Lessons of the Heart (12 page)

Now it’s my turn to lean back in the chair. “No way. That has all the best songs on there. It’s my addiction when I need a pick me up.”

“That’s funny. Let me guess, you also play the Foo Fighters Greatest Hits album as well.”

I laugh and nod in agreement. “The CD for my car and the DVD for at home because the videos are so funny. The one where Jack Black and Dave Grohl are in the motel room kills me every time, along with the mock Mentos commercial one.”

“Big Me is hands down my favorite video of theirs. Dave Grohl is a genius. And I guess I’m kind of surprised you’re that big on those two bands. I figured you’d be more into the pop dance craze.”

I roll my eyes. “I like some of the songs from the AT40 charts, but a lot of them are too childish and sound like tweenage crap. I like the older stuff because that’s when music was about music and not about making millions of dollars or putting out albums faster than you can process the last one.” I pause. “And yes, Dave Grohl is a genius.”

“Wow. I think I just fell in love with you.” James laughs silently and my breath stills in my lungs for the briefest of seconds. I know he’s kidding but oh how I wish those words could be real at some point.

James notices my silence and reaches out to grab my hand, cradling it in his before gently tugging on it, bringing my chair closer to him.

“It’s amazing how much we have in common,” I murmur. He nods in agreement. “It almost makes me wonder if you’re real or just some figment of my imagination.” He nods again. “Are you?”

He presses his forehead against mine. “I’m real Britta. And I wonder the same thing as well, if everything is just my imagination or if this truly is a reality.”

I resist the urge to close the distance between our lips. “Currently it’s a cruel reality.”

“It won’t be much longer. This is the last week you’re going to be my student.”

“You’re right. But then I’ll be working for you and that will just add to a whole new set of complications.”

He shakes his head, making mine shake as well. “No complications. This will alleviate them. I’ll be able to see you more often like this. It’ll be good. I promise.”

Several voices can be heard just down the hallway and we push away from each other. I turn back to my screen and resume typing my information in, which I now have to do over again since the session timed out.

James glances down at his watch. “Damn. I’m going to be late again. You are giving me a bad habit of being late to my fifth-period class.”

I side-eye him and raise an eyebrow. “Excuse me? I’m not the one holding you back from anything. If you’re late, that’s all on you, buddy.”

The warm laugh that I adore fills the room again and my body heats up at the sound. “You’re right. No one is responsible for my actions except me.” He turns while shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’ll see you in class, Ms. Fosse.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Dumont,” I chirp, enjoying the quiet groan I hear as he leaves the office.

That man is going to be the death of me. One minute he’s too intense and then the next minute it’s like we’re best friends. But he’s my addiction, my craving, and I constantly need my next fix of him to function. Yes, it’s wrong to rely on someone else for your happiness, but James is slowly weaving himself into my life, making it so I can’t let him go. There’s something there between us and I need to figure out what it is. It could be love. It could be lust. It could be all in my head at this point but, no matter what, I need to follow my instincts with this because rarely do they ever let me down.

W
E PULL INTO THE PARKING
lot of the hotel and quickly unload our bags from the trunk. After hours in the car, we all need to just stretch and relax. Being the nice person I am, I let Penny sit up front with Travis. It was worth the potential for motion sickness to hear the happiness in her voice. We quickly check into the hotel and make our way up to Penny and Travis’s room first.

“What did you think of Mr. Dumont’s test today? That was brutal,” Penny says, flopping onto her king-sized bed. Travis pulls their bags further into the room and drops them at the end of the bed, letting them crash together before he jumps on top of her. Her squeals of delight make me want to run to my room as quickly as possible before clothes start flying at my head.

“Travis! Stop! Not while Britta’s here.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, please. I don’t need to see any naked asses or any other body parts. My virgin eyes won’t be able to take it.”

Travis laughs. “Are those the only part of you that are virgin?”

Penny smacks him in the chest. “So uncalled for. Plus that’s my line.”

I laugh at the both of them. “I thought Mr. Dumont’s test wasn’t bad at all. I finished early and waited patiently for the rest of you.”

“Yeah, but you’re a brain so that’s to be expected. You ace everything you do. It’s kind of sick in a way,” Travis mutters, nuzzling into Penny’s hair.

She moves in between his legs with her back pressed against his chest and his legs crossed over hers.

“I don’t know. It was hard, but I don’t think it was the worst one I took all week. Mr. Johnston’s was worse by far.”

I shrug my shoulders and take a seat in one of the empty chairs in the corner. “I only had four tests so it wasn’t that bad.”

“That’s because you’re an assistant for two periods. Man did you ever luck out there,” Travis says. Penny squeals quietly as he tickles her on her sides.

“You could have the same problem too if you had taken the early morning classes starting in ninth grade,” I say.

“Screw that. As if I’m giving up my sleeping in time. Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll suffer through falling asleep in my classes and passing because of sports,” he responds.

“Well, I’m going to find my room and let you two do…whatever.”

“Hey, what’s your room number so we can call you and meet up later?” Penny asks.

I pull out the white envelope that houses my key and look at the number scribbled on the flap. “I’m in 820.”

“Dude that’s like three floors away from here,” she says.

“Perfect. Then I’m just far enough away from you two so I won’t get hives trying to block out images and noises.”

They both laugh and wave to me as I lug my suitcase out the door and toward the elevator. I quietly hum a song that’s stuck in my head while I wait patiently for the car to arrive. When I hear the ding, I prepare to enter through the open doors but am momentarily frozen in place.

