Chemical Attraction (Student/Teacher Relationship)

Chemical Attraction Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I pulled open the door quickly, forgetting that Mr Cooper had been sat leaning against the other side. With a surprised yelp, he fell through the doorway and landed sprawled out on his back halfway into my room. I felt the bizarre urge to laugh through my tears and a weak giggle escaped.

“How nice of you to drop in,” I commented, making a sound halfway between a chuckle and a sob.

Mr Cooper slowly stood up and gazed at me steadily, tilting his head to the side.

“Only you, Miss Miller, could make light of a bad situation,” he said with a wry smile.

“Jokes are a good way to avoid facing one’s problems,” I muttered, my face starting to feel hot under his intense scrutiny.

“But we all must face our problems at some point,” Mr Cooper remarked softly, his expression melting into one of compassion.

I gave a half-hearted shrug and stepped around him to close the door. As it clicked shut, I suddenly became hyper-aware that we were standing here, completely alone in my dark bedroom. I swallowed slightly and my hands felt clammy while butterflies swarmed in my stomach. ‘Oh God,’ I prayed. ‘Don’t do anything stupid.’

 

I turned to face him, almost certain he could hear my heart beating erratically in my chest. I tried to take deep, calming breaths but my chest felt like it had contracted, making it difficult to breathe.

“So what do you want to know?” I asked in a whisper, moving to sit on the edge of my bed and staring fixatedly at my knees.

I heard him sigh and felt the bed sink down as he took a seat next to me, only a small distance away. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body and I longed to move even closer to him.

“I want to know everything.” Mr Cooper sighed. “It kills me to hear you scream every damn night without knowing why.” He regarded me steadily, an earnest expression on his face. “You can trust me, Phoebe.”

 

“I know, it’s just so difficult to say,” I murmured almost inaudibly. “I’ve never told anyone who didn’t already know. It feels like…” I struggled to find the right words. “I guess it feels like admitting it out loud proves that it really did happen and I can’t just block it out.”

I wrung my hands nervously on my lap, jumping slightly as I felt something warm and rough envelope my hands, holding them still. I looked down to find Mr Cooper gently cupping my hands in his, tracing his fingers over them in soothing circles. Goosebumps erupted over my body and I felt hot and cold all over.

“Please try,” he urged me, his breath fanning across my face.

I took one last deep breath and swallowed hard. I opened my mouth, but my throat seized up and no words came out. I bit my lip in distress; I clearly wasn’t ready to do this. Was it too late to send him away?