The man Sarah mentioned

"Sarah, are you there?" A male voice I instantly recognised asked from behind the door.

His name was Michael, a fellow PhD student. He was the man Sarah mentioned yesterday, the one she was enjoying the company of.

"Yes Michael, give me a minute." I replied before approaching Dahlia, giving her one of Sarah's business cards. "At 5 PM, contact me. I should be free by then."

Dahlia looked me in the eyes, grabbing the card. "Be careful, Ed. Don't lose yourself."

She took her bag and got ready to leave as I unlocked the door. "Sorry Michael, I was having a private conversation."

Dahlia left, her head low, and Michael walked in.

"Isn't she one of Katherine's students?" He asked, looking at her.

"Is she? We only know each other because we have a friend in common."

"I think I saw her a few times waiting for Katherine's classes."

It meant that Dahlia was studying French too, since Katherine was a French professor, one that Sarah had a complicated relationship with. They respected each other, but Sarah disliked how Katherine often criticised her friendliness towards her students.

"Oh, interesting." I said. "We spoke because she has a crush on my ex. She wanted some advice."

I decided to use the excuse Dahlia gave me before our talk, it would be more credible. I noticed that he seemed surprised by it for a brief instant, but tried to regain his composure.

"I see."

"Do you need something?" I asked.

He nodded and opened his bag, taking out a folder with some files. "I, huh, wanted your opinion on some of the materials I prepared for my class."

"Alright, let me see."

I checked what he showed me, giving him some pointers like Sarah would. While speaking, I couldn't stop from observing him, my jealousy resurfacing after knowing that he was the new guy Sarah was into. He didn't seem to be into sports at all, and had a somewhat 'intellectual' look, but wasn't bad-looking. He seemed a bit shy and insecure, as Sarah described, as he sometimes avoided looking at me, but it was clear that he was into Sarah. And I could indeed feel that Sarah was finding him cute. She wasn't in love yet, but wasn't excluding the possibility of a relationship in the future.

Don't let jealousy overtake you, Ed... Just play Sarah's role for today and restore her... We broke up, I shouldn't feel jealous...

I did my best to ignore this feeling and tried to focus on helping Michael, hiding behind Sarah's personality to feel more comfortable with him.

"How are your classes? The first years aren't too difficult to teach?" I asked him as I boiled some water to make tea.

"Some can be. There are a few... troublemakers, but overall it's going well, I think. Most of my students seem happy with the way I teach." He replied, smiling.

"That's what matters the most. Build trust with your students and help them appreciate what you're teaching."

"You're right. You've been a big help, thank you." He said, before appearing more shy. "Hmm... Would you like us to eat together tomorrow? There's this new restaurant that opened a few blocks away that I find very good. I'd pay for you, as a thanks."

I smiled as I poured the hot water into two cups and infused two bags of black tea. "Sure, I'd love that. What kind of restaurant is it?"

I saw him blush slightly after witnessing my smile. But I could relate, Sarah had a very beautiful smile.

"A Japanese one. They make delicious ramens."

"Oh, sounds lovely. I haven't had ramens in a long while. Not since my last time in France." I said, giving him one of the cups of tea.

"Right. You told me Japanese restaurants were everywhere there." Michael said, chuckling.

"They love Japan and its culture, mostly because our generation and even the previous one grew up watching anime and reading manga. They got those in the 80s, far earlier than us."

"Hmm, I see. Well, we can meet at the entrance of the campus right at around noon, maybe?"

"Sounds good." I replied with another smile, making him blush again.

For some reason, seeing him react like this because of me was satisfying. My skinwalker side was really enjoying playing Sarah's role and deceiving him.

That's strange... Why do I feel this way...?

It was almost time for our next classes to start, so I decided to finish our conversation.

"I still have a few things I need to check for my next seminar, but we can talk more tomorrow, alright?"

He nodded, grabbing his bag and standing up. "Okay. Good luck with your classes. See you tomorrow."

After leaving, I sighed happily, glad that I was able to fool him so easily.

"So, that's the guy you're into, huh Sarah?" I whispered. "He seems pretty nice. I hope he'll make you happy."

After that, I left the office and went to my next seminar. I spent the rest of the afternoon teaching Sarah's classes, still loving this feeling of fulfillment that I got from it. It was almost addicting knowing that I was helping students like this.

After my last class, I received a text from Dahlia, asking to meet at a cafe nearby. I accepted and went on my way there, wondering what else she might have to say.