by Cassie Cole
This was definitely how guys felt when a cheerleader jumped up and down in front of them. It made me feel silly and shallow.
“So, we gonna get started or what?” he asked.
Without a book of his own, we needed to share. I remained in my chair and rolled it over to him, because that felt more professional than sitting on the bed together. I opened the book to the place I had marked ahead of time.
“The assigned reading was chapters fifteen through eighteen,” I said. “Did you get to read any of that before your dog ate your book?”
“He only kind of ate it,” Joey said with a silly grin, like it was all a big joke. “But I read some online. I think I got the gist. Networking stuff, right?”
“That’s right,” I said, surprised. “If you already read some, do you want to go straight to the focus questions at the end?”
He ignored my question and asked, “So Teach, what’s your deal?”
“My deal?”
“Why are you an assistant professor? What are you studying and stuff?”
“We should focus…”
“I just wanna know about my tutor,” he replied. His cheeks were dotted with red from coming inside. Maybe he was warm. “Right now all I know is you’re a quick learner at beer pong.”
I sighed and leaned back in the chair. “I like computers.”
“That’s kind of vague, Teach.”
“I’m a grad student getting my master’s in electrical engineering,” I elaborated.
He narrowed his eyes at me. Here in the bedroom, they seemed more blue than ever. “That seems more broad than just computers.”
“Computer engineering is a sub-set of electrical engineering,” I clarified.
“No shit. That’s pretty cool. Are you an assistant professor because you want to teach?”
I shook my head quickly. “Oh no. I don’t want to teach. It’s just part of the graduate program.”
He nodded slowly. “Professor Nielson’s cool. Young, unlike all the other old professors. All the girls I know in class have a crush on him.”
Suddenly this conversation became a lot more interesting to me. “Oh?”
He pointed a finger at me. “You probably do too. Wouldn’t blame you. Dude’s a stud. I hear he plays bass guitar in a band.”
“I… I don’t…” I stammered. Joey saved me by waving a dismissive hand.
“It’s alright. Nothin’ wrong with thinking someone’s hot. My calculus professor, Diane Malloy? She’s hot as fuck. She could get it, if you know what I’m saying.”
He was looking at me like it was my turn to talk. To admit that Adam could get it. Which he absolutely could. All the more reason to move away from this topic.
“Now that you know a little about me, let’s go over the focus questions…”
“Alright, Teach. If you don’t want to talk about Professor Nielson, I get it.”
“It’s not about Adam,” I said quickly. “It’s about helping you.”
I realized my slip at the same time as Joey. “Adam? Oh shit, first name basis?”
I felt flustered now. My cheeks felt as red as Joey’s looked, and it had nothing to do with the warmth in here. “Okay, time for the questions. If you can answer these we will move on to the next chapter…”
“I got a question. Can I have your number?”
I flipped through the book to get to the focus questions. “You have my email address if you need to reach out.”
“I don’t want your email,” he said simply, like he was discussing his airline preference. “I want your number. So I can text you.”
He was looking at me intensely now. I felt my willpower melting underneath his gaze. His shoulders and arms flexed as he breathed deeply and then let it out. It was like watching an oil painting come to life and ask me out.
I could tell I wasn’t going to derail him easily. I needed to find a creative way to get him to focus.
“Tell you what,” I said. “Let’s play a game.”
“I like games.”
“You claim you read this chapter online. Let’s find out. If you can answer the first focus question at the end, I’ll give you my number.”
“Now we’re talking, Teach. Let me have it.” He rubbed his meaty hands together eagerly.
I flipped through until I found the list of questions. The first one was pretty easy… for someone who had truly read the chapter. I suspected Joey hadn’t.
“Question one. What is DNS?”
His crystal-blue eyes stared off. “Uh. DNS?”
“Yep. DNS.”
“I’m pretty sure the N stands for Network…” he said, chewing it over in his head.
I smiled to myself. He wasn’t going to get this after all.
“Oh!” he suddenly said. “The chapter said it was like the phonebook for the internet. Something naming system. Data? No, wait—domain. Yeah! Domain Name System! It’s got all the addresses in it. Right? Did I get it right, Teach?”
I was dumbstruck. “That’s correct.”
He pumped his fist like he had aced the entire test. “Fuck yeah. Gimme them digits.”
