Chapter 22
Chiamaka's morning started like any other, with a determined resolve to keep her distance from Professor Eze. She arrived at campus early, choosing a seat at the back of the lecture hall, carefully avoiding his usual path. Her fingers fidgeted with her pen as she tried to focus on the notes before her, but her thoughts kept drifting.
Every time he entered the room, tall and commanding, her chest tightened. He walked through the aisles, as if scanning the students, eyes dark and calculating—but he didn't linger on her this time. Yet, just the mere presence of him sent ripples of heat through her body.
"Focus," she muttered to herself under her breath, tapping the pen against the desk. You can do this. You can resist.
After class, Chiamaka moved quickly toward the library, hoping to lose herself in books and study. The campus was relatively empty, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the grounds. She rounded the corner, heart racing, and froze.
Professor Eze was leaning casually against a wall, dark eyes fixed on her, an almost predatory smile on his lips.
"You're avoiding me," he said, voice low and smooth, carrying an intensity that made her knees weak. "But you can't hide from desire, Chia. Not from me."
Chiamaka's chest tightened. She opened her mouth to speak, to insist she wanted distance, but the words faltered. His presence, that familiar pull, threatened to undo every ounce of control she had.
"I… I have to study," she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Study can wait," he said, stepping closer. "Some lessons… can't be found in books."
Her resolve wavered. Every nerve screamed to give in, to feel the warmth of his hands, the intensity of his gaze, the forbidden pull that had consumed her for weeks. Yet, the guilt for Tunde—the trust, the love, the life she had outside of him—pressed heavily on her conscience.
"I… I can't," she said again, trying to take a step back.
"Then let me tempt you," he murmured, dark and teasing. "Let me remind you what it feels like to want something you shouldn't… and crave it anyway."
Her heart raced uncontrollably. She wanted to resist, to walk away and return to the safety of Tunde's world, but her legs refused to obey. Every step closer he took, every subtle brush of his hand, and every low whisper chipped away at her resolve.
"You're stronger than this," he said softly, reading her like an open book. "But strength isn't denying desire… it's knowing when to surrender."
Chiamaka's lips parted, a tremor running through her. She wanted to argue, to fight it, to escape—but she didn't. The magnetic pull between them was too strong, too intoxicating, too dangerous to resist any longer.
He leaned in, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I can wait for you… but not forever. Desire doesn't follow schedules, Chia. It waits for no one."
Her hands trembled. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to center herself, to fight the heat that threatened to consume her. But when she opened them, he was closer, closer than she had ever allowed him, and she felt the undeniable truth: her distance was cracking.
The bell signaling the next lecture rang, pulling them both back to reality. Chiamaka exhaled shakily. "I… I need to go," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He smiled, a dark, knowing curve of his lips. "Soon, Chia. Soon, you won't be able to resist."
As she walked away, heart pounding, every step felt like a battle. Her mind raced with guilt, excitement, fear, and longing. She knew that her resolve was fragile, and with every encounter, the danger of giving in grew stronger.
Later that evening, she sat in her hostel, textbooks open but ignored. Her phone buzzed—another message from him:
"Cracks are just the beginning. Resistance is temporary. Desire… is permanent."
Chiamaka's fingers trembled as she read it. She wanted to delete it, to resist, to focus on Tunde, on exams, on normalcy—but she couldn't. The pull was relentless.
As she lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, she realized something undeniable: keeping her distance was becoming impossible. Every secret message, every fleeting look, every stolen moment tugged at her heart and body, unraveling the walls she had built to protect herself.
The web of temptation, desire, and forbidden intimacy was closing in, and Chiamaka knew one truth with painful clarity: sooner or later, she would have to decide what—or who—she truly wanted.
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Cliffhanger: Chiamaka's efforts to maintain distance begin to falter, showing cracks in her resolve as Professor Eze's pursuit intensifies. Readers are left wondering if she will give in, and how Tunde might react if he discovers the growing intimacy.
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