by Bee Daniels
"I think so too," Noah said.
Melanie gave a thumbs up to Damon, who still stood outside the car watching them. He smiled before he gestured to his office and walked away. When Melanie got out, she would thank him for all of his help. He was a really nice guy, and thanks to him, she would have a new car.
"Are y'all talking?" Noah asked as he leaned back in his seat.
"Huh?" Melanie asked, confused by his question. "Talking?"
"You know, 'dating,'" Noah explained, and Melanie quickly shook her head. They just met each other.
"He's been flirting with you since we got here. And I didn't know you both met at the game."
"First of all, he wasn't flirting with me," Melanie said, though she knew it was a total lie. Throughout their time there, Damon would throw charming smiles her way and say overly sweet things, showing his attraction for her. But, Melanie wouldn't admit that to Noah. For some reason, she didn't want him to know. "Second, why does it matter that we met at the game? You act like I withheld some information from you."
"It's not that," Noah said as he ran his fingers through her hair, and though Melanie should have stopped him, she didn't. Feeling his fingers run through her scalp felt incredibly good. "I was just curious since you never mentioned him. But he was definitely flirting with you. Do you like him?"
"And if I did?" Melanie asked. She didn't really have to explain herself to Noah, and she really didn't want to either. One, because Noah was her student, and, once again, another line in the sand was being crossed. Yeah, she told Noah a lot of things. Like how her day went or when she brought something or when she ate something good, but there was no way in hell that she would ever discuss her personal life with him. Second, she didn't even know how she felt about Damon. He was a nice guy, and he was very handsome with his chocolate eyes and warm brown skin. But for some reason, she didn't feel any spark with him. There was nothing there, so she didn't know whether she wanted to pursue it or not.
"Nothing," Noah said as he shrugged, sitting up again, close enough that their faces were only mere inches apart. "Just curious."
"Don't be," Melanie said as her eyes flickered from his blue eyes to his lips.
"I have to be curious about my favorite professor," Noah said, his own eyes dropping to her lips before he lowered his face and pressed a kiss against her neck. "That's what favorite students are for."
"Noah," Melanie warned before she whimpered, feeling him suck on her neck. "You're crossing a line. You're my student."
They both needed to remember that. This was what they needed to think about every time they were with each other— their boundaries, their lines crossed in the sand, and that their relationship wasn't possible. It just wasn't.
Noah gave her one last suck before pulling back. His eyes were low-lidded, drunken with lust that made her want to climb over and sit on his lap and suck on his neck too just to see how good he would taste under her lips.
"I bet if you did it, you couldn't get me to feel the way you feel right now."
"And how do you know how I feel?" Melanie asked.
Noah lifted his hand and placed it over her rapidly beating heart that revealed exactly how she felt right now. But how could her heart not race when she was in a car alone with Noah, who had just decided he wanted to be a vampire and suck on her neck.
"And you say I couldn't make you feel this way," Melanie said as her eyes flickered to his neck. She could do way more than this. "What do I get for it?"
Noah grinned, his white teeth gleaming as he leaned in closer to her, if that was even possible. "It's a surprise."
She wanted that surprise badly right now if it was any indication of the tremors in her thighs. Once again, Melanie looked at his neck that she wanted to suck and bite on, and it was only but so far away. If she just leaned over a bit…
"Melanie."
The calling of her name made Melanie jump. She looked behind her through the window to see Abigail, bringing her back to reality. What the hell was Noah doing to her? She literally could not think straight when she was with him. Melanie glanced back at Noah, who looked disappointed, and Melanie would never admit that she felt that same disappointment. Melanie licked her lips before she stepped out of the car.
"Damon's waiting for you," Abigail said before her voice dropped to a whisper. "What the hell are you doing? This isn't the Love Connection."
"I wasn't doing anything," Melanie whispered back, embarrassed because she was definitely about to do something she was going to regret.
Before Abigail could respond, they both heard Noah's door close. Melanie closed her own door, refusing to look at him. She was losing it right now. Thank God, Abigail had reeled her in before she started making out with Noah in the back of the car.
"Let's go, Melanie," Abigail said before pointing a glare at Noah. "And you too, Lover Boy."
Noah chuckled and headed over to the office, where Damon was compiling papers for her to sign. Before they stepped inside the office, Noah stopped her, pulling her to the side.
"What?" Melanie asked, feeling cagey and hot.
"Don't sweat it."
Melanie sighed deeply. She was tired of him saying that. How could she not?
"I'll back off," Noah said. "I know a lot is going on in that brain of yours. I'll back off…for now. Just don't stop…"
"Don't stop what?" Melanie asked.
"You know what I mean," Noah said, and he was right. She knew exactly what he meant. There was something there that was too precious to lose over a few moments of heated lust. And if they pushed past that point, Melanie would have no choice but to end every tie between them, and she didn't want to do that. She didn't want to lose Noah's friendship.
"Friends?" Melanie asked, lifting her hand for him to shake.
Noah laughed before lifting his own hand. "Friends."
