Xavier

70

I sat back in my seat and pushed my tights down a little so they weren't tight around my stomach anymore. "That was amazing." I mumbled.

"Who are you telling."

Mason mirrored my actions and leaned back as well. We had burgers from this new place they built on campus. It was pretty packed but we were able to get a table. It was probably the best burger I've ever had.

As I sat leaned back my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced down at it first to see who was sending me a message. I'd done so the same time that Mason did. It was Xavier.

I tried not to grab the phone too hurriedly. I didn't want it to look suspicious. Mason tried to subtly see who it was but he was way too easy to read.

Are you busy? I need to talk to you.

I sighed and sat the phone back down on the table. If there was anything that I knew it was that those words were never good. I texted him quickly letting him know I wouldn't be free until later and asking what was wrong. He didn't reply.

Mason and I stayed there for ten more minutes before we even made a move to leave. The entire time I was a ball of nerves and constantly diverting my eyes from his to my phone. What did he need to talk about?

Mason drove us back to campus and we shared a hug before going our separate ways. While I was a bit apprehensive of Mason at first, Im glad that we are becoming friends.

I finished off my classes for the day and went straight home. As soon as I got settled I called Xavier. "Hey." I greeted as soon as he answered . "Hey, how was your first day back?"

"I can't complain, how was yours?"

"I can't complain." He replied. "You said you wanted to talk earlier. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Can you come over?"

"Um yeah okay, when?"

"Now?"

"Okay. I'll be there soon."

"Alright, mi amor. I'll see you when you get here."

I got my ass right back up and went straight over to his house. When I pulled up he was already standing at the front door waiting for me. "You missed me that much?" I teased as I walked up the path.

"You have no idea." He smiled.

He stepped aside for me to come in and closed the door behind me. I started taking off my shoes and jacket but he quickly stopped me. "Hold on. Keep your stuff on we're about to go out back."

I furrowed my eyebrows from confusion but nodded anyway. He gave me shoe covers to walk through the house in before grabbing his own shoes and jacket. "Why are we going back outside?"

"I want to show you something."

"What classes did you have?" He asked before I could mention once again what he texted me earlier.

"Nature of Crime, professional development, and stat. You?"

"I'm teaching criminal behavior and intro to criminal justice this semester. I teach both everyday."

"Oh nice! Who's your TA for Intro?"

"A girl named Rebecca. She's a strange one I'll tell you that."

"Stop she might be really nice." I laughed. "Yeah okay. You may bump into her when you come by my office. I meet with her to talk in depth on Wednesday's and we're supposed to have small chats through the week."

"Okay so how does that affect our schedule. I almost forgot that I still work for you."

"We'll meet everyday or as often as I see necessary depending on what I've got going on. I'm typically free at noon or at 2 everyday."

"Two is good." I replied.

We made small talk as he led me through his house and out to the backyard.

His back yard was very large and very well maintained. Despite the cold, his grass still looked healthy. I wonder if it's real.

He took my hand and led me through a long cobble stone path that led to a bigger road at the edge of his property. It overlooked a vast lake. The ground and trees were covered in snow from last night. It looked beautiful. "This is what you wanted to show me?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes and I wanted to show you this." He said as he walked towards a tree. There was a blue bike made for an adult but equipped with training wheels and a pink helmet hanging from the handle bars. "You said you didn't know how to ride, so I thought I could teach you."

My already wide smile somehow brightened. I didn't even think he would've remembered me saying something like that. My admiration for him grew tenfold. But a different feeling bloomed in me as I looked at the training wheels again.

"You put training wheels on it?" I asked. "Yeah I figured we could do this the easy way first and work our way up to the big leagues." He chuckled.

My uneasiness that I felt when I got here melted and so did my heart. I practically ran to him and threw my arms around his waist. His went around my shoulders and he held me tightly. I sniffled quietly and thanked him. "I can't believe you did this for me."

I mumbled. When I pulled back he frowned slightly and wiped away the tears on my cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm overwhelmed with joy." I laughed. I wiped the remainder of my traitorous tears and released him. "Alright let's do this."

He helped me up onto the bike and guided me through the steps to taking off. Even with the training wheels it took me a few minutes to comfortably move the bike without being afraid I would fall. "That's it baby, you got it."

He let go of the back of the bike and let me peddle down the road on my own. As I did so he got onto his own bike and peddled beside me. "You want to try and go halfway around the lake?" He asked.

I nodded happily as I picked up speed.