Lines We Shouldn't Cross

lectures, still offered guidance to students in office hours, and still attended faculty meetings. But there was an energy humming beneath

and wondering if he had felt even a fraction of the thrill I had. Every time I walked past the café or dow

ourse, he

I th

quiet moment before my first class. But as I opened the door, I stopped in my tracks. There

around the strap of my bag. It felt as though the entire room had shrunk around us, his presence filling the space so

eading across his face. "I was begi

hat made me acutely aware of the dozens of small glances other faculty member

my own cup of coffee. My hand shook slightly as I poured it, the hot liquid sloshing dan

my spine. "Maybe. But I find it hard to believe I haven

t that he had noticed my absence. I took a careful sip of my coffee, keeping my gaze steady, hopin

"Touché, Ms. Morgan. It seems you're

d, surprising myself with the honesty in my

ensity that made me feel as though he was trying to peel back each of my carefully

lmost as if testing the word. "Well

ht off guard. "

s, even those who seem the most free are trapped in some w

me, I saw a vulnerability in him, a hint of something deeper beneath his confident exterior. And I found

t broke, and Michael straightened, his easygoing smile slipping back into place. "I have to get going," he said,

ut I forced a smile. "Of

the cleaning staff making their rounds and the soft tapping of my fingers on the desk. I'd tried to focus on my notes to prepare for to

eeded to be. The diligent professor, the supportive colleague, the composed professional. An

er party. Normally, I'd politely decline, preferring a quiet evening at home with a good book or an o

slipped my phone back into my bag, I felt a small surge of excitement, a thrill that reminded

o arrive. There was a different energy in the room this time-a mix of excitement and anticipation that seemed to crackle i

with a warm smile, but as he began his lecture, I could see a flicker of somethin

things that made us unique. His voice was passionate, filled with conviction, and for a moment, I felt as t

l it landed on me. For a split second, our eyes met, and I felt a jolt of r

a few of us lingering behind. I gathered my things slowly, hoping for a chance to talk to him one las

n a passing encounter. He was a guest lecturer, here for a brief moment, and then off to the next city, the

d been opened, a question raised that I couldn't ignore. I had glimpsed a world beyond my careful routines, a life

us, I felt a sense of resolve settle in my chest. Michael Rivers might be gone

own, that this was