It's Hard to Forget My Lecturer

Luna walked slowly into the classroom filled with students. It was her first day of the new semester, and she had been feeling nervous since morning. The lively campus atmosphere could not dispel the feeling of anxiety that haunted her mind. She had heard many stories about the new lecturer who would be teaching this compulsory course-Prof. Arya. That name alone was enough to make many students shudder. A lecturer who was known to be very strict, often called fierce by his students.

Luna took a seat in the middle row, trying not to stand out too much. She took out her laptop and started opening her notes from the previous semester. The seconds waiting for Prof. Arya's arrival felt like an eternity. The whispers and giggles around the classroom slowly died down as the door to the room creaked open. All eyes were immediately drawn to the tall man who entered with sure steps.

Arya, a man in his early thirties, looked very serious. His face looked firm with facial lines that emphasized his assertiveness, neat black hair, and a pair of glasses that gave an intellectual impression. He put the leather bag on the lecturer's desk and stood straight in front of the class, staring at all the students with a cold gaze.

"Good morning," Arya greeted in a deep voice that was almost without intonation.

"Good morning, Sir," the students replied in unison.

"Let me introduce myself, I am Arya Mahendra. I will be the lecturer for this course for this semester. I don't like small talk. All I demand from you is seriousness. If any of you think you can relax in my class, you should get out now," Arya said without a single smile on his face.

Luna felt a chill spread in the room. Several students looked at each other, some immediately lowered their heads, while others tried not to look nervous.

Arya continued, "I will not tolerate absences, tardiness, let alone careless assignments. I will grade every assignment very strictly, so I suggest you prepare yourselves well. Do you have any questions?"

The class was silent. No one dared to raise their hands or even open their mouths. Luna felt her heart beating fast. How would she survive this class? The question kept spinning around in her head.

After a moment that felt like an eternity, Arya nodded slightly. "Alright. If there are no questions, let's start the lecture. Open your notes and pay close attention."

---

The lecture started quickly, without a pause to breathe. Arya delivered the material fluently, but without any attempt to make it more digestible. Luna tried hard to keep up, but the longer she went on, the more she felt left behind. Every now and then, Arya would ask a student something, and every time that happened, the person he addressed would look nervous, afraid of giving the wrong answer.

When the class ended, Luna felt both relieved and worried. She realized that this semester would not be easy. Most of the students immediately filed out of the room, but Luna remained where she was, feeling the need to reflect on what had just happened.

"Why aren't you out yet?" Arya's voice surprised Luna. She turned her head and saw her lecturer standing beside the table, staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, excuse me, sir. I... I was just thinking," Luna replied in a low voice.

Arya stared at her for a moment before saying, "Don't think too much about it. Focus on the assignments and you'll be fine. This semester will be hard, but it's not impossible to get through. Now, get out, I have another class."

Luna nodded quickly and quickly packed her things. As she walked out of the room, she could feel Arya's gaze on her back. A gaze that seemed to penetrate her mind, reading all the worries and doubts she had.

---

The following days were filled with endless assignments. Luna tried her best to keep up with Arya's rhythm of lectures. Every time she managed to complete one assignment, another one was waiting. Sometimes she felt like giving up, but there was something about this challenge that made her want to keep fighting. Maybe because she didn't want to be seen as a weak student. Or maybe because she was starting to realize, behind his cold and stern demeanor, Arya was a very dedicated lecturer.

One day, after finishing her assignment in the library, Luna decided to stop by the lecturer's office to hand in her assignment in person. When she arrived, the door to the lecturer's office was slightly ajar. She knocked softly, but there was no answer. Finally, he decided to go in.

Inside, Arya was sitting behind his desk, staring at his laptop screen with a serious expression. He didn't notice Luna's presence until Luna stood in front of the desk.

"Excuse me, sir. I came to hand in an assignment," Luna said carefully.

Arya looked up, looking a little surprised, but he nodded immediately. "Put it on the table here."

Luna put her assignment on the table and prepared to leave, but suddenly Arya spoke again.

"Wait a minute, Luna."

Luna stopped and turned her head. Arya opened the assignment he had just handed in and read it quickly. After a few moments, he closed it and looked at Luna with a look that was hard to interpret.

"Your assignment... is better than I expected," Arya said in a tone that was not entirely cold.

"Thank you, sir," Luna replied, feeling both relieved and surprised.

Arya nodded, but this time there was a slight smile on the corner of his lips, although it was barely visible. "Keep up the good work. You have potential."

Luna felt her chest pounding. Getting praise from a lecturer who was known to be fierce like Arya was an extraordinary thing. She left the lecturer's room with mixed feelings-between relief, pride, and something else she didn't fully understand yet.

---

As time went by, Luna began to feel a change in the way she viewed Arya. Behind his firm and strict attitude, Luna began to see another side of her lecturer. Arya always gave constructive feedback, even when he was criticizing. Every word he said, even though it sounded harsh, always had a clear purpose-to encourage students to reach their best potential.

However, the most noticeable change was in Luna herself. She felt more motivated, more eager to prove that she could survive in Arya's class. In fact, the fear she had at the beginning of the semester began to change into a slowly growing sense of admiration.

One afternoon, after class ended, Luna dared to ask Arya about a concept she had difficulty understanding. Arya explained patiently, even longer than he usually did in class. When they were done, Luna felt grateful, and the sense of admiration she felt for Arya grew stronger.

"Thank you, sir. Your explanation was very helpful," Luna said with a smile.

Arya nodded. "You're welcome. Don't hesitate to ask if there's anything you don't understand."

Luna nodded and left the room, but not before she realized that there was something different about the way Arya looked at her. It was no longer just the gaze of a lecturer towards his student. There was something else, something warmer.

---

Days passed, and without Luna realizing it, feelings began to grow in her heart. Feelings that she had initially ignored, but became harder to ignore as time went by. Every time she was near Arya, her heart beat faster. Every time Arya praised her work, Luna felt a happiness that she couldn't explain.

One day, as heavy rain poured down outside the campus, Luna found herself back in the lecturer's room. She planned to wait for the rain to stop before going home, but when she saw Arya working alone at the table, Luna decided to approach him.

"Mr. Arya," Luna called.

Arya lifted his head and smiled faintly, something that Luna was now starting to see more often. "What's wrong, Luna?"

"The rain is really heavy. I think it's better to wait here," Luna replied.

Arya looked out the window, then nodded. "