The Art of Forbidden Romance (Student x Teacher)

Chapter 45

When I got home my mind was racing. On the drive home I kept replaying what Paloma said before and what Chuck said tonight. Mel was up waiting for me to get home and wouldn't let me go to bed without talking to her first.

"Okay so the divorce is final now, but it wasn't before?" She asked, yawning widely. I nodded.

"Yeah, it's been settled. But he didn't say how he feels about me," I told her. Although I knew I was tired physically, mentally I was still wide awake.

"Maybe he'a just waiting for the right moment?" Mel said. I shrugged.

"I don't know," I told her. Mel yawned again. "Go to bed, you're exhausted." She nodded, yawning as she went to her bedroom. Her door closed and I sighed, plopping myself down on the couch. My phone buzzed from the coffee table and reached over to grab it. Chuck texted me.

I couldn't help it as my heart skipped seeing his name on my phone again.

C - Turns out Paloma had blocked you on my phone. That explains why you weren't answering calls or texts, you never got them.

W - That explains a lot. Not sure how you ever married her tbh

C - Honestly, I don't know what got into her.

I dropped my phone on the couch next to me and sighed, not sure what to say. My phone buzzed again moments later with another text from Chuck.

C - I miss you

I smiled softly and texted him back.

W - I miss you too.

I got up from the couch and decided to take a shower and get ready for bed, hoping it would make me tired. As I washed my hair I thought about Chuck and what I really wanted from him. He had this incredibly sweet and passionate side about him, and things were so easy between us. But him not telling me how he feels about me hurt, especially after what Paloma said.

I dried off from the shower and glanced at my phone where I had a few more texts from Chuck.

C - I wish I was with you tonight. I didn't want you to go home.

C - I'm sorry for everything, Winona.

C - I hope you can forgive me.

W - I wish I was with you too. I've already forgiven you but I think we still need to talk about things. I'll see you tomorrow.

I sent my text before getting into pajamas and climbing into bed. I forced myself to go to sleep even though my mind was racing.

———

The next morning I got out of bed slowly, having slept poorly. My head pounded with a forming migraine as I got ready for work. I threw some clothes into an overnight bag and shuffled out the door.

The cafe was busy as normal for early summer and it kept my mind off things with Chuck. Or at least it did until he showed up towards the end of my shift. My heart skipped when I saw him walk through the cafe door and I had to hold my excitement back.

"Hey there," I said, greeting him as he walked up to the register. "The usual?" He smiled widely at me.

"The usual," he said with a smile. He paid for his coffee and pie and found an empty table. I dropped off his plate and drink before cleaning off some other tables that had finally cleared out. Chuck slowly ate his pie, and watched me as I worked. When I was finally caught up I went to check on him.

"How are you?" I asked him. I sat down in the empty chair across from him, taking a little break.

"I'm alright," he said. "Are you doing okay?" I shrugged.

"I'm alright too," I said. Chuck gave me a sad smile.

"I want to make things up to you," he said. "Can I take you out tonight?"

"I didn't pack anything nice to change into," I said.

"Just something casual."

"Alright, I'm off in like an hour," I said, glancing at my nonexistent watch eliciting a chuckle from him.

"Can I hang out until you're done?" He asked.

"Sure, I have things to do though," I said. He nodded.

"I won't keep you," he said. I cleared his empty plate and cup and returned back to the laundry list of items I needed to complete before Angela showed up to close.

When work was finished we left the cafe and walked to my car. I drove us to his place and grabbed my bag from the trunk.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"It's a surprise, just go get cleaned up. I'm sure whatever you have to wear will be fine," he said. "I did leave your clothes that you left here in the closet, so you have more if you need something else."

"Oh, I forgot about those," I said. He shrugged.

"I just didn't have it in me to take them down honestly," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I hoped things would work out." I smiled softly at him.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked.

"No, I'm going to go get showered," I said. Chuck nodded and headed for the kitchen. I went upstairs to his room and set my bag down on his dresser. It felt like I had just been here yesterday, and like it had been a lifetime all at the same time. I sighed and went into the bathroom, stripping myself of my work clothes and got into the shower.

I was surprised when I got out of the shower that Chuck hadn't come upstairs - he normally would either join me in the shower or hang out with me while I got ready. My stomach twisted as I thought about being intimate with him again. I wanted to, I was so attracted to him, but I felt like there was still a barrier between us until I knew how he felt.

I got dressed and did some light makeup. I chewed a small hole into my lip as I cleaned myself up, thinking about everything over and over again. As I was finishing getting ready, Chuck came upstairs to check on me.

"You look beautiful, as always," he said. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead and I smiled.

"Thank you," I said. "Is this okay for tonight?" I gestured at the jeans and cotton blouse I was wearing.

"Of course," he said. Chuck disappeared into his closet and re-emerged wearing a black tshirt and a green bomber jacket.

"No flannel tonight?" I teased. He laughed.

"No," he started, rolling his eyes. "One of my other classes started making fun of my 'uniform' so I'm trying to mix it up." I couldn't help but laugh.

"They're not wrong, we've all been calling your flannels your uniform," I told him. Chuck rolled his eyes again, obviously amused.

"Well, thanks for telling me now," he laughed.

Our laughter died and we looked at each other as silence fell in the room. I wanted nothing more than to be as close to him as possible, but at the same time I felt like I wanted to run away. The conflicting emotions inside me made my stomach churn.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, his voice soft. I nodded. I grabbed my purse off the dresser and slipped on my shoes before we headed downstairs and out the door.