My Professor's Secret

26|

twenty six

"Do you see yourself with her?" I question dad as we stroll through the isles of the supermarket.

Dad looks at me with a steady smile on his face, pulling a box of rotini noodles from the shelf before chucking it into the buggy. Tonight Christian and I were going to make dinner for dad and Lorelei. Though last nights dinner and movie was quite enjoyable, for some reason, the entire dinner ended up being about how Chris and I were doing in school. We didn't get that much information on Lorelei or the relationship she had with my dad.

"Of course. Why date someone who you don't plan on having a future with? Life is too short and I'm too old to date for the hell of it," he pauses, continuing down the isle. "I always pictured your mother being it for me. Do I think I will love Lorey the way I loved your mother? No. And I say that with the upmost respect for Lorelei. Your mother and I had a love for the ages. I never imagined giving myself to another woman the way I gave myself to her. Lorelei and I both agree. You do know she lost her husband years ago; drunk driver. We understand each other and the trauma losing a loved one embeds."

Dad's lips quiver with more to say but he holds his tongue and proceeds forward. Neither of us spoke a single word on the ride back home. Particularly due to the fact that most of it was spent recalling every insult I'd said in response to my father's love life. Maybe I judged Lorelei too soon and too harshly. Perhaps if I'd skipped the pity party, dad and I could've used that time to strengthen our relationship as he absolved himself of grieve. Lorelei and I could've even built a relationship of our own. She deserved an explanation for my resistance. I thought it only necessary that it happened soon.

At home dad encouraged Chris and I to start dinner early so we'd be able to talk afterwards. Making dinner with my brother turned into insisted blabbering about why I only now understood the reason he dropped the feud against our dad's new love. Most of it I didn't even think he cared to hear. His mind was obviously elsewhere because instead of actually helping me cook, he stood blankly watching me labor. It wasn't until I was preparing to fetch Dad and Lorelei to eat did he finally break his silence.

"You know how I said rumors were going around about you and Professor Thornton? Turns out Meghan heard about it and went to your dorm to confront you."

He goes on to mention how belligerent Meghan showed up demanding answers and even offering up valuable information that Taylor felt necessary to repeat to my brother. Meghan slept with Trevor, not too long ago either. For Christian, an uninterested expression resides on my mug to divert suspicion, but on the inside I ache. What the hell was professor's ex wife doing barging into my dorm to confront me about a man she divorced? Not to mention happens to be in a monogamous relationship with my brother.

My poor brother. He hunches across the island bar, eyes drooped in disparity. "She has no reason to believe those stupid rumors are true. A better question would be why does she care about it so much? She cheated on you. That is unless the two of you broke up."

"That's besides the point, Alex. Taylor told me everything. Everything."

His body language told a story his lips might never utter. He was just as bamboozled as I had been. What was everything? Because there was a lot Taylor hadn't even known. Chris had his mind set on a confession and I knew he'd never let up without one but to confess to one thing would be to confess to it all. Instead I sat idly letting him go on about what he thought he might've known. In time everything would figure itself out. Our main concern should've been correcting the strain with our father and finally getting to know his girlfriend.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get the thought of Trevor sleeping with Megan again. Not after everything she'd been putting him through. When? Where? Had it been around the time he and I had our moment?