Page 4 of Teaching Cayden

Chapter 2

Cayden

I only had differential equations twice a week, so on the other days, time seemed to drag. I was only two weeks into the semester when my first opportunity to talk to HER came. We had our first test scheduled, and Dr. Haywood had suggested that we all take advantage of the study sessions Addison had offered. It was a no-brainer for me. Not only was this class one of the hardest I’d taken thus far, but I had a beautiful woman offering to help me study.

The worst part about all of this? She acted like she didn’t know who I was. The piece of paper that had been handed out in class today said that Study Room # 3 in Emery Hall’s bottom level was where we were to meet. I’d kinda hoped that we’d be in the library, but whatever. Noah thought I was nuts to blow off a night with him and the guys for a math class, but he’d never met Addison.

After I’d grabbed something to eat, I rushed back to my room to change and take a shower. I’d worked out at the gym that afternoon, and I kinda smelled. I didn’t want my first conversation with her to be tainted with me stinking. I jumped into the shower, scrubbed off the daily grime, and then rushed back to my room to slip into something presentable. Most days you could find me in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved tee, but I wanted tonight to be different. I grabbed a sweater instead, and after I pulled it over my head, I sprayed on some cologne and ran a comb through my hair. I doubled checked my appearance in the mirror over my dresser before grabbing my backpack and rushing out the door.

As I jogged down the front steps of my dorm, Noah rounded the corner. “I thought you were studying?” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“I am.” I glanced at my watch. “I’m gonna be late. See ya later.”

“Wait!” he shouted causing me to stumble to a stop.

“What?” I turned around and flung my arms out to the side.

“What are you really doing? You got a secret girlfriend or something?” He smirked as his head tipped to the side.

I rolled my eyes. “No.”

“Whatever you say. Bring her back here to study sometime and ask her if she has any friends.” He laughed as I shook my head at him, turned around, and now jogged across campus. I was going to be late, and with my luck, winded too.

When I reached Study Room #3, Addison was standing by a white board with a dry erase marker clutched in her hand. Her back was to the door as she explained the current problem. I slipped in and found a seat nearby as not to cause too much of an interruption.

“Nice of you to join us,” she muttered before going back to what she was doing. There were only about ten students in the room, which baffled me. Did they not hear what Dr. Haywood was saying?

I pulled my notebook from my backpack and copied down what she had written. As the session progressed, I wrote furiously. I didn’t want to miss anything and being there with her made it hard to concentrate. She was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans with a light pink sweater. Her hair was loose, and every time she leaned forward to look at the textbook, it would fall over her shoulder. Each time she tucked it behind her ear, I wanted to do it for her. The hour blew by, and before I knew it she was ending the session.

“We’ve got time for one more before I have to go.” She smiled at the group before turning to write the problem on the board. I tried to copy it as she put it up, but my eyes didn’t want to look at where her hand was. They scanned her back in a slow caress as they made their way down to where her denim cover ass swayed from side to side. I almost sighed as I watched her. Every muscle in my body took notice and tightened, making me well aware that I was not going to be standing in the near future. Addison had this effect on me that no one else had ever achieved, and it was frustrating. How was I ever going to pass if I couldn’t pay attention?

“Ok.” She smiled as she turned around. “First, we’re going to separate the variables. We need to put all the Y terms on one side, and all the X terms on the other.” Her hand moved in a fluid motion as she began working the problem. Now we need to integrate one side with respect to Y.” I sighed as I followed her lead. I was starting to get it, but my brain was only half paying attention to the actual problem. I knew I’d be heading to the library when I finished here so I could go over all of this in a quiet, non-distracting place. “Don’t forget to add the constant.” She smiled as she scribbled a C at the end. “Then simplify.” She turned and crossed her arms over her chest like a proud parent. “Any questions?”

The entire class nodded along as they finished writing the problem down and then we all nodded in understanding. I could tell as I looked around the room, that I wasn’t the only one who was lost. I didn’t know if the other men in the room felt the way I did, but the fact that the women looked just as confused told me it wasn’t Addison’s looks that were the problem. All of us had officially entered that level in college where you have to sink or swim. We were all going to need to work hard to pass this class no matter who helped us study.

“That’s going to be it for tonight.” She began packing up her materials, and then clearing the board. “I’ll be here again next week, and I’ll see you all in class on Monday. If you need anything before then, you can email me at the address on your study sheets.”

A few students mumbled a ‘thanks’ before we all began filing out. I took my time packing my things with the hopes of getting a chance to talk with her, but I wasn’t sure if it would work.

“Glad to see you survived, Freshman.” She laughed as she stopped at the door.

My head snapped up before my eyes met hers. They were as green as I remembered only this time, annoyance didn’t fill them.

“I wasn’t a freshman.” I chuckled.

“This is a junior level course.” Her nose wrinkled and she looked adorable.

“Yep.” I didn’t offer anything else. “And you told me you didn’t tutor.”

“Touché.” She shook her head as she waited for me and held the door open. She followed me out before turning the lights off in the study room. “See you Monday.” She waved as she headed in the other direction.

“See ya, Addison,” I called as I turned toward the library. I wondered how she’d react now that I knew her name. I didn’t have to wonder long.

“It’s Miss Porter!” she yelled back before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Addison

Out of all the classes that were available on campus, why did he have to be in the one I was a TA for? I’d thought about requesting a change, but Dr. Haywood had been so supportive last year of me that I couldn’t turn him down. My thesis was too close to completion too. I’d thought it would be easy to ignore him. He never stayed after class, and always slipped out the door first. His loose jeans, and baggy tees did a good job of hiding what he was packing. Tonight, he must have had a date planned for later. He showed up in a pair of well-fitting jeans and a gray sweater that clung to his arms and chest. I knew who he was once I learned his name. Cayden Sutter. His dad, Cameron Sutter was the Seahawk’s assistant coach, and his uncle was the head coach. Cayden was known here before he was ever a student, I just didn’t know what he looked like. When he met the age requirements to play football and he wasn’t on the team, I didn’t know if maybe he picked another school. After watching him in class, I saw why.

---