“No, I just met him,” I admitted.
Yvonne raised an eyebrow. “Then there must have been some pretty strong romantic vibes between you two because people who just met don’t stand that close. I felt the desire from over here, did you feel it?”
“Yes! I felt it, okay?” I blurted, feeling the need to offload some of the immense emotion I was trying to process. “For some reason I just wanted to be close to him and my lady parts were screaming to be unleashed!”
Yvonne’s eyes widened in amusement. “She’s alive!” She whispered, raising her hands triumphantly in the air. Then she turned to the people in the dining room. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced, “Glory Parker has functioning ovaries!”
Most of the patrons looked away in embarrassment, but one guy yelled out: “Yeah! Ovaries!”
Mortified, I dropped behind the counter. “What are you trying to do to me?” I hissed.
“I’m just celebrating the awakening of your sensuality,” she responded. “There’s hope for you, Glory! You’re not going to die alone!”
I groaned and slipped off to the restroom. I shut myself in and leaned against the door.What is going on with me?I thought. Yvonne was right. I never talked to the guys that came in to the cafe, much less flirted with them. But Clayton had been... different. He was definitely attractive, but more than that, I had felt completely comfortable with him. Something about him drew me in and wouldn’t let go.
I exhaled. The sudden activation of my hormones was both enticing and unnerving. Hopefully Clayton just wouldn’t show up the next day and I could go back to feeling normal. And yet, I desperately wanted to see him again.
*****
I hurried to set up the art studio for the Comics and Cartoons class and knocked over a tray of paper. I took a deep breath as I bent over to pick it up. I was a wreck. I had spent half the day trying to convince myself that Clayton wasn’t going to come, and the other half of the day hoping that he would. I hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything, and I had been messing up orders and misplacing things. And now it was five minutes before class was supposed to start and a handful of kids had already walked in and I wasn’t ready at all.
Get it together, Glory!I thought.You are a capable adult, and you don’t have to let some extremely appealing man hijack your life!
And then I saw him. He walked into the room and smiled at me, and it was as if a cool breeze washed over me, calming my nerves and clearing my head. I smiled back, glad that he had come, but slightly annoyed by the effect he had on me. He sat in the front, and I probably held his gaze a little too long before turning away. True to my estimation, he was the oldest student in a room of teenagers and pre teens, but he didn’t seem to mind. I gathered a few more materials and began the class.
I started the way I always did, with simple shapes and lines, but this time I threw in all the jokes and engaging stories I knew. In all honesty I was trying too hard, but I really wanted to make a good impression on Clayton, and the looks he was giving me were definitely encouraging. I drew some examples and offered some ideas, and then I made my way through the room to see if anyone needed extra help. I purposely went to Clayton last, partly because I didn’t want him to think I was paying too much attention to him and partly because I was a little nervous to talk to him.
I came up behind him and peered down at his work.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding. You’re terrible at drawing,” I commented before I could stop myself.
He turned halfway around in his seat and grinned up at me, causing an unexpected flutter in my heart. “What are you talking about? This is my best work!” He joked. Then his face turned a bit sheepish. “I don’t know what it is. I can make my hands do exactly what I want when I’m playing the guitar, but when I try to draw it’s a completely different story.”
“You play the guitar?” I asked.
He screwed up his face, as if he had said something he wasn’t supposed to. “Yes, I play the guitar. Sometimes. Well, all the time, if I’m being honest. And I should be honest.” He swallowed hard. “So, do you have any tips on how I can improve?” He asked, gesturing to his paper.
I blinked, trying to ignore his odd behavior. “Um, sure. Let me see how you draw.”
I leaned over and watched him draw what I assumed was a dog. “Relax your wrist,” I suggested. “That will help your lines flow more smoothly.” I reached around and placed my hand on the outside of his to guide him through a few strokes. At that moment I felt slivers of pleasure course through my body, but I continued, trying to act as though holding his hand with my body pressed up against his muscular back was a completely normal thing for a teacher to do. Our faces were so close that if I turned mine we would practically be kissing, which I thought would have been fine in any other situation.
“Does that feel better?” I managed to ask, my mouth dry.
“That feels amazing,” he responded, his voice low and inviting.
The air shifted, and I was momentarily captivated by his presence until I realized that I was supposed to be teaching a class.
“I should go see if anyone else needs help,” I murmured, reluctantly straightening and sliding my hand up his arm and lingering on his impressive bicep in a completely inappropriate way.
Instead of going to the other students I went to the sink and washed my hands, resisting the temptation to splash the cold water on my face. I took a few deep breaths, willing my pesky feminine urges to subside.What is wrong with me?I thought. I had always been able to keep myself aloof from attractive men, but something about Clayton was making me act like a horny teenager. I finally pulled myself together and returned to the front of the room to finish the class.
Afterwards a couple kids had questions, and then I had to put some materials away. When I got back to the classroom, I was relieved to see that Clayton was still there.
“You’re a really good teacher,” he commented as he walked up to me.
“Thanks. But you should know that you got special treatment.”
“Oh really? So you don’t caress the arms of all your students?” He asked, his eyes playful.
