Monday mornings were always chaotic, but for Avery, this one felt… heavier. Or maybe it was just her nerves. After the honeymoon and everything that had happened, stepping back into Axel's classroom made her stomach flutter in a way she didn't like—or maybe did.
Axel leaned casually against the front desk, his chestnut hair slightly messy, the red streak at the side catching the light just enough to make him look effortlessly dangerous. His blue eyes swept over the classroom, and when they landed on Avery, her cheeks immediately heated. She quickly looked down, pretending to organize her notebook.
"Good morning, class," he said smoothly. "Let's start with IT. Who can tell me the difference between a compiler and an interpreter?"
Jude shot his hand up instantly. "A compiler translates the whole program at once, sir, while an interpreter translates line by line!"
"Correct," Axel nodded. "Very sharp today, Jude. Avery?"
Her stomach twisted as all eyes turned to her. "An interpreter stops at the first error and shows it immediately," she said, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Excellent," he said, flashing her a subtle grin. She felt it like a warm push straight to her chest.
Then Clone, ever the troublemaker, raised a hand with a cheeky grin. "Sir… can I ask something personal?"
Axel's eyebrow shot up. "Depends. How personal?"
Clone leaned forward, smirking. "About the honeymoon! Did you… enjoy it?"
The room erupted with muffled snickers. Avery buried her face in her hands, wishing the floor would swallow her whole.
Axel tilted his head, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "Hmm… I don't know," he said smoothly. "Why don't you ask Avery? I think she has a lot to say on the matter."
The students lost it. Laughter bounced off the walls, and Avery could feel her ears burning through her hair. She peeked up at Axel, who was giving her that teasing look—eyes sharp, corners of his lips up, just daring her to answer.
"I… it… it was… fine?" she stammered, cheeks red.
"Fine?" Axel laughed softly, shaking his head, his voice warm but teasing. "Just fine? Avery, come on… you can do better than that. It was educational, wasn't it? Lots of… cooperation?"
Avery groaned, her hands flying to her face. "Sir! Stop!"
Clone snickered from the back. "Wow, sir really can't keep his cool around Avery, huh?"
"Oh, I can," Axel said, glancing at her with mock seriousness. "But apparently, she has a lot more to say on the subject than I do."
The room exploded again. Avery sank into her seat, mortified but secretly laughing at how effortlessly Axel made her blush. His teasing was light, playful, and somehow… thrilling. He didn't humiliate her—he included her. And somehow, that made it worse… in a good way.
For the rest of the class, Axel kept sneaking little jokes her way—calling her "my expert on cooperation," giving her side glances that made her heart thud, and teasing Clone back when he made snide remarks. Every time Avery tried to focus on the IT lesson, she caught herself watching Axel instead, smiling despite herself.
By the time the bell rang, she knew one thing: she was completely at Axel's mercy. And part of her… didn't mind at all.