Temptation

Chapter Eleven

 Cory closed the door behind him and saw Alice taking her make-up off in front of her mirror.

"What's up?" She asked.

"How'd your date really go?" He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall.

"It went really good." Alice replied.

"What did you do?"

"We had a fancy dinner, danced, went for a walk around the block, and then I came home."

"And am I safe to assume that you went out with him?" Cory inquired.

Alice turned around to face him as he raised his brow.

"I did."

Cory inhaled deeply as he contemplated what to say next.

"Did you...before the date or...during..." Cory trailed off.

"If you're asking me if we've ever had sex, the answer is no." Alice replied.

"Okay. Noted." He spoke softly.

"Listen, I know Tom better than you. He isn't someone to go against his word. He broke it off with Diane. He's not cheating. He's a free man. We aren't doing anything wrong."

"He's still your professor. You're his student. That's breaking a boundary that could cost him his job and your reputation. Imagine if you two were found out and you were in the news. The only thing that could be worse than that is if Pierre and Esther found out." Cory explained.

Alice exhaled sharply as she threw her make-up wipe away.

"I know." She sighed.

"You know? Well, thank you, Alice, that's good to hear. So you know the consequences? Because it doesn't seem like you've thought this through."
"Please, Cory, I just had a wonderful time tonight. I think I just had the best night of my life so far and your judgement isn't going to ruin it. You can yell at me tomorrow about all of this. Hell, go tell Pierre! I don't care because whatever you, Pierre, or Esther has to say to me about this, I'm still going to be with him. It's not just a simple crush. Have you ever thought that maybe we actually are supposed to be together? That we have good chemistry? That I've actually known him for almost four years! I like him, Cory, I like him a lot. There's lots of people in the world who have weird or unusual relationships so go yell at them if you want!"

Alice's chest heaved with every breath she took after snapping at Cory. She took a moment to collect herself as Cory nodded his head.

"I'm happy that you're happy, Alice, I am. I just want you to really think about this. That's all."

He then exited her room and Alice sniffled as she slammed her drawer shut.

As Tom returned to his mother's home, he did his best to be as quiet as possible. Just as he was about to enter his bedroom, the lights turned on and he saw Diana standing in the doorway of the hallway.

"Good evening, Tom." She greeted him.

"Hello, mum." He replied.

"Where did you go off to looking so dashing?" She inquired.

"I...I had a date."

Diana inhaled deeply and nodded her head.

"Ah, I see. I don't see a reason in asking how it went with her given that smile plastered on your face."

Tom laughed as Diana walked over to him and laid a kiss to his cheek.

"At least you had a good time. If you're happy, I'm happy." She told him.