When The Clock Strikes Zero!
Beneath the Grey Skies
It was a rainy morning.☔️
William
It’s raining.. [looking outside] ☔️ *🥹*
Professor William stood in his small apartment🏬 ironing his shirt 👔 getting ready for another long day at Stanford University.
At the Age of 33, he was already beginning to feel the weight of life pressing down on him.⚠️
Suddenly his eyes went to a broken picture frame on the table while ironing the shirt. 🖼️
Inside it was a photograph from his honeymoon trip with his wife in Bali—a time that now felt like a distant dream. 💭
He picked up the frame, running his fingers over the cracked glass.
William
Ten years… It’s been almost ten years. 😞
His voice was barely above a whisper. His eyes, heavy with unspoken pain, searched the smiling faces in the picture.🖼️
William
Did you ever love me in these years?😞
William
Was I ever truly your husband?😞
His throat tightened. Tears welled up, but he quickly wiped them away. There was no point in crying over a marriage that had been shattered long ago.
Sighing, he placed the frame back on the table and went back to his chores.🗣️
William Carter was 29 when he married the woman he had loved since high school. Their love had been strong—unshakable, or so he believed. From the moment they met as teenagers, they had been inseparable. Years of laughter, dreams, and promises led them to that moment—their wedding day—where he vowed to love her forever. ❤️
For a while, everything was perfect. Or at least, it seemed that way.
But love, no matter how deep, does not always last. 😞
A year into their marriage, everything began to change. She became distant, her laughter softer, her touch colder. Late-night phone calls, secret messages. things William tried to ignore at first, convincing himself it was just his imagination. But deep down, he knew.
And then, the truth shattered him.
She had fallen in love with someone else. Not a stranger, but someone close—her best friend. The man she had always sworn was just that—“a friend.”
The betrayal cut deeper than he could have ever imagined. She was the only woman he had ever loved, the one he had spent nearly a decade building a future with. And yet, in the end, it wasn’t enough.
Finally they agreed to end their relationship.
But for William, moving on wasn’t so simple.
The woman he had loved for nearly ten years had betrayed him. His heart, once full of love, was now hollow. He fell into a deep depression—drowning in silence, sleepless nights, and a pain that made it hard to even breathe.
Love became something he no longer believed in.
William had known pain long before his failed marriage. Happiness had always been a stranger to him.
When he was just four, his father had walked out on him and his mother, choosing another woman over his family. His mother had struggled to raise him alone, fighting every day just to put a single meal on the table.
Unlike other children, William had no toys to play with, no friends to laugh with—only loneliness as his constant companion.
William toasted his bread, preparing for the day ahead. He had morning classes to teach. Stepping outside, he noticed the rain still falling. He had always loved the rain, so instead of taking his scooter, he decided to walk to the bus stop.
William
A good rainy day to begin with 🌧️
After taking the bus to the university, he arrived to find the campus slowly filling with students
Heading to his office, he marked attendance and signed the necessary paperwork before collecting books from the shelf to prepare for his lecture. A disciplined and organized man, William always ensured he was well-prepared.
Just then, his colleague, Samuel, entered.
Samuel
Will, you’re early today. How are you feeling? Better?
William
Ah, yes, much better. It was just a small headache.
Samuel
I was worried. I called you several times, but you didn’t answer.
William
Oh, really? I didn’t notice. It must have been on silent mode
Samuel
It’s alright. I’m just relieved you’re okay
William smiled, put on his overcoat, and walked away. Heading straight to class, he plugged in the computer and turned on the projector.
Soon, the students arrived, and he began his lecture. They loved his teaching style—he had a way of making even the most boring topics interesting. His kindness and friendly demeanor made him well-liked, and even some of the female students had crush on him.
After class ended, as students were leaving, a girl stepped forward.
Ning len
Professor, can you tutor me on weekends? I scored very low in business.
William
Ning, I’ve stopped tutoring on weekends. My health hasn’t been great, so I had to take a break. I’ll let you know when I start again.
Ning len
It’s okay, Professor. Take care and get well soon! I will ask you later.
Ning Len was a top student, a girl from a wealthy family but she had a habit of making scenes to get William’s attention. She often approached him, asking for favors, and he always found a way to avoid unnecessary trouble. He preferred to keep things simple, steering clear of unnecessary drama.
The new student.
William headed to the university cafeteria.
He ordered a croissant and a coffee.
As he sipped his drink, a commotion outside caught his attention.
A crowd of students had gathered near the entrance.
They seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument with a new student.
William quickly stood up and rushed toward the scene, but before he could intervene, other teachers had already arrived. Seeing the authority figures, the students disappeared immediately.
