33. Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
I f our text message thread is any indication, Brooks and I are both riding the high of reintroducing the truth of “I love you” into our relationship. However, I know that despite the rush of our trip to D.C. and our newly-professed feelings, Brooks is still experiencing the lows of grief. I know because I am still feeling those “I can’t breathe” moments any time I think about our time by his mom’s bench at the lake.
I decide to surprise Brooks with lunch at school. Even though he only has thirty minutes, I’m hoping it will be a bright spot to his day.
After scanning my driver’s license to check in at the school office, a passing teacher offers to show me to Brooks’ classroom on her way back to her own.
“We’ve heard lots about you around here. I recognized you from the videos that Brooks posts, but it’s fun to meet you in person!” she says.
“Oh no, I did not think about a social media reputation preceding me,” I respond with a laugh.
“Don’t worry. Your preceding reputation is glowing,” she replies, a twinkle in her eye.
“What subject do you teach?” I ask as we wind through the building. Thank goodness I have a guide—I absolutely would have spent half of Brooks’ lunch period trying to find his classroom.
“Seventh grade science. Never a dull moment!” she says right as the bell rings and students spill into the hallways. “You might want to wait a minute for the students to clear out, but we’ve reached your destination,” she adds, pointing to the room across from us. “It was great to meet you, Teegan. Hope to see you around again. ”
“Thank you for the help!” I call after her as she walks away. I hear her switch to her “teacher voice” as she scolds a couple of boys who are roughhousing. It reminds me of Brooks’ voice when he rescued me at the silent disco, which I can now openly embrace as “sexy.”
I need to practice my teacher voice.
The certainty of that thought feels at peace in my heart, and I smile to myself as I walk into Brooks’ classroom. There are two students still inside, huddled around a desk as Brooks points to something on a worksheet.
“You need a little more explanation of how the branches of government keep power in check. Tell me a specific example,” he says to one student. I linger in the doorway to continue observing without revealing my presence yet.
“Um, like how the President can’t pass laws, only Congress can?” she says, uncertainty in her voice.
“Exactly!” Brooks responds. “List out at least one example for each branch on your bullet list so you can use it in your final essay.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Murphy,” she replies as she stuffs the paper in her backpack. She and her friend turn just as Brooks looks up and notices me. All three of their faces break into smiles.
“Hey!” I say, stepping forward.
“Ooo, who’s this?” one of the girls asks.
Brooks grins and declares, “This is my girlfriend, Teegan.”
“Nice to meet you, girls!” I greet with a wave as I reach them.
“You’re so pretty!” one of them remarks, and I remember how much I loved the unfiltered conversations I had with students during student teaching.
“Gorgeous is the word I think you’re looking for,” Brooks chimes in, his smile impish.
The girls look as though they’ve been handed a pot full of tea ready to spill at lunch. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Teegan. See you tomorrow, Mr. Murphy,” they say as they exit the room.
Once they’re gone, Brooks pulls me to him and quickly kisses me. “Mr. Murphy, how extremely unprofessional of you,” I tease.
“They can fire me if necessary,” he teases back before planting a longer kiss on my lips. “Now, what are you doing here? ”
I hold up the Taco Lucha bag in my hand. “I brought lunch!”
“I love you forever,” Brooks says with mock solemnity.
“All it took was tacos.” I sigh with an exaggerated eye roll.
Brooks pulls me closer to him, hand on the small of my back. “All it took was you,” he murmurs, then gently kisses me.
As tempted as I am to give in to his kiss and lose all sense of reality, there is the very real reality of our current surroundings. I pull back and poke him in the chest. “Behave yourself,” I chide, smiling.
We quickly devour the tacos as he fills me in on The Hangout happenings from last night. With ten minutes before his lunch break ends, he offers to lead me back to the front office.
“I’m going to need a map so I can find your room on my own next time I come to visit,” I say as we make our way through the hallways.
“I’ll happily draw a map myself if it means you’ll keep coming back,” he replies with a grin. I’m so tempted to reach over to hold his hand, but I restrain myself.
When we reach the front entrance, Brooks turns to me. “This was the best surprise, Sneaks. Thanks for coming to see me.”
“I had to see your classroom for myself,” I say. There aren’t any students around, so I quirk an eyebrow and add, “How else can I picture sexy Mr. Murphy in his element?”
Brooks groans. “That was a low blow, making a comment like that when I can’t kiss you.” The intensity in his gaze sends a tremor through my body. His eyes just did a perfectly sufficient job of kissing me from two feet away.
My voice is breathy as I say, “See you at small group tonight.”
Brooks glances at his watch, then meets my eyes again. “Only 344 minutes.”
“How are things going with Brooks?” Catherine asks conspiratorially.
My mouth is filled to the brim with one of Sarah’s oatmeal cookies. I could be convinced to eat oatmeal for breakfast if it was in the form of one of her cookies .
It’s the end of the small group meeting, and the girls are all standing in the kitchen. I can hear the guys laughing in the living room at whatever story Brooks is entertaining them with.
I hold my hand in front of my still-chewing mouth. “It’s going great!” Swallowing hard, I take a sip of water to wash down the cookie crumbs. “In some ways, it feels brand new, and in other ways, it feels like we clicked right back into place. Like gears that got misaligned and then put back in the right spot.”
“Well, you seem happy,” Natalie observes. “You have that glow that moms have after giving birth.”
“Whoa, no need to talk about babies yet,” Catherine says.
“I’m not saying they’re going to have babies right now! I just see it every day—it’s a good comparison!” Natalie defends. “Although, you guys would absolutely have the most beautiful babies. Just saying.”
“Let’s back the conversation right up!” I exclaim, cheeks red. “Back to the ‘Brooks and I are having fun dating’ stage.”
Thankfully, the conversation ends as the guys file into the kitchen, carrying their glasses and coffee mugs to the sink.
“Would anyone be up for a concert Friday night?” Brooks asks the group.
“Who’s playing?” Will asks.
“I dunno. Some indie band is playing at the concert venue in Center Square. I heard some colleagues talking about it,” Brooks replies with a shrug.
“You’re gonna go to a concert without even knowing who the band is?” Brian asks, incredulous.
“Sure! It will be a good time, even if the band is no good,” Brooks says.
“I’ll go!” I respond with enthusiasm.
“Zero surprise there,” Sarah teases. “But I’ll come too! You two are pushing me to be a little more fun.”
“What? So now we’re not fun if we don’t go?” Will asks with mock offense. I see a smile pass between him and Sarah, and I’d bet money they’ll be the next to fall in Joy’s plans to pair us all up.