My Professor

12. Tutor

The date went just about as well as I thought. Colton was perfectly fine, with middle of the line looks, but he simply wasn't my type. The whole time we sat across from each other in the Mexican restaurant I couldn't resist thinking about Theodore and what it would be like to be sitting there with him instead.

I had to explain to Maria afterwards that the date went okay, but she shouldn't expect to hear about another one anytime soon. She was disappointed, but I had to be honest with her. I wasn't interested in Colton and I wasn't interested in anyone else she might think could be a good match for me.

* * *

Going to Chemistry after the incident with Theodore in his office was understandably a little painful.

Yes, Theodore had kissed me back; He'd kissed me back with passion. But, that didn't change reality. The reality was he was my professor and if anything else happened between us, nothing good would come of it. Fraternizing with your professor was very much against the rules, and I was so close to graduating, the last thing I needed was to get in trouble while I was trying to get out of there.

So, I went to class, pushed through the lectures, and kept my head down. I maintained my usual seat in the middle of the classroom, since we'd agreed to act as if nothing had happened, and I hoped we didn't make any more accidental eye contact in class. Considering the sea of students surrounding me, it wouldn't be a difficult task. What had happened was nothing more than a brief and fleeting moment. A mistake. A mistake that shouldn't be difficult to avoid happening again.

I didn't the best I could with my schoolwork, and although it took a considerable amount of time to get done compared to when I'd go in and ask for help, I powered through.

I pressed through the following month that way, keeping my head down in class and busting my butt to keep my head above water with the coursework. Eventually, however, I hit a wall and I knew I'd have to ask for help from someone familiar with the work, one way or another.

"Maria, you've done Chemistry already, right?" I asked her one afternoon in American Lit.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you think you can help me with my homework a little? I've been stuck on it for almost a week and it's due soon."

"You're still struggling even after asking your hottie professor for clarification?" she asked with a smirk.

"I'm trying not to rely on him so much," I explained vaguely, skipping all of the juicy details.

"Isn't it his job to teach the material, though?"

"It's not his fault I suck at equations," I replied.

"Maybe not, but it's still his job to make sure you learn it."

"Will you help me or not?" I asked pointedly.

"Sure," she agreed. "I was just saying."

"Thanks. Are you free tonight?"

"Yeah. Stop by my place at 7 and I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Maria may have made it on the Dean's List with ease, but sharing her knowledge was not her strong suit. Needless to say, our tutoring session wasn't as fruitful as I'd hoped it'd be. Maria ended up walking away frustrated, and I drove home more confused than I was from the start.

Unfortunately, I knew that meant I had no other choice but to stop by Theodore's office hours. I didn't want to invade his space, but I was in dire straights and I desperately needed the help.