Page 45 of Student Seduction
Our still panicked gazes met and he shook his head.
“That was close,” I admitted. “I shouldn’t have done that, put you at risk of being caught like that.” Guilt placed a white hot blanket of shame on my shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Aiden.”
He just stared at me. “It takes two, Emersyn. It was as much my fault as yours.” He closed his eyes briefly. “Besides, I’m the adult here. I’m the one who should know better.”
At that, I blanched. His words stung. I was an adult, more so than most of my classmates even before I turned eighteen.
“I should go.”
“Wait,” he said, just as I reached the door.
I stopped, hoping he was going to apologize.
“You got the gift card, too, right? When are you going to use it?”
So not what I’d been expecting him to say. “Yes, thank you. I don’t know—maybe Saturday after my internship. My mom doesn’t like me to leave her without a car on weekends so I take the bus. It passes through Riverside on my way home.”
He frowned. “It’s downtown, right? I can pick you up and take you shopping. I doubt we’d see anyone from Elksboro in Charlotte. We could grab some dinner, celebrate your birthday. If you want?”
Did I want?
I wasn’t sure.
I’d lost my hold on the emboldened woman who’d stayed after class knowing exactly what she’d wanted. I felt like a foolish little girl who’d made a stupid mistake.
“Um, okay. I’ll be done at four. But I have to pick up Ethan around six, depending on what time his tournament ends.” I fidgeted, twisting the sun and moon rings on my fingers around and around. “Not sure we’d have time for dinner.”
His eyes narrowed. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I was just wondering, why the gift card?”
His eyes moved pointedly over my outfit. Stacy was a size smaller than me, but I managed.
“Because you need new clothes.”
I nodded, swallowing the hurtful emotions his words had caused even though they were true. “I should probably get to class.”
“Emersyn,” he said, standing and coming closer. “You look gorgeous in everything you wear. I don’t know the details of your situation, but I know you work a lot and I know you deserve more than what you’ve been given. I noticed some of your clothes looked small enough to give me and every other male in the vicinity trouble concentrating, so for my own sanity, I want you to have nice things. You deserve them. But I didn’t know what you’d like so I wanted to give you a way to pick out whatever you wanted.” He sighed. “If I overstepped or hurt your feelings, I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. Really. It’s a sweet gesture and I appreciate it. Really.”
I couldn’t stop sayingreally, so I put my hand on the door.
“Since your brother has baseball Saturday, we could go out to dinner tonight for your birthday, if you don’t already have plans,” he offered.
“I have my internship until six tonight. Ethan’s friend’s mom takes him to practice on Thursdays since I don’t get home until after seven.”
“Could you get home around eight? Or maybe nine?”
My mom might be a little miffed, but I could just tell her I had to work late at the museum.
“Yeah, I could.”
“I’ll pick you up at the museum at six then.”
The bell for next period rang. I left feeling conflicted.
We had a date, an official date. Technically two dates. My birthday dinner tonight and shopping on Saturday.
Excitement fluttered in my stomach. But something kept nagging at the corner of my conscious.
Whatever else there was between Aiden and me, I’d blown my teacher under his desk and now I was getting dinner and new clothes.
Maybe this was how adult relationships worked and it was all just new to me.
Or maybe I really was a slut like Kelsey and her friends were constantly pointing out.
