Selling Myself To The Alpha
Chapter 35

Liana POV

I am up and out of bed even before my alarm goes off. Today is the first day of my art classes and I can hardly contain my excitement.

I have read and reread the information that Axel gave to me until I knew it by heart. I am ready for this. Not even the crappy events from yesterday could damper my mood.

Well, almost. I did not count on missing Axel this much and it has only been one night.

I pack a bag with jeans and sneakers to change into after work. I will use my lunch hour and the last of my money to buy the textbooks and utensils that I will need. Wyatt's payment could not have come at a better time. Without his money, I would never be able to afford everything. I go over my checklist once more before I gather my things and leave for work.

**

I look at the campus stretched out in front of me and smile. This is my first step to a better me. I inhale deeply and walk towards the building, passing talking and laughing students.

According to my schedule, all my lectures will happen in rooms 301 and 302. Tuesdays in 301 with Collins and Thursdays in 302 with Harris.

Hastily I search for room 301, but I cannot seem to replace it. I am on the verge of panic. If I do not replace that room soon, I will be late for my first class.

I pull out the map and try and figure out where I went wrong when a deep charming voice talks behind me.

"Are you lost?"

"I think so," I mumble and turn around, only to have my breath stolen from me.

A gorgeous man towers over me and his chocolate eyes are laughing amused. His hair is the same brown as his eyes and is neatly short.

Holy shit, he is hot. Not as hot as Axel, but a very close second.

"Where do you need to be?" His full lips curve into a smile.

"Room 301," I reply and look away. He is unnervingly gorgeous.

"Follow me," he starts walking and reluctantly I follow. "I wasn't aware that they hired new faculty members."

"Excuse me?" I ask confused.

"Aren't you a new faculty member?" He looks at me curiously.

"No, I'm a student," I reply.

"Aren't you a little old to be a student?" He grins.

"Aren't you a little rude to be allowed to talk to people?" I snap back indignantly.

"I've been accused of worse," he laughs heartedly.

"And sadly, you still didn't get the hint," I snort.

"Here you go," he smiles as he opens a door. "Room 301."

"Thank you," I nod and walk inside.

I replace an empty seat as quickly as I can and settle in. Excited, I look around. If I must be honest, I can understand why Mr Hot asked about my age. I am the eldest, but I will not allow that to get to me. This is my dream, even if it came around a little late in my life. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome. I'm Mr Collins."

Oh, dear goddess, I close my eyes briefly before I look at the gorgeous man in front of the whiteboard. The rude beauty is no other than my new lecturer, Mr Collins.

**

The second the class finishes, I grab my bag and haste out of the classroom. It was the most interesting, but also the most disturbing class I have ever attended. Every time Collins looked in my direction, I would cringe in my seat and keep my head low. But it seems he is not too offended by my words because he did not ask me one question.

"Hold up," Collins grabs my elbow.

"Listen," I sigh as I turn around. "I'm ..."

"I'm Luther," he cuts me short and holds his hand out.

"Nice to know," I smile sweetly and start walking. I am in no mood for his charm. It is obvious that he is acutely aware of his sex appeal and knows how to use it. Unfortunately for him, I am not interested.

"What's your name?" He falls in next to me and keeps up with ease.

"My mother taught me not to talk to strangers," I say stubbornly. He might get it into his head to target me in class if he knows my name. He can figure it out by himself. Hopefully, I am more up to speed regarding the classes by then. "We're past that, don't you think?" He chuckles.

"Mr Collins," I stop and turn to face him. "Are you this keen on knowing all of your students' names?"

"Only the cute ones," he flashes me a brilliant smile.

"That's inappropriate, don't you think?" I raise my eyebrows.

"I haven't even asked you for coffee, let alone a marriage proposal," he laughs. "There is nothing inappropriate about this conversation."

"But there is," I argue. "You're not talking to me because of my brilliant mind or sparkling personality. You're talking to me because you think I'm "cute" and hoping for some form of entertainment. So, I'll make this easy for you - you're barking up the wrong tree. I'm not interested." "Wow," he clamps his heart dramatically. "Aren't you a little bumptious?"

"I'm also right," I say adamantly.

"That's not..."

"I must go," I cut him off and sigh relieved as my bus pulls up. "But thank you for the lecture. I found it very interesting."

"Not nearly as interesting as you," he calls after me as I get onto the bus.

I refuse to look his way as I replace a seat. Luther might be an Adonis, but I am here to learn, nothing more.

**

I am just about to get into the shower when my phone rings and my heart jumps when I read Axel's name.

"How was your first class?" He asks after we greeted.

"Interesting," I reply as I lay down on my bed. "It made me realise how little I know."

"You'll get there," he laughs softly.

"When are you coming home?" I try to sound matter-of-fact. I do not want him to get the idea that I count the minutes until he comes back.

"Saturday morning," there is a wicked smile in his voice. "Do you miss me that much?"

"No," I roll my eyes even though he cannot see me. "I'm only avoiding future miscommunications. I need to visit my parents and will only be back Saturday night."

"Is everything all right at home?" He asks concerned.

"Yes," I smile. "I haven't seen my dad after his surgery, and I want to check up on him."

"I'll pick you up at the bus stop," he says adamantly.

"It's really not..."

"I insist," he cuts me off, and I give in.

We talk a little longer before he hangs up and I stare at the phone in my hand. Dammit, now I miss him even more. He just has a way to cheer me up and I realize I have the desire to share everything with him. I want to bore him with details about what I have learned at work and in art class. I do not know when or how the shift happened, but I have developed feelings for Axel which I cannot explain or name.

I wish I could phone Nina and tell her everything about me and Axel. She will have the answers. And I wish I could tell her about Luther. She would have laughed so hard at my embarrassment. I swallow the tears as I look at her name on my phone's screen. This is the first time since I met her that I cannot call and talk to her. Screw that, I decide and press the button.

Just as I thought she is not going to answer, I hear her voice.

"Hi," Nina says with a strained voice. She is always cheerful when I call her, and I am taken aback by her cold attitude.

"How are you?" I ask the first thing that comes to mind.

"Good, you?" Her brusque answer stabs me in the heart.

"Listen, Nina, I'm sorry," I sigh. "Can we just put this behind us? I want my friend back."

"We're still friends," her voice softens. "It's just... it feels like you don't want me to be happy."

"That's not true," I say desperately. "That's all I want for you. That's the reason I didn't want to tell you, but it's also the reason I told you. More importantly, I need you to know that I didn't make a move on Wilson. I would never, ever do that to you."

"I know," she sighs sadly. "And that's what makes this so hard. My common sense tells me you're not lying but my heart so desperately wants you to be wrong about him."

"Maybe Wilson told me the truth," I reason. "He might really break up with Stacey and be faithful to you."

"Maybe," she sniffs.

"Do you want me to come over?" My heart is breaking for her.

"No," she pulls herself together. "I need more time by myself to figure out what I want to do."

"Okay," I say stoically. "Just say the word, and I'm there in a heartbeat, okay?"

"I have to go," Nina says quickly. "Wilson is calling."

"Okay, b..." Nina ends the call.

"Bye," I finish the word and sigh.

I put my phone down and take a shower before I climb into bed with a textbook. I realised tonight that I am behind in the class. I study until I am cross-eyed before I put the book down and go to sleep.