Sunshine (Student/Teacher Romance) 18+

16

Ari

Staying with Mr. Caswell has been bittersweet. Bitter, because he walks around me like I'm a ghost.

It's not like I expected us to suddenly become best friends or something, I mean he's a grown man. An extremely handsome, sophisticated, intelligent, grown man who I can't believe broke about twenty rules for me, but some harmless conversation once in a while would be nice.

It'd help me feel not so alone.

But that's what made it sweet, because I wasn't alone. Even though we didn't speak more than hello and goodbye, he was there. He was around, and I knew that in the way he'd look over my shoulder when I was doing homework. Or set a sandwich down beside my open book after he'd made one for himself.

And because I'm off the street. I'm not having crippling anxiety attacks that wake me at odd hours of the day. I'm safe.

At least, outside of school.

Kaliyah's been weird. I've still be enduring her usual cat calling every time I pass her, except today she's been quiet.

There was a time during fifth that I caught her staring at me, a small smirk riddled her face. I stared back at her, challenging her, but she didn't move. She just smiled at me, like she knew something. Like she knew something.

It scared me, but I told myself there's no way she could possibly know I'd been staying with Mr. Caswell. I'd been so careful.

We'd been sooo careful.

"Mr. Caswell." I stumble as I try to keep up beside him. He'd been walking around campus a lot lately and it seemed like every morning when the bell released us, he'd leave the room when we did.

May have been an attempt at not being caught alone with a student, but that could just be my paranoia.

"What is it, Ms. Reid?" He continues walking, not even bothering to slow down for me, or even look my way.

"I need to talk to you, quickly."

"I'm sorry, I don't have time today. You know when my office hours are."

"Mr. C, this is serious." I bite my lip, remembering what he said about discussing outside topics in school.

He finally stops, lowering his voice. "You know my rules."

Our eyes lock as long as he will allow them to. I eat up that few short seconds, and wonder if he noticed that I'd stopped breathing.

Probably not. He couldn't care less about anything having to do with me right now.

I nod, and it's like that was all he was waiting for to end this conversation and walk away.

Sometimes I get the feeling that Mr. C resents me. But I would too if I'd been forced into putting my whole life's work on the line. The only way to repay him is to keep my word. To keep this secret, and I will.

I'll deny it until I can't.

...

"So that was three cherry vanilla cokes, one root beer, and one monster cheddar fries?" I say, glancing up from my notepad into the window of the SUV. The driver nods and I skate back to the kitchen.

It's another crazy Friday night, which means my first weekend staying with Mr. Caswell.

I'm nervous. I don't know what I'll do with myself. He doesn't talk to me any more than to remind me to help myself to what's in the freezer, although I bring food home from work so that I'm not totally freeloading off of him.