“This way then,” he said, and placed his hand on the small of my back for just a second.
We walked in silence for a few minutes. Every now and then I’d stumble a little in my heels and his hand would briefly touch the small of my back again. Each time he did, I felt like my heart would beat out of my chest.
“I’m not good at giving speeches,” I said, finally breaking the silence. “I feel like I should just drop your class.”
“I wish you wouldn’t. If you ever need extra help, I have open office hours. I really am a fairly easy grader for Comm.”
“It’s going to be extra painful when you fail me, though.”
“Why extra painful?” He said “extra” slowly, almost seductively.
“Because you… I mean I. Well, you’re…” I let my voice trail off. I wanted to say, “Because you’re gorgeous and I have a huge crush on you.” I can’t believe I almost let him hear me say that.
“Well it does seem that you aren’t great at giving speeches,” he laughed again. “Like I said, you can come by any time.”
We walked along the length of the green. I had dreamt of having a date escort me back to my dorm room. But I only dated immature boys, not men. Professor Hunter was a man. I found myself once again wondering how old he was.
“Have you been a professor here for long?”
“Not long at all. I do love it here, despite how much it rains. Besides, you never know what you’ll find during a long walk in the rain.” He smiled down at me.
Is he flirting with me? It seems like he’s flirting with me!
Before I knew it, we were at my dorm. I stepped out from under his umbrella and let the rain fall on me again.
“Here,” I said and pulled off his jacket.
His eyes drifted for just a second to my wet tank top. “No, you can keep it.”
“I’ve been stealing all your clothes. Soon you’ll have nothing left.”
“That does seem to be your plan.” He had a mischievous look in his eyes.
“I insist,” I said as I held out the jacket to him.
He took it reluctantly.
“I’m not in trouble, am I?”
“You’re a senior, you’re of legal age to drink, and you’re allowed to wear what you like. Why would you be in trouble?”
But I wasn’t a senior, I was a sophomore. And I wasn’t over 21, I was only 19. I took a deep breath. He didn’t need to know that. “You’re right. And I was only walking, after all. Thank you for escorting me home, Professor Hunter.”
He lowered his eyebrows when I said his name, just like he always did. But this time the action made me hold my breath. I was wrong about how he looked. He didn’t look angry, his eyes looked hungry. I had to remind myself to keep breathing.
“I’ll see you at 8 a. m. sharp, Miss Taylor.”
“It’s a date.” My eyes got huge and I put my hand over my mouth. Had I really just said that out loud? I turned quickly away from him and fumbled with my sensor pass to open the door. Finally it clicked. I threw the door open and quickly went inside. I turned around at the last moment to see Professor Hunter staring at me intently, surprisingly not at all perplexed. The door closed with a thud.
Friday
I woke up a few hours later and threw up in the waste bin. Melissa had made it home at some point because she was lying in bed, but I must have been asleep when she came back. She was still dressed in her skimpy outfit.
The sun was starting to rise. I tilted my alarm clock and saw that it was almost 7. So that I wouldn’t wake Melissa, I switched the alarm off. I took a makeup remover cloth from its case and wiped off what was left of my eye shadow and mascara. Then I grabbed my bathroom stuff and quietly exited the room.
I brushed my teeth twice and used triple mouthwash to help remove the awful taste. Then I jumped into the shower to try to wash away the awkward night. I couldn’t imagine facing Professor Hunter. And I didn’t even want to think about what awful assignment he had planned for today. Comm 212 was going to be the death of me. Then there was also Tyler who I had to try to avoid. I had made such a fool of myself last night. And I knew it was my fault. I didn’t intend to lead him on, I was just so upset about Austin and then I wanted to make my awkward crush for my professor disappear. But I had told Tyler to stop. He was the one in the wrong.
I let the water fall on my head and took a deep breath and grabbed my stomach. It felt like I needed to hurl again. I swallowed hard and rinsed out my conditioner before switching off the shower. The cold air sent goose bumps up my legs and I quickly wrapped a towel around myself. I tucked the edge of it into the top of the wrap to keep it in place and headed back to my room.
After finally getting a comb through my unruly curly hair, I pinned back my bangs and put some makeup on. A little more than I would usually wear to an 8 a. m. on a Friday. I pulled on a pair of tight jean shorts and a tank top and slid my feet into flip flops. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was quarter to 8. Searching through my closet, I found a sweatshirt and pulled it over my head before grabbing my backpack and heading out the door.
The sun felt good on my face. I entered Smith, the building where Comm was held, and made my way up the stairs. Luckily I was one of the first to arrive again, and I went to my seat in the far corner. A few minutes passed before Tyler entered the classroom. I turned and looked out the window. I silently willed him not to sit next to me.
The seat next to me squeaked slightly and I closed my eyes. Why me?