Lessons in Sin: A Student/Teacher Romance (Forbidden Love)

Chapter 7

I sink into one of the grey-cushioned chairs of the lecture halls and sigh.

It’s been a long, long, long day.

A long day filled with dull introduction lectures where bored professors who say a whole lot of nothing. But finally, finally, I have a free hour … and how do I choose to spend it? By sitting in my next class, waiting for it to start.

I’ve never been the kind of student that turns up early, their coloured pens lined neatly at their desk and a notebook ready. No, instead I’ve always been the one who arrives late, running in with the glare of the teacher glued to my back as I scuttle into my seat. But here I am, forty minutes early with my laptop out and ready to go. My parents would be proud … then again, probably not.

Shaking away any thoughts of my parents, not wanting my mood to sour, I open the messaging app on my phone. Tristan and I have been swapping questions throughout the day, randomly, whenever either of us has time. He sent another twenty minutes ago.

Tristan: Do you have a close relationship with your parents?

At one point the question would have made me feel backed up like an animal trapped in a cage - but not anymore. I accepted long ago that though I love my parents, I’ll never love the people that they are and choose to be.

I type out a reply.

Scarlett: Depends what you mean by close. Like sure we talk, but we never speak of anything of any importance. And I see them as regularly as any daughter, but it’s always pleasantries and fake chit-chat.

Scarlett: So, no I wouldn’t say we’re that close.

Scarlett: Now it’s my turn to do the asking. What do you do for a living?

Each question he asks peels back another layer of who I am, exposing more and more of my flesh to his eyes. It’s something I wouldn’t normally allow but with him … it feels okay.

Sometimes when you peel back those precious layers for someone, they’ll steal them, using them for their own gain, before discarding them entirely, leaving you bare of that part of yourself.

I don’t see that happening with him.

I swipe away from his message and click on Ruby’s. Since sending her my location when I went to Tristan’s she’s been begging for all the details.

Ruby: Scarlett! If I don’t get all the deets soon I’m going to explode and my death will be your fault.

Ruby: Here lies Ruby Smith - Sex god, sister, free spirit - Her UNNECESSARY death, caused by Miss Nelson, shall be grieved for eternity.

I laugh, the sound loud in the empty room, before clicking on the call button.

Ruby picks up on the second ring and I have to pull the phone away from my ear as she screams down it.

‘Finally!’

‘Jesus Ruby, damage my ear drums why don’t you.’ I laugh as I say it.

It’s pretty much impossible for anyone to be angry at Ruby. She has the sort of personality people gravitate to - bubbly, dramatic and a little crazy.

We’ve been best friends since the day we met in kindergarten and haven’t looked back.

‘You’ve left me in the dark for days!’ I roll my eyes at her dramatics.

‘I know, I know. I’ve just been busy settling in and all that.’

‘Okay, fine you’re forgiven. Now spill.’

And so, I do. I tell her everything. By the end of my story, I feel winded from reliving the memories of meeting him. Even the thought of him makes me breathless.

Ruby lets out a whistle. ‘So let me get this straight. On your first day of living in LA, you meet a sexy stranger, have the best sex of your life, and then make plans to see him again?’

‘Sounds about right.’

‘I am at the wrong school.’

I burst out laughing. While I’m in LA for the dance potential, Ruby’s in Massachusetts to up her computer skills to another level at MIT.

‘Don’t lie, you wouldn’t leave MIT for anything.’

’True’ she sighs, loud and exaggerated. ‘But I want a hot stranger to fuck me too.’

‘You could find one in a second if you ever went clubbing.’

I know for a fact she’s grimacing right now. ‘Yea no, thanks.’

While clubbing and dancing are my life, Ruby absolutely hates both. It’s amazing were such good friends but being polar opposites works for us luckily.

’So, when are you going to see you’re stranger again?’

’Soon, I hope. We just need to set a date and time.’ I glance at the clock. It’s almost time for my next class, the students now piling into the room in droves. ‘Ruby, I got to go but we’ll chat soon, okay?’

‘Fineeee.’ She groans. ‘But I want to live vicariously through you so call me soon with an update!’

Laughing I say my goodbyes and end the call. More and more students flood in through the door until there must be at least fifty of us.

A guy slides into the seat next to me. ‘Is this seat taken?’

The guy is tall and lanky like a beansprout, his legs too big for the small confines of the lecture hall chairs, the space between the rows barely enough to stand sideways for normal-sized people.

’Nope, it’s all yours.’

He smiles and unpacks his laptop. Turning to me, he holds out his hand, dark metal rings winking at me from his knuckles. ‘I’m Noah.’

I shake his hand. ’Scarlett.’

’So do you want to be desk buddies?’

‘Aren’t we technically already desk buddies?’ I gesture between us, and the desks we’re sitting at.

’Technically, yes, but if we make it official it’s an agreement, you know? Like I’ll save your seat, and you save mine.’

I nod gravely. ’That sounds very official. Shall we get a contract drawn up?’

He strokes a non-existent beard. ‘I think we should.’

We both laugh at the same time and that weird, first-meeting tension that always happens when you meet someone for the first time dissipates.

‘So.’ Noah yawns. ‘You here for the English or the professor?’

My brow furrows, confused at his question. ‘What do you mean?’

A girl in front of us turns around, her blonde curls bouncing. ‘You haven’t heard?’

‘Heard what?’ I glance between the two of them confused.

‘Tragic.’ The girl goes and Noah nods.

‘Agreed.’

The girl gets up in one swift motion, her books pressed against her chest and hops over the row of seats and plunks herself down into the seat at my other side.

She smiles at me and Noah. ‘I’m Lily.’

’Scarlett.’

‘Noah.’

‘Nice now we’re all acquainted let’s get to the good stuff.’ She tucks a blonde curl behind her ear. ‘Last year Professor John had a heart attack mid-lecture, he’s fine, thankfully, but he decided to retire. Fast forward to now and the new teacher is a total PILF.’

‘PILF?’ I question, dreading the answer.

‘Professor I’d like to fuck.’ Noah chimes in, a smirk on his face.

‘Exactly! He’s hot, like Greek god hot … well apparently anyway. I’ve yet to see him in the flesh.’

Noah leans back into his seat, one hand flung over the vacant seat beside him. ‘Why do you think this class is so full? They’re all waiting for Professor Pilf.’

Now that he’s mentioned it, the class is very full and not just that, the class is very full of girls all dressed to perfection, so very different to the sweatpants and tank tops I’ve seen most college students rock up in.

As Lily and Noah chat about the new professor, I bring up my text thread with Tristan - a new message waiting for me. The minute I see it, the answer, I feel my heart drop out from under me.

Tristan: I’m a professor.

Surely, it’s a coincidence. It must be. But something in my gut is screaming at me - run, hide, throw up - but before I can consider doing anything, silence ascends on the class like the quiet before a storm.

And then I hear him. That voice, it was the same one that made my heartbeat in time with my soul. The same one that had pulled at something deep inside me in the middle of a crowded club. The same voice that whispered my name over and over again as he came.

‘Good afternoon class. I’m Tristan Ryder and I’ll be your English professor for the foreseeable future.’

Oh fuck.