The Teacher's Pet

Chapter Twenty-Eight

James Levine:
6 months later...
Kat has gone to the bathroom, leaving the notebook she has been writing in for the past hour, upside down on the bed. The curiosity in me grows, I need to read whatever she has been writing. But I also need to respect the boundaries between us, she has privacy that I need to respect.
But what if the words are written about me? Is the thought that pops up when I try to ignore the notebook lying next to me.
No longer can I control myself, I grab the notebook and flip the pages to the first page.

Dear James,
The past couple of months has been so perfect lately, too perfect and quiet that it almost scares me. But after rain comes sunshine right? This... this is all because of one person. I'm not sure if I'll let him read this, but it does feel good to write about him.
As I'm writing this, I'm staring out of the window sometimes. Watching the field of flowers get lit up by the moonlight. The field of flowers surrounds the house me and James are living in. My absolute dream house and he knows it. I love this place more than anything and almost cry each morning when I have to leave it for school. James reminds me then, that I'm lucky to still be in school. He had to go through a lot of trouble to get the teachers not to kick me out.

When I get back home, sometimes James waits for me with a meal or some fresh flowers. Every time when that happens I think about how I want to spend the rest of my life with this man, I just don't know how to tell you that yet.
The moment I met you, James, I was so sure you were the person I was going to marry, and now, being 7 months in a relationship with you, I haven't changed my mind. But maybe it's too soon, maybe I'm taking things too quickly, maybe I'm overthinking.

I also want to say something to the 16-year-old me, who was struggling with her mental health.
At the end of the tunnel, the light shines brightest.
You, my 16-year-old self, deserve the brightest light you can get.
Everything that happened to me, the stuff with Liam, the betrayal of my parents, the kidnapping, and James almost dying, that was all pretty tough on me, there was even a point where I was willing to give up. But guess what I did Kat? I pushed through with the help of all my loved ones, and here I am. With my friends and the most perfect boyfriend, living happily ever after.
This light will shine upon you in the future, you just have to push through this pain.
The light will shine upon everyone who is going through a hard time. Fight until the end, it will be worth it, you can trust me for that.
When I am with James, I am the happiest, James is the bright light at the end of the tunnel...

Not more is written, not much more words have to be written, Kat is so clear with her words, Kat's words are so powerful they leave me speechless, they even leave me with tears in my eyes.
I know for a fact that I am madly in love with Kat, but I always have a hard time telling if she feels the same love, because she isn't the best at explaining things with words. But after reading this, I will never doubt her love for me again.
Out of the drawer next to me I grab a pen and a piece of paper, I use my laptop as a platform to rest the paper on, and begin to write the letter back to her.

Dear Kat,
Maybe I wasn't supposed to read your letter, but I did, I won't tell you that I did until you read this letter. It has been 6 months since we moved into this beautiful house. I love how happy you are about it, and you really show it. Even though I'm too stubborn to admit it, I love this house too. Not more than I love you. Yeah, that was way too cheesy, but I guess that's what love letters are.
Never in my 30 years of living, have I written a love letter. If you told me a year ago that I would live in a white house in a flower field and write love letters to my girlfriend, I would have laughed until my lungs won't support me anymore. But now, everything is falling into place, everything is perfect as it is now.

The moment you stepped into that bar, I laid my eyes on you. Even though you were the one to approach me that night, I wasn't going to let you go without giving you my number.
The second I saw you in class, I cursed out loud, I'm not sure if you heard that or not. The entire day I was mad, mad at myself, my family, even the school, for putting you in my class.
For you I broke barriers that weren't to be broken, and I would do it again if you only asked me to.
Since the moment I saw you, I wanted to marry you. All these months, I tried to find out what kind of ring you like, but still, I have no idea. But whatever the ring may be, it will be ours and if you don't like it, we can always return it.

The end...