Too Close

Chapter Three

The townhouse that Miles had recently purchased was quiet as he got ready for the day. It was empty since he'd only been there for merely a week. The majority of his things stayed in his LA home, so he added furniture shopping to his to do list.

Birds chirped outside and the light of dawn seeped into the living room as Miles walked downstairs. The rays shone through the huge glass 4 panel sliding doors that gave the eyes access to the empty backyard.

His brown leather derby shoes colliding against the floor was the only sound as he walked towards the stainless steel refrigerator. He hoped that some sort of food would magically appear inside, but to his dismay, it was just as empty as the day he'd bought it. Grocery shopping was the next thing added to the list.

Miles grabbed the few things he needed and went through the garage to get into his all black Range Rover Sport. He left out an hour or so earlier than his class so he could get a feel of the area and make sure he made it there on time.

He also wanted to practice before he had the students there with him. Miles radiated confidence so it was hard to tell whenever he was nervous. The day before, Miles was late but his nerves kicked in once he saw all of the young adults' stares, so he released them since he wasn't mentally prepared.

He felt the same way before all of his readings but it eventually washed away once he saw how engulfed everyone was in his words. It made him feel even better when he would meet those people and they would discuss the contents of his books.

Over the years, it had become more about how he looked instead of what he was saying and he wasn't complaining since the book sales were constantly rising. People would ask for pictures with him but when he asked for their favorite book or character, the answer would always be half assed. 

His most favorite feeling is when he'd meet a fan who loved his work as much as he did. The interaction was rare. So when he met Gianna, and she gave him exactly that, he immediately took a liking to her.

Pulling into a parking spot on the side of the arts building, he got out with his bag in his left hand and his phone in his right.

"Good morning, Miles." The woman who occupied the classroom across from his spoke, making him look up at her. He smiled and nodded his head before proceeding into his class and sat his briefcase on the desk. He stood against the side of it as he waited for a picture to be sent to him.

Miles sighed deeply as he switched text threads and replied to his mother's congratulations text that he woke up to. Hearing the sound of high heels clicking against the floor, he looked up to see the same woman from across the hall.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Jessica Banks, but you can just call me Jess, and I teach fashion design across the hall." She used her thumb to point behind her.

Miles plastered a smile on his face to seem polite, "I'm Miles but I think you knew already." They both laughed. "I didn't mean to seem rude earlier, I was just distracted."

"No, it's fine! It's early so I know how it is. I just wanted to welcome you and volunteer myself to be your first friend." She giggled.

"Alright then." Miles nodded his head. He got a good look at Jess and she was undeniably a beautiful woman. He liked the bob style her hair was cut into.

Jess looked down at her watch, checking the time, "My class is about to start. Talk later?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you." Jess smiled and waved. Her hips twisted as she walked back across the hall. She hoped Miles was watching, and he was, but he didn't plan on doing anything with her.

He took a seat in the cushioned rolling chair behind his desk as his own students started to fill the room. He wrote down small notes to mention throughout his first lesson, which was on: the eight types of diction in writing.