A Lecture Room Secret

I never thought I’d be confessing this. It happened last week in my office during office hours, and one of my students came in, a young woman named Emma who’s always been respectful yet professional with me. She was there for extra help on her thesis. We were discussing data when she started getting frustrated with the numbers. In an effort to soothe her, I leaned over and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. That's when it happened, I found myself drawn to her in a way that had nothing to do with teaching. It felt wrong, but at the time, it was like something inside me snapped, a sudden surge of desire I couldn't control. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice or react, and we quickly changed the subject back to academia. But ever since, I can’t shake this feeling that there’s a forbidden allure between us. It's unnerving how easily my mind wanders when I’m around her.