Lessons In Butterflies ｡ ｡ ｡ (StudentxTeacher Romance)

Chapter 48: Exchange it for a Larger Size.

Mr Caldwell's POV:

Having Ezra stay at my house was the worst decision of my adult life. Scratch that—it was the worst decision of my entire life.

From the moment he walked through the door with his stupid duffel bag and his cocky grin, he made it his personal mission to get under my skin.

"Your couch is uncomfortable," Ezra had announced the first night, sprawling across it like a king surveying his kingdom. "Do you have one of those memory foam toppers? My back's killing me."

My back was killing me too—mostly because I'd just spent the entire day trying to keep my head straight while she sat in my class, twirling her pen and occasionally flashing me that little smile that made my chest ache.

But Ezra? Ezra didn't care about my inner turmoil. No, he only cared about himself.

And now, to top it all off, he had the audacity to ask Shella out. Shella.

Who did he think he was?

I stared at him across the kitchen table as he ate cereal out of a mixing bowl, his feet up on one of my chairs. The sight made my jaw clench.

"So," Ezra said, his tone annoyingly casual, "how's Shella?"

I put my coffee cup down harder than necessary. "Why are you asking?"

He shrugged, shovelling another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Just curious. She's cute."

Cute? Cute?!

"She's a student," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "And off-limits."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Relax, man. It's not like I'm gonna marry her or something."

The thought of him even thinking about her that way made something hot and possessive flare in my chest.

"She's not interested," I said flatly.

"Oh, really?" he drawled, leaning back in his chair. "Because when I asked her out, she didn't exactly say no."

Ask her out?!

My grip on my coffee cup tightened. "She told you she wasn't looking for anything."

"Which isn't a no," he pointed out, smirking.

I stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Ezra, for the love of God, drop it."

He blinked, taken aback by my tone. "Whoa. Touchy, aren't we?"

I stormed past him, grabbing the newspaper from the counter just to have something to do with my hands. My mind was racing, my emotions a mess.

Ezra watched me for a moment before his smirk returned. "Wait a second..." He pointed his spoon at me like he'd just uncovered some grand conspiracy. "You like her, don't you?"

My stomach dropped.

"Don't be ridiculous," I muttered, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh, this is rich," he said, laughing. "The high-and-mighty Elias Caldwell has a thing for one of his students. Does she know?"

"Ezra, shut up," I snapped, my voice dangerously low.

But he didn't shut up. Of course, he didn't.

"Man, this is too good," he continued, clearly enjoying himself. "You're jealous. Admit it."

I turned to face him, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "Stay. Away. From her."

Ezra raised his hands in mock surrender, his grin infuriatingly wide. "Alright, alright. Message received."