Page 11 of The Professor
After I catch my breath, I quickly tuck myself away and scoop Emma up in my arms, carrying her over to the seat she was in during the lecture, I settle her on my lap, testing our luck a little more as I hold her close.
“I want more than this,” I admit to her, smoothing her hair away from her face. “More than sneaking around and pretending we don’t know each other in public. I want something real with you, Emma.”
She blinks up at me, still a little breathless. “I want that, too,” she whispers, resting her head on my shoulder. She pauses for a moment, then adds, “I’m going on a trip in the break to my family’s home in Scotland. You should come with me. Nobody would know us there. We could just be…normal.”
I kiss her softly, smiling as I say, “That sounds perfect.”
As we clean up and prepare to pretend we didn’t just defile a classroom, I can’t help but begin thinking of all the things we could do together when there’s no pressure of keeping it a secret.
7
EMMA
By the time college breaks up for two weeks, I’ve lost track of how many times Oliver and I have snuck around, finding every hidden place on campus to be together. It’s not always about sex, though we do spend a lot of time doing that, too. We text constantly, and though we can’t risk being seen in public together, he still finds a way to show sweet gestures like slipping me notes in the hallway or bringing me a coffee while I study in the library.
While we’ve been making the best of our situation, I still can’t wait for nearly two weeks of freedom in a country where nobody knows that he’s my professor.
My parents are Scottish, so I visited family back in Scotland most years growing up and it’s truly my home away from home. I can’t wait to introduce Oliver to my family and to show him all my favorite places.
“We’re nearly there,” I tell him as I reach the long, winding road to my aunt’s home. She lives in a rural village in the Highlands, and aside from the main house on the property, she has asmaller cottage at the edge of her plot of land where we’ll be staying.
As soon as we pull up to the house, my aunt and uncle rush out to greet us. I grin wide as I get to introduce Oliver as my boyfriend, having no need to hide my feelings for him. My aunt insists on giving Oliver a tour, and then we sit down for some tea and shortbread to dip while we chat.
She’s made a roast dinner, pulled out all the stops to make a feast for us, and by the time we’re fed and all caught up on life, the exhaustion from the day of travel has started to kick in.
“You should show Oliver the area tomorrow,” my aunt says as I help her tidy up. “Show off the hills, maybe take him to that waterfall you loved as a kid.”
“That’s a great idea,” I agree, already excited to show off the gorgeous scenery. “It’ll be an amazing place to take photos, too.”
“Ooh, yes, maybe we can get some printed for the house!” my aunt says excitedly. I smile, grateful for how supportive my family are of my career choice. My parents have a wall of all my photos over the years, from some really terrible ones when I was starting out to the new, cinematic series I did to apply for my Master’s.
From the other room, I can hear Oliver laughing with my uncle, and in that moment it hits me just how lucky I am.
I yawn, and my aunt chuckles, shooing me out of the kitchen and insisting we go and get some sleep before we turn into zombies.
The next morning, I wake up feeling a sense of peace I’ve not felt before. Waking in Oliver’s arms, alone in a bedroom we canpretend is ours for a while, is like a dream. For a second, I have to pinch myself just to make sure it’s not.
Oliver stirs, pulling me closer as he begins to wake. I savour the warmth of his skin on mine, using his chest as a pillow.
After a few more minutes of sleepy morning cuddles, we manage to get out of bed. As much as I’d happily spend all day in bed with him, I want to show him the hidden waterfall even more.
“What’s the plan?” Oliver asks with a sleepy smile. He stretches as he stands, and I take a moment to drool over how hot he is. He’s perfectly sculpted, with abs that make my mouth water and the arm muscles I normally spend all of class staring at through his shirt on full display. “Earth to Emma?” he teases, grinning.
I don’t even bother trying to pretend I wasn’t eye-fucking him. I blink, trying to find my brain again. “Oh, right, yes,” I say, refocusing. “I never thought I’d say this but please get dressed, I can’t think when you’re standing there all shirtless and hot.”
Oliver laughs, his head tilting back and his messy hair flopping over his forehead. Goddammit, how is a girl supposed to ever leave the bedroom when he looks like this?
“Alright,” he agrees with a chuckle, grabbing a t-shirt from his suitcase and pulling it on. It helps just enough that I can remember the day’s agenda.
“There’s a beautiful spot I used to love as a child,” I begin, finding a sweater and pulling it on. It’s a clear day outside but Scotland isn’t exactly known for it’s tropical climate and I don’t want to freeze before we get there. “I want to show it to you.”
“You wanting to show off how your home is nearly as gorgeous as you are?” he says, flirting with me.
I blush. “It’s the perfect place to shoot video or take photos, too.”
Something like hunger crosses Oliver’s eyes, and he runs his gaze over me. “How secluded is this spot?” he asks, raising a brow.
“Uhh…pretty hidden, why?” I ask, anticipation bubbling up inside me.
