Page 4 of Captivating His Pupil

“Riley…” he says gently, but I can’t bring myself to look up.

“I never really got into therapy, and I just kind of went numb,” I say, hating how close to tears I feel. “I came out of it eventually, but I don’t ever think I’ll be the same.”

“Something like that changes you forever,” Nick says, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“It does,” I agree. “But I guess it’s not all bad. She left me a trust, and her dying wish was for me to go to college. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I’m sure you’re making her proud,” he tells me, his grip tightening slightly. “Thank you for telling me. You didn’t have to share.”

“It’s okay,” I say, shaking my head in an attempt to get my focus back to the clay in front of me. “I think I feel better now that someone here knows about it.”

“I’m glad I could be that person for you,” he says as he drops his hand. I miss the contact as soon as it’s gone. The contact isn’t missing for long, because he reaches down to guide my hands over the bowl I’m making. “You’re doing well with this, by the way. You just need to pull the sides out a little more. If they’re too thick, they won’t dry out properly and they’ll have problems in the kiln.”

“Oh,” I say, acutely aware of every place our skin touches. “That makes sense.”

“You’re a natural, though,” he says, dipping on hand in a bucket of water that he must have filled before I got here. When he returns his wet hand to mine, he says, “That first bowl you threw was perfect. I was surprised when you told me you’d never done this before.”

“Maybe this is my therapy like it was yours,” I say jokingly.

“Maybe it is,” he says, pulling his hands away.

While I finish my bowl, he watches, instructing me on when to add more water and occasionally guiding my hands. It’s so intimate that I feel myself getting flustered. I know that it’s nothing more than him teaching me, but I can’t help the way my imagination runs wild. I find myself longing for him to kiss me.

Eventually, we’re both satisfied with what I’ve made, and he hands me the wire tool. I slice the clay away from the wheel, and he leads me to the drying rack. After washing the clay from my hands, he walks me to the front door.

“You’re welcome to stop by to use my studio whenever you like,” he tells me. “It’ll probably take about two weeks before I can fire your first piece.”

“Cool,” I say, butterflies fluttering around my stomach. Nick is so close, and the offer feels so loaded. “I’d love that.”

“Perfect,” he says, stepping in even closer. My breath catches in my throat as his hand comes up to cup my cheek. Our lips connect and he gives me a soft, chaste kiss. “Let me know when you get home.”

“Yeah,” I say, reeling from what just happened. “I will.”

“Bye, Riley,” he says, prompting me to move my feet.

“Bye,” I say.

As soon as his front door closes behind me, my fingers find my lips. I touch all the places where Nick’s mouth was on mine. I’m so thrown off that I decide to walk back to my dorm. I need the time to grapple with the fact that apparently Nick’s interested in me, too.

***

I spend the entire weekend thinking about the kiss that Nick and I shared. In fact, it’s still so heavy on my mind come Monday that Nicole notices how distracted I am. As I’m leaving the lecture hall, she grabs my elbow and pulls me aside in the hallway.

“So, how did things go this weekend?” she asks, a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes.

“Oh, they went well,” I say, not sure about how much I should share. I’ve never really had a friend that I’m close enough to talk about men with.

“Just well?” she pries, tilting her head curiously. “You were hardly paying attention in class. Did something happen?”

“In my defense, I’m not really interested in the subject,” I say with a shrug. Then, because she’s still looking at me expectantly, I say, “I mean... Nothing really happened, but he kissed me when I left.”

I’m not expecting it when Nicole squeals, and I nearly jump out of my skin. We don’t even know each other that well, but she’s still so excited for me. All at once, I realize I’ve never had a best friend before, and I hope Nicole will be that person for me.

“Riley, that’s incredible!” she says, practically bouncing on her toes. “Have you heard from him since then?”

“No,” I say, wondering if that’s a bad thing. “I’ll see him tomorrow, though.”

“You have to keep me updated on how everything goes,” she tells me. “I can’t believe you’ve got a professor’s interest.”

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