Chapter 3 : Scott vs. Justin

Rory's POV

The next day, my thoughts only got worse. I’d slept with my friend's father and I had to attend his class again.

Being with him that night was the most thrilling thing I've ever done. I didn't want to face an awkward scene, but I had to.

The students we sat with were all talking about him. A lot of them seemed to be really honored to have him as their professor. They were also talking about his many accomplishments and how talented he was. I started to tune them out and had just gone back to planning my escape when I realized they were also talking about Justin.

I hadn’t even realized Justin was in the class. I hadn’t seen him yesterday. I really hoped I didn’t run into him.

I let my gaze travel through the crowd. Sure enough, Justin was there with his latest flame, a girl named Lisa, sitting just a few rows over from me.

Lisa wrapped her arms around Justin's neck and gave me a smug look, then turned her head and shouted at me, “You look terrible. Are you losing sleep because you broke up with Justin?”

I couldn't be bothered to respond, pretending I didn't hear her. But obviously, she took my silence as a sign of weakness.

She kissed Justin on the cheek with even more arrogance, as if she were showing off her trophy.

Lisa's annoying voice echoed in my ear again. “Hey, do you know what kind of girls Justin likes?”

As she spoke, she pulled down her collar a bit to reveal a big chest. “He likes this kind.”

“Oh, you're amazing,” I replied with a sarcastic smile. “You're so eco-friendly.”

Lisa was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“You like picking up trash. I don't.,” I said. “I wish you two the best. Stay together and stop causing trouble for others."

I shrugged, not wanting to look at Lisa's repulsive face any longer.

Scott walked into the classroom and started the class. He exuded a strong personal charm while teaching. At first, students who used to dislike studying were initially attracted by his appearance, but gradually, everyone was drawn in by what he was teaching.

His teaching style was engaging; he always explained complex theoretical knowledge in a simple and understandable way. And when he spoke passionately, he would pause, and each of us would genuinely smile along with him, infected by the enthusiasm he conveyed through his teaching.

I picked up my phone and clicked on the camera app. I didn’t want to be caught looking directly at him, but I wanted to catch a glimpse of him. I pretended to take classroom notes on the blackboard with my phone, but I was actually secretly looking at Scott.

As his handsome form slid into the frame, I scanned up, only to find his eyes on me. I dropped my hands to my lap, my cheeks flaming with a heated blush.

As I watched Scott’s muscles strain as he wrote on the blackboard, memories of our night together resurfaced, fueling my desire for him. I remembered feeling those muscles in his back pumping as we’d made love. The way they had felt under my hands had been incredible.

Every part of him had been hard except for his touches. They’d been soft. Well, as much as he seemed to be able to be. There were definitely times when it seemed like his self-control was stretched thin, and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he was firmer with me.

The idea heated my blood.

When I did catch a glimpse, Justin looked uncomfortable. I didn't know if it was Lisa's teasing that made him feel jealous, or if it was something Scott did in class that made him feel uneasy. Or maybe Justin simply couldn't stand the praise the women in class were giving Scott. It was as if he'd been stung by something, and he kept contradicting Scott in class until Scott asked us to express our opinions and try to adapt the original movie.

When Justin's work was praised, Scott asked him a few questions, but Justin wasn't satisfied with Scott's comments.

Scott asked him, “So, what do you think is new about this remake?”

Justin seemed confident. “In the original movie, it's classmates who accidentally visit the couple, but in my version, it's the dying husband who writes letters to invite his classmates. That's the adaptation I made.”

Justin's questions seemed like his own thoughts, but each one was flawed. I could tell there were plotholes everywhere in his ideas, but he was still complacent.

Scott chuckled politely and asked him, “Can you give a few examples of realistic works?”

Justin hemmed and hawed for a long time, unable to answer, instead insisting, “I don't think there's anything wrong with my idea. You're just lucky to be standing here as a professor.”

Scott replied, “Whether it's luck or not, we'll see in the future.”

Scott didn't take Justin's sarcasm seriously at all. Justin, still full of confidence, said a bunch of words, thinking he had caught Scott's weaknesses and criticized him with conviction, feeling pleased with himself.

Even Lisa, who usually doesn't read much, couldn't stand it anymore and coldly ordered, "Enough, Justin. Sit down."

Justin was stunned, utterly confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

Scott looked at the clueless Justin and coldly pointed out his mistake.

