I cursed under my breath as I raced through the halls. I looked down at my schedule. Room 209 Miss Shepherd, Literature, 8 am. I was standing in front of room 207. Besides, it was 208. It went straight to 210 from there. Where the hell was 209? This stupid college has to always make everything difficult. The lesson had started two minutes ago and I still hadn't found the room. Why did I agree to switch English classes in the middle of the semester?
Someone walked past me just then.
"Excuse me," I said.
"Where's 209?"
They directed me down a hallway to the left. The hallway was empty except for a classroom down at the end.
"Thanks so much!" I said, running off. Just as I made it to the door, a woman walked out of the classroom. I tried to stop in time, but nearly ran into her.
She moved out of my way just in time, reaching forward to grab me as I lost my balance. Once she was assured I had my footing, she released me.
"I'm so sorry." I stammered, mentally kicking myself for nearly knocking down my professor.
"I was running because I'm late and couldn't find the room. I've looked everywhere but the way the classes are numbered is confusing and..."
I looked at her, voice trailing off. She was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Her tall, slim build was complemented by the black slacks and blue blouse she was wearing. They hugged her tightly in all the right places but still maintained a sense of modesty. Her chestnut hair cascaded down her shoulders, but it was her eyes that literally took my breath away. They were a very light shade of gray that looked at you with such intensity. I felt as if she was looking through my eyes and into my soul. She had the kind of stare that made you wonder if she could peer into your head and read your mind.
"My room's hard to find." She laughed, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I'm very lenient with people who are new to my class. I know it's hard to find. No need to kill yourself to get here."
I could only nod, unable to form my thoughts into words. She stepped aside, allowing me to slip past her and into the classroom. I watched her kick the doorstop out from under the door, letting the door shut behind her.
"Before you sit down, why don't you introduce yourself. I'm sure other people have classes with you but some don't." She told me.
"Uh, I'm Alex," I said awkwardly. I hated being the center of attention. "Short for Alexandra. But I prefer Alex." I added.
"Welcome, Alex. Go ahead and have a seat. Preferably without taking anyone down with you." She joked.
I slipped into a desk near the back, feeling myself blush. I opened my textbook and spent the rest of the class taking notes. Edgar Allen Poe was the topic of this lesson, much to my relief. I've read all his works so I shouldn't have a problem catching up. Miss Shepherd was preparing us for an essay on The Cask of Amontillado.
I kept taking breaks from my note taking to stare at her. She fascinated me, but it wasn't only her beauty that drew my attention to her. She moved and walked in such a way that ensured all eyes were drawn to her. I couldn't stop watching her. So confident. Her eyes met mine and I immediately looked down at my textbook. Oh god. She caught me staring at her.
Moron. She's a professor. I was supposed to look at her. I lifted my head only to catch her eye again. Panicking, I looked down again and pretended to take notes. Jesus. What the hell was wrong with me? I felt ridiculous. I see one gorgeous woman and suddenly I didn't know how to act. I took a second to regain my composure and looked up. After a minute, she looked at me and it took all I had not to look away again. Don't look down. Don't look down. She diverted her attention somewhere else and I let out a huge breath that I didn't even know I was holding.
The rest of the class went smoothly. I didn't do anything else to embarrass myself, thankfully. The class seemed to drag on forever. I couldn't wait to get out of here.
Finally, her class started winding down to a close. I joined the class in packing up our bookbags as she reminded us of the criteria for the essay. It was a good thing I was an expert on Poe because I didn't pay much attention to the lesson. I felt ridiculous. I had always been good at school and seldomly got distracted, yet here I was. Jesus.
Finally, she dismissed us and I could not have gotten out of that chair any faster. Thank god. I went to join the rest of the class that was filing out the room.
"Alex."
I turned to see Miss Shepherd waving me over. Shit. I made my way over to her desk, trying to keep my face void of any emotion.
"I just wanted to make sure you know what's going on, considering you came in the middle of the semester." She explained.
"Oh. Uh, yeah. I mean, I'm actually well versed on Edgar Allen Poe. I've read all of his stories. A few times through actually. Not as an assignment. Just in my free time. He's one of my favorite authors. He just writes in such a way that keeps you intrigued the whole time. Those are the kind of stories I like. Stories that get your attention and holds it there. I always..."
I was suddenly aware that I was rambling like an idiot. Miss Shepherd didn't seem to mind though. She made no move to stop me. The entire time I was speaking she watched me, elbows on her desk, chin resting on folded hands, genuinely listening to what I was saying. Her eyes never left mine the entire time. Her piercing gaze was intimidating, but attentive. She made it clear I had her attention. I had a hard time looking away.
I realized she was waiting for me to continue. I couldn't though. I didn't even remember what I had been saying.
"Yeah, I know what's going on." I stated simply, feeling a blush creep up my face.
She smiled.
"Good." She said "Now, in your email there's a form explaining all the criteria for the essay. From the sound of it, you shouldn't have any problem with it. It's pretty straight forward. You've written essays before. You-
"Yes I've written essays." I told her, accidentally cutting her off before realizing that it wasn't phrased as a question. Obviously I've written essays before. I was in college. Luckily, she didn't comment on it. I wondered if I was acting as awkward as I felt. I shifted uncomfortably.
"Alright, well if you have any questions, feel free to stop by and see me. You can email me as well if that's easier."
