Teacher's Girl (Aflyingwhale)

EMMaA’s POV

"Girl, where have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks!"Tiff exclaimed dramatically.

Normally I would call her out for being a drama queen, but she wasn’t completely wrong this time.

Yes, I had been MIA, missing in action, for the past couple of days and I tell my friends where I went.

Not unless I wanted to be interrogated by the FBI.

‘Because yes, I was spending a lot of time with Mr.Hayes —I mean, lan.

"Sorry, I’m just a little busy with...my art portfolio,"I said as I closed my lockers shut.

The last period bell hand rang, but my friends had stopped me before I could leave school premises.

"That thing’s not due until the end of the school year.We still have, like eight months,"Carrie argued.

"I know, but I’ve been feeling very inspired lately.I wanna make sure I got a kickass portfolio, I might even use it for my college application,"

This part wasn't a lie.Spending a lot of time with my art teacher had its benefits.

Any free time I had in school, I'd spend it in the art studio working on my...craft.

After school hours, when I wasn’t in swim practice or cheerleading, I'd head over to lan’s apartment and we'd make more...art.

“Okay,"Tiff eyed me cautiously, 

"You do seem surprisingly happy.You're not hiding anything from us, are you? ‘Cause the last time we saw you was during the dance ar(d you didn't seem so well—"

"That was in the past," I cut her off quickly.

"After the dance, I did some soul searching and now I’ve completely turned over a new leaf,"  Tiff and Carrie exchanged a look before studying my face even further, trying to detect if I was lying."Guys, I'm serious.I'm so over Zach already and I just wanna work on myself for now.Believe me,"

I said reassuringly.

"Well, okay, in that case, I know you don’t have swim or cheerleading today.What do you say we head to the mall?"Carrie asked.

"Oh...actually, I can’t.I promised my mom I'd help her run some errands,"

I paused and noted the disappointed faces of my friends, "But we can hang out on the weekend?"

"Alright, it's a date.Don’t bail on us," Tiff and Carrie agreed finally.

"Absolutely.Now I gotta go.My, uh, mom’s waiting.See you guys"

I waved my hands quickly and disappeared out of the door in a flash.

School was over for the day and I couldn't be more excited. lan had invited me over to his place and he was going to make dinner.It still felt surreal to call him by that name.

I found myself blushing every time I said it out loud.I needed to work on that.

I arrived at his door at exactly 7 PM.

I was wearing my yellow summer dress, even though it was definitely fall, but I just wanted to look cute.

He opened the door and greeted me with his gorgeous mega-watt smile, that smile alone could send me into puddles.

He kissed my cheek, ushered me in, and took my coat.

the first thing I noticed as soon as I got

pasta,"he said as he hanged my coat on the rack

followed after him instinctively.

"I'm biased

response and went to

jazz and a candle was burning in the middle

a bottle of grape juice I assumed

romantic,"I rolled my eyes

nearby instead, gesturing for me to sit

and took a

sat across from and started

me, I can handle

empty glass, waiting for him to pour the

handle

glass and

my grape juice

on dinner and I must admit, lan could make

I noticed he

me as I was

"Everything okay?"I asked.

"So, how’s school?"he asked.

said it at

a second and noted the awkwardness, before

ask me

shrugged, "School is just school,

not what I

You're being so formal today,

continuing,"I just wanna have some dinner

serious and

my head to the side and

skip dinner and get right to

he said nothing this time.His gaze was still deadly serious.I

scolded, his

"What?"

back to the floor and

Did I do something?"I

to know you a little bit,"he said as he reached for my hand, caressing

it 7 take it slow,"I looked up at

genuine and gentle, and it took me by

was my fourth time in his apartment and

always playful, flirty, and one might even

this side

want us to last,"he said again and I felt

breathed, "We can talk.What

to rake his lush jet-black hair, "Like, what's your

"You're really bad at small talk, you know

deep breath and

know.I've never done this before,"he admitted

Talk to girls?"I asked in

to know someone,"he replied, pausing for a beat before saying,

widened as I gaped at him, waiting

anyone I wanted to get to