Everlasting Bonds - COMPLETE

Chapter 36

POV: Greyson

"So, are you ever going to tell me who the girl you stare at when you are supposed to be teaching is?"

Cartwright looked at me slyly over his glasses, pausing briefly from the grading he was currently making his way through. Thursdays were his office hours and I usually joined him in the mornings to help with the Creative Writing assignments.

I was a little taken aback by the question, but not all that surprised. I looked at Cartwright almost as an Uncle. After everything that happened when I was a kid, he was the first man that I was able to look up to.

He had a way of checking in on my life that bordered on nosy, but I appreciated that he cared enough to ask.

"I don't know what you're talking about James. I look at everyone in the class... that's kind of my job as your TA". I didn't take my eyes off my computer as I scanned the story proposals the class had sent in. They ranged from crazy good to plain bad, but I enjoyed how much thought most of the class had put into their submissions.

"Sure," he snorted. "Just like it's my job to spot when people are bullshitting me".

"How is that your job? You're an English Professor".

"It's in the fine print. We just don't share that part with students so that they keep thinking we are all clueless old people who can't tell when they are cheating on our tests or assignments".

Laughing loudly I looked away from the computer to roll my eyes at him. "Your secret is safe with me".

His answering smile made wrinkles appear next to his eyes and not for the first time, I wished the two of us were actually related. "Stop deflecting from the question Greyson. The girl. Tell me about her".

He gave me a pointed look before turning back to the papers on his desk.

The funny thing is I wanted to tell him about her. I wanted to tell him that being around her felt like being in a gravitational pull. Her smile, her mind, her graceful presence had a magnetism that forced me to pay attention to her. I wanted to tell him that she inspired many of the heroines in the poems and stories I'd written. Heroines that he commended – or at least the writing of them anyways.

But I couldn't tell him any of that. Not without telling him our whole story.

"She is just a girl that caught my eye. I'm taking her to a poetry reading tonight".
"Hmm if you say so. Is this poetry reading... a date", he questioned.

It was my turn to look at him pointedly over the top of the computer screen. "Yes. It's a date".

He must have sensed that I wasn't going to give him any sordid details because his questioning stopped. The two of us fell into a comfortable silence and when I left a few hours later to head home he gave me a knowing smirk, accompanied by his well wishes.

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Lark: Hey! I'm leaving my place now – see you soon.

Rushing around my room to grab my shoes, I quickly texted her back.

Greyson: Sounds good. See you soon.

I spent way too long trying to figure out what to wear. I wanted to look nice, but not too nice where she would think I spent a lot of time thinking about my outfit.