“Why?” Lucy chimed in, and I rolled my eyes at her.
“Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don’t,” Alex replied, his nonchalance infuriating Lucy, who continued venting at him.
“I bet your substitute will be even better than you,” he assured her, leading me to look down as he continued. “Since it’s my last class, I thought we’d do something fun. Any ideas?”
“Broken telephone!” Mary proposed, and the class eagerly agreed. I chuckled inwardly at how ridiculous the game was.
Alex explained the game before getting it started. He whispered something to Xander, who relayed it to Robin, and it continued until it reached Lucy in front of me. I leaned in to listen.
“I slept with Professor Gray,” she stated, causing my stomach to twist in knots.
“Really?” Alex asked, and I couldn’t help but snap back.
“Seriously?” I said incredulously, exchanging sarcastic glances with Lucy. “What was the original phrase?”
Emily shot me a serious look, leading me to suppress a laugh. No one could understand that my first time had been with an older man, and I didn’t want to get into the details.
We continued playing until the bell rang, and as students filed out, I noticed Lucy linger to chat with Alex, which annoyed me.
“Will James or Jack take us?” Emily asked as I puzzled over my plans.
It dawned on me that I couldn’t meet Alex for a ride after all. Emily seemed to be in better spirits now, so I attempted to organize our transport.
“I’ll ask James,” I said, scanning the area for him. After five minutes, James finally walked out, disheveled and looking like he had just come from a wild party.
“Are you taking us?” I inquired, and after a moment’s consideration, he nodded.
“I left something in the classroom; just wait a sec,” he said. After a brief wait, we piled into his car.
He looked like he had been through the wringer, with visible hickeys and scratches adorning his neck. I found it amusing but kept my mouth shut.
When we arrived at my house, I was relieved to think we’d have some time alone.
“I think we’re free now,” I murmured, and Emily sighed with relief as we climbed the stairs to my room.
“Tell me everything!” Emily demanded, and I sat cross-legged on my bed.
“What do you mean?” I asked, mirroring her posture.
“Did Professor Gray catch you two?” she prodded, and I gulped, nodding.
“He said he’d overlook it since it was his last day, but to be careful,” I explained, laughing as we shared the relief of a funny situation.
Emily then looked serious and sighed. “Nina, I have something to confess,” she said, capturing my attention. “I cheated on Luke,” she admitted, and my eyes widened in shock.
“What?” I exclaimed, and her face crumpled. “Who?”
“Pierce,” she sobbed, and I felt my heart sink. I couldn’t wrap my head around it-he was terrible.
“I really regret it,” she cried, and I nodded in understanding. “I’m telling you because I don’t want to hide anything from you; you’ve always been honest with me.”
Just then, my phone vibrated again with a message from Alex. I needed to tell Emily about him, but I hesitated, still processing everything.
“Emily,” I said softly, and she nodded for me to continue. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone,” I whispered, and she linked her pinky with mine.
“Pinky promise,” she uttered, and taking a deep breath, I blurted, “I’m dating Professor Gray.”
Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Come on, just tell me what you were really planning to say!” she laughed, but I remained serious.
“I’m serious,” I insisted, and her expression shifted. “I’m dating Professor Gray.”
“Nina, if this is a joke…!”
“It’s not! It’s true!” I exclaimed, and her eyes widened further.
“How long has this been going on?” she pressed, clearly shocked.
“About a month since classes started,” I answered, cringing at her reaction.
“You are kidding!” she gasped. “What about James?”
“James was pretending to date me so nobody would find out I was with Alex,” I explained, and her laughter turned to disbelief.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you,” she said, still doubtful. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone.
“Just wait,” I replied, dialing Alex’s number and placing it on speaker.
“Hey, love,” he greeted, making my heart flutter.
“Hi, Mr. Gray,” I teased, casting a glance at Emily, who looked stunned.
“How can I help you, Miss Moore?” he replied playfully, eliciting laughter from me.
“It’s on speaker,” I informed him.
“Hello, Professor Gray!” Emily yelled, and a silence filled the space.
“Hello, ladies. How can I help you?” he asked formally, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Calm down; Emily knows everything,” I said, turning off the speaker. I heard him exhale with relief.
“Nina, you almost gave me a heart attack!” he laughed. “Am I still on speaker?”
“No,” I murmured.
“Okay, you’re coming over tonight, right?” he asked, and I hesitates, glancing at Emily.
“Are you sleeping over?” I inquired, but she says “No” and shrugged.
“Probably, I say,”.
“Great! I’ll pick you up tonight,” he responded. “See you later, baby,” he whispered sweetly before I hung up.
“Your mom is going to kill you when she finds out,” Emily said incredulously. “He’s like five years older.”
“Eight, actually,” I whispered, and her eyes widened. “But just look at him!”
She rolled her eyes, fretting. “That age difference is significant,” she stated, and I couldn’t argue.
But no one could grasp the depth of my feelings for Alex-his touches, his kisses, everything about him.
“How’s he in bed?” She asked.
so fucking good, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“I can’t believe you just said that!” I exclaimed, hiding my face in a pillow.
“Your first time was with an older man?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“He made it special,” I whispered.
“What’s he like?” she pressed, curiosity brimming.
“He’s incredible,” I admitted, feeling my heart race. I hardly wanted to go deeper into the topic, knowing how awkward it could get.
I wanted to express how much I relished the taste of whiskey and mint on his lips, how his hands felt against my body, and how much I longed to be with him after being apart for only a few hours.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated again. It was a message from Alex: “Tonight I want to try something new with you, sweetheart.”
Great-now I had to ponder that all afternoon.