Page 59 of The Professor
“I’m just relieved is all,” I say, searching his eyes.
“If that ever happens, if they dean calls you down you tell him to speak to me. I’ll take care of it, don’t even concern yourself with you. I know how to talk to him,” he says, rubbing small circles on my back.
“Okay,” I whisper, as I melt into his touch.
“I told you before I even fell for you that I would keep you safe and that included anything that could happen with the university. That’s on me, not you. Let me handle it. Now, how about we have something to eat because I have a surprise for you after dinner,” he says, his dark eyes searching mine.
Smiling, I kiss him before sliding down his firm body. We talk as we cook dinner. This is one of my favorite things to do with him. Hang out in the kitchen, laughing and having fun. We’ve had food fights which has lead to him eating food off me. We’ve had long talks about psychology, about our feelings, or just talked about our day. The best part is just being together.
“Oh, I got mail,” I say, rushing out of the kitchen listening to him laugh.
Grabbing the envelope the magazine sent me, I run back into the kitchen. Smiling, I hand it to him and he reads it.
His eyes widen a bit as he grins. “Well, open it,” he says, holding it out to me.
Shaking my head, I backup a step. “No, I’m too nervous. You open it and tell me the bad news. It won’t sound so bad coming from you,” I say.
“You always go to the worst case scenario, Emma. Why is that?” he asks, putting the letter on the table.
Shrugging, I cross my arms. “I don’t know. I guess since my mom died I’ve just tried to keep my expectation low so I’m not disappointed.”
“Your expectations should be soaring. Start expecting what you deserve, everything. Pick up the letter and open it. No matter what it says, it’s an accomplishment not many can say they have,” he says.
He’s right, I know he is. I shouldn’t keep my expectations so low. It’s just a hard habit to break. But here and now, I’m going to do as he says and open the damn letter. Picking it up I slide my finger against it, opening the flap. My heart is racing as I pull the letter out.
Reading it over, my eyes snap to his. “They’re going to publish it,” I say in total shock.
His handsome face lights up as he grabs ahold of me. “I knew it, congratulations, sweetheart. It’s so well deserved.”
“Holy shit, they’re publishing it,” I whisper against his chest.
Laughing he tightens his hold. “They’re going to publish it,” he says with excitement.
I pull back with a huge smile on my face as I look at him. “They’re going to publish it,” I scream and start to laugh.
We hold onto each other as we laugh and finally he kisses me. It’s long and deep and I swear it’s him saying he loves me. When we break the kiss, we both just stare at the other. The words are right there, they want to come spilling out, but I stop them.
“I’m so proud of you.” Are the words he choices to use.
“I owe it all to you. I wouldn’t even have known about it if it wasn’t for you.”
“Hey, I showed you an opportunity. What you did with it is all your doing. These are your words, your thoughts. You did it, I just pointed you in the direction,” he says.
“Okay, I am pretty damn smart,” I say, laughing as I flip my hair.
We finally sit down and enjoy the delicious dinner we made. He tells me that we need to add this to my resume for my internship and I know he’s right. It will only help. He tells me once again that I need to get them out before spring break, which happens to be next week. My nerves are high, but I have to just bite the bullet and do it.
After we finish dinner and clean up, he grabs my hand. “Come on.”
He walks toward the back door and opens it, leading me out. Stepping to the edge of the grass, I stop when I see the blanket on the grass and the small candles scattered throughout the grass. It takes my breath away.
He wraps his arms and kisses below my ear. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s beautiful. What’s it for?” I ask.
“Come on,” he whispers in my ear.
Taking my hand he ushers me to the blanket and tells me to sit. Once I do, he sits beside me and lifts my legs removing my shoes before kicking his off. He has us both lay on your backs and he once again grabs my hand.
