to abruptly stop what they were doing. I cleared my throat and whispered to a bug-eyed Emma, “He’s gay.”
Just then, I noticed my professor standing by the doorway, staring at me. My male professor…who had a husband at home. Fuck. My. Life.
Emma slid out of the chair. “I’m just gonna…” She motioned over her shoulder.
I nodded as she practically sprinted from the room. Dr. Cranston regained his composure and walked over to his desk, dropping his bag and some other items onto it.
“Okay, let’s get started,” he said. “Take out your copies of Crime and Punishment, which you should have completed by today. I want to review an important section on page two seventeen. Sophia, you seem to have a lot to say this morning. Would you read the first paragraph on that page that highlights the main character’s abnormal behavior for us?”
I’d honestly thought the day couldn’t have gotten any worse. Until I realized I’d forgotten my book.
Chapter Four
S O P H I A
I barely processed anything during class. I was too busy obsessing over whether I should address the gay elephant in the room. While my instinct was to run away, drop the class, and never return to the liberal arts building for the rest of my academic career, I couldn’t leave with one of my favorite professors thinking I’d been gossiping about him. So I hung back while everyone filtered out at the end of class.
Dr. Cranston was classically handsome, with his styled dark hair and chiseled jaw. His intelligence and wit only enhanced his appeal, and I really hoped I hadn’t decimated his opinion of me.
“Excuse me, Dr. Cranston? Could I speak to you for a second?”
He glanced up at me briefly before checking his watch. “I have another class, but I can spare a couple of minutes. What can I do for you?”
I opened and closed my mouth a few times, unsure of where to begin. Finally, I just let words fly out of my mouth and hoped they made sense.
“I’m sorry about what happened at the beginning of class. I wasn’t talking about you.”
He lifted one brow slightly.
“I know what I said was insensitive either way. Vulgar, really. But I promise it wasn’t about you. My friend was… God, this is an awkward conversation.” I muttered the last words as I wiped my hand down my face.
Somehow my honesty pulled a laugh from him, and the sound broke the tension.
“It’s really okay, Sophia. I was just a little…thrown by your outburst. But it’s reassuring to know that you at least weren’t talking about me.”
“No, I know. I just didn’t want you to think I was gossiping about you behind your back. I’m a much more up-front gossiper.” I smiled.
“Good to know. Though I have to say, it did sound like you were gossiping about someone. And depending on his circumstances, they may not want that information shared with a room full of undergrads.”
“It’s not a secret.” It’s not even true. “My friend was interested in my brother, and I had to make it clear why she didn’t have a shot with him.”
“Ah,” he said, his smile wide. “Well, I think his sexual orientation is abundantly clear to everyone now. I’m glad he has you to fight off the female populace for him.”
“I don’t think he’s nearly as glad as he should be, but I’ll let him know you said he should be more grateful.”
He gathered up his things. “Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you next week.”
“You too, and I’ll be here.”
I watched Dr. Cranston walk out the door, and as soon as he was out of sight, I dropped my hands onto the desk and bent over, taking deep breaths through my nose and releasing them through my mouth, as if I was staving off an anxiety attack.
Where’s a paper bag when I need one?
When I’d finally collected myself, I made my way out of the building and into the sunshine, thankful for its warmth. I didn’t have a class for another hour and a half, so my plan was to grab a snack and hang out in the quad to enjoy the weather.
There was nothing I loved more than being outside on beautiful days, and Lazarus University was the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine that made the well-manicured lawns gleam and the flowers bloom even wider. As I walked down the maze of walkways that joined the Gothic-style buildings, I dodged clusters of students talking about who knew what, but their