Page 85 of Teacher's Pet

His palm settles on my leg, his fingers firm but not bruising.

It’s a touch that feels less like a demand and more like a truce.

His voice, when it comes, is rougher, quieter.

"Let me run you a bath," he sighs. "You can stay here for the night."

The offer is gentle, unexpected.

Out of character.

It’s his version of care, stripped down and hesitant, but care, nonetheless.

I should accept it.

I should stay in my place; accept the walls he’s rebuilding between us.

But I don’t.

I push, even when I know I shouldn’t.

"Will you sit with me in there?" I ask softly.

His eyes flicker with hesitation.

I already know what he’s thinking—this is too much, too intimate, too close.

But I’m already exposed to him.

He’s already seen me at my most vulnerable.

And maybe… maybe I don’t want to be alone tonight.

Before he can refuse, I add the one thing I know will make him stay.

"I’ll tell you about Cole," my voice is barely a whisper.

His expression shifts.

A sharp, flickering tension moves through him.

He exhales, running a hand through his hair.

I see it, the war in his mind, the fight between pushing me away and giving in.

In most scenarios, he’d walk away.

He’d let the woman clean herself up, gather her things, and disappear like all the others.

But this isn’t most scenarios.

This is me and him, two people who are already past the point of pretending this is just physical.

I hold my breath.

Seconds pass.

"I'll be waiting for you in the bathroom."

---