Page 21 of Until We Meet Again

The rest of the class leaves, leaving usalone in the silence. I close the door and immediately feeltheobvious shift in the room, as if every drop of air has been sucked out.

With my eyes focused on her, I approach the front of my desk. I rest against the smooth surface, crossing one foot over theother. My hands tightly grip the edge of it, resisting the urge to move closer to her.

Every one of our thoughts seems to be louder than the last. However, neither of us can find the words to overcome the thundering noisein our minds.

"Tessa…"

Silence.

"Canyou talk to me?"

Silence.

"I know this is a massive shock for both of us, but you can't be hostile toward me in this room," I say, my voice surprisingly steady. Tessa sits there motionless, but her eyes—those beautiful green eyes that I could easily lose myself in—speak a thousand words. "I know you're frustrated," I continue, carefully choosing my words so that I don't hurt her and that she understands me. "But you have to find another way to deal with this. It's not okay to call me out in front of my students."

"None of this is okay, Zane." There's something sad in her eyes, and I hate it. I hate knowing that I'm the cause of it. "I've worked hard in this class with a teacher who understands who I am and what I'm capable of, and that's before we even touch on the fucking elephant in the room."

"I'm a good teacher, Tessa. I promise I'll come through for you and make sure you get the grades you deserve." I focus on her as she takes a deep breath, her eyes fixed on her lap. When I see her anxiously twisting the silver rings on her fingers, everything else fades away, and I'm drawn in by this raw display of her vulnerability.

"Thank you for reassuring me." I bury my fingers harder into the desk's wood to maintain some control as she picks up her bag and walks to the front of the class. As she comes to a stop in front of me, the way she tasted when I kissed her lingers at the frontof my mind. "I'm sorry if you feel like I disrespected you today. That was never my intention."

She's cold and detached, and I fucking hate it.

Her scent overwhelms me, that hint of vanilla seeping into my very being as she passes by, and I can't help but react on pure impulse. My hand instinctively reaches out toward her, and I grip her wrist, my thumb gently tracing circles over her pulse.

I almost forget to breathe as the contact with her skin sends blood straight to my cock.

"We need to talk about this," I say, and she turns to face me. I hold onto her wrist tightly, not ready to let her go just yet.

"What's left to talk about?" she asks. "It was over the moment you walked into the room."

"It isn't what I want, Tessa. I need you to know that."

"I know." My eyes drift over her beautiful face as I brush my fingertips over her silky skin. As the tension between us becomes unbearable, she turns away from me. "I have to go. I need to change my dinner plans for tonight."

"That's not funny."

"If I don't laugh, I'll go insane wondering what I did to make the universe hate me so much."

"Tessa," I whisper.

"Just let me go, Zane. I'll be fine." I don't believe that any more than she does, but I do as she asks and take a step back, releasing the grip on her wrist and immediately missing the contact.

"I'm sorry. I should've asked where you went to school."

"You'renot to blame for this. I'll see you in class."

She walks out the door, and I'm rooted to the spot. My heart is pounding in my chest, pleading with me to stop her, but I don't. I watch her slip away from me, even though every fiber of my being is begging me not to.

I sit at my desk and run my hands through myhair, and as my thoughts spiral out of control, I mentally slap myself.

Fix your shit—you’re her teacher, and she’s your student.

After enduring what has felt like the most endless day of my professional career, I gather my things and prepare to leave.

Every minute of the day, Tessa has consumed my mind, affecting my ability to teach. I'd probably fire myself after the day I've had.

When I turn to move toward the door to get the hellout of here, I’m met by a woman softly knocking on it with a widesmile on her face.

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