by Bee Daniels
“Just make sure you go over all of these before you start next week,” Melanie advised her. “I’ll quiz you on it.”
“Okay,” Julie said as she grabbed the papers handed to her and carefully placed them in her bag. “Thanks so much again. I’ll be going now.”
And though Julie had said it, she wasn’t necessarily moving fast enough. It seemed she had adopted the movements of a snail as she made her way to the door. As Julie walked to the door, she kept glancing back at Noah, who had made his way further into the room, comfortably dropping his bag down and sitting in the seat Julie had once been in. When Julie grabbed the doorknob, she completely halted her movements.
“Um, Noah,” Julie started, and Noah, who had been grinning at Melanie, turned back to look at Julie. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”
It was clearly an invitation to eat lunch, and Melanie had neither the time to think about being jealous nor sad before Noah quickly replied.
“Yeah, I did,” which was clearly a rejection. When you liked someone, it didn’t matter if you ate or not, you would still go out to eat with them.
Melanie tried not to wince as she pretended like she was looking through paperwork, no longer wanting to see the disappointment on Julie's face. Melanie had been in the position before of liking someone who didn't even know she existed. It wasn't fun at all.
“Okay, see you later, then.”
When the door closed behind her, Melanie dropped the facade and glared at Noah as she placed her hands on her hips.
“What?” Noah asked as he raised his hands in mock surrender.
“That was rude,” Melanie said, empathizing with Julie. “You could have at least made up some excuse and been nice about it.”
“Most girls would be happy if their man shut another girl down.”
“First of all, I’m a woman, not a girl,” Melanie said.
Noah rolled his eyes. “Besides, girls like Julie don’t know how to take a hint, so sometimes you have to be more upfront about it.”
“Julie is a nice girl,” Melanie said, though she didn’t know why she was sticking up for her. It wasn’t like she wanted Noah to take the girl out to lunch because she definitely would have been pissed. But she was a grown woman, and she didn’t take pleasure in seeing people hurt or humiliated, even though she knew Noah had a point. Julie liked Noah earnestly enough that she was sincerely waiting for him to like her back so long as he gave her a hint of attention. Maybe the only way for her to realize there wasn't a chance was for him to be a bit cold. Still, it was mean.
“She is a nice girl,” Noah agreed. “But she’s not the girl I want to be with.”
Immediately, the anger Melanie felt disappeared as Noah stood from his seat and grabbed her wrist, tugging her towards him. He hugged her, and Melanie relished his scent and how his arms alone made her feel comforted and safe. She could have stayed there all day, but she wouldn’t. No one could find out about their relationship, and maybe she wasn’t in her right mind the last time because she was so moved by his words, but this time she was.
Melanie pulled herself from his arms, ignoring his disappointed sigh.
“I missed you,” Melanie said to soften the blow, though the truth of the matter was that she really did. All day Melanie had been waiting for this moment, and truth be told, she wished the break had been a little bit longer so she could spend more time with him. Though it was nice to be at work again, it was going to be torture being around him while keeping their relationship a secret from everyone else.
“I missed you too,” Noah said as he pulled her back to him. “That’s why I want to show you.”
“Noah,” Melanie said with a warning tone. “We already talked about this. We’re not going to do anything in public that will get us caught.”
Noah sighed again as he released her reluctantly. “Okay.”
“You understand why, right?”
“Yeah,” he said, nodding, but Melanie had a feeling that Noah didn’t truly understand at all. But he needed to. Her career was on the line if anything went wrong with this. She wanted to have him, but she knew that there was no way that anyone would be able to understand their relationship with each other. She wished they would.
CHAPTER
39
MELANIE
A
ROUND FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON, IT WASN’T NOAH OR A STUDENT WHO ENTERED MELANIE’S OFFICE, but Abigail. Melanie blinked, surprised until she suddenly remembered that Abigail told her yesterday that she would be nearby Weston, and that she might drop by to see her if she wasn’t too busy. Melanie couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face because she did miss her friend. She had barely seen her during the holidays because Abigail had left the country to visit her family. It was nice to see her again, and though Abigail got on her nerves with her childish ways, Melanie truly loved her best friend for always being there for her.
“Melanie,” Abigail said brightly as they both gave each other a big hug. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” Melanie said as she sat back down. “Give me another hour so I can grade these quizzes, and then we can go out for lunch.”
“Of course, you would already be grading something during the second week of school,” Abigail said, shaking her head. “I would hate your class.”
Melanie snorted. The quizzes weren’t even that hard. It was just a test to see if the students understood the material properly before she moved on to the next chapter. There would be no point if more than half of the class showed that they were having a hard time comprehending the work, especially since this was an upper-level course. Melanie wanted to make sure that her students actually got their money’s worth instead of just letting them skate by with things they wouldn’t retain past the beginning of the summer.
