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I suck in a slow breath. Touching her isn’t an option.

No matter how badly I might want to.

The jingling of the front door bell yanks me out of my stupor. Chatter from other patrons surrounds me in noise, a reminder that other eyes are here to witness our silent standoff. I flex my fingers before I pick up my mug and drain the dregs of my cold coffee, eliminating any realistic reason for me to remain here.

So, I stand, finally gaining Sofia’s attention. Her blue eyes are large behind those glasses. I want to dive into them.

“I’ll see you at the next meeting. Unless you need help with anything else.” My voice is too low and teasing.Rein it in.

A couple of blinks have her leaning back in her chair to properly look at me. “No.”

The word is soft.

It draws a smile out of me, which only makes Sofia roll her eyes. “See you later, Professor Knight.”

Ow. Wound me. Most of my students already call me Orion. The formality is a good reminder, though.

I back off, avoiding the cameras and making my way out the door. The moment I’m through, one of my 101 students catches me. Literally by the arm.

Turning smoothly out of her grasp, my hands sink into my pockets and I take a step back. This girl already screams trouble. And her giggles rake warnings down my back. Class three days a week and Film Club are already enough time to endure them.

I can’t be seen fraternizing with her otherwise.

I already know how these infatuations end.

7

SOFIA

My skin is still tingling even as Professor Knight stands. Why has he been staring at me?

The paperwork looks good. Legit. Legal jargon that I’ve seen before in the NDAs for clients. Rules for being on set of a bigger picture. Safety releases. Everything they can put down to keep their investment safe.

It makes sense, but I still feel compelled to read it all. I don’t want to miss something and get anyone in trouble. The boon of being in charge.

Knight barely reviews it. He must have seen it all before. He appears to know someone from the production to get us on set. Does that mean he has hands-on experience? What job did he do?

He’s not hiding how intently he’s staring at me, and it keeps me from lifting my gaze for a peek.

It makes my skin warmer, but I force myself to dig through every line of these contracts instead of engaging with him. Still, he sticks around.

When his phone pings, my gaze flicks up to catch the gold in his curls, courtesy of the low sun streaming through the window beside us. You know, great lighting for the cameras.

The small smile on his face makes him look younger. My age. I’m not fooled by whatever play he’s making. I know his type.

He can’t stand that I’m not falling all over him just like the others. Too many of them. He doesn’t need me to add to the competition. Yet, here he is, bugging me.

I’m knee-deep in the paragraphs of legalese by the time his attention returns to me. His gaze sparks a small flame along my flesh.

After a while, he seems to startle out of his reverie, draining the last of his coffee and standing. I finally give him my full attention. The subtle, flirty goodbye isn’t lost on me, but the loud, giggling call of his name as he’s exiting the café snags my attention one more time.

Ugh, that obnoxious girl from Film Club has her hand on his arm, pulling him to a stop. Poor guy.

Leann stared hard at him all through the meeting, leaned the closest when talking to him, kept finding a reason to touch him. And that offensive giggle, which is echoing through the glass entrance door right now…

I roll my eyes. I know her kind. Snotty and boastful. Oversharing and making herself look good. Used to her pretty, pert ass getting her through things instead of her brains.

Just all around dislikeable.