With her hand in his own, Melanie couldn't help but wonder how long this agreement would last. She hoped it would be forever, but sometimes, things just didn't work out in her favor.
CHAPTER
26
MELANIE
T
HANKSGIVING BREAK PAST BY WITH A BREEZE, AND WHILE MOST PROFESSORS DIDN’T SEE their students over the break, Melanie was less fortunate because she nearly saw Noah every day. With Noah staying on campus for the break, instead of returning home, that meant the days he wasn't practicing, he was bothering her. And though Melanie wanted to say his presence was bothersome, she had to admit that it wasn't. Because her parents were going on vacation for the holiday that meant she was going to have to spend it alone, especially with Abigail going back to the Bahamas to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Noah spending his break with her meant she didn't have to be alone, and though she complained about it, she knew, and she was positive Noah knew too that she was glad he had been with her.
Even on Thanksgiving Day, after visiting his family briefly, he showed up at her apartment, spending the rest of the day with her. And though she had appreciated spending her holiday with a friend, it was still inappropriate. She shouldn't have spent her Thanksgiving with a student, but Noah wasn't just any student. He was her friend.
At least, Melanie could be grateful that they had done no inappropriate things. There was no kissing or touching. Noah had stayed true to his word, and they only hung out in the way they had before, which Melanie was relieved by.
Now that the break was over, they only had a few more weeks left before the fall semester was over. During office hours, Melanie sat at her desk, waiting for any of her students to visit her while she went over some of her notes on a patient she had. Sometimes, this was the best time for Melanie to get her work done without being distracted because most of her students rarely took advantage of these hours and visited her. Only so few did, and by the time it hit the last hour of her availability, she was positive no one would visit today until there was a knock on her door. Melanie could only assume it would be one person botherin
g her so close to the end of her office hours.
"I'm surprised you knocked this time," Melanie said, smiling as she looked up, and immediately, that smile dropped when she saw it wasn't Noah, but one of her other students, Julie.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Melanie said. "I thought you were someone else."
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Julie asked as she hovered at the door, uncertain. Melanie shook her head.
"Come inside."
Julie nodded and stepped in, closing the door behind herself. Melanie was surprised to see her here because Julie didn't need much help. She was one of her best students who really got the material and understood it. Maybe, this time, Julie found something challenging about the text, and she dropped by for help. Melanie would be glad to help her. Julie had the potential to be a great psychologist one day and possessed the qualities of understanding and sensitivity.
"What can I help you with?" Melanie asked curiously.
"Um," Julie started hesitantly as she sat down, adjusting her bag so she wouldn't sit on it as she placed it on her lap. "I wanted to see if I could get extra tutoring."
Melanie frowned, confused. "Tutoring? You need it? You're getting straight A's in my class."
"Yeah, but I think tutoring might help me do better," Julie stuttered out.
"Well, I'm surprised. I really don't think you need tutoring, and besides, I really don't offer it—"
"But you tutor Noah," Julie said, and once she said it, Melanie was able to piece together why Julie was asking for tutoring. Melanie eyed Julie, who meekly looked down, picking at her nails. If Melanie understood this correctly, Julie wanted tutoring sessions from her because she wanted to be with Noah even if she didn't need tutoring. Julie clearly liked Noah a lot, and Melanie had suspected as much. Whenever Julie wasn't paying attention in class, it was usually because she was being distracted by Noah.
Though it wouldn't kill Melanie to tutor Julie because she wouldn't be going out of her way, Melanie wasn't too sure it would be helpful for Noah. Noah definitely understood the material better than he had before, but if Julie was there, he could be distracted.
"Uh…" Melanie started, stuck between turning Julie down or not. But then a part of her began to think that maybe, just maybe, this was a good thing. She was spending a lot of time with Noah, so much time that even some of her co-workers started to comment on how Noah was always with her. This was the perfect opportunity to create distance. Julie was a nice young beautiful girl closer in age to Noah. This was the person Noah should be showing his affection to.
"Okay," Melanie agreed. "I get it. I'll tutor you, but you can't distract Noah while he studies. This is not the Love Connection."
Julie shot out of her seat, startling Melanie. "Oh my gosh. Thank you so much, Professor Bryant. I won't distract him."
She must really like Noah, Melanie thought.
"But I'll only tutor you under one condition," Melanie said.
"What?" Julie asked, her eyes still bright with excitement.
"I'll give you more material to study during our sessions," Melanie said before further explaining herself. "You're a great student, and you're good with the material. I'm really surprised that psychology isn't your major."
"Oh, well, I always wanted to major in Art," Julie explained. "I didn't really think I would love psychology as much as I do."
"Do we have a deal?" Melanie asked as she stood and offered her hand. Without hesitation, Julie shook her hand.
"Yes, we do."
Melanie watched as Julie nearly skipped out of the door and wondered if she had done the right thing. Right now, it was best for some separation between her and Noah. She liked him, but maybe she liked him too much, and it was probably because of all the time they spent together. Julie would be a nice buffer to create some much-needed space between them. Besides, Noah had liked Julie at one point. He could like her again.
