by Mia Ford
I headed through the city to my condo, taking in the brief glimpses of sun in the sky. I loved Seattle. I loved growing up here, and it was an easy choice to move back here. I hoped to settle here and keep teaching until retirement because the university was a perfect job for me. I could start over somewhere else, but I didn’t want to leave this city.
I didn’t want to leave Elena behind.
I glanced across the street to see a redhead walking with Elena, smiling brightly. They seemed to be shopping, and I stared at Elena as she shook her head at something her friend said. My conversation with Maria played back in my mind as I wondered if she was in for me. She was beautiful, and her kindness showed even right now as they walked into a boutique.
I found out later that night that they were shopping for a party. Ginger was taking her to a mixer at one of the frat houses, and the idea made me instantly uncomfortable. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s a party. People go to them all of the time, and I promised her that I would hit a few a year with her since we met our first year here,” Elena told me as I stared into the fire. I’d heard about the darker sides of the parties, both personally and in news stories.
It didn’t go unnoticed that I was feeling protective of someone other than my sister. I looked back at Elena sitting on my couch and smiled. “They do. I did, and that’s part of why I am concerned.” Elena shook her head.
“I don’t drink a lot. If I do, I make sure that I get the drink myself or right from a bartender. I know enough people through Ginger that I’ll be watched out for. Don’t worry,” she said, giving me a puzzled look. “I didn’t think you’d be like this.”
“Like what?” I asked, my irritation rising.
“Controlling,” she muttered as I shot her a dark look.
“Hardly. I'm cautious. People get hurt on college campuses all the time, Elena. Forgive me for not wanting that to happen to you.” Even I was surprised at my words as she blanched.
“I know that. We both do, and we’re careful.” She moved closer to me, throwing an arm around my neck. “I wasn’t meeting anyone before this party, and I won’t be now. I have you.” She kissed my cheek. “I have never had a guy worried about me before. It’s different, and it came out wrong…what I said.”
“So did mine. I did sound like a controlling ass,” I admitted as I found Elena’s lips with mine. We kissed slowly at first but like always it heated up as she moved over my lap. We didn’t see each other that much, and we made every moment count, making most of the time about our pleasure. Elena had come a long way in the weeks that we’d been seeing each other, asking to try things, and getting comfortable in her own skin.
We started on the couch with her riding me wildly, without abandon. I ended it with her on her knees on my bed, fucking her from behind with the ever-present goal of getting her to squirt like before. She didn’t stay through the morning anymore as much as it bothered me, but it was smart. I always got a text when she got home, and we’d sometimes talk until we fell asleep.
She continued to excel in my class, and I checked with her to make sure that she was in the others as well. Elena worked a lot from my place when we weren’t in bed, and I enjoyed her being in my space. She fit here.
The party came up in a week, and I pushed away from the dread that came along with thinking about it. I talked to Marie about it, and while she saw my point, she also thought that Elena deserved to get out and have fun. Maria reminded me that I started being a man whore back in my own college years and pointedly asked if she thought that Elena was the same way.
Point taken. She wasn’t, but that didn’t mean the guys at the party weren’t like me.
I went out with some friends that night. I didn’t see Elena every weekend anyway, but tonight I gave in to their need to catch up. We met up at a corner bar, and I ordered a beer as I glanced at the game on the TV. The guys talked about their jobs and flavors of the week as I responded and laughed, thinking more about the party. It was at one of the wilder frats, and they had quite the reputation.
“What about you, Liam? Any cute college girls in your life?” Jared asked as I sipped my beer.
“You know that’s against the rules. No way, Jar. I am just keeping busy teaching and hitting the gym,” I replied, waving my hand in the air. “I’m boring.”
“You’re not boring. You have more numbers that any of us with those smoldering eyes.” Jared heard a girl say that to me once and would never let it go.
“Jesus Christ. That was years ago,” I groaned as I glanced at the score again. “I’m getting old now. The young ones don’t want me.” I knew that was a lie, thinking back to Thursday night with Elena. She was into me, and the sex hadn’t cooled down yet.
“Teachers?” Ted quipped as I gave him a dark look. We all knew how it went when the pretty teacher became obsessed with me five years ago, not wanting to let me go. She worked in another state now, thank fuck.
“Fuck that.”
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and reached for it automatically. I glanced at the screen, seeing that Elena sent me a photo of her smiling on a balcony. She told me that she was safe, but all I could think about was how the guys there must be looking at her. I would have eaten her up at their age. Hell, I was doing that now.
I shook my head and shoved the phone back into my pocket as Jared frowned at me. “Who was that?”
“Just a friend, Dad,” I joked as I reached for my beer again. “Jesus.”
We ended up ordering some appetizers and another round of beer. I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I made a point of not drinking too much so I could get anywhere if Elena needed me. I didn’t do that too much anymore anyway.
