exactly! He'll have both our heads!"
"Sorry bro! I didn't know! I have to go, i mean—good luck!" Dany hung up immediately.
"Dany! Dany!" Albert glared at his phone. He turned to Louise, who was now trying to slide off the bike. "Ohh... where am I supposed to take you? What will I tell your Uncle Martin and Aunt Lilly?"
Albert reached into Louise's pockets to find his phone to turn it off, but Louise started giggling and twisting away. "Ohhh! Don't touch me there, you naughty boy!" Louise chirped, reaching out and playfully pinching Albert's cheek.
"Sir, please! Be still!" Albert ignored the touch, finally grabbing Louise's phone. He immediately switched it off so the Stone family couldn't track him.
Then, Albert walked a few paces away and dialed his dad on his own phone, Stove. He had to keep his voice steady because Louise was starting to shout nonsense behind him.
"Hello, Dad?"
"Albert! I was just about to call you," Stove's voice sounded worried. "When will you be back? Your mother is getting worried. And Martin and Lilly are here too—they're frantic because Louise hasn't come home yet! They didn't want to call and bother him on his first day, but now they are scared. Did you see him?"
Albert looked back at Louise, who was shouting "Don't touch me!" at a nearby lamppost.
"Dad... ah, actually, we all held a surprise party for him! The final-year students forced Professor Louise to join us at my fraternity house. He's here, but his phone died just as he was about to call home. That's why I'm calling you."
"A party?" Stove paused, then his tone softened. "Well... at least the poor boy is finding some happiness. Martin and Lilly were just saying his father kept him in a cage back home. That family rule stuff is rubbish. At least here he can enjoy himself. Tell him to take care, and Albert—look after him, he's our guest."
"I will, Dad. Love you. We'll be back in the morning, don't worry!"
Albert ended the call and turned back to Louise, who was talking to himself.
"Ahhhh God..." Albert muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I have to manage so many things... a drunk professor, a lie to my dad, and keeping his Aunt and Uncle from finding out the truth. This is going to be a long night."