“So, how are you and lover boy?” Abigail asked excitedly as she sat down. “You don’t have to ask how I know. I can already tell. You would have been moping and running up my phone bill if you didn’t give in. But since I really didn’t hear from you that much other than a Merry Christmas and New Year, I knew you had to be spending all of your time with him.”
Melanie glared at her friend and her big mouth.
“I don’t talk about things like that at work,” she said and found herself looking around the room. Every time she was on campus, Melanie couldn’t help but feel guilty for her actions. She was always looking over her shoulders like she would get caught. But she couldn’t help it. That’s how you acted when you did something wrong.
“So, you can’t tell me anything,” Abigail said with a pout.
Melanie sighed and leaned back in her seat, thinking of what she should tell her friend. There was no way that she was going to go into details about all the great sex she had with Noah. Some things you just needed to keep to yourself and your sex life was one of them even amongst a close friend. She could tell her about the gift Noah got her, or what she got Noah or the time they spent together having fun. But for some reason, Melanie could only think about the present. Since the school year started, everything was different now.
With her no longer teaching and tutoring Noah, she barely saw him as much as she had before. And because of the way their classes were scheduled, they rarely got a chance to see each other while they were on campus except for short periods of time when they could meet up with each other. But even when they could find time to have lunch together, it wasn't like they could publicly be the way they were in private. Things were much more different than Melanie had expected, and sometimes, she couldn’t help but feel sad about the fact that she couldn’t spend as much time as she had spent with him before, especially since he was very focused on hockey. He was always late now when he came to her place, something that annoyed her very much. But Melanie found that she couldn't complain much even if she wanted to. The games would end no time soon if their team continued to dominate in the way they had been, and that meant Noah couldn’t slack now. And wi
th agents starting to pour in to represent Noah, their time was very limited with each other, and Melanie couldn’t help but notice it.
“We’ve barely spent time together since the semester started,” Melanie admitted with a sigh as she grabbed her red pen, resuming her quiz grading.
“I bet,” Abigail said, shaking her head. “He’s probably super busy now. You should see how they’ve been talking about him on the sports channel and the radio. Everyone is buzzing about him and the potential teams that might pick him up. He’s going to have to be at his best.”
Melanie nodded in agreement. Whenever they did have time to spend together, Noah talked a lot about his practices and the big people coming to see him. Melanie was happy for him, but she couldn’t help the selfish part of her that wished she had more of his time.
“Did he get an agent yet?” Abigail asked curiously.
“There were a few people he mentioned that are on his shortlist. James Phoenix, Jordyn Davis, Jason Miles. Quite a few people are trying to pick him up, though.”
“I’m telling you, Mel. Your boy is going to be big.”
Melanie definitely knew that now. She knew that way more than she had known before when she thought Noah was just some playboy brat who didn’t take her classes seriously. Noah was destined for big things, and sometimes, Melanie couldn’t help but think about how she was going to get left behind when he did. Her apprehension of a relationship with him didn’t just stem from their age difference or the fact that she had been his professor. Those things definitely bothered her, but there were other things as well, like the fact that their futures didn't align at all. Melanie was a stickler for the details, and in her opinion, when it came down to relationships, it was important that you and your partner wanted the same things. Abigail judged her for making love so calculated, but Melanie knew that love alone couldn't make a relationship survive especially marriage.
What was going to happen when Noah went pro? Would they even be able to tell anyone? The media would pick at her like vultures if they found out that she had been his professor before they dated. She could see the messages she would receive now on social media in this day and age, and there would be no running from it. And Melanie knew that it didn't matter what sport a man played, whether it be basketball, football or hockey, women would throw themselves at him, women who were his age and beautiful. What would he want with her anymore?
What place would Melanie have in his life at all?
Though Melanie didn’t want to think about it, she couldn’t help it. When she went to sleep at night, even in his arms, these were the worries that plagued her dreams and made her question if she had made a mistake by following her heart instead of her gut that told her this relationship would not have a happy ending either way.
“Oh, please stop with that look on your face. You’re making my head hurt,” Abigail said, shaking her head. “I can literally see the wheels spinning. Stop worrying so much.”
“Whatever,” Melanie said, ignoring her friend. She couldn’t help what she felt. She couldn’t help that she feared that one day Noah might possibly leave her, and their short time together would be all for nothing.
“What’s eating at you? What did he do?” Abigail asked. “Or are you just overthinking because you’re that type?”
“When I'm with him, sometimes it feels like forever,” Melanie said, thinking about how she felt when she was around Noah, and what it felt like to be in his arms, safe with him. “But whenever we part, it feels like I’m brought back to reality. We won’t last, and I know it.”
“Melanie, you can’t think like that—”
The rest of Abigail’s words paused when there was a short knock on the door, and instantly Melanie knew it was him because no one else knocked like that. She didn’t even bother to say come in because a second later, the door opened, and Noah stepped inside.
“Hey, Abi,” Noah greeted Abigail and clapped her shoulder with a light squeeze.
Abigail brightened up her mood with a smile. “Hey, Lover Boy. How’s the ice?”
