(Book 1)I Have Chemistry With My Tutor

Chapter 11. Phoenix

        "My mother's grave is here." Seamus' voice startled me.

        I looked up at him, seeing a bit of sadness flicker in his eyes.  His tall figure was shadowy and gloomy, a 5 o'clock shadow making him seem less tutory and more manly.  I felt sad about his mother, yet couldn't take my mind off his face.  Hanako was right about one thing.  He was totally sexy.  Perhaps still being with Richard the night before made me oblivious to all other guys. Great, now I'm thinking about Richard again.  For some reason though, being out here... walking among the most ominous place.  Being without Richard was fine...

        "I'm sorry," I said softly.  "How did she die?"

        "Cancer." He sighed and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets.

        "Wow... that's scary." I shuddered, thinking of how awful cancer was.

        "I wish cancer never existed."

        "Same here." I agreed sadly. "My grandma died from cancer, too.  Fifty-two years old."

        "My mum was only forty-one." Seamus answered.  "I was seventeen at the time."

        "That must have been before I was born." I assumed.  He must have been seventeen a long time ago...

        "2000." He answered.

        "Oh..." I muttered.  "That makes you thirty?"

        "In October."

        "Huh, younger than I thought." Why did my voice sound very happy to hear he wasn't even thirty?

        He glanced at me with furrowed brows.  "Have you been checking me out, Ms. Brighton?"

        I almost laughed, a huge blush spreading to my neck.  Oh my god.  Is he looking at me the way I think he's looking at me?!  "That wouldn't be proper." I replied, not able to breathe.  "I'm barely eighteen."

        "My last girlfriend was not even twenty." He said.

        My eyes widened, unable to respond.  I didn't wanna speak to my tutor about anything so personal as dating!  It was making my whole body tense up.  Tense up in a good way?!  "My boyfriend is twenty," I replied without thinking.

        "Ah," he said.  Was that disappointment in his voice?  Was he seriously interested in me?  No, no no no no.

        Seamus stopped at a grave along the path and I stopped next to him.  We looked at the headstone, it read:

        1959-2000

        'Renae Mary Daugherty,

        Loving daughter, wife, mother of two.

        Caring and tender, we miss you.'

        "What was your mother like?" I asked.

        "She was cool and calm, yet if she felt threatened she snapped."

        "Like a snapping turtle."

        Seamus turned to me and lifted his eyebrow.  "A turtle.  You just called my mom a turtle?"

        "I-uh-" I tried to apologize but he had already started chuckling.  I blushed and looked away.  "I tend to compare everyone to some kind of animal."

        "You must be a ladybug."

        "A ladybug is a bug!" I pointed out coyly.