William
What was that about?
Jacob (colleague)
Just some love drama
Jacob (colleague)
Nothing serious. You should just ignore it
Still curious, William pressed on
William
Who was that new student? And why was he fighting with the Stanford students?
Jacob (colleague)
It was just a misunderstanding i guess. That’s why he got involved in the fight. The other students told us about it. First day of uni and he get in trouble so fast, poor kid!
William didn’t push further and instead continued with his day, preparing for his evening lecture.
Later, during his evening class, William was in the middle of teaching when the clock suddenly struck 00:00. Just then, the door creaked open.
A figure stepped inside—it was the same new student from earlier.
With an easy smirk, the young man walked straight up to William’s desk and asked.
Mike
Am i early, professor?
The girls in the class goes crazy over his looks, they started screaming.
Emily
Omg!! Who’s that!? So handsome.
William
Silence. This is not a playground.
William
Here’s the new student.
William
Introduce yourself to the class.
The student stood beside William, facing the others confidently.
Mike
Hi, everyone. Name’s Mike. Nice to meet you all. Help me out, yeah?
A student in the back called out.
Tessa
Give us your full name! Where are you from?
Mike
It’s Mike Adrian Nguyen kingsley. Born in Britain, and mother tongue is Vietnamese. 6 feet btw. *gave tessa a sudden wink*
Tessa
•blushes• *So handsome*
William nodded, motioning for him to take a seat next to Edward.
William
Alright, class dismissed. If anyone has any doubts about today’s topic, feel free to visit my office.
As William walked toward his office, he heard footsteps following him. Turning around, he saw Mike trailing behind.
Mike
Hey, professor, mind if I take a bit of your time?
Mike leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed.
Mike
Just the notes. I missed the lesson, remember?
William narrowed his eyes.
William
You don’t have time for class, but you have plenty of time to flirt with other people’s girlfriends? How pathetic.
Mike raised an eyebrow, the smirk on his lips widening.
Mike
Oh? You sound jealous, professor. Are you saying you want me to flirt with you instead?
William’s expression hardened.
William
Watch your mouth.
Mike
Relax, sir. It was just a-misunderstanding. She came to me, not the other way around. Her boyfriend saw and lost his mind. I got caught up in it—that’s all. You shouldn’t judge people so quickly… you’re supposed to be the wise one, right?
William
Look, i don’t care what happened and I’m not trying to be rude to you. But I don’t like your flirty behaviour at all. You should give respect to your teachers. Okay? Don’t be a nuisance.
Instead of looking offended, Mike tilted his head and smiled—one of those slow, knowing smiles that made it seem like he was enjoying this far more than he should.
he repeated, stepping closer just enough for William to catch the faint scent of cologne mixed with the freshness of the rain.
Mike
I don’t know, Professor. I think you like nuisances.
William stared at him, unimpressed
William
Go back to class, Winsley
Mike chuckled, giving him a playful salute before turning on his heel.
William let out a long sigh, watching as the troublemaker disappeared down the hall.
Mike Adrian Winsley was going to be a problem.
With that, mike left the office and headed back to class, where he overheard a group of girls whispering about him. One of them suddenly approached.
Emily
Hey, I’m Emily! What was your name again? I forgot
Emily
Oh well it’s adrian.
Mike
If you forgot, then how do you know it’s Adrian?
Emily
I just wanted an excuse to talk to you.
Mike
Call me Mike. Nice to meet you.
And with that, his first day had officially begun.
Digging into trouble
William had always prided himself on his discipline. His life was built on routine—wake up early, teach, grade papers, go home, and repeat.
Since Mike Winsley joined the class, things changed.
Students whispered about him, girls giggled, and even some boys watched him.
At first, it was small—
A smirk. A wave. Sitting back in his chair, staring at William.
But what really annoyed William was how Mike kept trying to get on his nerves.
Mike stayed after class, asking for help he didn’t need.
He leaned too close, smiled when William got upset.
Charming. Reckless. A troublemaker.
Ever since Mike joined his class, and already, William could tell he would be a nuisance. The boy was too confident, too playful, and far too comfortable pushing boundaries.
And today? Today was no different.
It was just after lunch when William walked into his lecture hall, expecting a quiet start to class. Instead, he found the students already buzzing with energy.
And at the center of it all—Mike.
He was leaning back in his chair, legs spread carelessly, smirking as a group of girls giggled around him.
he said, placing his books on the desk.
The students quieted, except for Mike, who was still grinning. He stretched his arms over his head lazily, his shirt riding up just enough to reveal a sliver of toned abs. And slowly caressing it looking at william.
