Temptation

Two Long Weeks

"You need to call him." 

"Why?"

"Because you miss him!"

"...Do not."

"Do fucking to! Come on, you had an amazing date with the man, you kissed him, you even told him you'd miss him!"

Cassie sighed and shook her head, then continued to grade her papers. Her and Anna were having a...sleepover of sorts. It was a holiday tomorrow, so they didn't have school, but ultimately decided to make the night fun. When Anna suggested a sleepover, Cassie immediately jumped at it because her mother was driving her insane and she really needed to get out of the house. 

The night, so far, has consisted of grading, discussing Ben, discussing students, teachers, and then more Ben. Roger was away (once again) to do some more scouting, so he wasn't around to loath this girl talk. 

"Okay, yes, I miss him," Cassie admitted. "But I don't like the idea of missing him, you know? What if I start feeling this way when he's here, but he's at home? I don't want to be clingy." Anna started laughing to a point where she was crying. Cassie felt a little insulted. 

"Cass, hun," she giggled, "that's what being in a relationship is! You miss each other, even though he's on the other side of the room! It's called love, babe, and you have never known how that truly feels. Ben is the first decent guy that has come into your life, who doesn't judge you, who completely adores you, and who practically stalked you just to get one date from you and never pressured you for a second. It's okay to miss him. And I think he would love to hear that from you." 

Cassie looked down to her phone and pursed her lips. "I can't call him," she said, "we'll get billed for long distance." Anna shrugged, then said, "So text him. I think they only charge five cents a text." Cassie picked up her phone and went to her and Ben's previous text messages. 

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment, thinking if she should just say more than just "I miss you", but what else was there? She let out a deep breath and typed it. It seemed to short. So, she added in a little something that just popped into her head and sent it with a smirk. 

"Did you tell him you can't wait for him to come home so you can jump him into his bed?" Anna teased. Cassie poked her arm and said, "No, you sex monkey. I told him I miss him and that I can't wait for our fourth date." Anna "awed", then giggled as she went back to looking over her papers. Cassie did the same. 

About an hour later, her text chime went off. She quickly grabbed it and looked at the text; 

I'm so glad to hear from you and I'm quite flattered to hear you say you miss me. I promise you, our forth date will be one to remember. I miss you, as well and I can't wait to see you in two long weeks. -B

Cassie smiled at the text and took a deep breath. "These two weeks are going to suck," she said. Anna patted her friend's leg and said, "Yes. Yes it is." 

And what a two weeks it was. Cassie could hardly concentrate when it came to work and grading and listen to her mother go on and on about how she didn't want to be thrown in a home anytime soon (though Cassie did pay attention a little bit to that part just to be reminded why that will happen).

Whenever her phone went off, she stopped everything that she was doing, just to see if it was him. Unfortunately, she hadn't heard from him since that last text he sent when he left. She only assumed it was because he was busy and he didn't want to be billed for long distance texting, even if it is only about ten cents or so. 

She refused to let herself believe that it was because he didn't want to talk to her. She wanted to stop all of those thoughts because in her heart...she knew they weren't true. She likes Ben a lot--more than she will admit right now--and she doesn't plan on being stupid and letting him go. 

At least, she hopes she won't be stupid and do that. 

One day, when she was teaching science to the overly-excited fifth graders who wanted nothing but to blow things up with chemicals (even though she was teaching earth science), her phone went off. It was just a ding!, but it did distract her and made her loose her train of thought. 

"Um...okay, just finish reading this chapter on your own, then partner up and finish your worksheets," she eventually told them, after she couldn't seem to get back into it. The kids immediately partnered up with each of their friends and started working, while she sat down and took out her phone from the desk. 

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was. A smile then appeared as she read;

My dearest Cassie, 

I do apologize for the lack of communication, as I have been quite the busy bee lately. I could really do with a normal, non-work conversation right now. You busy? xx-B

Her heart fluttered when he added the x's. She quickly looked up to the clock and saw that it was almost lunch time, so she quickly texted back;

I was wondering when I was going to hear from you. At the moment, I am busy, but I will be free in about ten minutes. How does that work? xx-C

That works beautifully, love. Give me a call on Skype, then? xx-B

Cassie thanked her lucky stars for bringing her laptop with her today. She told him she'd call in ten, then resumed her attention back to the class. She walked around and checked their work, not wanting to interrupt them. 

They loved partner work because her worksheets were played out like games and puzzles. She designed them herself. She picked up the hobby of designing them during her...down time. She had to pick up a hobby to make her feel sane again and she chose puzzle and game making. 

The kids loved them. 

Once the lunch bell rang, the kids sprang out of their seats and ran out into the halls to grab their lunches from their lockers. Cassie, in the meantime, started setting up her laptop. She texted Ben to ask his username, then clicked the "call" button on Skype. 

It rang for a few minutes, longer than she would have liked because she wanted to see him already, but then his face showed up on the screen. She smiled, but then frowned. He looked exhausted. His hair was tousled, there were bags under his eyes, and he just didn't look like him. 

"Hey, there," he said with the biggest smile she has ever seen him give to her. "Aren't you a sight. I'm so glad I'm able to talk to you." Cassie smiled back and said, "It's my pleasure. Um...are you alright? You look a little pale and worn."

He gently waved her off and said, "It's nothing. I just don't think I've gotten a decent night's sleep in the past week and a half. I will once I get back home. But speaking of looks...you look beautiful." Oh how he could make her blush. "I'm not," she told him with a shy laugh. "I'm at school."

"That explains it," he said with a smile. "You're glowing. You're doing what you love and you're glowing about it. It's cute, darling." She pursed her lips and said, "And so are you. You're doing what you love and are glowing...in your own way."

Ben let out a bellowing laugh. "Oh, I wouldn't say I'm glowing," he told her. "I say I'm looking the part of someone who needs eight hours of sleep and a great shag." That got both of them to laugh. "But really," he continued with a chuckle, "I'm absolutely exhausted. I just needed to see you. I miss you." 

Cassie was sure that she was as red as a tomato by now. This man certainly has a way with words. "I miss you, too, Ben. I can't wait to see you when you come back." He hummed and leaned closer to his computer. 

"And I can't wait to see you, either," he told her. "I hope you know I am expecting a welcome back kiss so good, that it will make up for the two weeks I have not gotten to taste those beautiful lips." Cassie started giggling like a schoolgirl. She almost felt pathetic, but she couldn't contain it!

He giggled along with her, then said, "You are so cute. Anyways, I hate to do this, but I really need some sleep. Have a good rest of the day at school, being the hero teacher you are, and I'll see you in three days."

"Okay," she breathed out with a smile. "I'll see you then." Before signing off, he huffed out a laugh and said in a sincere tone, "So beautiful."