“Never better,” Noah said as he walked behind the desk and bent down to give Melanie a hug. Melanie didn’t bother to reprimand him because he knew that Abigail knew about their relationship.
“Why are you here now? I thought we were meeting up later?” Melanie asked curiously and bit down her annoyance seeing him lean against her desk. She hated when he did that. If her desk broke, he was definitely paying for a new one.
“I know, but something came up. My friends been ragging on me about going out with them since I’ve been MIA lately. So, I’m probably going to do that tonight.”
Melanie bit down her disappointment, not wanting to seem too needy because whenever Noah wasn’t practicing or going to class, he spent his time with her. He was still young though, and he should have the time to party and hang out with his friends rather than spending every waking moment with her. This was probably good for him anyway since he had been working so hard as of late. He needed a break to go out and party.
“Okay,” Melanie said with a small smile. “Thanks for telling me.”
“If I don’t come back tonight, I’m probably going to be back in my dorm,” Noah told her as bent down and kissed her cheek before he whispered, “I'm going to miss you.”
Instantly, Melanie felt her heart warm, and she watched him as he left her office.
“That boy has got you sprung,” Abigail said, shaking her head. “But then again, I think he might be the same way.”
Melanie shook her head, not bothering to respond, though she couldn’t help but agree with her friend. Sometimes, she felt like Noah had a spell over her, and she couldn’t really think straight or properly. She was a level-headed person, but with him, she was something else entirely.
“Well, I don’t think you should spend your evening alone waiting for him to come back home. How about you hang out with me?”
"What do you want to do?" Melanie asked. She didn't mind going out, and that would keep her busy instead of thinking about what Noah was doing. Besides, it had been a while since she hung out with Abi.
"Go to a bar."
Melanie frowned, staring at her friend pensively. "You want to hang out with me at a bar?"
Abi nodded.
"You don't want to go out to eat or to the movies or shopping?"
Abi shook her head.
Melanie's gaze narrowed. "Who is coming to the bar with us?"
"You know me too well," Abigail said with a sigh. "Oh, well. It's time to confess. I'm going out with this guy Adam."
“You want me to third-wheel a date with you?” Melanie asked as she sat her pile of graded papers to the side. It's not like Melanie hadn't done it before. Whenever Abigail went on a date with a guy she met on one of these dating apps, she would sometimes ask Melanie to come with her.
“I don’t know,” Melanie said, thinking about the times she had done this before. Sometimes, it was very entertaining, and Melanie would get a laugh out of it. And then other times, it was boring and awkward. “I hate being a third-wheel.”
“It’s either that or stay in the house obsessing about what lover boy is doing at a party with all those young girls.”
Melanie rolled her eyes. “What time?”
CHAPTER
40
MELANIE
W
HEN ABIGAIL OFFERED MELANIE TO GO OUT WITH HER AS A THIRD-WHEEL, Melanie knew she shouldn’t have accepted her invitation. She thought it might be entertaining to see this poor guy try to keep up with Abigail. But Melanie should have known there was a reason Abigail had wanted her to go on this date, other than supposed first-day jitters, but the last thing Melanie had expected was to be roped into a double date with her. Melanie was going to kill her.
When Melanie’s phone dinged, she noticed it was a message from her so-called friend that she was going to kill who sat across from her at the booth.
From Abigail: My
bad.
Melanie gritted her teeth before she aggressively tapped the letters on her phone.
To Abigail: How the hell could you set me up on a double date? I’m in a relationship.
From Abigail: At the last minute, he told me to bring a friend, and I couldn’t think of anyone else but you. Just show him you aren’t interested. He’ll take the hint.
Melanie sat her phone back down, not bothering to reply, or she was positive that she was going to curse her friend out via text. They sat inside a seedy bar that had enough people in it for it not to be completely dead, but not too many people that it was packed. The various television screens were filled with different sports entertainment, including hockey games. People mingled about with their drinks chatting, and the pool tables were surrounded by boisterous men who placed bets while bragging.
“So, Melanie, I think you’re a very pretty woman, maybe the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
The block of cheese he shoved down her throat with that line nearly made her hurl. Melanie and Abigail sat with Abigail's date for the night, Andrew, and his friend, George, at the booth where there was a small plate of peanuts and chips between them, along with four beers. Melanie was seated next to George, while Abigail cozied up next to her date.
George was a real estate agent who liked to use the cheesy lines he used at work to sell himself as a good guy to women. But it was obvious he was sleazy. And according to Andrew, George begged to go on this date with him because he was tired of the single life. Melanie hated to burst his bubble and Abigail's, but there was no way she was going to pretend to be single when she wasn’t. It was disrespectful to Noah, and she wasn’t going to do something like that to their relationship.
“Thank you for your compliment, George, but I’m sorry to say this. I’m in a relationship.”
Abigail, who had been enjoying her date with Andrew, glared at her. Melanie felt slightly guilty because though George was a total sleaze, Andrew was a very good-looking guy who was the total opposite of his friend.