Page 40 of Something New

A minute later, two people, a guy and a girl, walked out of the classroom. I gave it a few seconds before I moved inside. I wanted to make sure he was finished with his class. He was alone in the room and he was walking away, heading away from the door.

"Hello?" I said seeing the backside of him as he crossed the room, heading away from the door. He glanced over his shoulder, already smiling.

"Heyy, Sadie." He smiled, and I went into the room, approaching him. I wanted to hug him, we had been known to hug as a greeting, but I wasn't sure if I should do it there. I stood back, maintaining distance, smiling at him.

"I was just about to text you and tell you I was finished. What are you doing? You don't have class this afternoon, do you?"

"No, I, I was having coffee with Jonathan. I wasn't that far from campus, so I came over here."

"Jonathan?"

"Yeah, I was, it's no big deal, really, but I was talking to him, and some of the things we were saying made me want to ask you a few things, so I came by here."

He tilted his head at me, looking cautious and curious. "Ask away."

"No, I, I, I'm sorry. I don't know. I came here thinking it would be easy to talk to you about stuff, but it's hard. Maybe I want to change my mind and just say hi. Hello, JJ. How are you?"

"Please tell me what you came here to say," he said. "That's no good to leave me hanging like that. You know that would drive me crazy. Just say it." He leveled me with a sincere expression, and I blinked, feeling nervous.

"Jonathan had asked me why I didn't go to Atlanta this last weekend, and I was thinking about that. We got to talking, and the whole conversation brought me back to that night when you and I danced to that song at your house."

"Sam Cooke."

"Yes. I think that moment where I spilled my guts about going out, I think that sort of stopped something that… anyway, I was just thinking about that earlier. Not just then, but we've had a few other moments in the last month when I thought something might happen, but it never happens."

I had a feeling that I wanted to keep talking and keep babbling, but I stopped myself, leaving it at that. I stared at him.

"I thought you brought that up as a warning to me. I took it as you needing space. I know, and I'm aware of the times when we've had moments during the last month. I was… waiting. I just sort of thought you wanted me to give you space."

"You thought that?"

"Do you want space?"

"I mean, I, I definitely, no."

John-Michael was so wholesomely gorgeous that it made me nervous to say things like that to him. But I needed to put myself out there. I had been waiting for him to touch me for what seemed like forever. I had been on my best behavior in my personal life. I was there, putting myself on the line, and I had no idea what he was going to say. He glanced upward, over my shoulder, and then back at me.

"I'm teaching adjunct here, which means I don't have an office. I'm also relatively sure there are cameras in this classroom, and I probably should try to control myself in this moment."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, cameras," I said, my heart pounding that he would even mention that.

"I am, however, happy about getting closer to you the next time we're alone."

I smiled. "I would like that."

"My son will repeat everything he sees."

"I know."

"If anything happens in front of him, my sisters and mother, and the lady at the grocery store will all know about it."

"I know."

"That would complicate things for you, so we should still be discreet."

"Okay, but how would it complicate things for me?"

"If he sees us and repeats what he saw, my mom and sisters will want to ask all sorts of questions."

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