The Professor (Book 2)

12: So This Is Love

"I have a confession," I said.

Lying in Harry's arms thirty minutes later, enjoying the post-coital bliss, I was almost too blissful to break the silence. Harry's fingers traced delicate lines up and down my back, his lips and nose buried somewhere at the top of my head as we laid there, simply feeling each other for the first time in months.

But there was one thing that had been weighing on me that I needed to get off my chest.

"A confession?" Harry calmly murmured against my hair.

"Yes," I bit my lip hesitantly, but then slowly pulled back, lifting my head so that I could meet his eyes. "I overheard you and Catarina talking together. In your classroom, that afternoon."

Harry lifted a brow, but I didn't see any kind of offense in his eyes. Instead he merely licked his lips, turning his eyes to the ceiling. "I see."

"I knew who she was the moment I saw her," I confessed. "And so when I saw her heading towards your classroom... I just had to know, I'm sorry. I know it was wrong of me to listen in."

"Seeing as we were talking about you, it seems only fair you'd be included in the conversation," Harry noted, looking back at me. The corner of his mouth tugged up. "Did you hear anything particular to your interest?"

"Well... She said..." I paused, pressing my lips together slowly. "She said that you changed your mind because of me. What did she mean by that?"

"It meant exactly what she thought it did. She thought I came to this college to teach because you convinced me I could do it."

"Which is what you told me," I reminded him. "But that's not the truth, is it?"

Harry paused for a moment, but then relented. "It's not."

"So what is?" I asked, furrowing my brows when I realized I still hadn't gotten the reason as to why he had come here.

"Isn't it obvious?" Harry said, meeting my eyes again. He slowly ran his thumb along my cheekbone, all the way down to my lips.

"Because of... me?" I asked, a small note of confusion. If that was the case, then why had he sent me away in the first place?

"Yes and no," Harry answered, his eyes lingering on my lips. "I accepted the position only two days after you left. To come to Toronto and teach a few classes."

"But I wasn't at Toronto, I was at Mississauga?" I reminded him.

"What you weren't," Harry paused, before pressing his lips into a firm line. His thumb rubbed my chin. "Was at my house."

My brows furrowed completely now, trying to understand. "So? Don't tell me you missed my disturbances," I teased, but when Harry's look didn't change, the smile fell from my lips. "Wait... did you?"

"Two days," He replied, shaking his head slowly. "It took me two whole days to resent the peace I had lived with my whole life. I couldn't stand the silence. It only emphasized how far away you were... and how much I missed having you there."

My heart weakened, and I couldn't help but smile softly, leaning in to place a tender kiss to his lips. Harry kissed me back slowly, his hand running up to my hair, tangling into the mess. His tongue played with the seams of my lips, but never passed. After a moment, I pulled back, feeling my cheeks flush.

"Who knew you were such a sap?" I then whispered, grinning slowly. Harry chuckled back, before shaking his head again. "So you really came all this way... chose to do the one thing you hated most in the world... just to escape the silence of my absence?"