Fiction

"What Was Never Mine" explores the dangerous crossing of professional boundaries in academic settings through the story of Maya and her lecturer, Professor Peter. Set at a European university, this narrative explores the thin line between intellectual attraction and other unforeseen consequences deemed inappropriate in academic institutions. Also, it spotlights the balance between personal and institutional responsibilities when ethical lines are crossed. It offers valuable insights into the complexities of power, authority, consent, and accountability in educational environments. "... Each gift Maya accepted from her professor was small enough to seem casual, practical enough to seem necessary, generous enough to feel meaningful. Individually, they could be explained as the kind of thoughtful gestures a mentor might make for a valued research assistant. Together, they began to form a pattern that transformed Maya's living space from temporary shelter to something approaching a home." "... That night, as she sat at her desk under the warm glow of Prof. Peter's lamp, surrounded by his books, sipping coffee from his machine while his plant caught moonlight on the windowsill, Maya understood that she was no longer living entirely on her own resources. Prof. Peter had become woven into the fabric of her daily life in ways that felt both generous and somehow binding". "... She was beginning to belong to someone, even if she couldn't yet admit to herself at that time. She was subtly drifting into someone else's orbit in ways that might not be entirely her own..."