Love Bound (Student/Teacher) ✔️

Chapter 34

It was late, the night dawned on me. I lay there, staring at the ceiling. My thoughts were engulfed with Mr. Vervain.

You will never lose me to the wind Michael..

Today I have become accountable to someone other than myself. Today I have become accountable to him, and only him.

I had no power to predict what the future holds, but I would slam my defenses and submit to the good and the bad.

It gets lonely, talking to yourself with no echo.

It gets lonely, seeing darkness in the midst of lightening.

Memories of today submerged, exhaustion dominated me, allowing sleep to take over.

We were parked in front of the school building, but neither of us initiated the next move.

Mr. Vervain wasn't in a good mood, I tried to mind my own business while I watched him pace from the kitchen to Haley's room. I could tell he wasn't used to coping without a nanny.

He was so lonely, thinking about it now, I felt a lump in my throat.

"I'll make it for class, I'll see you then." His voice, his eyes, they lived in a different dimension.

Mr. Vervain didn't find comfort in many things. He didn't signal any attempt to combat the distress either. The weight of his sorrow remained untouched, as if, nothing could restore his sanity, his ease.

"I would hug you right now If I could" This was his form of comfort, memories of him asking me to embrace him played like a movie.

"Just go Aster" His eyes stirred, finding their way back to mine.

The ocean in his eyes made me lose myself at sea.

We all had different reasons for forgetting to breathe, watching the pain consume him, was one of them.

"Ok Mr. Vervain. I would say good luck, but you're a good man." I gazed at him, not offended by his bluntness "You don't need luck to get you through"

I shut the door, and quietly walked to a school filled with souls that didn't fit right without Mr. Vervain.

It was lunch time, and Stella was nowhere to be seen. Out of hundreds of students, I only managed to resort to two. I would say I'm real, but not everyone was fake. People were just people trying to find themselves in a world that kept tampering with their identity.

I didn't want to smoke, the more I did, the more It gets harder to train. If Mr. Vervain saw me under that light, as a smoker, what would he think?

Maybe he would excuse me, for taking that road for legitimate reasons. Maybe he would perceive me as weak, and easily influenced. I could come up with so many maybes, but reality is, his opinion mattered... and the maybes are solidifying my mind to stay away from anything toxic, Mr. Vervain wasn't one of them.

I sat alone, observing the girls flicking their hair, some smiling, laughing, chatting and just being. I didn't fit in, this easy nature to smile and talk to anyone so casually didn't sit well with me.

Growing up around those kinds of people and seeing this bright side to the world, then going back home to a dull one, was like the universe telling me not to cave in to the norm, because the life predestined for me was far from normal.

"Hi" Ben settled in front of me, looking as grey as always. It was like a cloud followed him, he was never the cheery type and I didn't think that would ever change.

"Mission Impossible 2 complete! You started the conversation Benjie" My smile didn't reach its limit, but it was genuine.

He rolled his eyes, but they were smiling as well.

"What's wrong?" His eyebrows were furrowed, but I couldn't take him seriously with all the curls around him.

"What's wrong with you? Why so grim?" Ben didn't look too well. I stared at his pale face, urging him to tell me with my eyes.

"Come with me" Ben held my hand, I followed without a second thought. As we passed the hall way, Mr. Vervain was walking towards us.

I was drowning in thoughts of him all day, no one would want to be in his position, a place where you had to fight to keep your daughter close to you. Your own flesh and blood, your beautiful creation.

Mr. Vervain stopped midway, Ben didn't notice as he kept walking. I tried to get a good look at him, I wanted to decipher every emotion he was feeling to ensure everything was ok. I wanted to strip my hand away from Ben's and lunge at him, engulf him.

My heart kept beating faster by the second, the look Mr. Vervain had was deadly.

"Aster." Instantaneously I stopped at the mention of my name, Ben let go of my hand at the same time.

"Yes sir?" I was afraid to say his name, to wear my heart on my sleeve.

"You have class," Mr. Vervain checked his watch "In two minutes. Where are you going?" I looked at Ben, his eyebrow rose, questioning this encounter. It was obvious that teachers don't get out of their way to check up on their students, if you want to learn you attend, if you don't you deal with the consequences.

"Um, we have something important to do." I said, covering for Ben. Even though I had no idea what Ben had in mind.

"No you don't. You're with me now."  There was a hidden message, but had no right to impose anything on me "Get. To. Class." Mr. Vervain said with gritted teeth and entered his room.

"Aster?" Ben was perceptive, this wouldn't go unnoticed by him.

I gave a weak smile "Not now Ben."

He nodded his head "I wanted to speak to you in private, but we have no choice now, I'm just going to say it" Ben struggled to find the right words "Can you come with me to dinner, and my parents " His words were muffled, but I didn't miss one.

"Yes" I said.

"Just like that?" Ben looked baffled.

"You have your reasons" I reasoned with him "You need to explain later though" I smiled genuinely. This was out of his character hence why I sensed his desperation the moment he instigated the conversation.

"I don't know what to say" He started shifting awkwardly.

"Don't mention it Benjie. Meet me at our spot after school so you can explain yourself" I wiggled my eyebrows, confirming that I wouldn't let this slide.

"You're going to explain yourself first" And with that, he walked away.

Frustrated that what Mr. Vervain and I had was crystal clear, I was afraid to be myself around him. Ben is perceptive, and he knows how I function, but many people convey that quality too, it's not uncommon to be observant.

I inhaled and exhaled as I made my way to the back seat.

Whatever Mr. Vervain was going through was understandable. I was willing to take any treatment he sends my way. He was worth it.

I sighed. Letting what was left of my anger dissolve into atoms.