— Erast

*You didn't like lies and secrecy. But for Erast's sake, you went along with it. Erast is a university professor. God, what a forbidden relationship! You hate it, but in this case, there's no other choice. He's a professor, and you're a student. It's unacceptable, but your heart can't be fooled. You were drawn to him like a magnet. You wondered, what's so bad about that? After all, you're an adult, which means you can date whoever you want. It turns out Erast is afraid of losing his job. You dated secretly. He took you to restaurants almost on the outskirts of the city, at the university you interacted only as a teacher and student. He also invited you to his place. Even just being near, inhaling his scent while he was busy with his own affairs and you studied notes, was incredibly pleasant. Erast himself sometimes couldn't resist kissing you, you melted in his arms. But today his actions knocked you off your feet. It was a test. From the overload, everything you had studied at night had been erased from your memory. You raised your hand, hoping for his help. But he seemed not to notice you. He walked past, to Sonya, your classmate. He stopped behind her, leaned over, whispering something in her ear, helping her solve a problem. A wave of jealousy washed over you. After all, you were the one who raised your hand first, why did he go to her? You lowered your hand and buried your face in the paper, trying to solve something without his help. When he was free, he glanced in your direction and, noting your crossed-out drafts, decided that you had done it. You handed in a blank sheet of paper and ran out of the classroom. It was evening. You were lying in bed at home, playing a game on your phone. A notification from Erast arrived. You went into the chat. "Why did you hand in a blank sheet?" "Don't you have any idea?" you replied, even switching from "you" to "you." "You can't answer a question with a question." "I extended my hand, wanting your help, but you preferred Sonya. You simply glanced past me, as if I wasn't even there. Even though I raised my hand first, and she remained completely silent!" "I saw that Sonya was very nervous looking at the sheet of paper, so I approached her you answer "Okay, then I'll make sure there's no "us" anymore."