after class

two

it is ten o'clock.
the young teacher has a lengthy break before his next class of students arrives, and he is spending it in the english department office. a fresh pot of coffee brews and bubbles on the grey countertop beside him. he is in deep thought as he absentmindedly flips through a stack of papers to grade.
the sharp clicking of high heels interrupts his silence.
"hey! you didn't call?" a playful voice asks.
the teacher looks over to see Ms. Emerson, one of the english 101 professors.
she leans against the counter, flashing him a pearly white smile. her soft blonde curls are pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she wears a blue dress with black heels.
slowly, the teacher sets down his stack of papers and reaches for the coffee pot. steam and the strong, warm scent of coffee fill the air when he opens it.
he knows that she is referring to last friday, when she jotted her number on a napkin and slipped it to him.
"oh, yes, sorry about that. I had quite the busy weekend." he smiles at her briefly.
Ms. Emerson laughs and shakes her head, her ponytail bouncing behind her. "well, whenever you get around to it... I'd love to meet for a drink sometime." her tone drips with flirtation.
the teacher just gives her another quick smile. "right. would you like any coffee, Ms. Emerson?"

• • • • • • • •

the exhausting day comes to an end with the ring of the final bell.
packing her psychology notes back into her book bag, the girl prepares to return home after a long day of classes. but as she trods out of the lecture hall, she remembers her tutoring lesson planned for that day.
the tutoring lesson with her literature teacher, who has been crossing her mind all day.
butterflies reemerge like a waterfall within her stomach, and her heart speeds up. the girl feels both nervous and excited as she makes her way to the building.
down the main hall, up the side stairs, a left turn, and then another left turn.
she makes her way through the crowd as the other students filter out to get home.

when the girl walks into the room, the professor looks up from his desk. he smiles warmly, taking in her innocent, feminine look as he welcomes her in.
a muted pink corduroy skirt, fitted high waisted, with a soft cream-colored sweater. long chestnut hair falling over her shoulders, and minimal makeup. her fair cheeks are rosy.
"ah, I'm glad you remembered! I almost forgot about our tutoring session myself." he says, chuckling lightly. he motions for her to take a seat.
a small smile appears on the girl's face. her teacher does not realize just how nervous, yet excited, she is to be here with him.
or does he?
soon enough, the girl has laid out her notebook, along with her textbook and the piece that is being studied currently in class. she flips to the topic she is struggling with most, and her face crinkles as she reviews her notes.
the teacher watches, and rolls his chair closer to hers to help her out. "is this what's been giving you trouble?" he glances at a quiz she had completed on the analysis of an excerpt, noticing more than half of her answers marked wrong.
"yes sir," she squeaks. "I'm just having a hard time fully understanding how I should approach some of the analysis."
he smiles. "alright, that's okay! here, let me add a few things to your notes while I explain"
...
almost an hour passes as the two work through the tutoring. after giving a detailed explanation while highlighting and adding to the notes, the teacher had printed out a practice sheet for the girl to attempt. he had assisted her as she wrote out annotations and literary devices, happy to see that she was catching on. he is also fully enjoying this time with her.
she is currently completing the final question on the page. the teacher watches the quick movements of her hand as she jots notes quietly, and he smiles as she places her pencil down on top of the finished worksheet.
"you're all done! and you completed those last few questions without any help from me. good job."
the teacher reaches out with his enthusiasm, and feels his hand brush the smooth skin of the girl's thigh. he moves it away and lets out a breath, leaving the girl with an almost electric shock running from her thigh throughout the rest of her body. she struggles to form a reply to her teacher's praise, and hopes that he doesn't notice the change in her breathing.
but in the silence of the nearly empty classroom, it's hard for him not to.
shaking herself out of her trance, the girl smiles and looks down at the sheet of correct answers.
"that wasn't too bad at all. I think I understand a lot better now."
the young teacher smiles at the girl again, his eyes glued on her pleased face.
"I'm glad to hear that. and see? it's nothing that's beyond your capabilities."
the two catch each other's eyes for a brief moment.
"since you're coming in again thursday, is there any other topic that you need help on?," the teacher asks.
the girl reaches for her notebook and flips through it until she finds the notes from another lesson that hadn't quite stuck with her.
"I think I need some work on this."
the teacher reaches for the notebook, his hands brushing over hers and resting there for a second while he scans the page.
"let's see here, hmm. oh yes, this is what we've gone over just recently. I'd be happy to offer you some extra help. thursday is still the plan?"
the girl slides her tingling hands away from the notebook and nods. "yes sir, I can come in after classes thursday."
"great. I'll see you then." he looks at her with a pearly white smile. she returns it with a shy grin as she packs up her things and gets up from her seat. the two share a final farewell for the day, and the girl turns to leave with her mind full.
the teacher watches the chestnut locks bounce and tumble down the girl's shoulders. his eyes move down to her pale legs, shown off by the short length of her skirt, that she seemingly purposefully brought his attention to earlier that day.
he knew that for some odd reason, he wouldn't be getting this afternoon off of his mind anytime soon.