Guess That Is How I Know You

Chapter XXIX

March 22, 2017

Familiarity. That was a word I had struggled with all my life. I never felt particularly comfortable with my surrounding, it always seemed as if I was not where I was supposed to.

And then I met her, and bit by bit, everything about my life started to come into place.

Not suddenly, but steadily both my soon-to-be professional life, as well as my personal life started to feel like they truly belonged to me, or better yet, like I finally belonged to them.

Then she left, but much to my surprise her leaving had an unforeseeable effect on me. It pushed me to fight all that much harder to keep my sort of professional path going—not that I could say the same about everything else.

So how could I resent her for leaving?

That thought crossed my mind as I waited for her outside her classroom.

I tried my best to keep my distance while on campus, the last thing I needed was the gossiping and whispering about us to spook Cecilia away. But I had promised Brianna to try and get her on the professor's good side, and it seemed my first attempt was not as successful as I had originally thought.

I must admit though, I was liking the fact I had an excuse to be there. Things between us were still fairly slow, so every chance I got to be around her was a blessing—even if it was in disguise.

I suppose I should have expected her to be surprised to see me there, after all it was my idea to keep our distance around campus—not that we were ever any good at doing that.

I was too much in my mind to realize she had caught me watching her through the open door. Her students started to vacate the classroom, and that was when I noticed she was done with her lecture.

I decided to let myself in and the first thing I noticed was how scared Brianna seemed beside the professor's desk as she patiently waited for a chance to talk with Cecilia.

The next thing I noticed got to me more than I would have expect to, there was an older student trying awfully hard to get Cecilia's attention —one of those midlife-crisis sorts of guys who decide they should switch careers just when they have gotten their lives figured out.

Those moments were the tricky moments, the ones I wished being with her was not so complicated, such a taboo, the moments I craved so much to be able to just go there and tell that man to fuck off.

"You aren't very discreet when you're jealous." I was startled by Brianna who somehow had found her way to me.

"I'm not jealous." I did not know who I was trying to convince.

"Next time, try believing it first." She whispered bumping her shoulder against mine.

I decided a nondenial denial was the best I could go for, "It's just so frustrating to see men acting all entitled while hitting on a woman even when said woman has some sort of hierarchic role."

"I mean, I get what you saying, but then again, she's hot and single for all anyone knows. I can see the appeal even if she's a bitch to me half the time." I knew Brianna did not mean to hit a nerve with her comment, but to be reminded Cecilia was still technically single made my insecurities skyrocket.

Before I knew it, my feet had taken me closer to the professor's desk, and I was standing in between the student and Cecilia.

At first, she was startled by my arrival, I could clearly see it in her eyes, and it made me worry she would be annoyed by my presence.

But then her eyes changed, they became softer and understanding. She knew exactly what was going through my mind.

For a while we just looked at each other, having our silent conversation, the type that tend to make people around uncomfortable until they eventually leave, only the guy could not seem to take the hint.