「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(238) Valentines' Day

Xavier's School, 14th February 2001

Lynn's POV

Slowly but surely learning to let Charles share the suffering, the days that swam pass now were again filled with true meaning.

It was not that I had forgotten. In fact, I still remembered every rip and every cut, as if they had literally been ingrained into my heart. There I was, healed, but there they were, staring back at me as scars.

They were not the ghastly type I feared to see, nor the daunting sort I once needed to shun at lightning speeds, but those strikingly deep and remarkably defining. They were the ones that thoroughly reminded me of my mistakes, the demanding journey of self-forgiveness that required a great amount of courage, and they served to be the most convincing warning that I should never, ever, repeat them again.

No longer dawdling about the buried chasm of misery, no longer carrying about the weight of Laughlin, no longer wallowing in our haunting history, the mansion was the best place I could ever crave to be.

The sense of relief was now real, and everlasting. The happiness had returned, naturally, bountifully, and unconditionally.

Blissfully rolling down the series of corridors, diligently decorated in a starkly romantic theme by the team our Head Boy specifically curated, I entered my lecture venue, unsurprised to find even the desks furnished with the same crimson roses. I smiled, taking in their characteristically sweet scent that was utterly invigorating on this wintry morning, and laughed briefly at their youthful antics as I began to set up my lesson.

Technology had recognisably advanced, and to keep up with times beyond the walls of Westchester, it was inevitable that our teaching methodologies were also accordingly enhanced. While chalkboards, being Charles' and my favourite educating tool, had not been completely obsoleted from the school, we gladly embraced newer gadgets into our mode of instruction, in conjunction with the classical counterparts.

After umpteen practices with Scott and Jean, I ultimately grasped the hang of operating the seemingly complicated machine that victoriously succeeded its outdated predecessors.

Specially designed by Scott, the miniature monitor mounted to a similarly-sized keyboard was basically a personal handheld computer. While the concept was identical, it was unlike most laptops available in the commercial market. Scott's engineering expertise and our resources allowed for our devices to be constructed on a much lighter and smaller scale, certainly promoting its convenience to be manned even if I still failed to regain any practical use in one hand.

Telekinetically wiring up the lightweight accessory to the overhead projector, just recently installed with liquid crystals to generate its display, my digitally created slides were promptly cast onto the large white screen in front of the class while my students casually strolled in.

A full strength meant slightly less than twenty teens in the room, yet contrasting reactions could be identified amongst the modest lot as they streamed to their seats. The girls were pleasantly delighted by the sight of the fragrant favour, squealing endlessly about their excitement and fantasies of the day. The boys, on the other hand, were clearly unimpressed by the occasion altogether, and some were even exaggeratedly disgusted by the floral token, dramatically refusing to even touch it.

"Alright, settle down, ladies and gentleman. It's time we get started," I addressed kindly and the chatters progressively ceased as the kids whipped out their stationeries, readying themselves for another round of scientific discoveries.

Smoothly, the period came to a conclusion but before I could delegate their revision assignments, the pesky children were cooing exuberantly as they had their gazes weirdly fixed to the entrance behind me. Unable to decipher the odd looks on their faces, I suspiciously swiveled my chair around, absolutely astonished to spot Charles just several feet away from me by the doorway.

While it was baffling that I had been totally oblivious to his stealthy approach, what was more stunning in that instant was the huge bunch of vividly coloured tulips resting nicely atop his lap that screamed for my immediate and undivided attention. With their stems wrapped neatly under a silky light pink material, the array of similarly shaded blooms were held together by an elaborate bow and the enormous bouquet accented by its fresh green leaves undoubtedly emerged prominent against the fabric of his cobalt trousers.

"Can I come in?" Charles probed amusedly, inducing a wave of silly giggles amongst the teens.

Gradually, I raised my head to meet his gaze and finally witnessed that highly entertained expression on his face. A conceited smirk, a pair of sincere eyes and a playfully raised brow were ironic features that, together, wondrously described his explicit eagerness to shower me with flowers.

Yet, I stared at him blankly, struggling to fathom his ambiguous and abrupt, not to mention definitely unexpected and incredibly discreet, desire for the generous gesture that bore no precedent.

"I suppose..." I answered unsteadily and the kids ruptured into another roar of laughter as I watched his elegant procession, dumbfounded.

"This is for you, my love," Charles declared warmly as he arrived directly before me, prudently handing over the lavish gift.

Courteously accepting the extravagant endowment, I carefully cradled it in my weaker arm and a spark of electricity surged through me as his fingers gently grazed mine. The sudden rush of energy through my veins seemingly stimulated my senses, spontaneously enlightening me to the rapid and fervent palpitations of my heart that were curiously indiscernible just seconds prior.

Like the pain that could easily be neglected during the initial stages of shock, the inadvertent numbness forged under the severe influence of adrenaline had faded into my inherent jitters automatically activated whenever he was within such close proximities. Staring nervously at our knees, I focused my eyes to where his crisply pressed pants had licked my thick woolen maxi as I noticed my increasingly heavy and quickening breaths when I caught his hand sneaking up my thigh and registered his finger on my chin.

Gingerly tilting up my head, Charles guided my gaze to an exceptionally detailed profile of his handsome face and before I knew it, his soft lips had landed on mine. Naturally, my eyes fell shut and I reciprocated the affectionate kiss unreservedly, blatantly ignoring the mass of ogling gapes and the explosion of cheers in the background as if they were not one bit bothersome. The cheeky noises persisted throughout our short but passionate yet pure interaction but diminished into indistinct conversations as soon as Charles marginally broke away.

"Happy Valentines' Day, my love," Charles conveyed in a whisper but the mischievous silence that governed the tensed ambience undeniably broadcasted his proclamation as a conspicuous announcement, annoyingly eliciting another burst of raving applause.

I cupped my face in embarrassment, hoping to shield my blush, but given the rising heat that radiated from my bare skin, to mask the growing flush was outrightly an impossible task. All I could manage were a couple of bashful giggles that escaped intermittently as I timidly swept my eyes through the sea of snooping gazes but thankfully, Charles eventually decided to end my awkward streak.

"If you guys would like no homework, and get the rest of the day off, you'd be best disappearing right now," Charles gladly intervened, politely addressing my pupils and they willingly succumbed to the tempting offer.

Cordially communicating their goodbyes, the boys sprinted off to lunch, deliberately leaving their little souvenirs behind, while the girls held theirs like it was the only thing they cherished and scurried off in packs, swiftly transforming the premises into our private area.

"You just love ridiculing me in front of the children," I mocked, explicitly exposing my sarcasm but strived to curb my eyes from rolling as I admired the truly beautiful arrangement in my arms.

"I do not love ridiculing you in front of the children," Charles insisted determinedly as he tenderly caressed my face.

"I just love you," Charles asserted genuinely and I looked up at him, a foolishly smitten girl who could not stop grinning.

XXXXX

Sorry this is another filler chapter and we're not quite there at X2 yet because, well, this is, other than an X-Men story, also a love story. So yes, let me play around with some of their love while I still can 😇
I hope you all like this little Valentine's Day gift!

And also,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNN
❤️