Page 13 of Good Girl

Fuck.

By the time I finished gathering my stuff and I had reached the stage, the theatre was empty.

It was just Derek and me, all alone.

He leaned casually against his desk with his arms loosely crossed over his broad chest. This close, I could see the subtle curve of muscles peeking out from his half-open shirt, and warmth flushed through my gut as I stood awkwardly in front of him.

My nightly fantasies had done nothing to prepare me for having to actuallytalkto the man.

“So,” Derek began, and his voice was incredibly soothing, like the crisp crunch of snow on a cold winter’s morning. “How are you finding the course?”

“The course?” I repeated without thinking. Warmth immediately blossomed across my cheeks.

“Yes.” Derek nodded. “The course.”

“It’s, uh... it’s good, yeah,” I replied quickly, and both my hands clutched tighter at my bag strap. “It’s important. To becoming a teacher. Like me. Or not like me, but like me in the future. I mean...” I paused and sucked in a slightly trembling breath as Derek subtly tilted his head to the left.

“I want to be a teacher, so this class is good. It’s helping me a lot,” I recited quickly.

Derek’s little smile was unwavering.

“I’m glad. I know it’s very strange to have a new teacher appear so late in the course. It’s difficult for me too. Finding a way to mesh with students who have already found a flow with another teacher can be jarring on both sides,” Derek explained, and he lifted one hand to rub at his strong jaw. “I want to get to know my students so that we can all work well together, you understand.”

“Of course!” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “I think your teaching is amazing! Honestly, you lay everything out so clearly and it’s all easy to follow. Even the discussions that you ignite with everyone make everyone feel seen and heard, and that definitely doesn’t happen in my other classes. Most times, it feels like we’re being talked at, but you...” My burst of confidence in ensuring Derek knew what a fantastic teacher he was began to wane as I realized how intently he was staring at me. “You make everyone feel like they belong here.”

“Is that right?” Derek’s dark eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and I wondered what he would look like without those glasses on. Not that it mattered, really. He was stunning regardless.

“Yeah,” I nodded uncertainly and shifted my stance as the stuffy press of my halter top made itself known on my next breath. “It’s a nice change.”

“Speaking of change,” Derek said, “your change of style was a surprise.”

“My... clothes?” There was nowayDerek had noticed what I dressed like, had he? My eyes went wide, and my heart skittered up into my throat. Among the hundreds of students he must face daily, did hereallynotice that I had changed my style?

There was no way. This had to be some sort of casual conversation trick.

“Yes.” Derek’s hand lifted further, and he slowly removed his glasses. “You went from those elegant skirts to, uh... jeans?”

He thought my skirts were elegant? Oh, goodness, what dream did I just stumble into? I glanced down the length of my body and awkwardly pressed my knees together as I considered how best to answer.

“I guess I’ve been... trying something new.”

“How is that going for you?” Derek turned and placed his glasses on the desk and pushed himself up, away from the wood.

“It... could be better,” I admitted with a short laugh.

“How so?”

Why was he interested? There was no way he heard Haley’s comments earlier, no way he shared the same thoughts as her, right? Then again, if I was in his eyeline, maybe he was about to ask me to change seats. That was the only painfully logical explanation I could think of as he started to walk toward me.

“Oh, you know,” I said hurriedly, “sometimes you try new things and they never really pan out. Speaking of which, I should probably go, got to get to my next class...”

I trailed off as Derek walked right past me toward the door. I half expected him to walk right through it, done with this polite conversation, but to my surprise, he reached for the door bolt and locked it.

My stomach churned in knots. Derek turned and slowly started to walk back toward me.

“I preferred your other clothes,” Derek said quietly.

My mind short-circuited into nothing.

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