“No one noticed anything? Is this Justin's work? You just copied a plan based on everyone's unfamiliarity with this movie and claimed it as your own achievement.”

After Scott's explanation, even someone who knew nothing about the film industry could see how ridiculous Justin's words were.

The class erupted in comments.

“Hilarious! You're studying film appreciation and don't even have this basic knowledge? And you dare say you're a professional?”

“Yeah, talk about ignorance!”

“And he dares to question the professor's ability? I bet he didn't even finish middle school!”

Justin's face turned bright red amid the surrounding ridicule.

Sitting there watching Justin's pretentiousness fail and being mocked by everyone, I couldn't help but chuckle.

In the end, despite the mockery, he still insisted that his suggestion was correct.

Scott couldn't bear to watch and added, “Looks like your expertise isn't up to par if you don't even have this basic knowledge.”

Needy chimed in, “From this, we can see that real ability is more important than fake qualifications, right, Justin?”

Everyone burst into laughter, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Justin. It was clear to everyone that Scott completely overshadowed Justin in terms of ability.

Justin was left speechless by the retort, and his eyes reddened with anger.

Knowing him as I did, I understood that he had never experienced such humiliation before. If it weren't for the need to maintain his fragile image in front of me, he probably would have wanted to fight Scott right then and there.

Watching Justin's embarrassment, I felt a twinge of satisfaction, but mostly just extreme boredom.

I really didn't want to be around all those people anymore.

The class ended like that, and I headed to the cafeteria outside the campus to grab some food. I grabbed a water bottle from the concession stand and found a place nearby to drink it. I tipped my head back and had just let the cool water pour down my throat when I suddenly felt eyes on me.

I looked up and found Scott nearby, his dark gaze on me. I quickly looked away, engaging myself in a conversation with a few people around me. I couldn’t handle any more stolen glances and heated memories right then.

I waited until I felt his gaze leave me before I looked back. Once I was sure he wasn’t looking in my direction anymore, I excused myself from the conversation and made a break for it. I made my way out of the cafeteria, looking for a quiet place outside. I stopped in the shade of a nearby tree, taking a moment to breathe.

I didn’t know what to think about that night–with Justin or with Scott. Justin had betrayed me in one of the worst ways, especially considering my family history. I’d been growing more distant from him after starting college, and I’d been thinking about parting ways even before I found out what he’d done. Breaking up with him was the natural thing to happen after that.

But going out and sleeping with Scott? That wasn’t normal for me.

My mind shifted back to Scott. My feelings for him were so complicated. I’d been fantasizing about him for years, dreaming of being with him in more ways than one. Now that I’d lost my virginity to him, it felt even more complicated. I felt something tugging in my heart, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to name it.

My quiet was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. I was a little bit horrified to see that it was Scott coming toward me. I flashed him what I hoped was an easy grin.

“Fancy meeting you here.” he asked quietly, his deep voice rumbling.

“Yeah..” I nodded.

“I’m glad I found you. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” He angled his large body toward mine so his next words were only between us. “You left so fast the other night. Please don’t worry about it. That night was a mistake.”

“Yeah.” I shook my head. “That night was a mistake. I never thought you would be my good friend's father. What a coincidence." I smiled awkwardly.

“I didn't recognize you either,” he whispered softly, causing me to turn around and notice that there were only a few feet between us.

My heart raced with anticipation about what the hell was happening.

Was this what I hoped it was?

“Yeah," l replied uncomfortably, “I’m not really the dorky girl l was the last time l was here. Then again, l could say you have changed as well.”

He had changed. The older he got, the hotter he was, especially now that he was divorced.

"Interesting." His eyes took me in once more. “So, was Justin your boyfriend?”

My eyes kept drifting down his ripped, toned body. Every muscle was on full display….

I tried not to look, but I couldn't help it when he stood so willingly in front of me.

l shrugged, trying to remain calm. “How did you know?”

“I'm sorry I mentioned him,” he said. “It might make you sad. But he was an idiot for letting a beautiful woman like you go.”

I smiled, pleased by his compliment.

"You have to believe in yourself," he said softly, adjusting the strap of my backpack.

“Thank you. I will.”

It was such a simple gesture, yet it made me blush again.

To hide it from him, I simply said goodbye and walked away, leaving the campus.