Watching Fireflies

by Jaycee Ford

  The bulbs were huge, not like small Christmas tree lights. Paul tried to untangle the wires, but somehow, one bulb slipped from his grasp and fell to the cobblestone street. He cussed, and I shook my head in disbelief that I had to pick up even more broken glass today.

  As I approached him, I said, “Do you need a hand there, Paul?”

  His gaze shifted up from the wadded mass of wires and toward me, annoyed tension clouding his face. He clenched his hands around the cords, frozen in place by the building frustration. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’ve got it all under control,” I said, hanging my thumbs through the belt loops of my jeans.

  His glare never wavered, and he said, “There’s more in the box over there, dipshit.”

  “But you seem like you’re all over it… dipshit.” I tried my damnedest to hold in my laughter.

  He gave me a go-to-hell look, dropped the whole string, bulbs and all, and folded his arms across his chest. The lights hit the ground, and I heard at least three more bulbs break. I looked up at the sky as if asking for divine intervention and let out a deep sigh. “Now, I have to pay for those.”

  “For Christ’s sake, Tom. Stop being so uptight. There are extras in the box,” he said as he picked up the gnarled string he just dropped. With an inaudible grunt, I went over to the box and began the task. While I was deftly untangling the bulbs, the sound of laughter tickled my ear. I looked up from the bulbs toward the direction of the laughter. My body tensed again just like it had moments ago. She never glanced back at me, but I had a nice view of her ass as she walked back toward The Inn after waving goodbye to Ellie.

  “So, that’s what has you so uptight. You’re obsessed with your teacher.”

  I turned my head away from the most incredible sight, only to see one that wasn’t as appealing. Paul had a smug look on his face, and he continued, “You actually cannot function when it comes to that girl. Your bedroom has been a revolving door for years, and some naked tub lady completely immobilizes you.”

  “Not true.” I couldn’t allow it. I was tired of losing people that I loved, but whatever it was about her, I had to try to get a little taste.

  “It is true,” he argued while still battling the lights. “If you didn’t have a plan in place already, you would have run after her just then, but your mind already has one. I bet it has something to do with seeing her reaction to your presence in her classroom.”

  He shook his head and added, “I think you should have warned the poor girl. You might make her pass out.”

  “Well, then I’ll have no problem giving her mouth to mouth resuscitation.” I stared at him with serious intent. The bulbs hit the ground again as Paul shook in laughter. I couldn’t help but join in his amusement.

  • • •

  After finishing with the light debacle out at the festival site, I showered and changed into jeans and a black button-down with the sleeves pushed up, determined to make myself look presentable. The class at the community college gathered in the left wing of the main building. The 6:30 history class started within moments. I got there a few minutes early, wanting my water goddess all to myself.

  I strode up to the building, found the correct room, and peeked inside to see my beautifully breathtaking teacher sitting behind her desk, immersed in a book. The mere sight of her caused my chest to ache in an unfamiliar way, but I willingly gave in to this feeling. Her gorgeous brown locks lazily hung around her face as she hunched her shoulders slightly forward. She still hadn’t noticed my presence, so I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my shoulder against the door frame. My fingers twitched at the thought of running them through her long hair. I wondered if it felt as silky as it looked.

  “Is this History 101?”

  She looked up and her blue eyes grew almost twice their regular size. I panicked for a moment until the blush crept up her cheeks. My body was no longer in my own control. My feet shifted toward her as my shoulder pushed itself away from the door frame. My eyes never left hers as our chemistry pulled me toward her. The drum of my heart solidified the start of something between us, a something I wasn’t sure I would ever want to end.

  “We haven’t been properly introduced. Hi, I’m Tom McCloud.”

  When she didn’t respond, I extended my hand to shake hers. She gracefully placed hers into mine and stammered, “Hi… I… I’m Jordan Hawthorne. Your teacher.”

  With our hands still clasped and our eyes locked together, I knew there was something about this woman. I knew right then and there that I had to have her.