I headed home after midnight, feeling good to drive as I told them goodbye. I walked to my car, sitting inside while I checked my phone again. I didn’t hear from Elena again tonight, and it worried me a bit.
I drove home and parked, walking to my house. My phone went off in my pocket, and I grabbed it to check the screen. It was Elena, and she asked if I was home. I told her that I just got here and even offered to come and pick her up. She agreed, and I wondered what was going on. I asked where she was and she told me that she would wait at a coffee shop with Ginger. The cat was out of the bag there, but like my sister, it was safe.
I grabbed a ball cap from the house before driving the few blocks to the shop to see the girls sitting by the window. Elena glanced up at my blue Cherokee, and I saw her smile. She reached across the table and she and the redhead stood to walk out with us. “Would you like a ride home?” I asked her as she glanced at Elena.
“That would be great,” Ginger said, getting in the back while Elena got in the front. We talked further in there on the way to the dorms, and I liked her a lot. She was clearly concerned about her friend and checking up on me, reaching forward to touch my shoulder before she got out of the car. “Thank you, Liam. I wasn’t sure that I’d like you once I heard the story about this. I do, though. You make my girl happy.”
Ginger got out of the car after hugging Elena as I pulled my cap forward a bit and sank back into the seat. I didn’t want to be recognized, and I hoped that none of the students saw my car often enough to know who I was. I made sure that she got into the building before pulling away and reaching for Elena’s hand. “Are you okay?”
CHAPTER 13
Elena
I held onto him as we drove to his house, wondering what to say. The party had been everything that he expected, and I didn’t want to prove him right. “I’m fine. Just tired and I wanted to see you.”
“I wanted to see you. I thought about you at the bar,” He told me, revealing that he did miss me in his own way.
“Did you have fun?” I asked as I looked over at him.
"Yep. I don’t see the guys enough anymore,” he told me as he stopped at a light. “How were the guys at the party?”
“Immature. Cocky as hell. They thought they were God’s gift!” I told him
as he shook his head. “Now that I’ve been with you, it really stood out. I think I’m spoiled.”
“I wasn’t much different than they were at that age. It’s not a great memory.” I looked at him as he smiled ruefully. “I hate the idea of anyone treating you that way.”
“I know to be careful. I always have,” I assured Liam as he took the last road to his condo. We went inside, and he hung his jacket by the door before turning towards me.
“Come here,” he told me gruffly, and my feet moved without thought. I reached out to pull his face down to mine, kissing him with all that I had. I missed him tonight, so much so that I mentioned it to Ginger. I was dying keeping it secret, and it felt right to tell someone that I could trust how happy I was. It was Ginger that suggested I text him for a ride home since she could see how much I wanted to see him. She also wanted to meet him, immediately worried about the situation. She whispered that she liked him before going to her room, giving me her blessing.
Our lips met clumsily as we each told the other that we missed each other tonight. We said that we were thinking of them and wanting them. We stumbled into the bedroom where Liam had me on my back, legs pulled to his shoulders as he fucked me. God, it felt good, and I raised my hips for him to go deeper. Liam gripped me as he took me, leaving bruises on my pale skin that would surely stand out tomorrow.
I didn’t care. I wanted this man now and forever. There would be a time when it wasn’t forbidden and looked down upon. I knew that was further away than I’d like to think but it was somewhere in the future. It was within reach.
He collapsed beside me on the bed as I reached for the cold water. I drank greedily before handing it to him to drink.
“Marie wants you to come to dinner tomorrow,” his suggestion caught me off guard. I knew that it was a few weeks ago that I met her, but I didn’t think she’d extend the Sunday dinner invitation so soon. “Just the three of us. It’s a private house.”
“I…wow. Okay.” He reached for my hand and squeezed as I smiled. Part of me was looking forward to getting to know her better though another part was so scared. I didn’t want to step too far into the future in case it came crashing down around me, with more memories and people to miss. “I think Ginger wants to get to know you better as well.”
He laughed in the dim light, and I pushed the feeling of my nervous stomach away. “This is getting interesting.” I smiled as I silently agreed and took in the moment. I snuggled close to him, not wanting to leave tonight like I’d been doing. I wanted to wake up with him. “Soon, baby.” I jerked against him in surprise as he kissed my hair. “I know what you’re thinking. I feel it as well, but we just have a bit more time left before it can happen for us.”
Just a few more weeks until we could examine this relationship, but it felt like years. “I want to stay here with you.”
“We need a house in the middle of nowhere where we can’t be seen. We could do everything we do here indoors and out, take walks together like I want to do. I just want to hold your hand in public, but I have to wait right along with you.” He said regretfully as he turned his face to kiss me. We made love again, and then I prepared to leave as he stared at me with something strong in his eyes.
He sent me Marie’s address on the way home, telling me to meet him there at three tomorrow. We were going to go in separate cars as we’d be doing everything for a while but I held onto the thought that I was going to meet his sister. That was such a big step. I made my way through the quiet streets with the radio playing softly, thinking about Liam. He was so gorgeous and perfect, and I wanted him in my life forever right now.
