Page 2 of Love's Faithful Vow

There was something else besides his interest in literature that drew me to him like a homing beacon. He was handsome, that was a given, but it wasn’t merely his appearance that took my breath away. It was something else, and I’d never been able to put my finger on it. It scared me.

He asked me out once, and it tempted me to accept, though I didn’t. I thought about mentioning it to my sister later that I thought I’d made a mistake, but I knew she’d have reminded me that would be a fast track to tenure denial. She would have been right, of course, but that didn’t make it sting any less. I’d hoped the situation would resolve itself when he finished school, but then he came back to complete his graduate courses. He was never in another of my classes, but he was always there. Watching me. Helping me carry things into the building when I was unpacking materials from my car. Or, simply holding an umbrella for me when it was raining. It should’ve unnerved me, but it didn’t. It flattered me. I saw how female students tried to get his attention, but he didn’t seem to notice them. He was always focused solely on me.

For all that time, he never asked me out again, which surprisingly disappointed me. His attitude toward me was confusing. Sometimes we seemed to have an almost telepathic connection, but then other times, he stayed far away from me, as if it physically pained him to be near me. It certainly was a blow to my ego, but I realized in time that it was probably for the best. I wouldn’t want to do anything untoward and run into issues down the road, not only with the school but also in a complicated situation such as that. It would have been very awkward, and I didn’t want to put either of us through that.

So, I resigned myself to admiring him from afar and tried to move on with my life. Despite that, there was always something pulling me back toward him, and I longed for his touch. Craving him. It was impossible to stop thinking about him. I dated other men, but nothing ever became of those relationships. Something simply fizzled out, while others ended horribly. One even ended in tragedy. I’d found out after his death that he was actually married and had children. My experience with him made me rethink my love life altogether, or lack thereof. But through it all, Donovan was there. Waiting. Watching. Observing. My sister would probably have said that he was lurking, but it wasn’t creepy like that. He was just persistent. A constant presence in my life that I wished was something more.

In all honesty, that’s why I reinstated our monthly faculty potluck dinners. We’d done them in years past, but stopped after the deaths of some colleagues. No one was really that interested in socializing much after that. I thought that perhaps having them again would accomplish two goals. Of course, I told everyone that it was because I wanted us to rebuild the camaraderie we’d previously had, but the real reason was so that I would have an excuse to spend time with Donovan.

I’d just received his R.S.V.P. a few minutes before leaving for work, and I couldn’t believe how much like a schoolgirl I felt. I’d never been described as a giddy person, but such was my humor that morning. It reminded me of some of those old clips of teenage girls screaming their heads off for The Beatles or Elvis that my mom used to tell me about. She could have been one of those girls, but she was much more level-headed than I. Though she never had the opportunities that I or my sister had, she more than made up for it with her spirit. I’d always wished I could’ve been more like her.

My thoughts were on her when I drove to work that morning, but the distraction disappeared as soon as I arrived. My heart sank at the sight of multiple emergency vehicles parked outside. A flurry of activity surrounded them, and I peered along the side of the building to see if I could make out any faces I recognized. I saw him right away. He was staring straight at me.Donovan. I knew at that moment that no matter what happened in our lives, he’d always find me. And I’d always want him to find me. We needed each other. We were complete together.

A uniformed officer beckoned me to pull into the side parking lot. I rolled down the window and asked, “That’s my building. What happened?”

“Don’t really know, ma’am,” he said, pleasantly enough. “Someone’s had an accident in one of the classrooms, and we’re asking everyone to stay in this parking lot until we secure the building.”

“Do you know which classroom?”

“I don’t. What’s your name, ma’am?” I gave him my name, which he wrote on a sheet of paper on a clipboard. “If you could just wait over there, I’m sure someone will be along to talk with you soon.” He pointed toward the adjacent parking lot and then turned to the next person, showing that he was done answering my questions. I reluctantly did as I was told and parked my car, awaiting more information.

It didn’t take long for Donovan to seek me out. “Do you know what’s going on?” I asked as he appeared at my side. “One officer told me that there was an accident.”

“Someone told me the same thing. I’m not sure what happened, but there’s a rumor that they found a body.”