  “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. Hawthorne. I think I’m going to enjoy this semester.”

  Our hands parted as my classmates started to enter. I turned away with a smile and took a seat close to the back. While the class filed in, I glanced up at her again and found her looking at me. The best part… she smiled back.

  AN UNKNOWNING GRIN eased up my cheeks as I tried to wrap my head around this new turn of events. The smirk on his face made my chest ache. His blue eyes drew me in. I had no idea how I could possibly teach this class with him watching my every move. The morning classes had started without any problem, but with his presence in this one, I didn’t know if I would be able to function. I would love to have him in anything… except my class.

  With the desks now filled up, I willed my eyes to move away from the cowboy who was sure to enter my dreams tonight. This was going to be a pleasant disaster. I grabbed the syllabi on my desk and handed them to the student sitting directly in front of me. While she took one and passed the stack onward, I greeted my students. “Good evening, class. My name is Jordan Hawthorne.” Under their own accord, my eyes flickered back toward the hot cowboy, and I added, “But please, call me Jordan.”

  His eye cocked up with an amused smirk, and I turned away from the class momentarily in hopes of hiding any blushing embarrassment. I steeled myself in order to begin my lecture and stood behind the podium. While waiting for everyone to get a syllabus¸ I could feel his eyes on me. The glancing caress made my body tense. No matter where I looked, I ended up meeting his eyes with every pass. For the briefest moment, I let go of my willpower and allowed myself to give in to the temptation. A look of dire intent replaced the smirk that had once graced his face, and during that fleeting moment, something happened. I didn’t know what, but something sparked between us. He wasn’t looking at me like some girl he walked in on while taking a bath. He looked at me in a way I had never seen before and woke up something I had never felt before.

  A student returned the remaining syllabi to the podium, and I blinked away from the eyes I had almost drowned in. With one more glance, he had blinked away and was now staring at his syllabus, his face etched in confusion. He didn’t look like the confident cowboy who had leaned against the classroom door frame or the plumber who couldn’t remove his eyes from my naked chest. What he had just showed me was the real him, a man as lost and confused as me.

  As the silence remained thick throughout the room, I began my lesson. “Today we start at the very beginning of the United States with the discovery of the New World.”

  Like a moth to a flame, I peeked at him again, and having done so, I lost my train of thought. With a blink away and slight head shake, I glanced back down at my guide and followed along with my lecture. “Although the discovery of the Americas has been attributed to various other explorers, the modern study of US history started with the European voyages of Christopher Columbus.”

  Finally, his eyes focused on his desk as he diligently took notes. Maybe I could survive after all. I continued my lecture without a problem, and the hour and a half class flew by quickly. “Next week we’ll discuss the colonization of Jamestown. Please read chapters one through three before our next meeting. Have a good evening, y’all.”

  The students left the class, and I walked back to my desk to gather up my belongings. I felt a presence in front of me, and my breath shook as I inhaled. I tilted my head upward and focused
on the man who distracts me in and out of the classroom. He gave me a mix of nervous excitement and calm. I didn’t know how it was possible, but it was. It was refreshing.

  “So… Jordan, can I make it up to you and buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked with an anxious smile.

  Any nervousness I had harbored evaporated when I noticed how he had changed from some random, hot cowboy into a southern gentleman. With the promise of something new and fresh in front of me, I grabbed hold of any chance I could get in the hopes of finally leaving Ryan in the past. A little smile adorned my face, and I replied, “Well, Tom, I don’t know if a cup of coffee will be enough to make it up to me, but it’s a start.”

  Tom and I went our separate ways after leaving the classroom. He had parked in the student lot, but my car was located in the teacher’s. We had decided to meet up at The Inn and would walk down to the café from there. I didn’t allow myself to over analyze the situation. It was just a coffee… with a really hot cowboy. I was slightly on edge again. Hoping that music would calm my nerves, I turned on the radio to a country station, and as I turned up the volume, blinding lights reflected off my review mirror. I blinked at the glare and repositioned my mirror so the light wasn’t reflecting in my eyes.

