Page 30 of Until We Meet Again

"You're a beautifulwoman, but I have togo. Please enjoy another drink on me as an apology." I stand up, slip some cash down on the bar, and walk out the door. I head straight home,questioning myself the entire way about what the hell is going on with me.

"How are you doing, guys?" I enter the classroom, slightly behind schedule, and notice that everyone has already taken their seats.

I see Tessa out of the corner of my eye, but I refuse to acknowledge her. I need to avoid her until I can look at her without wanting to claim every part of her. I can try to suppress these feelings for a little longer if I treat her like everyone else in here, as if she fades into the crowd rather than being the only thing that stands out to me.

After delving into Fitzgerald's pursuit of the American dream for half of the class, I decide to gather everyone's completed assignments. I have to read Tessa's work because I need to know if she's lived up to her full potential and written with the passion I believe she possesses or if she's simply done the bare minimum, hiding herself from me because she's not ready to share any more of herself than what I already know.

"Does everyone have their poems?" I watch as students begin to rummage through their bags. "I'll collect them, and then you can just read Gatsby for the next twenty minutes."

I navigate the room, collecting everyone's assignments, and as I finally approach Tessa, our eyes meet for the first time in days. All the feelings I have for her hit me at once, and when I take her work from her hand, my fingers caress her skin, igniting a surge of electricity that fires through my body.

Can't go near her. Can't let go of her either.

I try to push the feeling back as I walk over to my desk and settle into my chair, feeling the room grow silent as everyone immerses themselves in their books.

I've read six poems, including one by a student who wants to know the answer to one of life's greatest questions: Why is Goofy considered a person and Pluto a pet when they're both dogs?

Finally, I get to Tessa's poem, and the title alone sends my stomach plummeting out of my ass.

P.S. I MISS YOU

In desire’s dance, your lips I seek,

To seduce you, to make you weak.

My heartbeat quickens, veins ablaze,

While lust twists in a fiery haze.

Connected, our passions entwine,

A taste of euphoria, so divine.

With every sip, you drink me in,

A thirsting desire, a forbidden sin.

Drink deeply, and let yourself fall,

Intoxicate your senses, surrender to my call.

Let lust swirl like a dizzying dance,

A tornado of emotions, a tantalizing trance.

Allow yourself to be consumed by me, by this fierce lust,

As we spin in a room, where time turns to dust.

I want to make you so very dizzy.

Please, Professor.

P.S. Do you still miss me?

My body explodes with adrenaline as I devour her words, but the final line throws me into chaos. My heart pounds in my chest, leaving me breathless and convinced that I can hear its relentless rhythm echoing in my fucking ears.

As I raise my eyes to meet hers, I find that she's already focusing her gaze on me, triggering a flame within me that was already burning and fueling the growing tension between us.

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