**Chapter 4: The Morning After**

Emily woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing on her nightstand. She groggily reached over to silence it, but her eyes widened as she saw the text from Coop: "Good morning, beautiful. Hope you're feeling okay. I was thinking about you and wanted to check in." She rubbed her temples, trying to ward off the pounding headache that had developed overnight. What had happened the night before was still a blur, but the memories came flooding back as she sat up in bed. She had slept with Coop, her professor, and she had no idea how to process it. As she lay back down, Emily's mind began to wander to the events of the previous night. She had been so caught up in the moment, so swept up in Coop's charming smile and piercing blue eyes. But now, in the cold light of day, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had made a huge mistake. She tentatively reached for her phone, her fingers trembling as she typed out a response. "Hey, I'm fine. Thanks for checking in." She hesitated before hitting send, wondering if she should say more. But Coop was relentless. His response came almost immediately: "I'm glad to hear that. I was worried about you this morning. Can we talk about last night?" Emily's heart sank. She didn't know what to say to him, or how to explain the mix of emotions that were swirling inside her. She thought about ignoring him, but something about his messages made her feel like she couldn't just brush him off. "I'm not sure," she typed out, trying to stall for time. "I'm still trying to process everything." Coop's response was immediate. "I understand. But I need to see you today. Can we meet up for coffee or something?" Emily felt a surge of panic. She didn't know if she was ready to face him, or if she even wanted to. But at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that she owed him some kind of explanation. "Okay," she typed out, trying to sound casual. "But just for a minute. I have a lot of work to do today." As she hit send, Emily couldn't help but wonder what she had just gotten herself into. She had a feeling that Coop was not going to let her off the hook that easily. The rest of the morning was a blur as Emily tried to focus on her work. But her mind kept wandering back to Coop, and the text messages that kept popping up on her phone. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was in trouble, that she had made a mistake that was going to have serious consequences. As the hours ticked by, Emily found herself growing more and more anxious. She knew that she had to face Coop eventually, but she was scared of what he might say, or what he might want from her. Finally, the moment of truth arrived. Emily's phone buzzed with another text from Coop: "I'm outside your dorm. Can I come up?" Her heart racing, Emily hesitated for a moment before responding. "Yeah, okay." As she waited for Coop to arrive, Emily couldn't help but wonder what the future held. She had a feeling that her life was about to change in ways she couldn't even imagine.