  I continued my drive down the highway, and the loud roar of an engine came up behind me. I tried to reposition my mirror again, but I couldn’t see passed the blinding lights. With a wince, I tried looking out the side mirrors, but again, all I could see were bright lights.

  “What the hell?!” There was no one on this highway except this car behind me who wanted to ride my bumper. “All right, fine. I’ll slow my ass down, bastard.”

  When I released the gas, he came uncomfortably close. I gripped the steering wheel tight and cringed. Just when I thought the car would slam into me, he slowed down and swooped into the passing lane. I continued to slow until he passed me, and when I thought the car was going to take off, I glanced toward it. I gasped when I saw Ryan. I blinked in terror and peered back, but the face blurred as he sped away. I reacted and swerved from the sudden shock. My tires drummed on the bumps in the emergency lane as I came to a stop.

  “Shit!” I slammed on my breaks. I tried to check out the license plate, but the only thing I could even register was the state of North Carolina on a small black sports car. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t him. He doesn’t know where you are.

  I sat for a moment and took a few deeps breaths. When I thought it was okay to drive, I pulled out onto the highway again and continued back into Olde Town, and my nerves loosened somewhat, but I was still anxious for my date with the cowboy. As I parked my car in front of The Inn, a truck pulled alongside of me, and I was welcomed by Tom’s smiling face. The sight of him made the memory of my hellacious drive fade away.

  I switched off the ignition and readied my handbag, which was nestled in the passenger seat, but before I could grab the handle, my car door opened for me. I was taken aback. Was it possible that cowboys and gentlemen still existed? Apparently, I needed to get out of the city more often.

  My heels crunched against the gravel drive as I stood, nearly meeting his eye. I stepped away from the car, and as he shut it behind me, I said “Thank you. I didn’t know guys still did that.”

  “Do what?” He met my step as we started walking down the street.

  “Open doors for women. The only man I know who still does that is my father.”

  I continued down the street, but he stopped a few steps behind me. I turned around and looked at him with slight confusion. My shoulder’s relaxed when he smiled the sexiest smile I had ever seen, and while he tipped an imaginary hat, he said, “Well, ma’am, in the country, we still respect beautiful women.”

  Wow.

  A blush crept up my face, and I turned away from him in hopes that he didn’t see it. He met my stride, and in order to spark up conversation, I said, “So, Tom, you seem a little old to be a freshman in college.”

  My eyes remained forward as we walked, but I could hear his smile as he said, “Well, you seem a little young to be a college instructor. How old are you, anyway?”

  “Twenty-three. You?”

  “Twenty-four,” he replied as he grabbed the handle of the café and pulled the door open.

  “After you, ma’am,” he crooned, making my insides tumble as his eyes bore into mine. I had to get an iced coffee, because it would be way too hot sitting across from this cowboy.

  • • •

  Okay, Tom, play it cool. Play it cool. Jordan was unbelievably gorgeous with a refined quality about her, proving that she was way out of my league. I couldn’t treat her like any other farm girl, not that I treated any woman with disrespect. I had just handled previous situations with women differently, but my antics would soon be changing. The cafe was relatively quiet for a Wednesday. School had begun and students weren’t yet flocking for the nearest form of caffeine. The smell of fresh-ground coffee beans warmed my senses as the soothing sounds of an old crooner filtered through the air. After finding two club chairs tucked away in the corner, I ushered her over to the dimly lit area, and we sat with our legs nearly touching. She crossed hers when she sat down, and my eyes swept down their length, craving to have them wrapped around me. Play it cool, Tom.

