Page 19 of Puck'n Bully
“What’s your major and what kind of help do you want from me?”
“I’m an economics major,” Hayden says, leaning casually in his chair. “There’s always a lot of math involved in my subjects, so I need someone who’s got a good knowledge base of differential equations and matrix algebra.”
I nod, knowing I can help him with all the math stuff. “I’ll be able to help you with those,” I say, unzipping my backpack and bringing out a notebook. “How about we start by listing all your subjects that heavily lean on advanced calculus? After that, we can—”
“Wait, don’t I get to ask you some questions too?”
I glance at him as he leans in close to me.
“Uhh, sure,” I say, catching a whiff of his cologne. “What would you like to know?”
“Do you hate me?” His eyes burn with an intensity that has my heart pounding against my chest.
“I don’t hate you, Hayden,” I say in a quiet tone. “Just...don’t jump on me like you did the other night.”
“Why did you look like you were enjoying yourself?” Hayden says, smirking.
“Did the opposing team hit you in the head or something?” I drawl, leaning away from him.
A husky chuckle escapes him at my reaction. Undeterred, he shifts his chair closer so that our thighs keep touching.
I almost stop breathing in a bid to stop inhaling his cologne and his overpowering musk. It’s my last resort to hold onto the last shred of my professionalism and not react to him.
Something dark and unreadable flickers in his eyes as he reaches out and wraps a curl of my hair around his finger. “Are you wondering why I picked you?”
The air in the room crackles with the sudden tension between us.
“You want to punish me for discovering your secret?” I say, refusing to cower before him.
“Is that what you think this is?”
“Isn’t it?”
“I wanted someone I didn’t have to pretend with,” Hayden says. “I didn’t want someone fawning over me all the time without knowing how truly fucked up I am.”
I feel trapped under the intensity of his stare. This was the last thing I expected to come out of his lips.
Closing my eyes, I struggle to calm my racing heart. Hayden is younger. And he’s my student. He can afford to act this way but I can’t. I have to stay professional and ignore the butterflies thrashing their wings against my clenching stomach.
“Now that we’ve cleared things up, how about we start by taking a look at your most recent assignment?” I say, forcing myself to stay focused on the task at hand. “You can try solving the problems first and if you get stuck, I’ll help you figure out the solution.”
“You’re the boss,” Hayden says, leaning away to dig inside his gym bag.
He brings out a pair of notebooks, a laptop, and a thick textbook.
Now that he’s decided to focus on his homework, I’m finally able to breathe again.
As his laptop boots up, I pick up his textbook and flick through it to check out the subject matter. For a fleeting second, I glance at my student.
Hayden’s lips twitch as he stares at his laptop’s screen. He looks smug, like he knows he’s in control of the situation between us.
And just like that, I know I’ve been given the most challenging tutoring assignment of my career.
7
Hayden
People throw curious glances my way as I wander aimlessly through the hallways of the Physics department.
