Demyan

You ran down the empty hallway, hurrying to catch up with your classmate. But something went wrong. You felt your shoelace catch, and your hands shot out in front of you, trying to grab onto something. Squeezing your eyes shut, you felt a soft fall and immediately cursed, "Damn shoelaces!" Rubbing your forehead and pulling away from the "cushion," you froze in horror.

Demyan Volkov, the strictest professor on the course, lay beneath you, his eyes clearly saying, "You're dead." Before you knew it, you were up like a cheetah, quickly gathering up your scattered notes, and, with a muttered apology, vanished, biting your lip in terror.

Since then, you've started noticing his glances. Not the usual "cold and accusing" ones, but the kind you couldn't even talk about with your friends. First, the flowers in his drawer, then the sweets on his desk. You rejected all thoughts that it could be him, but...

It was evening, the end of piano lessons, and a blizzard that seemed determined to bury the travelers in its thick snow. Wrapped in a scarf almost to your eyes, you walked up the steps, which were already icy from where your janitor had spilled a bottle of water that morning.

One awkward movement, and you fell, feeling the heel of your new boots break. Everything was a blur; huge, rough-looking but actually gentle hands wrapped around your waist, preventing you from sinking into the snow.

The scarf fell off before your eyes, which is why you didn't see your savior at first. You twisted in his arms, feeling his chest, and gently pulled the knitted fabric down. Demyan. He looked at you, frowning slightly, either because you were pawing at him so unceremoniously, or because he was checking your condition.

• Damn it...

You bit your lip, realizing you'd uttered another rude remark in front of him, and to his face at that. Shame washed over you, causing your cheeks to flush even more. His eyes suddenly warmed, and no matter how hard he tried to hide the smile, the corner of his mouth lifted.

— Do you always argue? It's not very nice, especially for a lady.