Stephanie

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My apartment was something I was grateful for. My parents, apparently getting used to not having me lurk around the house, helped contribute to me getting on my feet out of college. Being that in the few days I did stay at home, I was awake all night hearing them fuck, I wasn't going to turn down the charity.

The place was hardly majestic, but I was making it home. A cheapo comfortable couch, a nice little TV, and a full-sized bed. I even had some cinnamon incense burning to make the place feel and smell really cozy. I was really an adult in an adult place doing adult things.

Taking in a breath, I remembered the incredibly adult things I did on the couch the night before and how much I enjoyed being an adult then.

Quickly, I mentally slapped myself. Wallowing in nostalgia about it wasn't going to help me to move on. I really didn't need to be thinking about Trevor in any situation that wasn't him being my student.

I was chilling on the couch, my little netbook on my lap, going through my usual routine, but inevitably shifting back toward business.

My work didn't end just because I left the building. I still had a lot to do, and I was learning that teaching was sort of a twenty-four/seven job.

E-mails. More and more e-mails. From Hatch, from other people at the school about certain events I had to contribute to. If I thought my job was just going to be about education, I've never been more wrong.

I focused on the more immediate problems. Professor Hatch on what Trevor needed to catch up on in order to get him out of my hair. Apparently he was evoking some obscure regulation that will let Trevor retake his midterm, with his final also coming up.

That was a hell of a combo for Trevor to deal with.

My eyes were glazing over looking at the laptop screen though. Maybe I needed to eat something first. Coffee, no matter how much sugar is dumped on top of it, doesn't qualify as a meal.

I moved toward the kitchen and removed a can of soup from the cabinet. It was then I heard the chime of my doorbell.

My eyebrow raised. I really didn't know who would be dropping by my place unannounced. Emma would talk my ear off as she drove over, and it was well past my parents' bedtime. Or at least when they went into their room and did things I really don't want to think about.

I tiptoed over to the door. I tried to look through and apparently the eye-hole was painted over. I guess I should have a word with the landlord about that.

Aaronsville wasn't exactly a bad town, so I wasn't too worried about it being some sort of random thug trying to break in by being as considerate as possible and using the doorbell. Still, I wasn't going to be stupid and fling the door wide open. There was a chain deadbolt, and I used it to crack the door to see who it was.

Then I immediately slammed the door in his face.

Trevor.

"Stephanie? Can you let me in? I'm not here to like, rob you or anything."

"Stephanie isn't home right now," I said, putting bass in my voice in the least convincing deception ever. I was an adult, really, I was.

"Really? You're going to be like that?"

"You shouldn't be here, Trevor. You can't be visiting your professors after hours."

He kept shouting from behind the door. "I'm not here to visit my professor, I'm here to visit you."

"I'm your professor! Or sort of. Assistant professor." I didn't really know how the hierarchy really worked, but the fact of the matter was I was faculty, and he was a student, and I was outright told that was a huge no-no.

"I want to apologize for this morning. I didn't mean to take off on you, I just had to run with the time. I thought I would come by later and explain myself, and..."

"Trevor, stop. No. You're not coming in." I didn't want to risk what would happen if I was alone with him in a private situation. Not again.

"Come on, babe."

"I'm not your babe."

He was silent for a moment, yet I could hear his utterances of frustration. I had to wonder if I was waiting for someone to pop out of their apartment to yell at us to keep it down, but so far, no one bit.

"What, is it that I tried to hit on you instead of letting you tutor me?"

"No, it's..."

"I get it. I understand. You have a job to do. You want me to succeed. It looks good on you if you do. All right."

"It's not just that, Trevor." I slumped my back to the door, sliding down to my ass as I spoke to him through it. I guess to some people it would be rude to talk to someone like this, but it really was for my own protection. "We just have to pretend last night never happened. I'm on a probationary period as a new hire. If they find out I slept with you, even if I plead innocence and obliviousness, it isn't going to go over well. Please, just forget about anything that happened. This morning was the first time we met."

There was another long, uncomfortable silence.

"Okay then. If that's how you want it to be, that's how it'll be."

I pulled myself to my feet, turned the doorknob, and looked to face him face to face to see if he truly meant it.

He was already gone though. Not even a sign that he had been right outside my door.

I slumped back down. Had I finally dodged that bullet? Had I convinced him?

Yet if I succeeded, I wondered why there were tears in my eyes?