Brody’s hand covers mine as his body relaxes before my eyes. I want to hug him, wrap my arms around his neck and have him carry me to his bed and ravish me the way he did that night. But our momentary lapse in judgment is interrupted by the clicking sound of a door opening somewhere down the other side of the corridor.
I snatch my hand away, both of us looking around to see if anyone saw us. But the hall is empty. “I should go,” I say.
“Four o’clock. Promise me.”
“Four o’clock,” I agree, before forcing myself to go to class. Something about knowing I’m going to spend the afternoon studying with Brody makes me more productive than I’ve been for weeks.
Brody
Icount down the moments until my tutoring date with Maya. Date? Fuck, this is probably a terrible idea. I don’t know how I’m going to keep my hands off her when I’m so desperate to be near her that I ache all over. But this is about her future. I have to make this right. She’s so caught up in her thoughts that she’s convinced herself we can never be. Technically, the moment she graduates, we become two consenting adults, and the law can’t touch us. I have to wait until then. One more month.
She’s already in the library when I arrive, talking to that Tamara girl in hushed tones as they sit near each other. I don’t like Tamara. I know I’m not supposed to say these things about students, but it’s like she’s been getting off on watching Maya crumble. To me, it’s been a torturous process. I’ve wanted nothing more than to comfort her in my arms and give her body the kind of treatment it deserves. But the law has kept me at a distance, and I’m counting the days until we can be together again. Like I said to her earlier, we aren’t over. We’re just on pause.
“Ladies,” I say as I approach. Maya lifts her eyes to mine and smiles, the first genuine smile I’ve seen on her in weeks. It makes my heart soar. I wish I’d forced her to speak to me sooner. “Sorry, I’m a little late. I tried to contact you but the number on your file wouldn’t connect.”
“Oh,” Maya says, her cheeks getting pink. “My cell went flat a while ago, and I keep forgetting to charge it.” She tucks her auburn curls behind her ear, a move I’ve now learned means she’s avoiding the truth. But I get the answer I wanted—she hasn’t charged her phone so I can’t call her. The news pisses me off. Being able to speak to her would have made this past month a little more bearable. She’s put herself and me through unnecessary pain. Under normal circumstances, I’d show up at her house and make her talk to me face to face. But the whole student teacher thing has really narrowed my access to her. One more month.
“I’ve spoken to your other teachers, and we’ve come up with a plan to get your grades back to where they were so your scholarship isn’t affected,” I say, focusing on the work, but enjoying the fact that we’re talking again. “Are you joining us, Tamara?”Please leave.
“Tamara is going to Harvard and doesn’t need to study,” Maya says, smiling again as Tamara clears away her things.
“I have a bus to catch, anyway. Don’t help her too much, OK? I’ve been preparing my valedictorian speech since the eighth grade.”
“I’ll be sure to mess something up so you keep the Queen nerd position,” Maya says.
“Thank you.” Tamara smiles. “And I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Those month-long migraines will do it to you,” Maya says, giving me a quick glance that tells me that’s her cover story and she’s sticking to it.
Tamara leaves and we’re alone. Ish. There are several other students as well as the school librarian around. Which is for the best. We need to be chaperoned. I’ve thought of little else but her since that first night. Being close enough to smell and touch her is going to tempt me more than I can stand.
I take a seat beside her and place a folder full of papers in between us. I want to talk about anything other than school work, but it seems that’s where our limits are.
“Finals are in two weeks. Graduation in three. As long as these are complete and you get a minimum B plus in your finals, your scholarship is safe.”
“And what happens when I leave?” she asks, voice low so I’m the only one who can hear her.
“We need to focus on this work.”
“I need you to tell me, Brody. What happens after graduation? What happens when I go to Cornell?”
I pick up the first paper and place it in front of her. “I move heaven and earth to be with you,” I say, meeting her eyes. “We just need to focus, stay the course, Maya. My Maya. And charge your fucking phone.”
Maya
“Will you be helping me study for finals too?” I ask as I hit the submit button on my final extra credit paper. Brody and I have spent every afternoon in the library, me writing papers while he finds books and resources to help me. If I wasn’t in love with him before this week, I’m completely head over heels now. He’s not only beautiful to look at, but he’s got a beautiful heart too. I had been cruel to him by shutting him out when I learned he was my teacher. I told him we were through and refused to discuss it any further. Most other men would behave the way Josh had, getting angry and insulting me when I didn’t do as they pleased. But not Brody. Brody just gave me space to grieve then stepped in when I needed him most. He’s saved me from myself.
Being close to him platonically is hard, but he gives me these moments of hope that fill my heart with happiness. He now texts me every night with a countdown to graduation. It’s now less than three weeks away. I can’t wait.
“You should have already been studying for finals,” he says, stacking the books we’ve finished with to carry to the return trolley.
“God, you sound like such a teacher sometimes.”
“That’s because I am.”
“How come you decided to teach? I mean, you’re a doctor, right? Why get that amount of education just to teach a bunch of private school brats?”
“Is that what you consider yourself?” He smirks.
