The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn

~CLARA~

"Did you come with Alaric today?" Jenna asks me in the middle of class.

"Why do you ask that?"

"The two of you arrived at the same time." She says in an isn't it obvious tone.

"That was totally coincidental," I inform her.

She smiles, "everyone here doesn't think that."

"What?" I ask her as I look around us. "Are they spreading rumors already?"

She nods, "they think that the two of you are having an affair."

"That's just absurd." I hiss. "What else are they saying?"

"Some girls seem to think that Alaric is divorcing his wife to be with you." She answers me.

I gape at her. This was ridiculous! If it's one thing about the people at our academy, they said the craziest things about people without actually knowing the truth. They made up their little scenarios and tried to make it sound believable.

And yet, everyone else was foolish enough to believe it! Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

"Miss Clara Mae, is there something you'll like to share with the rest of us?" Alaric asks in the middle of class.

My lips parted slightly, and I could feel my cheeks redden.

This was so embarrassing! How many times would I be embarrassed for this day alone?

"No!" I squeak. "Nothing at all."

He nods and returns to teaching.

Jenna looks at me, and I can see her trying to hide her smile. This was anything but funny! It was her fault this happened to begin with. She was the one who started the conversation!

I didn't want to do things to bring so much attention to myself, but in every single class so far, I did precisely that.

At this point, I wasn't surprised that people were spreading rumors about me. I was constantly acting like a retard.

I tried to pay attention without speaking to Jenna for the rest of the class. However, it was difficult to pay attention when my professor was ‘the Alaric Prince.’

How many times have I said his full name in my head for the day?

I was truly pathetic.

I bit my lip as he loosened his tie before drinking water. My eyes were glued to the sexy movement of his throat while he swallowed.

"You're practically drooling." Jenna teases me.

I press my hand against her mouth to shut her up.

I narrow my eyes to warn her not to say something like that again in the middle of class. There were already too many eyes on me. I didn't need to give the people another reason to talk about me.

I can breathe again when the bell signals the end of class. I wait for the rest of the students to walk out the door before I get up from my chair. I notice two girls walk up to Alaric and begin to speak to him. Maybe it's something related to his assignment, or they're probably trying to flirt. Either way, I can feel the jealousy rise.

Couldn't they find someone else to bother?

"Let's go," I tell Jenna as I attempt to leave the classroom.

"Miss Clara!" Alaric calls out to me.

I pause and turn to look at him with wide eyes. Did I somehow get into trouble again?

The other two girls turn to look at me with envy in their eyes. They were upset that he'd called me over while they were still speaking to him.

"Can you excuse me, girls?" He asks them. "We can continue this conversation tomorrow after class."

They nod but turn to glare at me before leaving the classroom.

"I'll meet you outside!" Jenna says as she waves goodbye.

I narrowed my eyes at her; she'd intentionally left me in the room alone with Alaric. It made me extra nervous and aware of him.

"Did I do something wrong?" I ask him cautiously.

He shook his head, "I've just noticed you've been a bit distracted in class recently. Is everything okay? Are my lectures not interesting enough?"

I knew my cheeks were crimson right now.

"Your lectures are perfect!" I blurt out. "I have been paying attention. I'm sorry if it seems that I'm not."

I tuck a strand of hair in my eyes behind my ear, and I'm surprised when Alaric seems to be mesmerized by it for a few seconds before snapping out of it.

Did I imagine that?

He clears his throat and moves to organize some papers on top of his desk. "That's good. I was worried that you hadn't fully recovered from your injuries."

"I'm fine," I reassure him. "I'm okay today because of what you did for me on that day. You protected me. Scarlett told me everything you did, and I'm grateful."

He seems to relax a little. My heart does a little happy dance to know he was this concerned about me.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you later today."

"You will?" I ask as my eyes widen with hope.

He quirks a brow and pauses what he's doing to gaze at me, "Aren't you coming over later to see Scarlett?"

I bit my lip nervously, "Oh yes! See you later then."

I hurriedly rushed out of the classroom before I could embarrass myself further.

I place a hand over my chest and lean against the wall.

What was happening to me?