Rylan's lesson dragged on, but Aria's attention wasn't on the board. Her pencil danced across her sketchbook, capturing something far more interesting than design theory.
"Just a little more…" she whispered, sticking her tongue out as she shaded. Then she frowned. I need to see his eyes first…
She looked up and called softly, "Sir?"
Rylan paused mid-word on the board, turning to face her. His dark eyes locked onto hers, intense and unyielding.
"Yes?" His voice was low, smooth — like velvet over steel.
Aria grinned, then quickly sat back down. "Nothing, sir," she replied, returning to her sketch.
Rylan's lips curved into a small, unreadable smile. He watched her fingers move across the paper for a moment longer, then turned back to the board, continuing the lesson as if nothing had happened.
---
After class, he asked her to wait before leaving. The room emptied until it was just the two of them.
Rylan leaned casually against the edge of her desk, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him.
"Drawing in my class… how disrespectful," he said with a smirk.
Aria froze, glancing up at him, shocked. "B-but… how did you know I was drawing?"
"I always know," he replied smoothly. "What were you drawing?"
"I won't tell you, sir," she said, cheeks pink. "It's confidential."
Rylan's smile deepened, that faint dimple showing again. He leaned back slightly. "Guess you're not the only one keeping secrets."
Aria blinked, confused. "So… I can go? That's it? You just wanted to ask about my drawing?"
His voice dropped, low and husky, brushing against her ear. "If you want… we could do more than talk."
Her face flushed a deep red, and she scrambled from the desk, practically running out of the classroom.
Rylan chuckled softly, watching her disappear down the hallway. "Cute," he murmured to himself.
---
Later, Rylan pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Find out everything about her," he ordered. "I want the information by noon."
A voice replied, teasing, "Say please."
Rylan smirked. "Come on, Ed. Just do it."
"If you won't say please, I'm hanging up," Ed shot back.
Rylan sighed, mock-reluctant. "Fine… please."
"Now, was that so hard?" Ed laughed before hanging up.
Rylan's eyes glinted. "No," he murmured. "Not at all."
At home, Aria collapsed onto her bed, utterly exhausted. Her bag fell to the floor, and she grabbed her sketchbook, flipping it open to the page she'd been working on earlier.
She stared at the drawing of Rylan's eyes, smudging the pencil just slightly to make them even more intense. Then, carefully, she pasted it into her personal collection of sketches.
"No doubt," she murmured to herself, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "The new professor really has good features… I should draw him a lot."
Satisfied, she tucked herself under the blankets and drifted off to sleep.
---
A voice jolted her awake.
"Aria! Are you in your room? Come down here!"
She groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Mommy, I was in the middle of a sleep that was gonna be amazing."
Her mom rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Who sleeps in the afternoon anyway? Look at these."
She held out a stack of pictures. "These are some of your dad's friends' sons. We're thinking of setting you up with one of them. What do you think?"
Aria glanced at the pictures lazily. "They're all… ugly," she said bluntly.
Her mom frowned. "Aria! You didn't even really look. Just look at them." She handed her the photos again.
Sighing dramatically, Aria studied them. "Okay… they're pretty, but… not enough for me."
Her mom raised an eyebrow. "Then what's your type? I'll ask your dad to find him."
Aria smirked, tossing the sketches aside. "Anyone who can stalk me, knows everything about me… and is extremely handsome."
Her mom blinked, speechless. Aria simply got up and walked back to her room, humming softly, unaware that someone just like that was already watching her every move.