If that's easier? Did she say that because she knew the effect she had on me? Was it that obvious? I realized that it was ridiculous. I was freaking out over a casual comment that meant nothing. There was no double meaning behind it. I needed to leave.
"Thank you." I told her, forcing a smile. I pretended to look at the clock.
"I have to head to my next class, thanks for taking the time to make sure I was caught up."
I started backing away before I even finished the sentence.
"Of course. I'll see you Wednesday."
I nodded, making my way to the door.
"Try not to take anyone down today!" She called after me. I found myself laughing when I desperately wanted to just hide under a rock. I finally made it to the hall and breathed a sigh of relief. Good god. What the hell was that? What was wrong with me?
You were just caught off guard by how gorgeous she was, I told myself. It won't be like this tomorrow. You'll be more prepared.
I walked to the library and sat down at a table. I didn't actually have a class after Miss Shepherd. I didn't have a class at all until one o'clock. I just needed a reason to leave her classroom before I embarrassed myself. I pulled out my laptop and opened the email for the essay. Three pages, one inch margins, Times New Roman, 12 font, single spaced, one sided. Not bad. I could have this finished by tomorrow. I'm sure that would impress her. Maybe not. I'm sure she has other students also fighting for her approval. Ignoring the fact that I shouldn't be this worried about impressing her at all, I got to work.
I spent the next half hour working on the essay. I worked until I felt an ache in my fingers. I was getting hungry. Now was as good a time as any to take a break I suppose. I stretched, trying to straighten the knot in my back.
I saw someone standing beside me in my peripheral vision and I glanced over. Oh you have got to be kidding me. Miss Shepherds stood there, eyebrows raised, the hint of a smile toying at her mouth. Clearly, I had lied about having a class to get to.
Luckily she didn't mention anything about it. What was she doing here? I eyed the stack of books in her hand. Duh, she's an English teacher. Obviously she likes books. So of course she'd be in the library.
"Just seeing if you were doing okay with the essay. I saw you were working on it as I was walking past." She said.
"It's going well. I'm nearly finished with the first page." I told her.
She looked impressed which thrilled me.
"Really? Already?"
I nodded, trying not to look or sound too proud.
"Mind if I look over what you have so far?" She asked.
"Sure, go ahead."
Before I could turn my laptop to face her, she had set her books down on the table and walked around beside me to lean over and look at the screen. I immediately got a whiff of her perfume. It smelled nice. Sweet, but not overpoweringly strong. It was very hard to concentrate with her so close to me.
I didn't know where to look. Should I look at her? The computer? I couldn't look over because I was literally eye level with her chest. I did not need her thinking I was trying to steal a glance down her blouse.
I looked down at my hands instead, deciding that was the safest place to divert my attention to. I played with the hair tie around my wrist and just stared at the palms of my hands. She really wasn't that close to me, but she was close enough to make me feel nervous.
I held my breath. God she smelled so good. I prayed that the expression on my face didn't give away how I felt. She shifted, putting her weight on her left foot to stand more comfortably. As a result, she moved closer to me. Her shoulder rested against my arm.
My thoughts raced. Should I pull away? I didn't want her to think I was rude or had a problem with her being so close to me. Did she do this on purpose to move closer to me? That was ridiculous right? Yes, it was definitely ridiculous. She just met me. I was her student. She definitely did not feel the same way I did right now.
I looked over, trying to read her face. The only expression was one of concentration as she read through my essay. God. Why does she have such an effect on me? I sounded crazy. I just met the woman. I felt like a middle schooler going through her first crush. This is pathetic.
She turned her head, making eye contact with me. My first instinct was to duck my head but I couldn't look away from her. Her eyes bore into mine with that same damn intensity. There literally wasn't a single thought in my head for a good ten seconds.
'Say something!' I finally told myself.
'Or at least look away for the love of god.'
"So, uh, what did you think of it so far?" I asked her.
"I think it's really good so far. You definitely understand the assignment. I really don't have any corrections."
"Well...good." I said, not knowing what else to say.
Miss Shepherds was the kind of person who made eye contact when she spoke with you. And continued making it until the conversation was over. I never had a problem with this. Until now. I was so convinced that her eyes were peering straight into my head, reading my mind.
"Well I'll let you go. I'm sure you have another class to get to." She said with a wink.
Oh god. I was wondering if she was going to bring that up.
"I'm sorry." I told her.
"I uh, I just needed to-"
"It's okay, you don't owe me an explanation. I'm sure you had your reasons."
I nodded.
She reached over and typed something on my computer before closing it and sliding it into my bag. I felt the need to say something, but I didn't know what. Probably for the best too, since I didn't know how to fucking act around her.
"I would tell you that you can have extra time to finish your essay if Wednesday was too soon but you seem like you'll have this finished in no time." She laughed.
"By tonight most likely." I said.
"Good."
She gave me a smile and then she was gone. Her perfume lingered for a few seconds before it disappeared after her. I sat there for a few minutes, a little dazed. I needed to get it together before I sawher again. But for now, I needed to go somewhere and get my senses. Somewhere I knew I wouldn't run into her. I headed to my dorm.
YOU ARE READING
🖤, Alex (TeacherxStudent )
Romance23 year old Alexandra never meant to fall in love with her gorgeous (and older) professor, Miss. Shepherd. And she definitely didn't mean for the older woman to fall in love back. Care-free Alex and the professional educator are living proof that op...
