For Keeps

ride

Aaron

I sat at my kitchen table, staring at the cold remnants of my coffee. The weekend had dragged on, a heavy silence settling over my home.

Thoughts of Stella filled my mind, replaying our last conversation over and over. Her laughter, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her dreams—it all felt so real, so raw. But now, it was just an echo, replaced by a suffocating emptiness.

I had convinced myself that staying away was the right choice, that our teacher-student relationship needed boundaries. But as I looked out the window, watching the gray clouds roll in, I felt a deep ache in my chest. I missed her.

Monday arrived, and the familiar chaos of the school day began. I navigated the crowded halls, scanning the sea of faces for her. When I finally spotted Stella, my heart raced—but then I froze. She had hickies all over her fucking neck. She really let some boy touch her, and pull that immature shit?

She was laughing with Noah, against a locker. Her laughter was ringing out like music, and I felt an unsettling twist of jealousy in my gut, when he wrapped his hand around her waist.

Noah had always been charming, too carefree for my liking. Seeing him so close to Stella, their shoulders brushing as they shared a joke, sent a sharp pang of longing through me.

It wasn't just annoyance; it was an instinctual need to protect what little connection I had with her. First time for everything, I guess.

Noah has his lips on her. He's touching her. Saying dirty things to her that elicits a pretty little blush of color to her cheeks.

This was all my doing. Because I had yet to breakup with Lily. Mostly because, something about Stella threatening me to do it rubbed me the wrong way.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the classroom windows as I graded papers, trying to focus on the red marks that dotted each page.

Just as I began to immerse myself in my work, the door creaked open, and Lily sauntered in with her usual flair.

"Hey, babe! Mind if I join you?" she chirped, plopping down in one of the empty chairs without waiting for a response. I forced a smile, trying to mask my irritation. "Sure."

She leaned back, her feet propped up on the desk. "Just wanted to hang out, before class starts." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and flashed a grin, as if she expected me to find her presence charming.

As she rambled on about her weekend plans with her friends, I struggled to keep my mind from wandering back to Stella. Lily's voice grated on me, her incessant chatter distracting me from the thoughts I was trying to collect.

"What do you think about it?" She says pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Sounds great," I replied absently, skimming through another student's paper. I could feel Lily's eyes on me, and I looked up, meeting her expectant gaze.

"Did you even hear what I said?" she pressed, tilting her head slightly.

"What sorry," I replied, hoping she would take the hint. But she leaned in closer, her energy suffocating.

"Lily, I have a lot of work to do," I said, my patience wearing thin. She pouted slightly, crossing her arms. "Aw, bummer. I wanted to spend some time together."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, the irritation bubbling just beneath the surface. "I appreciate the thought, but I really need to focus right now."

Her expression shifted, and I could see the disappointment in her eyes, but it wasn't enough to soften my attitude. I had a lot on my mind, and the last thing I needed was Lily's relentless chatter reminding me of the vibrant energy I wished I could share with someone else. Someone like Stella.