“No, I didn’t.”
“Can I come talk to you? I just got done with work for the day,” I explain, hoping she understands why it took so long.
“Um…”
“Let me at least explain.” I bully her into giving me the answer I want before she can deny me. “I won’t even come inside.” Does that soften the demand? I doubt it.
“There’s nothing really to explain. You already told me. I’m your student. I get it,” she retorts.
“So why are you upset?”
“I’m not upset,” she says quickly.
“Then let me come talk to you,” I press.
“What else do you need to say?” Her voice is a little softer, and I know she’s closer to giving in.
“I want to see you,” I admit. “I hated… I’ve been thinking about you all day, and I need to see that you’re not upset.” I know she’s mad, even if she’s not willing to admit it. I would be worried if she wasn’t, and I want to try to make it better. “Just a few minutes.”
“It’s not necessary, I know why you did it. It’s fine.”
“I’m not fine with it, Waylynn, and you shouldn’t be either.” A little irritation seeps into my tone, even though I’m frustrated with myself.
“Okay.” She sighs softly. I should feel bad that I harassed her into doing what I want again, not have a hard-on at the thought.
I rush to say goodbye before she changes her mind. “See you in a few minutes.”
Waylynn
I’m sittingin the garden when Memphis pulls into the driveway so fast, his back tires hop the curb. The engine cuts off as soon as the truck stops, and he jumps out. I take a second to examine him while he has no idea I’m watching him.
His hair is a little more tousled than usual, and the back of his shirt isn’t tucked all the way in. Was he really thinking about me all day, or was he doing something else that would explain his appearance a little better? Seeing him with the other girl, well,girlsis messing with my head.
When he starts to plod toward the door, I call out, “Over here.” His head snaps around, and he finds me sitting on an iron chair that is more for decoration than comfort. He pauses as if me being outside surprised him, but then he pivots to head toward me.
“Hey.” His eyes roam over me, and I pluck at my shirt in discomfort. The woman I saw him with today, the one who was very comfortable cozying up to him, was tiny, just like the one from dinner the other night. I’ve always been fairly comfortable with my body, but today I felt like a dirty secret, and there’s a part of me that wonders if it has something to do with the way I look.
He lowers himself into the chair across from me, and the tension between us thickens. This is why I didn’t want him to come over.
Memphis steeples his fingers between his knees and takes in a breath to speak. “I probably should have talked to you about school, but Oz is usually with us, so…”
“I get it,” I tell him again. I truly do. The professor made it clear the first day that there was a no fraternization policy, but it’s easy to dismiss. One, I don’t think Memphis would allow our…friendship to influence how he graded me, and two, I would be willing to drop the class if there was ever an issue, and that’s a little scary to admit, even to myself. I’m so wrapped up in him, I’d lose the credits and not even blink. “I should have just kept walking.”
“I didn’t know what you were going to say.” He rubs his hand down the side of his face in what seems like relief.
“I wasn’t going to cuddle up close to you and grab your arm, if that’s what you were thinking. I was just going to say hello.” I feel the need to tell him I’m not stupid, and it allows me to mention exactly what the other girl did that was okay for her, but not for me.
“She’s a TA,” he explains.
I really don’t care at this point. I’m not sure I can handle Memphis, let alone his brother too. I’m in too deep, too fast. I don’t give a response to his statement, he already mentioned she was a teaching assistant.
I see the muscle in his jaw tic for a few seconds before he opens his mouth to speak again. “I overreacted.”
As soon as he says it, I feel guilty. I’ve been thinking about what I would or could do like drop the class, but he has a higher cost if he were to get caught. He might lose his position, and it could tarnish his record. “It’s fine. I won’t speak to you at school. Maybe we shouldn’t—”
“Don’t say it.” He cuts me off, scooting to the edge of his seat as if he’s ready to stand up and cover my mouth.
“Have lunch anymore either.” It’s for the best. The end of the semester isn’t that far away, and if he’s still interested, I’ll still be here.
