Teacher's Pet

Chapter Fourteen:

KATIE FOX:

There was a soundlessness between us, as we gazed, longingly, into each other's eyes – He, into my light blue eyes, slightly red from the crying, and I, into his warm, jade green ones. This silence, however, unlike all the others, was welcomed and mutual. Both content to just mentally absorb the steamy moment that just happened, between us, we secretly yearned for it to happen again, a thousand times over.

"Well," I said, quietly, still staring into his kind eyes, "we should probably go. I can't be home too late." His eyes flashed to anger, transiently, then back to normal, like it never happened. I frowned at that, for a short while, before brushing it off as nothing.

"Right," He answered, the soft smile on his face not matching the sad tone to his voice. He looked like he was debating something, his face locked in deep concentration. I began to head to Alec's car, when he called my name, stopping me in my tracks.

"Katya, wait," He called, his eyes glittering and begging, "come live with me."

WHAT?!

"What?!" I whisper-shouted in disbelief, thinking maybe I heard him incorrectly – yeah, that's more likely.

"Move in with me," He repeated. No, you weren't supposed to say that! I was supposed to have simply misheard you! "I have a spare bedroom at my place – the house is real big. You could pick up your stuff and I'd drive you to my place... if you want?"

"We just kissed!" I whisper-shouted, not thinking I'd ever have to say that to anyone, in my life.

He let out a hearty chuckle, that crinkled the corners of his eyes, making me smile. What? Laughter's infectious! 

"That's not why I'm asking." He said, smiling a toothy-but-not-too-toothy grin, "I'm asking because I don't think I could forgive myself, if I dropped you off at your place, knowing your father was there. And if you got hurt, I definitely wouldn't be able to forgive myself, knowing I could have prevented it. And I have a spare room at my place, so what do you say?"

Well, my father probably wouldn't have even noticed I was missing and if he did, I doubt he'd care, given he still despises my existence, since Mom died.

"What the hell," I said, casually shrugging my shoulders, finding no point in arguing.

My agreeing with him seemed to exacerbate some happy hormone his body was currently creating, as he embraced me in a tight hug, picking me up and spinning me around, making me giggle, ecstatically.

It was like I was a little girl, again, being spun around by my father, in his better days. And, for the first time in almost eight years, I felt truly happy.

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It took longer than I thought it would, to grab some stuff from my place, and drive to Alec's. But it wasn't my picking up some clothes that delayed us. It turned out that Alec wasnt lying when he said his house was really big. He neglected to mention that he lived in a fucking mansion.

The old-fashioned, black-and-white painted, brick building looked just a little bigger than average, from the front - the unique features limited to a front porch, held up by two large, white pillars, and a few grey and ageing statues of wolves on the front garden, which were beside the flowerbeds, that were full of blue and black flowers - none of which I'd ever seen before. But, as it turned out, the average-from-the-front building expanded at the back, creating a building big enough to fit at least twenty bedrooms, with additional space for a multitude of different rooms, with different purposes.

I walked through the black, painted, solid oak, front door, my mouth agape at the sight before me. Upon entering, I saw white marble floors, shining and well-polished; a spiralling staircase, to the right, with black iron bannisters; a tall, brick archway, that led to the biggest kitchen I'd ever seen, even though I could only see the part closest, to me; a large office, to the left of me, a middle-aged man on the phone, surrounded by stacks of folders and piles of papers; and, in front of me, diagonally to the left, the hugest, most modern living room I'd ever seen, with black, leather couches, a ginormous flat-screen TV, braced to the wall, and floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out onto the biggest, most beautifully well-kept garden or more like acre field.

But the first thing I noticed, avoiding until now, was the crowd of at least twenty people, stood in the grand hallway, staring at me. Most of them were young men, there being only four or five girls. All of the guys were staring at me. Hungrily. It was at this point that Alec walked in, carrying my suitcase, full of what little clothing I own.

The question He asked me, on the drive here, resonated in my mind, now: I've got quite a few housemates, would you be okay with that? I smirked, at that thought, realizing that I'd wildly underestimated how many housemates Alec had meant.

While, at first, I found it intimidating getting this much attention from guys, which I was definitely not used to, for some reason I wasn't afraid of them. Even when they looked at me like I was a piece of meat, I was uncomfortable, for sure, but not afraid. So, in that brief moment of fearlessness, taking in a deep breath, straightening my posture, looking them all dead in the face, I said "Okay, the first thing you guys need to do, is stop staring at me like a man stares at a steak, when he's been starved for months."

I put my weight on one leg, crossing my arms, smirking.

A wave of muttering, among them all, occurred. Only for a few seconds, until the voice of the tallest guy of the group, stood right at the front and directly in front of me, sounded:

"Well, I like her. She's got attitude." he spoke, shrugging his shoulders, casually,

At that, the girls seemed to be amused, giggling between each other, while the males nodded, approvingly - And Alec stood at my side, looking down at me with ... Pride?