  A young, blonde waitress came over to take our order. The man I was a week ago would have talked her up to no end, but with a woman like Jordan sitting next to me, I didn’t believe my eyes would ever wander again. With complete ease, Jordan ordered, “Iced skinny cinnamon latte.” Whatever the hell that was. Her lips became the focus of my attention when she spoke, just as they did during class. They weren’t too plump or too thin, and I wanted to know what they would feel like on me.

  She turned to me, and I had no clue why she was staring until I realized it was time for me to order. While I dared not look away from her, I responded, “Coffee, black.”

  The lips I now craved lifted into a smile as a blush darkened her cheeks. She bowed her head and stared at the floor with a bit of shyness. I eased into a conversation and asked, “So, how do you like living at The Inn, Jordan?”

  Her yes blinked back up to mine. “It really is nice there. It’s been a culture shock living out in the country, but it’s starting to grow on me.”

  In my attempt to keep my eyes off her legs, I kept them fully focused on her eyes, and in hopes to gain a genuine knowledge of her life, I asked, “What city are you from? Somewhere close by?”

  “Charlotte. Not too far from here.” She interlocked her fingers, resting them on her knee. Her head tilted down slightly, and she had a far off look about her.

  “Do you miss home?”

  Her eyes focused on me again, and her brow creased in worry. Something wasn’t right about home, I gathered. She answered with a vague response, “Well, I miss my parents and my best friend, Katherine, but it was time to move on.”

  Unmistakable despair etched across her face. I knew there was more to the story, but I was going to leave that for another day. It probably had something to do with the douche bag from her picture. I wasn’t going to push her into telling me all of her problems. I just wanted to be the one to fix them.

  The waitress served our coffee, and after we both thanked her, Jordan continued with a brighter look, “Although, I don’t know what I’m going to do on Sundays anymore. I used to go to all of the Panthers games with my dad, and it’s going to be such a good year. I can feel it.”

  With the first sip of coffee just passing my lips, I almost spat it out from the shock. This chick liked football?

  “You like football?” I asked, hoping that my pure excitement didn’t make me look like a fool.

  She laughed as she said, “Like is an understatement. I’ve never missed a home game in my life. Hotdogs, beer, and the Panthers… that’s how I do my Sundays.”

  Yep, I had died and gone to heaven.

  “Well, don’t worry about missing the games because we always have a big group of people who watch them down at Dixie�
�s on Sundays.” I didn’t want to imply that I was asking her out on a date. I still needed to work up to that.

  “That sounds great. I’ll keep that in mind,” she said as she smiled, and my heart twinged. In my state of awe, I could not form a cohesive sentence. Thankfully, she graced me with a question. “Since you know I’m a teacher, what is it that you do, Tom?”

  I set my mug down on the adjoining end table and replied, “Well, I’d like to consider myself a cowboy because it sounds cooler, but I’m really just a farmer.”

  She placed her cup next to mine, and after returning her hands to her knee, she asked, “Do you have cows?”

  My brow furrowed at the odd question. “Yes.”

  With a simple shrug of her shoulders, she concluded, “Well, then you’re a cowboy.”

  She reached for her drink as I stared at her in amusement. She gave me a flirty smile, noting my amusement, and as she sipped her drink, we never broke eye contact. My cheeks rose into a grin as I also reached for my coffee, and I said, “I believe I like your logic, Ms. Hawthorne.”

  With her straw pinched between her finger and thumb, her smile remained flirty. In a sexy whisper, she added, “Well, a cowboy does sound sexier than a farmer.”

  Oh, shit. Settle down boy, settle down.

  After we finished our coffee, we began the walk back to The Inn, and as we approached the front door, I asked, “Do you think you’ll be heading down to Main Street for the End of Summer Fest on Friday night?”

  Her face lit up and I smiled to see her trying to control her reaction as best she could. With a hint of hopefulness, she replied, “Yes. I made plans to meet Ellie there.”

  The need to be closer to her intensified; the lips I had been craving all night beckoned to be kissed. I stepped a little closer to her, but I knew that it wasn’t yet the time. “Well, maybe you can save a dance for me, then.”