William
Alright, let’s begin
He turned to the board, picking up a marker to write the topic for today’s lecture. Just as he started writing, he heard—
Mike
Professor, you should wear glasses
William paused. Slowly, he turned his head.
Mike was leaning forward now, chin resting on his hand, a lazy smirk playing on his lips
Mike
You’d look hot in glasses.
A few gasps. Some muffled laughter
William’s grip on the marker tightened.
William
You’re disrupting class. Get out.
The students fell even quieter, some exchanging glances.
Mike, however, didn’t seem the least bit affected. In fact—he grinned.
He stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets, and sauntered toward the door. But as he passed William, he leaned in slightly, voice low enough that only William could hear—
Mike
I was just being honest, Professor.
The moment the door closed behind Mike, he turned back to the class.
The students shook their heads quickly, and he continued the lecture as if nothing had happened.
But for the rest of the class
He could still feel Mike’s presence.
And he hated that it bothered him.
The class ended soon. William called one of his students edward whose kind of close with mike to ask him something.
William
Edward, you are closer to mike, right?
William
I mean do you have any idea why is he behaving like this? Like earlier.
William
I wonder what’s his problem with me..
William
Getting on my nerves ever since the first day. I’m so pissed
Edward
Sir, calm down! It’s nothing to worry about. It’s in his personality. The flirting and teasing stuffs. And he does that with every other students. It’s just how he is!
William
But you know, he should at least give some respect to elders..
William
Edward,you know what? You should tell him to behave. Maybe he will listen since you are the only student he knows personally.
Edward
Don’t worry professor. I will warn him. I think he gone too far and it’s time to stop
William was walking down the corridor, heading toward the faculty lounge, when a voice called out—
He sighed before turning around.
Mike stood there, leaning against the wall, looking entirely too amused.
William
What do you want?
Mike
Am I banned from class forever, or just for today?
William
That depends. Are you planning to behave?
Mike tilted his head, pretending to think.
Mike
Mmm… define ‘behave’
William exhaled sharply and turned to leave, but before he could, Mike stepped closer—too close.
he said, voice lower now.
Mike
Afraid of getting flustered?
a slow smirk tugging at his lips
Mike
do I actually make you nervous?
William’s breath caught for just a second. A fraction of a second.
And that was all he needed.
With a knowing grin, he leaned in just a bit more, his lips dangerously close to William’s ear.
Mike
See you in class tomorrow, Professor
Leaving William standing there
And, much to his frustration
William
Oh god! Why do i always have to deal with such nuisances?
William walked into his office, only to find Samuel already there, casually sipping his coffee.
Frustrated, William dropped his books onto the desk with a sigh.
William
I can’t take it anymore
William
That kid is unbearable. I need you to look up more details about him.
Samuel raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. He pulled his laptop closer, typing into the university database.
Samuel
Alright, let’s see what we’ve got.
The two sat together, scrolling through Mike’s student profile.
Samuel
Wait. *eyes widening slightly*
Samuel
He’s half Vietnamese?
William
Yeah, I think so. He mentioned it when he introduced himself in class
Samuel
Will, aren’t you half Vietnamese too?
William
Yeah, my dad is viet
Samuel
No wonder you told me you hated his weird name. It’s probably a mix of English and Vietnamese
The two burst into laughter.
William
I don’t hate his name
William corrected, shaking his head
William
If he keeps up this shitty behavior, I’m calling his mother. Check her number.
Samuel scrolled further down
Samuel
Doesn’t look like he lives with her. Seems like he stays with his father. It’s the father’s number here.
William
Are they divorced or something?
William
It doesn’t matter, let me note his number *saved the number in his phone*
William
Now i feel relieved.
Then Samuel suddenly smirked, leaning back in his chair.
Samuel
Will look, Says here he’s six feet tall.
Samuel
Aren’t six-foot guys your weakness? *his smirk widened*
William shot him a sharp glare
William
Sam, you said that like I’m interested in guys.
William
Hell no, I’m straight.
Samuel
You did tell me you hate women, though. And once, you showed me a picture of a guy and said you like tall men. So I just assumed—
William
That’s nonsense, That was my cousin. He’s super tall, and I’ve always wondered what it feels like to be that tall. That’s all.
The two continued teasing each other, the office filled with laughter—
For a moment, William almost forgot the real problem.
Samuel always had a soft spot for William. He knew everything about him—his struggles, his past. Sometimes, he would tease William just to make him smile, hoping to lift his spirits and keep him from being consumed by his worries.
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