I stared at the text until the letters started to blur. Room 312. Don't be late, Emma. My thumb hovered over the screen for a second too long. The quad around me buzzed with students laughing and rushing between buildings, but all I could hear was the echo of Logan's voice from the lecture hall. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and kept walking toward the fountain. Tyler was already there, leaning against the stone edge with his hands in his pockets. He spotted me and waved, that familiar easy smile spreading across his face.
"Hey babe," he called out as I got closer. "You took forever. How was the first class?"
I reached him and let him pull me into a hug. His arms wrapped around me the same way they always did, warm and familiar. I hugged him back, but my body felt stiff. The sun beat down on us, bright and hot for a California afternoon. He smelled like the same cologne he had worn for the last two years. I pulled away first and forced a smile. "It was okay. Philosophy 101. The professor went over the syllabus and some basic stuff about questioning everything."
Tyler studied my face for a beat. His smile faded just a little at the corners. "You look kinda pale. Everything alright? You're not still thinking about what happened last weekend, are you?"
I shook my head fast. "No. I'm good. Just tired from moving boxes all weekend and the drive this morning." I looped my arm through his and started walking toward the student union where we had planned to grab lunch. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving."
The path wound past palm trees and groups of students sitting on the grass with laptops open. Tyler started talking about his own morning classes, how his biology lecture was huge and the TA seemed cool. I nodded along, murmuring "yeah" and "that sounds good" at the right spots. But my mind kept drifting back to the lecture hall. The way Logan had said my name during roll call. The way he had looked at me when we were alone afterward. The text still burned in my pocket like it had weight.
He squeezed my hand. "You sure you're okay? You're really quiet."
"I'm fine," I said again. "Just adjusting to the new schedule."
We reached the union and picked a table outside, under an umbrella. I ordered a sandwich and a soda. Tyler got his usual burger and fries. While we waited for the food he pulled out his phone and showed me his class schedule. "Look, we have overlapping free periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We can meet up for coffee or something."
"That sounds nice," I said. I took a sip of my drink when it arrived and tried to focus on him. His eyes were the same brown I had looked into a thousand times. He was trying so hard to make this work after what he did. I knew that. But every time I blinked I saw Logan's face at the podium instead.
The food came and we ate in silence for a minute. He kept glancing at me between bites. Finally he set his burger down. "Emma, talk to me. You've been off since you got to the fountain. Did something happen in class?
My stomach tightened. I picked at the crust of my sandwich. "Nothing happened. It was just a normal first day lecture. Why are you pushing this?"
"Because I know you," he said. His voice stayed even but I heard the edge creeping in. "After everything last weekend I figured you might need time, but you said we were good. You forgave me. Now you show up looking like you ran a marathon and you won't look me in the eye for more than two seconds."
I put my sandwich down. "I forgave you, Tyler, I did. But that doesn't mean I'll forget it in five minutes. I walked in on you with another girl the same day I got my acceptance letter. Give me a second to breathe."
He leaned back in his chair. "I get that. I do. But you're acting like you're hiding something. Did you meet someone already? First day and you're already talking to other guys?"
The question hit me harder than I expected. I felt my cheeks heat up. "No. I didn't meet anyone. I sat in a lecture hall with two hundred other students and listened to a professor talk about Socrates. That's it."
His eyes narrowed. "Then why do you look guilty? Your face is red right now. You're doing that thing with your hands where you twist your ring when you're lying."
I stopped twisting the ring on my finger. "I'm not lying. You're the one who cheated, remember? Not me. I'm trying to move on like we said."
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a short laugh that didn't sound amused. "Yeah, well it doesn't feel like you're trying. You barely kissed me back when I hugged you. You haven't asked me anything about my classes. It's like you're somewhere else."
I pushed my plate away. The sandwich suddenly tasted like cardboard. Around us other students laughed and talked, completely normal. I wished I could be that normal right now. "Maybe I am somewhere else. Maybe walking in on you fucking someone else on your couch is still fresh in my head. Sorry if I'm not bouncing back fast enough for you."
Tyler's jaw tightened. "I said I was sorry. I begged on my knees. I told you it was a stupid mistake and it won't ever happen again. What more do you want from me?"
"I want you to stop interrogating me like I'm the one who did something wrong," I snapped. My voice rose a little and a couple people at the next table glanced over. I lowered it again. "I forgave you. We packed up and moved here to start fresh. But the second I'm quiet for five minutes you jump to me talking to other guys. That's not fair."
He leaned forward, elbows on the table. "It's not fair? Emma, you ran out after you saw me and didn't answer my calls for hours. Then you came back and said yes to starting over. If you changed your mind just tell me. Don't sit here acting distant and make me guess."