What I’m not prepared for is to be looking at beautiful green eyes paired with a smile that stops my heart every time I see them.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he says.

My mouth slacks open; stuck somewhere between talking and breathing. There’s a tightness in my chest and confusion clouds my vision.
Why is he here? How did he get here?

“What…how…when…”

James laughs and holds the door open until a buzzing noise can be heard. “You getting in or are you going to wait until they send maintenance to figure out what’s wrong with the elevator?”

I snap out of my stupor and pull my bag inside, leaving some distance between its only occupant and me.

“Which floor?” he asks with a knowing smirk.

“Why do I have the feeling you already know?” I say, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

His eyes travel over my body, staying a tad longer on my raised breasts due to the placement of my arms. James presses the door close button and I notice that my floor is already illuminated.

“You think you’re so smart. Why are you here?”

The air is thick as we travel the three floors up; thick with desire and nervousness and I’m unsure who it’s coming from. Maybe it’s from him or maybe it’s from me or the combination of the both of us. But my heart skips a beat when he moves closer. His warm breath falls upon my cheek, sending a round of tingles to travel through my bones.

“I’m here for the concert. Why else would I be here?”

My hands tremble near my sides, thankful that they’re hidden beneath my arms so he can’t see them shake.

“And you just happen to be in this hotel?”

“Yes.”

We look at each other and start to close the distance between us until the ding of the elevator stops us from moving. The doors open to our floor and the rush of cool air assaults my face. I didn’t realize how flushed I was until that moment.

I grab my bag and roll it off the elevator. He places his hand on my lower back as if it’s the most natural thing. The fit is perfect, settling right into the curve of my spine. My skin hums as we walk down the hall, only just now registering that he’s ushering me right to my room.

“You know which room is mine, don’t you,” I state as a matter of fact.

He doesn’t answer, just gives me that knowing smile again.

“Unbelievable,” I mutter. That gets a laugh from him.

“Yes, I know which room is yours. How do you think I was able to get mine right across the hall?”

We pause outside of our doors. I feel like I’m in shock or disbelief at what’s happening right now. He’s tracked me down to my hotel, making sure that his room is right near mine.

“James, what are you doing?” I breathe, leaning against my closed door.

He runs a nervous hand through his hair. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never done something this impulsive before. But when you said that you’d be going to Boston essentially by yourself, I just had to be there, in case something happened to you. There’s just this feeling that’s been bugging me since you told me.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. Besides, Penny and Travis are here. How are you going to explain any of this to them? I mean you have to admit it looks suspicious.”

“What’s there to explain? It’s not like I’m asking to be your date for the whole weekend. We may not even see each other so they’ll never know I’m here. It’s a big city with millions of people. Surely I can blend in with them.”

I laugh at the absurdity of this whole situation. “You blend in about as well as a giant among pygmies. I can always find you in a crowd.”

He steps closer, pressing my back further into my door. “As can I. Your long brown hair, your gorgeous hazel eyes, your full pink lips, all of it stands out to me. Everywhere I go, I swear I see you. It’s like you’re stuck in my head and I can’t shake you out. Do you know what I mean?”

Is he saying everything that’s always running around my head, reading my thoughts perfectly? I lick my dry lips, his intense stare following my tongue.

“Yes,” I breathe. “I do know what you mean. But we can’t act on it. We’re still in a situation that prevents us from doing anything about it.”

“Correction,” he says, pushing some hair behind my ear. “I’m no longer your teacher and you’re no longer my student.”

“But, next trimester-”

“Next trimester,” he interrupts, “you’re my colleague. You’ll be working with me instead of me teaching you.”

I shake my head and look to the floor. “That’s not entirely accurate. I’ll be working
for
you, not with you. You’ll still be in a position of authority.”

Two fingers are placed under my chin, lifting my hazel eyes to his green. “That’s not how I see it. You’re my equal, in everything. That’s what I see when I look at you. Not a student, not an assistant. An equal, a match. My match.”

“James.”

Our lips find each other in the short distance, moving slowly at first, savoring the taste of each other. His fingertips brush gently over my cheek, sending another round of chills through my body. My hands slide up his stomach and chest, tracing the hard lines beneath the cotton of his shirt before wrapping around his neck, pulling our bodies closer.

I need him like I need my next breath. My addiction is becoming dangerous and I feel like I’m losing a piece of myself every time I’m near him. And he’s picking up each piece and holding onto them, keeping them safe until I can fully give him everything I have.

He breaks away first, his fingers stalling at the hollow dip of my throat. The frantic beating of my heart roars through my ears and a million different sensations make my skin extremely sensitive to his touch.

“You better get into your room,” he says huskily. He’s as affected as I am, as evidenced by the tightening of his pants.

“You too.”

He backs away and my body feels cold without his heat near me. I fumble with the keycard, finally putting it into the slot on the third attempt. His voice stops me before I close my door.

“Britta?”

“Yeah?”

He runs another hand through his hair and looks up at me. “This sounds extremely cheesy but can I get your phone number? I’d like to see you tomorrow if it’s possible.”

A smile crawls across my face. Jutting the latch for the door out so I don’t get locked out, I walk over to him as he holds out his phone to me. Quickly entering my information into it for him, I smile and hand it back.

“Give me a call sometime,” I say, walking backward to my propped open door.

James looks down at his phone and smirks. “I like the smiley face after your name.”

“Goodnight, James.”

“Goodnight, Britta.”

I close the door behind me and secure it, just in case he’s used his charm and somehow got a key to my room as well. It wouldn’t shock me if he did. My fingers trace my lips; his kiss still lingering there makes me smile wider.