Some Day One Day (Maylor AU)

Chapter 23

Brian passed through the halls of Imperial College with his head hung low, his bag bouncing by his side and his hands shoved into his pockets. By then, it was mid-afternoon, and the professor neglected to show up for two of his classes—his students reveling in the spontaneous day off. The catching-up Brian would have to do was the last thing on his mind, his visit to Kensington Market preoccupying his thoughts. The professor was practically on autopilot, miraculously making his way to the headmistress's office and opening the closed door, only to find that she was already with someone.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry," he stammered with bright red cheeks, starting to retrace his steps, "I didn't realize you were—"

"It's fine, Brian," she assured him, smiling and gesturing towards Gordon, perched atop her desk on the same side as her with his head turned over his shoulder, "We were just wrapping up with his orientation."

"And she's been very helpful," Ray's replacement slyly added, returning his attention to the headmistress who failed to disguise the wide grin that formed on her lips and the schoolgirl-like giggle that escaped her mouth. Brian raised a suspicious eyebrow at the banter that ensued, the headmistress playfully smacking the interim professor on the knee after he pinched her cheek.

The curly-haired professor loudly cleared his throat and reminded the two of his presence with a blunt, "So, you said you were almost done?"

An awkward tension quickly filled the room and prompted Chrissie to dismiss Gordon—telling him that, if he ever had any questions, he knew where to find her. Brian didn't miss the wink Gordon gave her in response, or the smirk he adorned as he brushed shoulders with him on his way out. The professor couldn't help but keep his eye on him as he escaped down the corridor, and the new blonde sensed it—glancing back at him with a devious look that sent a shiver down Brian's back.

"Hey," Chrissie's voice snapped the professor out of the spell Gordon cast on him, luring him into her office with a great sense of reluctance on his end. It seemed as though Brian couldn't take his eyes away from the interim professor, wanting—no, needing—to solve the mystery that surrounded his sudden arrival. Brian had a feeling that history was repeating itself, and just like this time last year, he wasn't prepared for what was to come.

"Where have you been?" the headmistress asked as she watched the professor drop his bag into one of her chairs and plop himself down in the other one. When he didn't immediately answer her question, his mind clearly elsewhere, she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and explained, "I stopped by your classroom earlier to see if you wanted to get lunch, and you weren't there."

"I had to go see someone," he told her bluntly, his eyes locked on the nameplate displayed at the front of her desk.

The headmistress leaned forward, clasping her hands together atop the notebook she kept for important dates and appointments. "Is everything okay?"

Brian sat there for a moment, stoic, his train of thought switching tracks as Freddie's words began to repeat in his head. It pained him to admit it, but the dark-haired man was right. He was naïve. The reason he wanted Paul to keep quiet about the night at the bar was because of Roger, and worst of all, it didn't matter that he was married and had a daughter. If that haunting dream was any indication of his feelings, he did still love Roger, and truth be told, he wasn't so sure he could say the same about Chrissie.

"Brian?"

The professor took in a deep breath and disclosed, "I'm going out tonight."

A relieved smile broke out on the headmistress's face. "Really? That's it? You're just going out tonight?"

"Yes, I am," Brian asserted, his words lacking in the confidence his straightened posture, crossed arms, and slightly lifted chin made up for. "Is there going to be a problem with that?"

Chrissie giggled and stood up. "No, actually, it's perfect." Those two final words shattered Brian's gathered courage within seconds, his baffled gaze following her as she circled the desk and leaned against it, right in front of her husband. "A friend invited me over for dinner tonight," she revealed, reaching out and caressing the professor's cheek—her thumb swiping across the blush that surfaced, "So, I figured I'd give you the night off to relax, you know, clear your mind. But if you want to go out, that's fine too." She smirked. "Just as long as you find your way back home before sunrise. We do still have to show up for work tomorrow."

"What about Liz?" the concerned father wondered.

"Oh, I'm taking her with me," Chrissie answered, as if her husband should've known, "Yeah, this friend of mine, I met her a few weeks back while shopping for some new clothes at Biba. She was helping me, and we got talking, and when I told her I had a daughter, she nearly lost her wits, she was so excited. She insisted on meeting her, so..." Her voice trailed off when she noticed the unconvinced look on her husband's face, but that didn't stop her from finishing softly, "...I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone."