Page 46 of Unbreakable Thread

“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.”