I knew that was silly since it might not pan out at all. We’d only been together a few weeks, and it was insane with the way we had to handle it. I was sure that he’d find someone easier but for now, I wanted to meet his sister, and I wanted him to meet Ginger.
I wanted to ace his class almost to spite him and prove that I wanted Liam for him, not for what people would think I was using him for. I knew that when this was all said and done, that is what the rumors would be about. I’d have to stay strong and get past them, but sleeping with Liam at night and waking up with him in the morning would be so worth all of that.
I was a couple of blocks from my house when I glanced up to see that my light had just turned green. Almost there. I pressed on the gas to go when my head was thrown to the left, my car spinning as I tried to hold onto the steering wheel. I screamed Liam’s name as my life flashed before my eyes, hearing the sickening crunch of metal before it was quiet.
I heard people, but they were far off in the distance. “I love you, Liam,” I whispered before everything went black
CHAPTER 14
Liam
I watched the end of a hockey game as I waited for Elena to text me that she was home. I didn’t want her to leave tonight and regret formed in my stomach that we couldn’t be a real couple right yet.
That made me wonder if we ever could be without the stigma of how we met in the first place. Would people look at Elena as though she was some whore that slept with her teacher?
I glanced at the TV to see that a half hour had passed by and frowned. It never took her this long late at night, and I reached for my phone beside me to send her a text. I waited a couple of minutes and dread filled me as my phone sat silently in my hand. Where the fuck is she?
I called, and the phone went to voice mail immediately. Something was wrong. I ran a hand through my hair and wondered momentarily if Elena was done with me. Maybe our talk had brought her down, and she didn’t want to do this anymore. I called her again, panic filling me as it did the same thing and went to voice mail.
I stood and slid my phone into my pocket, grabbing my keys as I looked around the room. I was going to see if she broke down since I knew her address well enough to map it out. I was just wearing some old jeans and a worn shirt, so I grabbed a sweatshirt and headed out to my car, the knot in my stomach growing and tightening.
The streets were fairly empty as I drove, following the robotic voice guiding me as I looked all around. I saw a few cop cars on one corner, but nothing else and I finally pulled up to her address.
Her car was not there. I looked around the questionable area to see if she might have parked somewhere further away, a thought that I hated. There was a bar a couple of short blocks away as well as a liquor store and a corner store. I noticed the other apartments and knew that I wanted her out of this place.
If only I could find her.
I drove around the corner and parked in front of her building, trying to pinpoint which place was hers. The windows were dark in every part of the building, and I hit my steering wheel angrily.
I didn’t know another number to find her at. I didn’t have any of her friend’s numbers because of our stupid, fucking secret relationship and I pressed my hand to my throbbing temple. Fuck. I had never been this worried before, and I considered driving around to every hospital in the area to see if she was there. I had no legal ties to Elena, and they might not tell me shit.
I drove around a little bit longer, but by now, it had been at least an hour. I knew that I couldn’t go home and just sit there alone, but what choice did I have? I looked at the clock in my car to see that it was coming up on two am and headed away from the house and across town. I felt myself tensing and the worry flooding me as I parked in front of Marie’s house and walked up the steps.
I only saw her car there, so it was safe to assume she was alone. I didn’t care if she wasn’t. I just wanted to be somewhere with someone else over my place that still smelled like Elena. I wasn’t going to wake my sister up or anything, not yet. I unlocked the front door and hit the code for the alarm system quickly before securing the house again. I walked into the living room to the kitchen where I knew she had beer in the fridge, popping one open and taking a long swig.
My quiet phone filled the air with its lack of noise as I paced and looked out of the window. I was getting frantic by this point,
my mind racing with possibilities. Had Elena gone to a friend’s house instead of home, perhaps Ginger’s place?
I finished that beer and started on another as I thought about what I could do. I could find Ginger’s information at the University website as an instructor, but I couldn’t logically call her this time of night, nor for the reason that I was doing so.
Fucking rules.
I picked up my phone and got the number of the nearest hospital before calling. I was going to call every single one in the city if I had to, and find Elena. I wasn’t sure what happened, but if it were something like an accident, then she would be in an ER somewhere. That was assuming she’d made it through whatever happened to her.
I swallowed thickly. The idea of anything happening to Elena was more than I could deal with and nausea filled my stomach. I called the first one and was told that there was nobody by that name there before I tried the next one. I did get a confirmation that Elena was at Kindred Hospital but they wouldn’t give me any more information over the phone.
I didn’t know if that made me feel better or worse. I knew where she was, but I couldn’t exactly go down there and pace the waiting room for information. How would I even know that she was there to begin with? I was her teacher and didn’t see her apart from class. In that context, I wouldn’t know that anything happened until the following week when she didn’t make it to class, if at all. If the injuries were severe enough, Elena might not come back to school.