CHAPTER
27
NOAH
A
T SEVEN O’CLOCK ON THE DOT, NOAH WALKED INTO THE TUTORING CLASSROOM LIKE HE NORMALLY DID ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY. After the last time he had been late, and the debacle happened between him and Melanie, Noah made it a point never to be late again. He didn't like it when Melanie was upset with him, and he never wanted to go through that again.
When Noah stepped inside the room, he expected to see what he usually saw— Melanie glancing at her watch to make sure Noah wasn't a second late with her shoes kicked off near her, because though she liked wearing heels, the moment she could take them off for her comfort, she would. But instead, her shoes were on as she stood in front of the board, scribbling something down. But that wasn't the only thing that was off. Instead of it just being she and him, like it usually was, like it had been since the beginning, now someone else was in the room— Julie, to be exact.
"Hey, Noah," Julie greeted with a bright smile.
"Hey, Julie," Noah said slowly as he glanced at Melanie, who seemed to be too preoccupied with whatever she was writing on the board. Since he couldn't depend on her for an answer, Noah decided he would ask the source.
Noah took his bag off and sat down, already feeling peeved by the seating arrangement. Melanie always sat directly to his right, but now, Julie was in her seat. Everything was off balance, and he didn't like it.
"Why are you here?" he asked curiously because he genuinely wanted to know. As far as he knew, Melanie wasn't in the business of doing private tutoring, and for him, it had been an exception, so why was this exception now being given to Julie.
"I wanted to get some more practice so I can have a better understanding. I talked to Professor Bryant, and she agreed to let me study with you."
A part of him wanted to point out the obvious— Julie didn't need extra help. She was great, and she also had the highest scores out of their entire class. Every time Julie received an exam back, there was a big fat A on it. There was no need for her to be here, and Noah had a feeling of why she was here. The question was, why had Melanie allowed Julie to be here for studying when she didn't need it.
"Are you both ready to start?" Melanie asked, turning from the board.
He wasn't ready at all, but she started anyway, and Noah found that this was the first tutoring session in a while where he did not learn anything. It was hard to concentrate when everything was off. It was like when Melanie told him that during exams, it was best to sit in the same seat he usually sat in because he would be able to remember things easier sitting in the same spot where he first processed the information. And though he was in the same exact spot, everything else was off.
First, Melanie was next to him but not next to him. She was standing when she should have been sitting next to him. Second, she wasn't relaxed. She didn't have her heels kicked off as she went over every new term with him, giving him examples and details. Actually, she was letting him and Julie do a lot of the work together, which only proved his point from the beginning— Julie didn't need this class.
Their whole dynamic was messed up. Noah couldn't joke with her or laugh with her because right now, the Melanie he knew wasn't there, but Professor Bryant was, who didn't laugh or joke around with him. It felt like his first day of class all over again, and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.
By the time the session was over, Noah was happy for it to be, though he had been looking forward to it all day. His time with Melanie was precious to him, and the fact that he had lost that pissed him off. Noah planned to make up for that stolen time by taking Melanie home like he usually did, but when they made it to the parking lot, Melanie waved him off instead.
"Wait," Noah said, frowning. "Where are you going? Don't you want me to take you home?"
Melanie turned around and lifted up a brand-new pair of car keys, and that's when Noah noticed that she had finally gotten her new car.
"No need," she said. "Julie, do you have a way of getting home?"
"Oh," Julie said as she pulle
d her hair back. She stood next to him, shyly looking down. "I was just going to walk back home. I don't want to inconvenience anyone—"
"Nonsense," Melanie said. "Noah can take you home."
Why would he do that when he had plans to go over to Mel's apartment and spend time with her? But now it was obvious to him what Melanie was doing. She was trying to create distance between them. She was drawing a line.
Noah swallowed his irritation. "Yeah, I'll take you home."
"Thank you," Julie said, smiling before she walked over to his truck.
Noah didn't follow after her, and instead, he walked over to Melanie as she tossed her purse in the back seat.
"Nice car," Noah commented lightly, biting down his annoyance. "You didn't tell me you got it."
"I didn't get a chance to," she said without looking at him as she closed the back door before opening the front. "But now, you know."
Frustrated with her treatment, Noah walked over to her side and closed the door before she could get in. Melanie looked at him affronted, but Noah ignored it. The only person who had the right to be mad was him. After all, she was the one blowing him off.
"I know what you're doing," Noah said accusingly.
"What am I doing?" Melanie asked stubbornly before waving him off. "You're in my way, you know. And it's late. You don't want to keep Julie waiting."
"Yeah," Noah said dismissively as he looked at Melanie's new car again. He couldn't help but think he should be in it right now. He took a step back from her. "Good night, Melanie. Get home safe."
"You too," she said before she got in her car. Noah watched as she drove off, tapping down his irritation. After their last talk, he knew that some things would be different, but he had never expected this. He didn't like this at all. This distance, he wasn't fond of.
CHAPTER
28