“Yourself. I know what you’d change about your life, Wrenn.” He said it so softly I could barely hear him, but I knew he meant my family.
I sighed, and thought about his question. “I don’t know. I think everything we do, we learn from, so saying I’d change one aspect of myself could potentially have changed who I am today.” I shrugged, gazing up at him. “I know I’m not perfect, but I’m happy with the person I am. I think I offer a lot as a person, and I know I still have so much to learn, but everything that happens to me, everything I am, I live and learn from.”
His arms tightened around me as he kissed my forehead. “Your strength amazes me, Wrenn. Every second we spend together, you find a new way to surprise me.” He kissed me, his lips in sync with mine as his fingers ran underneath my sweater. I sighed as they grazed over my breasts, my nipples instantly hardening. I wanted him so badly. These past few weeks had been nothing short of perfection. I found myself wanting to be with him more and more, and finding it harder to control my emotions went we weren’t alone.
I glanced down at my phone, my heart dropping. Almost curfew. I hated leaving him.
“I have to go,” I said glumly, kissing his lips one more time before I struggled to my feet.
He stood up too, his arms curling around my waist as he kissed my neck. “I wish you didn’t have to go,” he mumbled.
“Me too. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I blew him a kiss as I walked to my car, my heart heavy with sadness at leaving him. I was falling for him, there was no doubt in my mind.
I was falling hard.
***
Kass was talking in my ear about something, but I couldn’t focus. All I could see was Dalton, over on the other side of the classroom, helping out another student. He laughed at something Emma had said, and my stomach churned.
Why was this getting to me so much? He was a teacher in an all-girl school, of course he had to interact with members of the opposite sex. I just didn’t like having to see it.
“Wrenn? What the hell is wrong with you today?”
I jumped and turned back to Kass, who was staring at me. “Nothing,” I mumbled. “What were you saying?”
“I was saying I don’t know what I’m going to do for the rest of the year without you here. I’m going to miss you when you graduate.”
“I’m going to miss you too. You’ll be finished before know it, and we’ll still see each other like all the time,” I said, smiling.
She nodded and sniffed. I reached over and squeezed her hand. Kass was such a good friend, and I was so lucky to have her in my life.
***
After the final bell rang, Kass and I walked out of class, past Dalton’s desk. I could feel him staring at me. Sure enough, when I turned, his eyes were on me—all over me. I smiled, and winked at him, which made him chuckle. He turned back to his desk, a smile still on his lips, and I knew he was thinking about me.
The longer this went on, the harder it was getting for both of us. When you feel so strongly for someone, you don’t want to keep it a secret. You want to shout it from the rooftops. You want everyone to know what you’re feeling. Hiding it feels so wrong. How can falling in love ever be a bad thing?
But it was. At least, that’s what society wanted us to think. We could have the most exceptional circumstances in the world and it wouldn’t make a damn difference.
He would always be my teacher, and me, his student. I just prayed he could get past that.
Chapter Fifteen
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Dalton
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The more time I spent with Wrenn, the more I liked her the more I liked her. Every moment I spent with her, she cemented herself a little bit more in my life. Slowly, she was beginning to unravel the walls I’d built around myself.
And that made me nervous.
I laughed to myself. The funny thing was that she could sense my anxiety about our relationship, and she thought it was all to do with the fact that I was her teacher. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Honestly? The risk of losing my job—I’d risk it all in a second for her. How bad was that?
No, this ran much deeper. It killed me that it was always in the back of my mind. One test, and I’d know. One way or the other I’d know for sure. But I didn’t want to know. Hell, I was angry at my own mother. Why couldn’t she have lied to me? I wouldn’t have known the difference. I could have lived my life not caring.
Sometimes it was best not knowing.
***
The realization hit me late one afternoon after Mom texted me, reminding me it was coming up to the anniversary of Dad’s death. I couldn’t do this. It had to stop. I had to think of Wrenn before this went any further. I could end it now. I wasn’t sure I’d have the strength if I left it much longer.
Picking up my phone, I texted her, asking her to meet me down by the river. A deserted space, the river was a favorite place for us to meet, because it was so far out of the way there was no chance of us getting caught.