Page 135 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10
Obsessed - Chapter 9
Wednesday
I felt her absence as I walked into my classroom. Usually it was easier to breathe as soon as I stepped into the room. But today? My eyes flitted to the back of the class as I put my satchel down. Penny’s usual seat was vacant.
I hadn’t heard from her since the last text she sent. Her responses had been all over the place. Flirtatious one moment. Pushing me away the next. She was at war with what she wanted. But I wasn’t. All I wanted was her. I looked down at my roster, wondering if she had dropped the class. I’d have to print out a new one this afternoon to see.
It would be for the best. I knew that. And yet…it was the last thing I wanted. I glanced at her desk again and noticed that the one beside hers was empty too.Tyler Stevens.Were they together right now? I drummed my fingers against the desk until someone unzipping a backpack pulled me out of my thoughts.
What the fuck was I doing? I had a class to teach. The world didn’t revolve around whether or not Penny and Tyler were going at it like bunnies.Ugh.
I straightened my glasses and wrote the word “emotion” on the board again. I needed to drive this point home or else I’d be listening to awful speeches for the rest of the semester. A door creaking in the back made me turn around.
Penny strolled in solo and plopped down into her usual seat. Tyler was still nowhere to be seen and I couldn’t help but smile.I hadn’t been sleeping well. I never slept well. But the past few days I felt like I was waiting. Waiting for a text from her. Waiting for a call from the dean with my termination. Just…waiting. And it was a relief that Penny was here. Although, she wasn’t all seductive stares and rosy cheeks today. She was staring at me rather defiantly.
I tried to ignore her as I underlined the word “emotion” on the board. "Today we are going to drive this point home. And first we are going to share what emotion we are currently feeling.” I needed to know why she was staring at me like that. Had she just shown the dean our texts? Or was she pissed at me for some reason? “And say the word in the way that the emotion has affected you. For example, if I was upset, I'd probably frown a little and say it in a rather pouty way."
Most of the class laughed. I glanced at Penny again but her expression was unreadable. "Very well," I said. I called out the first name and went through the list.
"Tyler Stevens? Absent," I said to myself and made a note on the roster. Maybe he was the one that had dropped my class.Hopefully."Penny Taylor?"
She stood up quickly. "I feel foolish." She closed her eyes and it felt like my heart stopped.
"And frustrated,” she added. “Foolish and frustrated." She sat down without looking at me.
Her emotions affected me more than I thought someone else’s could. I could feel her frustration.With me.I tried to think back to our conversation. She’d told me she didn’t trust me. She hadended the flirtations. She… my mind stopped.Oh.She’d also said that she wished she was in need of someone to walk her home. And I’d never responded. I was angry at myself the other night. Ashamed of what I’d done while I was talking to her. I’d never even thought to respond back.Shit.
Penny kept her eyes on her desk for the rest of the class. I had to make this right. I hated seeing her upset. But when I dismissed class, she grabbed her things and snuck out the back door to avoid me. She might as well have slapped me.
***
I paused outside my next classroom and typed out a text. Penny being upset with me was an easy out. She could stomp out whatever it was we had before we even explored it. But I didn’t want an out.Right?I stared at the unsent text. "Now I know how it feels to be stood up. Lesson learned."
Even though I was trying to practice self-control, it was hard when Penny was on my mind. It was like she helped me focus. But all my focus was trained on her. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. My thumb hesitated over the send button. I breathed slowly, trying to concentrate on something besides her. Trying to find some semblance of clarity. But I couldn’t think about anything else. Was sending this a bad idea? I mean, I knew it was a bad idea. But would I regret it?
“Are you going to the staff meeting tomorrow?” someone asked.
I turned to see one of my colleagues standing next to me. She was closer to my own age. Pretty. A much more suitable companion. I wouldn’t even have to lie to Dr. Clark. But I’d met her a few other times and couldn’t even remember her name. There was nothing there. I pressed send on the text, slid my phone into my pocket, and gave whatever-her-name-was my attention for a moment. “Yes, I’m going.”
“We should head over together. I can stop by after your office hours tomorrow afternoon.”
“Yeah, sure. I should probably get to class.”
“Great!” She lightly touched my arm. “I’ll see you tomorrow then!”
Professor Keane! That was her name.I was relieved for a moment for remembering, but it disappeared when I saw that her smile was so big that it looked like she’d crack through her red lipstick.
Crap, did I just agree to a kind of date with her? I dismissed the thought. Walking to a staff meeting wasn’t a date. She was delirious if she thought it was.
She was still smiling at me like a psychopath.
I’d shut that down hard tomorrow. Until then, I just wanted to be away from her. “Yup, tomorrow.” I retreated into my next class.
But teaching wasn’t a relief today. Because as the minutes ticked by slowly, it became increasingly clear that Penny wasn’t going to text me back.
Obsessed - Chapter 10
Thursday
