Despite how moments before she had been overly concerned about how this meeting was eating into her social life, Val followed the professor without question, curious now and pulled in by the gleam in his brown eyes and the shy smile that beckoned her out of the classroom. She had never seen him look like that before. Not even when discussing Austen. Her curiosity and something else, something deeper, drove her out into the hall way, falling in step with the older man.
He spoke and for a moment Val thought she was hearing things. Perhaps she had been too distracted by the gleam of his well polished shoes on the linoleum or the sudden cloying, but undeniably pleasant scent of his cologne, a warm, spicy aroma tinged with india ink and the musty scent of old books.
“Y-you would do that for me?” her voice came out reedy, the disbelief in her sudden good fortune putting a strain on her usually smooth as silk tone. Her purple eyes went wide and before she could fully think through the consequences of just what she was saying, Val nodded, a smile spreading slowly across red lips. “I-I can’t turn down free food, Professor,” she said almost sheepishly, with a chuckle, color rising to her pale cheeks, “Not to mention the, uhm, knowledge too of course.”
Her unique eyes stayed on him for a moment, wondering if he had made such an offer to the other students who were barely passing. A part of her hoped that he had not. She, strangely enough, wanted the professor all to herself. The thought of this being a group study session rather ruined the candle lit idea that Val suddenly had in mind. Suddenly and — - rather embarrassingly.
Where on Earth had that come from?
This offer was purely and strictly academic. Silently, Val cursed herself for even entertaining such a thought. Her eyes dropped to the gold band that glimmered on his right hand, third finger in, feeling an odd twinge of relief and…jealousy?
“I would…love that, thank you, Mr. Collinwood. I hope I won’t be pulling you away from something important, that your wife won’t mind.”
Her purple gaze flicked upward at the careful placement of that word. Resting it there between them to…sense the meaning of it to him. She watched his face, reading the reaction
At the core of it she knew that with this offer, he wanted to help her and Val, wanted to be helped. She was floundering in this thing called adulthood and perhaps subconsciously setting herself up to fail until someone got close enough to realize just how far she was sinking. Someone who could rescue her before she hit the bottom…Perhaps this bookish man, this professor might be her life ring, tossed into turbulent waters, just in time.
jacobvanloon
snowghoul
kaledo-art
2087
turnnoffyourmind
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