Page 6 of Forging Legacy

I dash into the en suite bathroom to deal with the condom. I realize I don’t have a washcloth , so I take a hand towel and run it under the hot water. When I get back to the bedroom, Fern has already put on her bra and her tank top, and she’s looking around the room like she’s searching for the bottom half of her clothes. “Hey,” I tell her. “Lie back and let me take care of you a minute at least.”

Her eyes widen and I gesture with the towel. She settles back onto the bed, looking down as I gently rub the towel between her legs, kissing her inner thighs. As I get closer to her pussy, she tenses. “Sore?”

She nods. “Just a little. It was totally worth it, though. I didn’t mean?—”

I grin. “It’s okay.” I dab at her gently with the wash cloth. “We don’t have to do another round, but you definitely aren’t walking home in the middle of the night.”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to walk. I live in Brookline…”

I scoff. “Isn’t that at least two buses away? On New Year’s Eve?”

She shrugs, and I toss the towel into the bathroom. At least it lands on the tile floor. I climb into the bed and try to tuck Fern against my side, running my hands through her hair until I feel her body ease up a bit. “It’s one bus and one train.” Her words are slow, sleepy.

“I’ll drive you in the morning. Stay.”

Fern sighs and wriggles against me, her bottom half is still naked. I wrap an arm around her, naked myself, and rest my palm on her butt. This is perfection.

When I wake up a few hours later, in the gray light of early dawn on a new year, I’m alone in my bed. No note, no Fern, no way to contact her for a repeat.

I sigh and drape an arm across my face as I hear Odin getting ready for the combine. It’s probably just as well. I wasn’t lying when I told her I couldn’t commit to anything more than casual. If everything goes to plan, I’ll be moving in a few months.

Chapter6

Fern

Thora

You ready to slay the day? [vampire emoji]

Me

Is that really the right image for that text?

Thora

I couldn’t find a wooden stake emoji

Me

What, no Buffy GIF?

Thora

So, I take it you’re not nervous. Now that you’ve propositioned a hottie, you’re ready for anything!

I hadn’t takenthe time to consider my night with Wyatt last week as any sort of bravery benchmark. I guess my friend is right, though. I sort of proved to myself that it’s okay to ask for what I want and trust myself in new situations. New Year’s Eve worked out pretty damn well, after all.

But on the other hand, I’m not nervous about teaching because it’s basic algebra, and I am pretty confident I’m good at explaining those concepts to other people.

I put on my “teaching outfit” that Thora helped me pick out: brand-new-used designer jeans from the thrift store south of the city, a bright yellow blazer from the same store, and a cute striped shirt I already had. Thora and I have been trying to build capsule wardrobes to mix and match professional pieces for when we start graduate school, and need to look less like bartenders.

I don’t want my students to think of me as “that chick who always wears the yellow blazer.” But some things are too good to pass by, even when funds are tight. Veronica Beard new with tags for seven dollars ? That’s just good sense.

I take an early train downtown and smile as I blend in with the other commuters, transferring to a bus heading toward campus. Undergrads don’t usually get the chance to be teaching assistants for recitations, but there are way more first-year math students than usual and fewer grad students to cover the classes this spring.

My mentor, Professor Yoon, suggested I submit an application. I’m pretty sure they just needed that as a formality, but I’m grateful for the experience … and the money. I thought there would maybe be some more training or that I could meet some of the grad students who are also leading recitation, but they are basically throwing me in with the wolves.

They lecture twice a week in a huge auditorium, and then the third class of the week is broken up into twenty-student groups where we TAs answer students’ questions and reinforce the material. Dr. Yoon sent out the syllabus to all of us, their admin let us know where there were cubicles we could use for office hours, and someone from the math department made sure I had a copy of the textbook. And that was it. No fanfare, but I guess they wouldn’t have picked me for this gig if they didn’t know I’m responsible.

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