His eyes held mine as he said this, as if he were trying to gauge my reaction. “So, it was a serious accident, then? Come on. You can tell me. I know that young police officer over there has had a crush on you since, well, since the last time there was an incident here. Are you sure she didn’t let more information slip?”

I should have been frightened by the look in his eyes; by the anger that flashed over his face. But I wasn’t. He swiftly reached for my hand and brought it to his chest. “You wound me, madam. I would never flirt with a woman to get information from her.”

“I was joking, Donovan. I meant nothing by it.”

The anger was gone from his expression as quickly as it appeared. He kissed my hand, which sent chills up and down my spine, the good chills. But then he dropped it, letting it fall back to my side. “I know. I just don’t want you to think I’m that kind of man. That’s all.”

Courage welled inside me, and I decided it was time to make a bold move. Time to do something that I never thought I would do. Ihadto find out where I stood with him. Find out if there really was some kind of chemistry between us, or if it was all just in my mind. I took a deep breath, prayed I wasn’t about to make a fool of myself, and took his hand the same way he’d taken mine just moments before. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, Donovan. Since it doesn’t look as if we’re going to get into the building for work soon, could we go somewhere to talk?”

A new expression appeared on his face, one I wasn’t used to seeing from him.Was it hope?It also lasted a fleeting moment before his face returned to its normal unreadable state. My face burned as embarrassment engulfed me. I’d made a huge mistake, but there was no getting out of it now. I had to power forward or bust. My mind raced to find a follow up statement that might hide the desperation I was feeling, but he beat me to it. “They told us to stay here, but that was not an order or anything. Let’s go.”

My smile betrayed my desire to be cool and appear as if I had my act together. The giddy schoolgirl from earlier was becoming a hassle. “I’ll drive and bring you back to your car later. I know a little diner down the road that’s never busy. In fact, I don’t know how they stay in business since no one’s ever there except me. It’s called--”

“The Woven Blanket,” we said at the same time. He laughed, “because they make you feel snug and secure. Like you’re wrapped up in a blanket.”

“Right! Have you heard of it? In all the time I’ve lived in this little town, you’re the only person I’ve mentioned this place to who actually knew about it.” His smile told me that there was more to the story, but I assumed he would tell me when he was ready. More police officers had arrived, some headed straight to the building, while others spoke with the bystanders. None seemed to pay attention to those of us in the back of the parking lot, so we surreptitiously made our way off campus and to what I hoped wasn’t a terrible mistake.

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Donovan

Iknewtheplacewell, although I’d never actually been inside the little diner before. Like her house, I’d only seen it through my careful observation, mostly with binoculars. It was easier to observe her at that diner and her home than at other places because both were out in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t easy at all to watch her in crowded places. There was a much bigger chance of being discovered amongst large groups of people, such as when she was shopping or running other types of errands. But, when she was at home or at the diner reading or working on her upcoming assignments, which she was prone to do occasionally, I could watch her to my heart’s content. And I usually did.

“So, let me get this straight,” she asked. “You’ve known where this place was, but you’ve never eaten here? How is that even possible? I can’t resist stopping when I just drive by it.” She leaned in conspiratorially and said, “The aromas wafting out of the building act like a homing beacon for me. I’m usually a goner. I guess you have more self-control than I do.”

“I’m not sure about that. I obsess over certain things.” I tried hard at that moment not to allow my eyes to roll over her body. I didn’t want to show all my cards just yet. I found it nearly impossible to keep my hands to myself. I vowed I would soon possess her, but not in the middle of breakfast. Even I had standards.

She looked uncomfortable, though I realized she wanted to tell me something.How could I have been so stupid that I missed it?I’d observed her enough over the years that I was fairly certain I knew what she was thinking, probably even before she did. She wanted me. She just didn’t know how to tell me. My cock twitched at the realization that my patience was finally about to be rewarded. I was about to get everything that I’d wanted for so long. I was about to have her. All the hard work, the planning, the murders! It was all about to pay off!

I tried to contain my excitement, because I wanted her to say the words. I would never pressure her into anything, and I had to be sure before I said or did anything to ruin it. I wouldn’t have to wait long.

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