Chapter Text
Lilia Calderu. She was your English professor, yes, but she had also quickly become your biggest fascination. You were only a few weeks into the semester…but you were already losing your mind trying to rack your brain for essay ideas.
It’s not that Professor Calderu was a hard teacher, per-say. At least no more than your prior English professors - but - due to your quickly growing feelings for her, all you could do was stress about whether or not your writing was going to be good enough for her. Honestly, what were you thinking? She doesn’t care about your writing. No more than anyone else’s. Your work is no different than the other hundred pages passing over her desk everyday. Or is it? Maybe it could be. And that’s why you had to make a good impression.
God - it was almost embarrassing how wrapped around Lilia’s finger you already were. You weren’t sure exactly what drew you to her, but you loved it all. Her curly hair that had turned mostly gray, usually pinned up in a clip. The rings that so perfectly encased her fingers….not that you were paying attention. The glasses that were always perched close to the end of her nose. Her nose; what really pulled you in to begin with. Her clothing. Often colorful flowing fabrics that you could only describe as entirely Lilia.
The sudden sound of the other students beginning to pack up their things snapped you back into reality. You had been so caught up in your thoughts that you didn’t realize the lecture was almost over already. Her class always seemed to go by far too quickly. You were always the last to leave…which you knew was only because you wanted to be in her presence as long as possible. By the time you were packing up your laptop and notepad, the room was mostly empty. Perfect. You waited until the last few students trickled out to start walking towards Professor Calderu’s desk. You wanted to discuss essay ideas, and more than that, you wanted an excuse to talk to Lilia. You had hardly shared two words yet, you couldn’t ever think of a good enough reason to talk to her. But now that you had a bigger project coming up, you had the perfect excuse.
Lilia was looking at the paperwork on her desk as you made your way over. Her head quickly turning upward when she noticed your presence. “Ah - y/n, is there something I can help you with?” If only she knew…“Yes, actually! I was struggling to select a topic for our next project, and I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on what I have?”
She had a soft smile on her face, her eyes were virtually sparkling, and she smelled like cardamom and gardenia. It was delicious.
“Of course, baby. Do you want to give me what you’ve got so far and I’ll try to help you decide?” You nodded, and she was reaching her arm out for your notes. Baby? Did she call other students baby? Probably. You scrambled in your bag to try and find the correct sheet to give her. You forgot that next to your notes, you had a printed article on power dynamics in sexuality. You grabbed your notes as quickly as possible and shut your bag, but you knew there wasn’t a chance that Professor Calderu didn’t at least catch a glance.
“Power Dynamics in Sexual Relationships? Researching, y/n?” You practically choked on air. Trying to play it off with a laugh, you began your explanation. “Yeah..it’s just research for my psychology class. We’re discussing human sexuality and we all had to select a sub-topic to further research.” It was true, you were discussing human sexuality, but the article was only because of her. You were just doing harmless research. Lilia nodded and hummed, her nose pointing upwards in a way that was driving you insane. “I see. Did you discover anything interesting?” She was just making conversation, her tone steady and casual. You, on the other hand, were turning red simply from her question. “U-uh. Yeah. I guess? There was a lot of information on how..power dynamics, even in..uh.. just sexual relationships, can determine compatibility. That was kinda interesting.” You shrugged your shoulders, trying to be as collected as possible. “That does sound interesting. I can see how that would be an issue..” You nodded. Again. It was all you could do.
“So, y/n. Back to your paper for my class. It seems like you have some good options so far. Any of these would work, but that’s not going to help you narrow it down. I see all of these are related to witches, so - what motivated you to consider these options?” You had picked three. The Salem witch trials, The Scotland trials, and the publication of Malleus Maleficarum. “I’ve just always been fascinated by witches I guess? I’ve spent a lot of my life reading about them, so it’s also a pretty familiar topic.” She had a curious look on her face. Her head was slightly turned to the right. She seemed genuinely interested. It made your heart race.
“I admire your appreciation. Witches are an important piece of history, and they’re often overlooked. But - let me ask you this. Why are you turning to something you already know so well? It is my intention to make my students think. To make them branch out. To make them soak up as much new knowledge as possible while I have them.” You lifted a brow. “I guess I hadn’t thought of that. I guess I turn to it because of my interest. But you’re right. I should explore new ideas. If I get different ideas, could I speak to you after our next class about them?”
Lilia smiled. She felt rewarded when her words actually clicked with a student. She didn’t know it, but you would latch on and follow almost anything she threw your way. “I can do you one better.” She stopped for a moment, ripping a piece of paper and writing something on it. She handed you the paper. “This is my number. Text me with your ideas, and when we have an idea that will work, you can come over for tea and I’ll help you research myself.” Your head almost started spinning. If you heard her correctly…your professor, who you were far too attracted to, just invited you over. Okay. Be composed.
“Y-yeah. That..that sounds good. Uh. I have psych class in ten minutes, but thank you for your help! I’ll make sure to reach out when I find ideas.” “No worries. I’m here to answer questions for inquisitive minds. Which, after this conversation, I’m certain yours is. Have a good class. I’m sure you’ll nail it, baby. You seem to have a good grasp of your topic.” You smiled. You knew you were blushing. There wasn’t any fighting it. The way she enunciated the word “topic” made your stomach twirl. Calderu was going to be a problem.