My Guardian Angel

Chapter 13

3 Months Later

What the fuck was he doing?

He felt insane. All of his friends and family thought he was, too!

This was not like him. He loved London. Despite the hate it gets, he loves the weather. He loves the culture, the shops. Hell, all of his friends and family are here! He. Loves. London.

So why in the fuck did he pack up and move to Los Angeles for a teaching job? He could have gotten one in London, but he didn't want an Oxford environment anymore. He was exhausted of the students and their parents who think they can pass just because of the amount they pay. He was exhausted of the faculty and the ever changing rules. It wasn't just Oxford, it was everywhere.

He yearned for something different. He's been seeking a change ever since Mexico. That trip changed him. It's all his friends noticed when they came back. He was still the old snobbish Benedict, but there was a fire in him now. It was a desire. A desire for what or whom, they didn't know.

Only his best friend Tom knew about the girl he had met. He didn't get a name or a description, but he knew about her. He didn't tell anyone else, nor does he ever plan to. However, somehow Tom knew this was about her. But again, he never mentioned it.

He tried once on the flight back, but Ben snapped at him for mentioning it. Ben did apologize and explained how he, in his words, "seriously fucked up". Tom didn't get the details of what he met, but he was aware of his friend's guilt. It wrecked Ben for a few weeks, but then it suddenly didn't.

They all thought everything was back to normal, but one night out at a pub, he had announced he was taking a teaching job in America. It was dead silent because they all thought he was joking. When it was established that he wasn't, everyone tried to seem happy for him. In actuality, they were worried.

Tom tried talking him out of it, but Ben insisted this was what he needed. What made everyone's minds at ease was that he was planning on coming back to London. Tom wasn't sure if he actually would or not.

He was expressing his concerns to Ben over the phone as Ben unpacked one of his suitcases. He was in his new Los Angeles apartment trying to unpack the rest of his boxes before the first day of school.

Unfortunately for him, the moving company lost his boxes for weeks and he didn't get them until just a few days ago. And the first day of school is tomorrow. He's been in both unpacking and teacher mode since. Thankfully, he did finish his syllabus and creating all of the assignments. It was tougher because the requirements in America are different, but he's pretty confident that he nailed it.

"Tom, please, I don't need this," he begged after Tom expressed his concern for the hundredth time. "I'm fine. Tell everyone I am fine. I promise, this is for me and I think it will do me some good. I will be back in London soon. Let's see how this first year plays out, then we'll go from there."

He knew Tom wasn't convinced, but was left alone regardless. He put on some soft music and continued unpacking. His eyes kept going to the clock because he had to go to bed at a decent hour tonight. He's been staying up late to figure out some last minute adjustments and it's been taking a toll.

Once the clock hit ten, he was mostly done with unpacking. There were still a few boxes left, but it was far less than what he had. He actually didn't have too much to begin with, which is what was making him question this house.

Not only did it reside on the hills of the Los Angeles mountains, but it was massive. He was one man and it had five bedrooms, a game room, a living room, kitchen, pool, spa, you name it. It even had a direct gate leading to a private hiking trail.

He didn't know why he got it. He loves big and expensive things, he loves spending his money. He has a crazy amount due to all of his success in literature. He has published educational works, published books, magazine articles. Oxford payed a fortune for him to be there for twenty years, but that got cut short.

Luckily, they bought out his contract, so his final paycheck was three more years worth of pay.

This new school was also paying him a hefty amount. He's very much overqualified, but were desperate to have him. They immediately offered him a tenure, but he turned it down due to not knowing if this is where he would like to remain. The school understood and negotiated to where he has the benefits of a tenure contract, but for one year.

He was excited about his new adventure. He needed a clear head, a new perspective. Most importantly, he needed to get that girl from Mexico out of his head.