The sun streaming in through Lexi's window forced her to turn her head over. She lifted her eyelids slightly and groaned when she saw the witch's robe and Gryffindor tie she wore the previous night strewn across the floor. The articles of clothing confirmed that last night wasn't just a nightmare that happened during sleep. Last night happened. She groaned again and shielded her eyes from the evidence.
Her thoughts forced her empty stomach to stir and she smacked her dry lips together, trying to rid the sour taste in her mouth. Peering over at the door, she saw a couple of notes at the foot of it, likely tucked in by her family the night prior. She got up slowly and made her way over to her bathroom without bothering to look at the notes.
She stripped out of the blouse, shorts, and stockings she was wearing and chided herself for at least not cleaning up a bit before she collapsed onto the bed. While avoiding looking at herself in the mirror, she stepped into the shower and some semblance of relief instantly washed over her. The searing hot water cascaded over her body and she watched as the dirt from her hair and skin circled into the drain below.
Her mind whirled back to Tom and his expression when he found out she was Bex. She thought about their time spent together and all of the evidence that was right under her nose:
1. There was hardly any information available about him online when she looked him up on her first day of class. And what was available now seemed completely fabricated in hindsight. Was he even twenty-nine? Was he even a legitimate professor or was it all a cover for something bigger?
2. He was right outside the computer labs the night of the party when she got the alert of suspicious activity. This piece of evidence seemed to be one of the biggest flags. Lexi thought about how she wasn't even able to put two and two together.
3. The way he taught the class. She had thought she knew everything there was to know about Advanced Cyber Security. But Tom's knowledge seemed to exceed far above and beyond what was the call of duty.
4. And finally, as much as she hated to admit that her parents might have been right, Tom was indeed Greg's brother. Greg was a man who cheated on his girlfriend so much that the woman had no other choice but to hire a private investigation firm to catch him in the act. While Lexi didn't believe that people should judge someone based on the actions of those around them, her parents had always said, 'Bad company corrupts good morals'. And this may have been the case with Tom and his family.
Lexi frowned and scrubbed her skin as hard as she could with her blue loofa. She was mentally kicking herself for not digging into it more, for not questioning things more, and for not being more alert to how things were between them.
She knew she couldn't possibly sit with the information any longer and needed to tell her family. But something about speaking it out loud seemed like it would be the final confirmation that she hadn't dreamt it up and Tom was in fact a criminal mastermind. Tom had made her feel things she'd never felt before. She opened herself to him, and now all she had were memories tainted by lies.
My life was fine without him! I don't need him! Yet her chest tightened at the thought. A part of her knew it wasn't true. Even after the big revelation, she knew she still cared about him and wanted what was best for him. How messed up is that?
She let out an exasperated sigh as she stepped out of the shower. After throwing on a t-shirt and sweatpants, she picked up one of the notes left under her door. It was on lined paper and written in her mother's handwriting.
We'll have a big, yummy breakfast ready for you when you wake up! We're proud of you for making the right decision.
Love you,
YOU ARE READING
The Love Hack
ChickLit[Complete] A professor x student, feel-good, romantic comedy. *** Lexi was used to working behind the scenes at her family's small private investigation business. While she dreamed of getting on the front lines, like her parents and brother, she...
