“Soph,” I take her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. “I knew you weretroublefrom the moment I met you.”
She smirks, “I could say the same to you.” A smirk pulls at the corner of her lips, and I want to kiss it away.
I tip my head to the sky, exhaling sharply. The weight of reality crashes in once again.
“Look, Sophie,” my voice is low, careful. “Tonight—tonight was amazing. But…”
I take a step back, putting enough space between us to make my intentions clear.
“I can’t do this. My job, my life… if anyone finds out, everything will fall apart. You’re incredible, Sophie. But this… us… the timing is all wrong.”
Her expression falters, and the crack in her composure guts me. I feel my heart crumple under the weight of her disappointment. I hate this. I swear I’m destined to never find happiness. Every relationship I’ve ever had has gone to shit. And yet, in front of me is an incredible woman, someone I’d give everything in me to spend more time with.
But I can’t. Because she’s mystudent.
And I know she can never be mine.
“I understand,” she murmurs, but the hurt in her voice is unmistakable. “But… maybe one day we can try? After graduation?”
A soft smile tugs at my lips. “Yeah, Trouble. Maybe one day.”
Three beers deep already,and it still isn’t enough. The ache in my chest won’t fade, and I know damn well why.
Her.
How the hell did this happen? There must be something fundamentally wrong with me to feel this way for a student. But she’s different. I know how fucking cliché that sounds, but it’s the truth.
I felt alive tonight. I felt my soul reach for hers. For the first time in a long damn time, I didn’t dwell on the past or let the tragedy of my life play movies in my head, distracting me from the world right in front of my eyes. She silenced the ghosts of my past.
If only she were older and had already left high school in the rear-view mirror. I meanfuck, she could’ve been at least college age. Not that we wouldn’t still get side-eyed glances, but at least it wouldn’t be forbidden.Wewouldn’t be forbidden.
I run a hand down my face, groaning deeply. Another swig. Another sigh. I eye the bottle of Jack in my liquor cabinet. The beer isn’t doing it, I need something stronger.
The whiskey burns on its way down, and I savor the feeling. It’s fitting. A physical pain to match the emotional torment.
When I’m well and sloshed, my fingers have a mind of their own, navigating to Facebook and typing in her name.Sophie Wilson.A small part of me knows I’ll regret this tomorrow, in the morning light, but fuck the responsible me. Tonight, I’m drunk.
Her profile appears instantly, as if the damn app knew I’d come looking. I stare for a moment, taking in her feminine features. Those lips I’d been kissing with abandon just hoursago. I hesitate, a long moment where I could still make the right choice. But I don’t.
Theo:Hello, Troublemaker.
I watch as the message is marked read almost immediately. My pulse kicks up, my stomach tightening as I watch the three dots appear.
Sophie:Hi, Theo. I guess I need a nickname for you now.
Theo:And what would that be? I’d love to hear it.
Sophie:Let me sleep on it. I’ll get back to you.
Sophie:Did you make it home safely?
Theo:I did. Did you?
Sophie:I did. But… I wish I was still with you.
The phone nearly slips from my hand. My lungs seize up, body going taut. What thefuckam I doing? I shouldn’t have messaged her. She’s a magnet, pulling me back into her orbit no matter how hard I try to pull away.
This is wrong on every level. I can’t even begin to grapple with the storm of emotions wrecking my insides. I hate myself for wanting her, for kissing her. She is my student. Regardless of her age, I have a responsibility to guide and teach her. Not take advantage of her or give in to temptation.
