Bitter (wlw) (teacherxstudent)

thirty-seven

I absolutely wasn't going to admit she was right, but I did somewhat feel bad about lying to Mei. I hated having to hide something so big from her, but I also knew that telling her would create some problems in our friendship, something I wanted to avoid if I could. I felt grateful to have found such a good friend in her, and I didn't want that to end.

At lunch I was reminded of how much I appreciated her genuine care and interest towards me and what I was talking to her about, but also spending time with her outside of college and listening to her stories.

She told me about how she and Sarah had started to see each other more often, and she really seemed happy when talking about it. I was really glad she found someone who could treat her like she deserved.

Mei was definitely the kind of person you could spend hours with and not feel bored for a single second, who'd make it seem as time was passing by more quickly than usual. I also really did admire her being always positive about stuff and the way she'd almost never get discouraged when any kind of problems arose. We definitely all need a Mei in our lives.

Spending time with her that day really put me in a good mood, better than the one I'd already been in in those days. And even if I'd just used it as an excuse earlier, the first signs of spring in the air also contributed.

As much as I'd always say how much I loved fall, realizing it's getting warm enough to go out without a thick coat, seeing the first flowers scattered around the city and noticing it's not pitch dark in mid-afternoon was a different kind of joy. I was definitely more of a spring person, deep down.

The anticipation of spring break coming in a month or so was also a bonus point, especially because Vic said she'd been looking into visiting me here in New York for a few days. I didn't want to start making plans just in case she wouldn't end up being able to come, but I couldn't help already imagining me showing her all my favorite places. And also her finally meeting Sam.

"You know Vic might be visiting for spring break?" I told Sam once I was in my usual spot in her office.

"Yeah? That's nice"

"I know! You can finally meet her"

"I can finally meet the person to whom you talked about me for months" she chuckled.

"You need to stop bringing that up" I elbowed her.

"It's just funny to me"

"We basically tell each other everything, I couldn't just keep...you from her" I shrugged. "You must have told someone about me at some point"

"Not until we were about to make it official"

"Really?" I said, realizing I'd never really thought about that. She'd never really talk about her friends to me, actually.

"You know I'm not big with sharing stuff about my life to many people"

"True. I feel honored to know so much about you, then"

"Of course you do, you're my girlfriend" she laughed. "It'd be weird if you didn't"

"Also true" I giggled, pecking her lips. She cupped my face with her hands and kissed me back a little harder.

"Why do your lips taste so... sweet?" she asked, pulling away but still close enough for our noses to be touching.

"I had pancakes for lunch like an hour ago" I laughed.

"Why on earth would you have pancakes for lunch?"

"I don't know. Felt rebellious, I guess"

"That's so American of you" she chuckled. "I could never"

"Or maybe you English people just don't have taste"

"I'll just agree with you so you won't insist"

"Thank you" I proudly smiled.

"Also" she cleared her throat. "I kind of need to tell you something, speaking of English people" her expression suddenly became more serious. The kind of expression she'd have when teaching, which would usually kind of turn me on. But I sensed that wasn't the right moment.

"What's up?" I asked, trying not to seem too worried about what she was going to say.

"You know I've been attending a bunch of work meetings recently. Like, more than usual"

"Yeah" I nodded, waiting for the rest.

"I, uhm, I didn't wanna talk about it until it was official, but I was offered this opportunity to hold some lessons in London-"

"London?" I unintentionally gasped.

"Yeah. But it'd just be ten days. It's this cycle of open lessons about various topics including what I teach. And it'd really open up a ton of opportunities for my career, there'll be a bunch of important professors or whatever"

"Oh my fucking god, I thought you were gonna say you had to move to London" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I would not share that kind of news so casually" she laughed. "But still, I felt like I should tell you beforehand"

"I don't know, you can be unpredictable at times" I shrugged. "When would you be going?"

"A week from today"

"Oh"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I just-"

"It's okay. A week is plenty of time for getting ready to miss you" I joked. "We can make the most of the next few days"

"That's not fair, you saying stuff like that" she pouted, probably the first time since I'd known her. "Don't make me already sad about it"

"I have never ever seen you pout like that" I giggled, kissing the sad face away.

"Well, as I said, you're making me sad. But yeah, I'll make sure to have enough free time in these days"

"I'm sure we can survive ten days apart. And it's not as if we can't call each other whenever"

It felt unusual to be the one comforting her and not the other way around, but I was glad if I could help in any way.

"There'll be a five hour timezone, but yeah, true. It'll just be weird to know that you won't join me in my office after a stressful day of teaching"

"And it'll be weird to know that I can't sit in your lap in your office after a stressful day of classes" I said, wrapping my arms over her shoulders. "But this sounds like a big work opportunity, I'm really happy for you"

"Yeah, it kind of is. Thank you, love" she smiled, gripping my waist and kissing me again. "Is the door locked?" she later on added.