One Night
One Night 60

hapter 60

Edwin & Audrey

Edwin’s POV

It was a warm, sunny afternoon; the courtyard below my open window was bustling with students who were out enjoying the balmy spring weather, their laughter and conversations floating up into the air.

With spring break just a couple of weeks away, everyone-even the faculty and staff-was excited for a much-needed vacation. Normally, the noise would have bothered me while I was trying to grade. But today, it was surprisingly… pleasant.

Although, I supposed that a lot of things had felt more pleasant than usual lately. Especially since…

I grit my teeth, shaking my head as I tried to refocus my attention on the stack of student papers in front of me. “Focus, Edwin,” I growled to myself, gently smacking the side of my cheek. I needed to stop thinking about… her.

Audrey.

But that was easier said than done. Ever since that night at the bar two weeks ago, I couldn’t get the taste of her lips off of my tongue. It was like her essence permeated my skin, like it sank straight into my atoms and made a new home there.

There was no getting that human girl out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried.

Suddenly, however, my thoughts were cut short when the door burst open unannounced. I jumped, dropping my pen onto my desk, to see Ms. Morrie-the vice dean-storming in. Her usual jovial demeanor had been replaced by a mask of fury, her leopard-print cardigan billowing in the wind behind her.

“Ms. Morrie.” I said, abruptly rising from my chair and bowing my head respectfully. “To what do I owe the-

“Edwin, what is the meaning of this?” she demanded, shoving her phone in my face before I could finish.

I blinked, trying to focus on the screen. My stomach dropped as I recognized the grainy image-it was me, backstage at the fashion show, taking off my mask. Someone had managed to snap a photo at the exact wrong moment.

But how…? I had been so careful. I had only removed it once to blow my nose, and I had checked everywhere first to make sure the coast was clear. After that, I had only taken it off in private, and Audrey was the only one who had seen me.

“L. I can explain,” I started, but Ms. Morrie cut me off

“It had better be a d**n good explanation, Edwin,” she snapped, forcefully shoving her phone into her trouser pocket. “People are accusing you of rigging the competition. Some are even suggesting that you and Ms. Thatcher may have some sort of… romantic entanglement.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “That’s absurd,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I was merely helping out when their model dropped out at the last minute. There’s nothing untoward going on between Ms. Thatcher and myself, I can assure you,”

Ms. Morrie studied me for a long moment, her eyes narrowed. believe you, Edwin,” she finally said. “But this looks bad. Very bad. You’ll need to make a statement.”

“What about Audrey?” I blurted out despite myself. She had won the competition fair and square; I didn’t want her to lose out on her internship.

Ms. Morrie eyed me up and down from behind her cat-eye glasses, her red lips pursing so hard that the little wrinkles

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Chapter 60

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around her mouth seemed even more pronounced. Finally, she replied, “Miss Thatcher will be dealt with accordingly. For now, I expect you to have a statement prepared by tomorrow morning.”

I nodded, my jaw tensing instinctively. “Of course. I’ll draft something immediately.”

“See that you do,” she said. “And Edwin? You’re on my radar now Don’t give me any reason to doubt you.”

With that, she turned on her heel and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I glanced over at Audrey’s scarf, which was still draped over the back of my chair. The memory of our kiss flooded back, making my heart race for more reasons than

one.

We had been lucky. So lucky. If anyone had seen us that night…

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I had a statement to write. I couldn’t afford to dwell on what-ifs and maybes, not when my job-and more importantly, my reputation-was on the line.

But as I sat down at my computer, I couldn’t help but wonder how Audrey was faring in all this.

Audrey’s POV

It had been two weeks since the fashion show, and I was still riding high on our victory. I still had yet to receive my official internship application, but I was sure it would come any day now, and I couldn’t have been more excited.

As I made my way through the cafeteria, my tray loaded with food, I couldn’t help but smile a bit. With spring break approaching, the semester was ramping up into a whirlwind of assignments and exams. It felt good to finally have a moment to just relax and enjoy a meal, even if I would be eating by myself today since my friends were all busy.

But then, suddenly, someone bumped into me Hard. Before I could even react, my tray went flying. Food splattered across the floor as the tray clattered away, and my eyes widened into saucers.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, looking up to see who had run into me.

My words died in my throat as I met the glares of several students at a nearby table. The hostility in their eyes was palpable, and it gave me a bad feeling almost immediately. Some more of Linda’s friends, perhaps.

“Um… You could have at least apologized,” I said under my breath as I stooped to pick up the mess. “But accidents happen,

One of the girls at the table scoffed. “Oh, I’m sure you’re used to things just happening’ for you, aren’t you?”

L

I frowned and paused as I was cleaning up my food, thoroughly confused by the dig. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, straightening.

Another student, a guy with s**y hair, held up his phone. “We know about your little secret, teacher’s pet

My heart started racing as I saw the image on his screen-Edwin backstage at our show, taking off his mask. It was a bit grainy, but it was definitely him. Anyone with eyes could see that

“L… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stammered, but there was no hiding the way that my face was burning beneath their scrutiny.

“Oh, please, the first girl said. “We all heard your speech about Brooks Designs: ‘my biggest inspiration: Blah, blah, blah. It was so obvious from the get-go that you were just sucking up to him, but this is a whole new level of **ed

up.”

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Chapter 60

“Guys, it’s not like that-

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“Yeah, sure,” another student chimed in before I could finish, her eyes flashing with anger. “There’s no point in hiding it, Audrey, we all know the real reason as to why a human won the fashion show. Must be nice to have the judge in your pocket, huh?”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, to tell them that it wasn**that and that Edwin didn’t even have a say in the judging process, but before I could say anything, the intercom c**ed to life. The vice dean’s voice carried across the cafeteria, nearly making me drop my tray again.

“Audrey Thatcher, please come to the dean’s office. Immediately

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