I took his phone from him and added a new contact. “I can’t believe that worked.”
“I’m good when I have the right motivation. Okay, give me another question. If I get this one right you have to play another game of beer pong.”
That was easy for me to agree to because it was already what I kind of wanted. I nodded and read out the next question. “Describe the difference between a modem and a router.”
This one was trickier. But Joey bit his lip and said, “A modem is like an on-ramp, and a router is like a traffic light.”
“That’s sort of true, but I need a more specific definition,” I replied.
“Huh. Okay. A modem, like, connects you to the internet. A router creates the, um, network. The local network for devices.”
In spite of myself, I laughed. “That’s actually correct. For the most part.”
“Don’t sound so surprised!”
“Routers control all local traffic between devices. Your phone, computer, or other smart devices all connect to a router, either wirelessly or wired. From there the router connects to a modem to coordinate traffic with the internet.”
“Like an on-ramp,” Joey repeated. “You owe me another beer pong game.”
“We’ll play later,” I agreed. “Next question…”
“I want a date,” he said.
I gave a start. “A date?”
“Sure. I get this one right, you go on a date with me.”
The stakes seemed much higher all of a sudden. This popular football player was asking me out on a date. If the nerdy teenage version of myself could see me now, she would squeal with excitement.
But I hesitated. “A date is a big commitment for a question.”
“Alright, how about a kiss?” he asked, completely serious.
“A kiss?” I sputtered.
“Sure. A kiss isn’t a commitment—it lasts just a second or two, or longer if it’s a good kiss.” He winked.
I was surprised and almost offended by the offer. But then I felt intrigued. I was still loose from the two beers downstairs, and felt more adventurous than I had in a long time. The thought of kissing Joey was exciting. Tantalizing like a treasure chest in a videogame. I wanted to grab it and see what was inside.
Joey grinned that heart-melting grin again. “I can see it on your face. You’re thinking about it.”
“I am not.”
“You like the idea. Admit it.”
It felt innocent and fun. Two college kids finding a way to make studying more interesting. And deep down, it felt really good to be desired by this boy. This smoking hot guy who I had gotten to know through a single game of beer pong and a few awkward minutes of studying.
What’s the harm?
“Fine,” I said, turning my attention to the textbook so he couldn’t see my blush. “If you get this question right, you can have a kiss.”
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“Now we’re talking. Let’s hear it, Teach.”
I skipped the next question, and the one after that. If he was going to get a kiss, he needed to earn it with a tougher question.
I smiled when I found it. “What’s the difference between the UDP and TCP network protocols?”
His smile faded. He was just as sexy when he frowned. “UDP and TCP?”
He wasn’t going to get it. The question was a step too far beyond what he had gleaned from skimming the chapter. There would be no kiss. And then I realized that I felt disappointed. I wanted him to succeed because I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to see where it went, what would happen. If kissing someone as hot as Joey was as fun as it seemed.
I was about to tell him the answer when his eyes lit up.
“It has to do with the connection?” he said, uncertain. “Like, TCP is connection oriented, while UDP is connectionless?”
My heart soared. He was almost right. But it wasn’t a complete answer. If I was grading a test, I would have only given him half credit.
“That’s right, but what does that actually mean?” I said.
I leaned forward in my chair, willing him to get the answer right. Begging him to dig deep into his mind and remember the answer from the text. He nodded his head slowly like he was talking himself into an answer, then spoke with more certainty.
“TCP makes a connection, then sends the data. UDP sends the data before a connection has ever been made. I remember because the book said it’s the difference between a phone call, and a message in a bottle thrown into the ocean.”
“That’s right!” I said. “UDP is best used when one-way traffic is adequate, while TCP—”
Joey grabbed me by the arms and kissed me.
Keep Reading
The Study Group
Cassie Cole is a Reverse Harem Romance writer living in Norfolk, Virginia. A sappy lover at heart, she thinks romance is best with a kick-butt plot!
Books by Cassie Cole
Broken In
Drilled
Five Alarm Christmas
All In
Triple Team
Shared by her Bodyguards
Saved by the SEALs
The Proposition
Full Contact
Sealed With A Kiss
Smolder
The Naughty List
Christmas Package
Trained At The Gym
Undercover Action
The Study Group
Tiger Queen