The Art of Forbidden Romance (Student x Teacher)

Chapter 30

As we sat down on the large sectional in Chuck's living room, I knew something was on his mind. He fidgeted with everything. The pillows weren't in the right spots, his coasters weren't stacked the way he wanted them. I finally put my hand on his as he reached to readjust the coasters again.

"Why are you nervous?" I asked him. He sighed and moved closer to me on the couch until our legs were touching. He played with my fingers, his eyes fixed on our hands.

"This is just a difficult conversation to have in some ways," he started.

"I haven't met someone like you in a long time," he slowly said. "I haven't connected with someone so quickly and been so drawn to someone in years." I smiled, trying to hide the growing anxiety in my stomach. Chuck paused for a moment. He looked away from our intertwined hands and met my eyes.

"I know our situation is complicated," he said. I couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped my lips.

"That's an understatement," I said. Chuck's lips twitched with a small smile.

"And this might make things more complicated, but I wanted to see what you thought about being exclusive with one another." It was a statement, but his tone sounded more like a question.

"I'm not seeing anyone else," I told him, my anxiety easing suddenly. The nervousness in Chuck melted away once I finished my sentence.

"I'm not either," he said with a smile. "And I don't want to see anyone but you."

"Me too."

Chuck squeezed my hand and I smiled at him. Suddenly my conversation with Mel popped into my head and I let out a sigh.

"On the topic of difficult conversations," I said. "I have a question. Mel wants to meet 'James'."

"That wasn't a question," he said with a nudge. I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean," I groaned. "Mel wants to meet you. But like, you as my boyfriend. But she doesn't know that you are James."

"I know what you meant," he said, patting my hand.

"She's not going to let it go much longer," I told him. Chuck rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you trust her?" He asked me. I nodded.

"More than anyone," I told him. "She wouldn't put either of us in a position where we could get in trouble."

"And she won't tell anyone?"

"No, she would never. We're practically sisters we're so close," I explained, trying to reassure him. Chuck was quiet for what felt like a long time. He fidgeted with my fingers as he thought.

"Okay," he finally said. "I'll meet Mel."

———

When I got home that night Mel was asleep. Chuck and I made a game plan for Mel to meet him as my boyfriend, but I needed to talk to her first.

The next day when I woke up Mel was gone before me which was unusual. Usually she woke up after me on her non-school days. I went to work at the cafe after shooting Mel a text that I needed to talk to her tonight.

Work went by smoothly, and Chuck popped by to visit. The cafe was slower than normal for a Thursday. Chuck graded his papers in the corner while I worked. I'd periodically check on him but tried to focus on the other customers and my to do list. Mel texted back at some point letting me know she'll be home tonight so we could talk.

Towards the end of my shift the cafe cleared out and it was just Chuck and I. Juan was making a bunch of noise in the kitchen doing the monthly inventory, so I decided to sit with Chuck for a little until another customer arrived. I pulled up a chair next to him at his small table. Chuck looked up from his papers, his glasses sliding off his nose and his hair sticking up. I reached over and smoothed his hair back down.

"Thank you," he said. "Are you ready to talk to Mel?"

I shrugged.

"Yeah," I said. "As ready as I can be, you know?" Chuck nodded. He started picking up his papers and organizing them.

"I finished my painting by the way," I told him.

"Which one?"

"The one you helped with," I said in a low voice. He chuckled softly.

"I can't wait to see it," he said with a smile. Chuck opened his mouth to say something but the cafe door jingled open. I got up from the table and headed back to the main room of the cafe.

"Hey, Win!" Zac said eagerly as he strode into the cafe. My stomach sank.

"Oh, hi," I said, unenthusiastically. Why was he here?

"I wanted to come by and see if you were working today," he said, answering my mental question. "Do you want to get dinner tonight?"

"I can't," I said. "I have plans tonight with my roommate."

"Well what about tomorrow?"

"Zac," I said, my voice turning irritated. "I'm not interested." His jaw tensed slightly.

"I'm just asking to hang out as friends," he said, his voice also sounding a little irritated. I was caught off guard by the change in his demeanor.

"I-I know," I stuttered. "I'm just busy."

"Okay well, when are you not busy?" The uneasiness in my stomach grew.

"I don't know. When I'm not at work I'm at school, and when I'm not at school I'm at work," I said. "I don't really have a lot of free time."

"I'll text you and we can figure out something," he said.  I nodded and Zac left. I stepped behind the counter and took a deep breath. My hands were trembling and I shoved them into the pocket of my apron to hide them. I wasn't particularly good at any type of confrontation.

"He's going to continue bothering you," Chuck said, approaching the counter. I sighed. Concern was washed over his face.

"I didn't think he would," I said. "I told him I'm seeing someone."

"Be careful after your late classes," he said. I smiled softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Chuck left the cafe, leaving me to my thoughts.

———

As I opened the door to the apartment, the smell of burnt food wafted out. I coughed as I fanned the smoky air in front of me.

"Sorry!" Mel shouted from the kitchen. I quickly opened the sliding door to our balcony to let in some fresh air.

"What did you do?" I asked her as I entered the kitchen.  A pan was on the stove with the smoking remains of a pizza.

"I forgot to set a timer," she said, fanning the air in front of her with a towel.

"Clearly," I coughed. We cleaned up the burnt mess and opened the rest of the windows in the apartment to allow in some fresh air. I called in a non-burnt pizza for the night and we both sat down once it arrived.

"What did you want to talk about?" Mel asked. "I'm sorry if I've been a mess lately."

"No, nothing roommate related. Moreso just friendship related," I said. Mel nodded slowly.

"Okay?"

"I know you've been asking to meet James," I started. Mel perked up, dropping her pizza into the plate in her lap.

"Can I meet him?!" She exclaimed. I nodded. She clapped her hands excitedly.

"But I need to talk to you about it first," I said. She nodded quickly. "Our relationship is complicated."

"I know," she said. "He's not married but it's complicated."

"So you can't say anything to anyone," I told her. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What?"

"You can't tell anyone who he is, or talk to anyone about him. Just for now."

"Is he famous or something?"

"I mean, not really...." I said. "Listen, it sounds more confusing than it is. When you meet him you'll understand."