The Professor

Chapter Seventeen

We made a plan to meet back here at Dean's apartment Friday night at the same time. 

I lost track of time and realized that if I don't get back to the dorm soon, Jessica might start freaking out. I'm already going to have a hard time lying to her and on top of that, i'm not a good liar. 

When I make it to the living room where I left my purse and keys, I pull my phone out of my purse pocket.

"Shit." I say to myself once I see how many missed calls and texts I have from her.

"What's wrong?" I hear Dean behind me.

"It's my roommate." I say as I turn around to face him but keep my head down as I look at all of her texts:

Hey, are you okay? You weren't here when I got back and I know you weren't feeling good.

Did you get my text?

Seriously Claire, where the fuck are you? 

Helloooooooo???

I'm about one more missed call away from calling the police.

Luckily that last text was sent a minute ago so I type a quick response:

I'm alive and fine. I'll explain when I get back, i'm driving.

She's quick to respond:

You owe me a damn good explanation and an expensive bottle of wine for my nerves.

I click the screen off and slide it back in my purse before returning my attention to Dean. I shrug my shoulders and smile at him, earning a smile back. Tonight has been something. It's been thrilling, exciting, and nerve racking. A part of me still can't believe i'm sneaking around with my teacher but the fact that he wants to sneak around with me makes me giddy.

"I don't want to leave..." I saw in a voice barely above a whisper. Dean sighs and his smile falls from his face.

"I don't want you to leave either."

Hearing him say this makes me smile and he pulls me closer into him, planting the softest kiss on my lips. This is the first time he's kissed me this slowly yet so passionately. I savor the feel of his lips working against mine and the gentle touch of his hands splayed on my back. He makes me feel like a woman. A desired woman.

I moan into his mouth and he moans slightly back. Dean pulls away gently and moves a hand to my cheek, rubbing it with his thumb like he did earlier. 

"I don't want you get back later than you already will." he says. I can hear the sincere concern in his voice. It saddens me to know that i'm about to return to the dorm without him but I know I should go. It's dark and late and I know i'm going to be scared walking back by myself this late at night, especially since i'm parked on the total opposite side of campus.

I sigh. "I know."

Dean walks me to the front door and opens it. "I want to walk you to your car but I can't risk being seen with you." 

I nod in understanding. "I know."

"I want to know that you got home safe."

This makes my stomach start to flutter again but then I narrow my eyes in confusion. "How? The school monitors the emails."

He snickers and smiles that cute boyish smile of his. "That's why I would like for you to text me when you get back."

Text him?

He wants my phone number?

I feel like such a high schooler getting excited when the popular star athlete asks the girl for her number. 

"Isn't that risky too?" I ask him. He shakes his head.

"The school doesn't monitor phones. It's only a problem if someone catches us," he goes to take my phone out of my purse but then pauses and looks at me. "So don't let someone catch us."  He says seriously with a sarcastic smile.

Jessica instantly pops into my mind. If anyone were to catch us texting, it would be her. I have to make sure she doesn't see his contact name.

"I won't." I tell him.

He leans down and plants a soft kiss on my lips. "Let me see your phone." He says with his hand out. I dig it out of my purse and hand it to him with it unlocked. Dean adds his phone number and sends a text to himself before handing it back to me with a smile. 

I put my phone back in my purse without breaking eye contact with him. The looming silence between has a lingering sense we're aware of. 

I don't want to leave him. And judging from the dramatic sigh and sad look Dean is giving me now indicates he feels the same. I know it's getting late so I sign on my own. "I need to go." I say. Dean breathes through his nose and nods his head before kissing me once more. His mouth lingers on mine and pulling away from him is physically painful.

"Drive careful." He says with a slight smile.

I smile back at him and walk down the hallway to the elevators we arrived on earlier. When I step into the empty elevator car, I take a deep breath.

Whoa is all I can think.

I am crazy. Even I don't understand what the hell i'm doing getting involved with my college professor but the high I am on when i'm around him is one I want to keep chasing.

My mind is still reeling from tonight and it stays that way the whole drive back to campus. I walk fast back to the dorm and stay on alert mode the whole way back. I feel a sense of relief when I step foot in the building of my dorm untouched. 

It's not until I open the door to my dorm room and I see Jessica staring back at me with glaring eyes and her voice asking me, "Where the hell have you been?"