Chapter 13 #2
“Rain, how are you this morning?”
Rain? Only one person has the privilege to call me that.
“Rainey,” I correct. “I’m doing good. I’m happy to be back.”
He smiles. “Good to hear.” It comes out flirty, and he doesn’t stop his gaze from rolling down my flowy yellow dress. The elastic is tight above the waist, which pushes my breasts up. His gaze goes back up and lingers on my tits.
I clear my throat.
He shakes his head. “Um… I… It’s good to see you again.”
“Same. And um, you can call me Sol,” I clarify, rubbing my fingers on the thin material of my dress.
He cocks his head, confused. “Sol?”
I nod. “Yes, I go by two names.” I don’t explain it to him, and he doesn’t ask any further questions. Students start coming in and taking their seats. He hands me a syllabus and passes it to the students sitting at their desks.
Class starts shortly. For the first thirty minutes of class, I’m taking notes and wholly focused on the lecture.
My mind drifts when I rub my tattoo on my wrist. Tesoro mio.
I miss his voice, his laugh, his smile, and his touch.
But then those dark thoughts creep up on me.
And I’m reminded why it’s best to keep my distance.
If I love him, I have to do what is needed.
I still can’t help but wonder what he is doing.
Does he think of me? Or did he move on? He did pay for my tuition.
I’ll have to send him a check to reimburse him.
I snap back to reality as Professor Mills continues reviewing the course outline.
“You’ll find my availability on page two,” he says, fiddling with the projector settings.
“I provide complimentary study sessions for anyone who needs them. Your success matters to me. Just drop me a line, and we’ll arrange a meeting to help you achieve your academic goals. ”
The chatter around me mumbles.
“Thank you.”
“He’s so sweet.”
“I’ll need it.”
At the same time, the girls behind me whisper to one another. “God, he’s hot.”
One girl responds, “Tell me about it. I’m into older men.”
Another girl chimes in, “I’ll definitely seek tutoring.” They giggle.
I bite my smile. It reminds me so much of Lana and me.
Our first year was kinda like that. Always messing around, talking about guys, and of course, Professor Mills.
That’s what got me into that mess with him in the first place.
That was then, and years have passed. I know it was just a crush or some kind of student-teacher kink he had.
Class ends shortly. It takes me longer to pack my computer because it’s so damn big.
I need to get myself one with a smaller screen.
A throat clearing beside me has me looking to see who it is.
Professor Mills stands with his hands shoved in his slacks. “How did you like class?”
“So far so good.” I push my computer into my bag with a forceful shove. “It sounds like an exciting class.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my best to keep it exciting.” He laughs.
I follow through with an awkward laugh. My stomach happens to growl at the wrong time. Great, how embarrassing.
“Hungry?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I had a lot of running around this morning. I did have an early breakfast.”
“Well, I’m on my way to the dining hall if you would like to join me. We can go over your classes and your academic goals. My tutoring goes beyond just sociology and psychology classes,” he suggests professionally, not flirtatiously.
I swing my backpack over my shoulder and pick up my handbag. I thank him but politely decline. “I need to get to my café. I can have lunch there.”
“Your café?” His eyes widen in shock.
“Yup. I own Sunshine Café.” My heart thuds with pride.
“Wow. Impressive. I’ll have to stop by sometime.”
“Sure. Anytime. Well, I better go.”
He nods, and I walk out, letting out a deep sigh.
First day of school down. Now I need to get to work, and I’m already tired.
I just want to curl up in bed and sleep.
I rub my belly out of habit now. I need to feed us.
God, I love my baby. I can’t wait until I can hold him or her. He is my reason. Maybe it’s a he.
My palms dampen against the steering wheel.
I rush to get out of the car and slam my car door shut, my gaze fixed on him as he exits the café.
My heart races like a teen seeing her crush.
He moves with that slight swagger—shoulders squared, chin up—the way he always does when he’s wearing those jeans that hug just right at the thigh and his collared shirt snug on the sleeves, revealing his hard muscle, sweat beads across his forehead under the relentless sun.
His shades are on, and he looks sexy. He stops when he sees me.
He removes his shades. I’m grateful for that.
Now I can see his green eyes staring back at me.
His lips turn into a full-blown smile. “Sunshine.”
I return the heart-warming smile. “Hi…”
His gaze over my body flusters me. My cheeks heat, not from the sun, but from his longing, searing gaze. “Tú…” He wets his lips. “Eres muy bonita.” He takes a step and he’s so close, I look up at him when his thumb brushes my cheek. “You take my breath away, amor.”
I hold on to every word. I can’t move or speak. His thumb brushes on my skin, and the entire world stops.
“You look good.” He laughs. “Really good.”
I push the words out of my mouth. “You look good.” He looks happy. Not like he’s lost an ounce of sleep. “Um. What are you doing here?”
He raises a brow. “Am I not allowed to come by?”
“Of course you can.”
“I came on my lunch break. I was hungry.”
Something pulls in my chest. Just maybe I wanted him to say I came to see you. But I know I shouldn’t assume. I parted ways. “Oh.” We stay silent for a couple of seconds. Then I remember. “Did you pay for my tuition?”
“I did. Didn’t I tell you I would?”
I nod. “I’ll pay you back…”
“Don’t, Sol.” His jaw clenches. “I want to put you through school. It’s paid for the semester, and I’ll continue paying until you are done.
” His jaw relaxes when my eyes widen at his rough voice.
Max sighs. “I…I just want to be the one. I told you from the beginning.” He points to himself and me. “It doesn’t change because of us.”
I understand he wants to pay for my schooling, but it just feels strange for him to do so with what happened between us. I don’t want him to feel used. Car horns blare beside us. Once the cars pass, I say, “Thank you.”
A man and his son wave at Max. “Hey, Cano.”
Max waves back.
“I thought it was you, bro. Do you mind if we take a picture and get your autograph?”
The man’s son looks to be about four years old. He’s adorable. Max appears a little sheepish, but doesn’t turn them away. He bends to the boy’s height and pinches his cheek. Max with kids has my insides melting every time. The boy gives him a fist bump, and they both laugh.
He signs a paper in his hand, then the man peers my way. “Can you take our photo?”
Max gives me a look as if to say, You don’t have to. Of course I’m going to. They’re his fans, and he deserves the attention he’s getting.
“Sure.” I grin, taking the phone from the man. He lifts his son into his arms. They flex their arms into a boxing stance. “Perfect,” I praise, taking a couple of more photos. That way, they can have more to choose from.
“That’s been happening a lot lately.” Max scratches his stubbled cheek nervously.
I watch as the father and son get into their car and drive off. “You’ll get the hang of it.” This is all new to him. He’s never been the type of man who seeks attention. And definitely not a people person.