“What do you want?”
“Everything I feel when I'm around you. I want to smile until my face hurts and laugh so hard I can't breathe. I can't seem to do that lately unless you're around.”
“Okay.”
His head tilts to the side and his eyes narrow in on me. “Okay?”
“Okay, I'll go on a date with you.”
The door opens behind us and I turn around when there’s a loud gasp. The man standing in the doorway is familiar and it takes me a moment to realize where I know him from. He's the guy in all the pictures on Jamie's walls.
Rhys’s eyes land on our joined hands and they’re practically burning a hole through my skin, as they’re raging with anger. “Is this why you turned me away the other day? Is this what you’d rather have instead of me? Someone who looks like he just came out of high school. Really, J? One of your students? I would have never expected this from you. I guess you were right, we don't know each other anymore.” He storms out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him.
“Shit. I was not expecting that. Rhys has never come here before. I should probably go after him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.”
I nod, grinding my teeth. “Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Does that mean the date is off?”
Worry leaves his face for a minute and he smiles. “No, definitely not. Don't make any plans on Valentine’s Day.”
“But I work Valentine's Day.”
“Okay, then don't make any plans on the day after that, unless you work then too?”
“Nope, I'm all yours that day.”
“All mine, huh? I won't let you forget you said that.” He walks out of the room, leaving me sitting in the small, quiet office alone.
21
Jamie
I rush outof my office, but Rhys is nowhere to be found. I even go as far as the nearby parking lot, but I don't see him or his car anywhere. Sighing in frustration, I pick up my phone and call him. Instead of ringing, it goes straight to voicemail. I don't know why I'm so worried. Rhys has no hold on me, not anymore, and he isn't the type of person to try and destroy my career no matter how he feels. Is he?
Maybe we really don't know each other anymore—maybe we never really did. I go back inside and head to my first class of the day. On Mondays, I teach three classes and am usually done for the day by three p.m. After my last class, I lock up the classroom and walk upstairs to my dean’s office. I'm ready to ask his secretary if he's currently available, but before I can, Brenda stares up at me with her eyes growing small in scrutiny.
“Professor Castro. What a coincidence. I was about to call you up here because Mr. Tinsley wishes to speak with you concerning a student matter. He's waiting for you now, if you just want to go on in.”
My eyes blink in confusion. “What kind of a student matter?”
She smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes. “I'm unsure, but I'm sure Mr. Tinsley will have all that information for you when you speak to him.”
I nod, walking past her cubicle. My boss is standing up as I walk into his large office. His brows furrow in concern, but he doesn't seem angry so surely that's a good sign. “Professor Castro, go ahead and have a seat.”
We both sit at the same time and with his hands folded over the desk, his eyes narrow in on me. “So, Professor Castro, I had a bit of a surprise visit from a peer of one of your students who is concerned his friend may be in trouble. Is it true you’re dating someone taking one of your classes?”
I swallow so hard, my chest aches. “I actually came up here today because I'm interested in dating a student, but we haven't done anything together yet because we wanted to follow the school guidelines.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I read in the school handbook that it's fine as long as it's reported beforehand.”
“That is true, but it would appear it wasn't.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was shown something I would have rather not seen, but it was proof this student had sent you a video of himself shortly after school started.”
All the blood rushes from my face and it takes me longer to speak this time. Now I know why my phone wasn't where I left it when I woke up Saturday morning and why Rhys was no longer in the guest room. He snooped on my phone and saw the video. He didn't stop there. He also took the liberty of sending it to himself. When he saw Taylor in my office, he must have finally put the pieces together. “I'm not sure how you saw that video, but I can assure you that's an invasion of privacy.”
