Lessons With the Professor (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic)

Chapter 2

I roll over to rays of sunshine streaming in through the curtains, casting a soft white aura on the entire room. My suitcase is still resting in the corner gathering dust since I arrived last night, stopping only to get changed and freshen up before blacking out again on the still-bare mattress. Groaning with the effort, I sling an arm over the bedframe and reach for my phone, discarded on the floor along with my leggings. The time sears into my eyes: a quarter past ten in the morning.

Shit! Didn't my first class of the day start at 10 am? Stumbling out of bed, I almost fall to the floor in my hurry, darting to the bathroom while still struggling to put my leggings back on, hopping around the room like a maniac. I splash ice water on my face, trying to wake myself up, but as soon as I bury my face in the towel to dry it off, I can feel my eyelids starting to droop again. I smack myself straight across the face, the stinging bringing color to my cheeks. There, that should keep me alert. 

Get up Reyna, get UP! I scream at myself, digging in my backpack for the right binder. In my hurry, the side of the textbook runs across my forearm, giving it an angry red scar that would soon start to bleed. Struggling to get the right foot in the right shoe, I eventually give up and swoop my Keds up in my hand, cursing all the way along and perching my materials precariously in my hands. Taking off at a run through the corridors of the dormitory, I'm wearing only socks, and can feel the slap of the pavement on my arches.  

If not for having memorized my schedule and the map of the campus, I wouldn't have made it in the fifteen minutes it took to rush to the B wing, where all the English department classes were. Coming face to face with a little golden plaque that reads "Professor T. Hiddleston", it's only then I realize I haven't brushed my hair. Face already flaming with the exertion of my morning exercise, I knock once on the door before turning the handle, still shoeless.

"...The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!" A honeyed voice rings out with a flourish, just as I step into the classroom. It must belong to the professor, for he is the only one with a triumphant look on his face; but I wouldn't discredit the other students, who all have their mouths gaping open, no doubt by seeing the state of me. The tall man strides over with a stern look, and I try to calm my rapidly beating heart. He was beautiful, no doubt about it; copper hair framed his face, with angled cheekbones and the beginnings of a beard. It gave a sharp contrast to his much paler skin, and his slender fingers were grasping what looked like a battered copy of a book.

"You're the new student, yes?" His mouth is set in a firm line, but his sparkling eyes give him away. 

"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir, I was just-" Staring down at my socks, I realize they're covered with grass stains, showing even through black fabric. First impressions, completely out the window? Check.

"Sleeping in, it looks like." Chuckling, he turns to the class, where a few titters can be heard, especially from the girls who were all clustered together in the back of the room. "Class, this is...Reyna Carlton, yes?" He looks at me for confirmation, and I meekly nod. "Reyna is new here, so please give her a warm welcome."

"I'll give her a warm welcome when you give me one, Professor!" an audacious girl drawls, catching his eye before massively winking at him, all while twirling her strawberry blond hair. Oh dear lord. It was going to be one of those classes. 

"Silence, Evelyn." Somehow while all of this played out he's moved close enough to stand next to me. His lean figure overshadows mine, and I jump. "Now, I would ask Reyna to introduce herself, but it's too late into class to do that, so that'll be the first thing on the agenda next time." Leaning closer, his voice washes over my ears, making me tremble. "But if she can give context as to what I was saying just a few minutes before she walked in, perhaps I'll spare her the embarrassment." Was that a challenge in his voice?