Page 80 of Hello Kitten
“Something did happen,” he says seriously. “I fell for my best student. I have it on good authority that’s not professional.”
I feel like I’m choking. He can’t be fired. He can’t. it’s not possible. We were so careful. My eyes water and Adrian walks around his desk, pulling me into his arms. “Don’t cry, baby.”
“You got fired?”
“No,” he says, kissing my forehead. “I quit. I’ll be working for another university teaching online classes. So now, I’m not your professor.”
I smack his shoulder. “You scared me! I was ready to do something about it, to take responsibility, to scream, to—”
“You’re already crying,” he murmurs, wiping under my eye. “I told you and your sister, I’d keep hiding us as long as it was necessary.”
“Why did you quit, you love it here.”
He kisses me softly, then deeper. “Because I get to have you without hiding it. We might have to wait until the semester starts to be seen together, but we don’t have to hide anymore. From now on, I’m just your boyfriend.”
I sniff as I stare up at him. “You did this for me?”
“I don’t like asking you to lie, even if it’s been ridiculously hot. I’ll be jealous of your other professors, but that means I get more time with you and I can steal you more often. Nomore worries about me getting fired or you getting expelled,” he promises.
“But did you do this just for—”
“Notjustfor you, but it’s the prominent reason,” he says with a shameless smile. “I’m old enough to chase what I want and do what I have to do so I can haveyou.”
I sniff as my heart swells. “I guess I can’t call you ‘professor’ in bed anymore,” I whisper.
He laughs and kisses me again. “Oh, you will. I’ll make you.”
thirty-six
“Finals are over!” Danielle yells happily. “We have one frat party left, then Christmas and New Years! I can’t wait!”
“Didn’t you hear the latest rumor though?” Beth asks while she packs all but what she’s planning to wear for the party tonight. When Danielle shakes her head, Beth continues. “Dr. Hayes got poached by another university.”
“No way!” Danielle gasps. “But everyone loved him!”
“I know! I can’t believe the university didn’t try to keep him. So few people missed class,” Beth sighs. “And, I’m sure you’ll hate to hear this, Em, but he was eye candy.”
I laugh once, then bite my bottom lip.
Both look at me and then glance at each other, like they’re having a private conversation, then back at me. “Are you upset about this? I mean, you liked him,” Beth says and my gaze drifts to Danielle.
She shrugs. “Yeah. Beth kind of spilled once you moved on to Tinder Guy. Are you happy he’s leaving? Sad? I mean, you had a really rough semester.”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I take this moment, trying to come clean. “It’s the end of the semester, right? Because we all turned in our finals?” I ask.
“Yeah,” they both say.
“So, Dr. Hayes is officially no longer our professor, right? And there would be no reason to gossip about him tonight or over break,” I hint.
Danielle nods eagerly, but Beth watches me with a careful gaze. “That depends on what you’re about to say.”
I’ve noticed Danielle gives me that same look whenever I refuse to name ‘Tinder Guy’. I don’t like that look and I’m tired of dealing with it. I walk to the window and pull it shut, check the door to make sure no one’s listening, then take a deep breath as I sit on the floor.
The girls sit with me. Beth crosses her arms. “Yes?”
“So I’ve kind of kept a secret since my sister’s wedding,” I murmur.
Beth immediately starts rubbing her temple. “Don’t tell me.”