I stared at him. The words I wanted to say stuck in my throat. I couldn't tell him about the bar. I couldn't tell him about the hotel room in San Francisco or the man who had touched me like he already knew every part of me. I couldn't tell him that the professor who just called my name in roll call was the same guy. So instead I said, "I didn't change my mind. I'm here. I'm trying."
"Trying looks a lot like checking out," he muttered.
That one stung. I stood up fast, grabbing my bag. "You know what? Maybe I need a minute alone. I'll see you later."
He stood up too. "Emma, wait. Don't walk away like this."
I was already turning. "I need air. You keep pushing and I'm going to say something I regret."
He reached for my arm but stopped short. "Fine. Go. But when you're ready to actually talk like adults, you know where to find me."
I walked away without looking back. My legs carried me across the quad again, past the fountain, past groups of students who had no idea their first day was going this badly. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out expecting another message from Tyler. It was the unknown number again.
Room 312. Tomorrow at four. I'll be waiting.
I stopped under a tree and read it twice. My heart beat harder. I deleted the message fast, then opened my contacts and blocked the number before I could think too long about it.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. I went to my next class, sat in the back row, and took notes on autopilot. When it ended I walked back to the apartment I shared with Tyler near campus. He wasn't there yet. I dropped my bag on the couch and went straight to the shower. The hot water ran over me but it didn't wash away the knot in my stomach.
By the time he came home that evening, I'm already preparing dinner. Pasta and sauce from a jar, nothing fancy. He walked in, set his keys down, and looked at me across the kitchen counter.
"You cooled off?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. I stirred the sauce. "Sorry I snapped earlier. First day was a lot."
He came around the counter and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned back into him out of habit. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have pushed. I just… I'm scared of losing you after what I did."
I turned off the stove and turned around in his arms. "We're okay. Let's eat and watch something."
We ate on the couch and put on a show we both liked. Tyler laughed at the jokes and rested his hand on my knee. I laughed too, but it felt forced. Every time the screen went dark for a second I saw Logan's face instead of the actors.
Later that night we lay in bed, he fell asleep first, his breathing steady beside me. I stared at the ceiling in the dark. My phone sat on the nightstand, silent now that I had blocked the number. But I still knew the room number. 312. Four o'clock tomorrow.
I rolled over and closed my eyes tight.
The next morning came too quick. I went through my classes on autopilot again. By three thirty I found myself walking toward the philosophy building even though I told myself I wouldn't. The hallways were quieter this time of day. I stopped outside Room 312. The door was closed. My hand hovered near the knob.
I could turn around right now. Go find Tyler. Stick to the fresh start we promised each other.
My fingers brushed the cool metal.
Before I could decide, the door opened from the inside.
Logan stood there, shirt sleeves rolled up again, eyes locking on mine. "You're early," he said. His voice stayed low and even. "Come in."
I stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind me.
The small office smelled like coffee and old books. A desk sat against one wall covered in papers and a laptop. Two chairs faced each other. Logan leaned against the desk and crossed his arms.
"You blocked my number," he said.
I set my bag down on the chair. "I had to. Tyler was asking questions after class yesterday. He noticed something was off."
Logan's jaw tightened for a second. "What did you tell him?"
"Nothing. I said it was just a long day." I crossed my arms too, mirroring him without thinking. "This is why we can't do this. I have a boyfriend. You're my professor. We made a mistake that night and now we move on."
He didn't move closer but the space between us felt smaller anyway. "You walked into my class two days after I had you in that hotel bed. You think we can just pretend that didn't happen?"
"I have to," I said. My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I forgave Tyler and we're together. I'm not throwing that away because of one night."
Logan watched me for a long moment. "One night," he repeated. "Is that what you're calling it?"
The air in the office felt thick. I could hear my own heartbeat. Outside in the hallway someone walked past, shoes clicking on the tile. The sound faded.
Logan straightened up from the desk. "If that's what you want, then say it clearly. Tell me to forget it. Tell me you won't come here again."
I opened my mouth. The words sat right there but they wouldn't come out.
My phone started ringing in my bag. The sound cut through the quiet. I pulled it out. Tyler's name flashed on the screen.
I silenced it fast.
Logan's eyes stayed on me. "You should probably answer that."
I didn't. The phone stopped ringing. A text came through right after.
Tyler: Where are you? I thought we were meeting at the library after your last class.
I looked up at Logan. The office felt even smaller now.
He took one step closer. "Your choice, Emma."
I swallowed hard. My hand tightened around the phone.
The hallway outside went quiet again. No more footsteps. Just the two of us and the closed door.
I still hadn't answered Tyler's text.