Crossing Into Forever

Chapter 25

It was Friday afternoon and classes let out early. Nicholas and the headmaster were in the headmaster's office discussing the events of the afternoon and the week. Luckily it had been a quiet week so far, though he did need to have a talk with Professor Addison today, about Ella. It seems the professor had taken quite a liking to Ella. Nicholas had heard some talk, that the professor had been being a little too friendly with her. He knew Ella was not at all accustomed to dealing with the advances of any male, much less a grown man. He had been told that the professor took every opportunity to touch her or brush up against her. He would say things to her that, even though she couldn't pinpoint the meaning, made her feel ill at ease. It had been passed on to Nicholas that Ella had tried to tell the professor that she felt uneasy with his familiarity and the way he treated her. When she did this though, he took the opportunity to place his arm around her and tell her that he never intended to make her feel uncomfortable and that indeed, he would never allow anyone to hurt her or treat her inappropriately. He had been caught by Millicent and Sibylla, shamelessly eyeing her up and down on more than one occasion. Ella had requested that she and her friends get to sit in the back of his classroom, but the professor denied this request, citing a lack in space, even though there were plenty of places for them to sit. Therefore, she requested that just she be allowed to sit in the back, but again, her request was denied. Ella had discussed her aversion to the professor with her friends many times, and that she dreaded his class now. They even tried keeping her away from the professor's constant touching, but he always found a reason to get close to her. That was when one of them decided to take her concerns to the doctor. Even though she didn't think Ella would have approved, she did it without her knowing.

Nicholas had informed the headmaster that he would be taking this issue up with Professor Addison later today. The headmaster was glad he had decided to intervene. He had always known the professor had a reputation for being handsy with the female students, but up until now, he had never been so bold, and there was always a hesitancy among the students to make the claim against him. He surmised that Addison relied on Ella's sweet nature to not want to cause any trouble or make such an accusation against anyone. This made him even more of a danger to her. He himself left these sorts of things up to Nicholas. Of course, he was always there if he needed any assistance in any matter.

Now that the end of their meeting had come Nicholas decided to go directly to Professor Addison. He had plans for this evening and he wasn't going to chance anything ruining them.

Professor Addison was in his office and had been trying to decide his next move with Ella. He thought maybe he would hold her after class another day but that gave him little time to spend with her. He needed time to awe her with his charm and charisma. So far, she had been the most resistant to his advances and this made him more determined to seduce her. He would have to be careful though, because he had heard that Dr. Moustakas seemed to be keeping a close watch on Ella. No one really knew why. He didn't dote on her, and he wasn't more lenient toward her. He wasn't necessarily nicer to her, but he did check on her often. He decided the doctor, like himself, probably thought Ella was intriguing because of her innocent demeanor. He scoffed at the idea of the doctor being able to woo the girl, because in his mind, that is exactly what he was up to. He considered himself much more of a lady's man and much more handsome than the doctor. He would just have to go find his own......... because he considered Ella his next conquest.

Nicholas had made his way to the area of the school that held the first-year university student's classrooms. He approached the other professor's room and knocked on the door. He entered before anyone had a chance to answer.

The other man was sitting at his desk and had opened his mouth to blurt out an angry objection to anyone that would dare come through his door before being acknowledged. However, when he saw it was Nicholas, he immediately looked flustered. He tried to hide his apprehension, but he wasn't very successful. He had always feared the doctor but thought he had obscured the feeling with his extraordinary gallantry and wit. To make matters more alarming for the professor, the doctor had no trace of a smile on his face. He actually had quite an ominous expression, and this sent a chill along his spine.