Her Melting Point

Gathering Forces

"Jazzo stopped by Sugar Cloud yesterday," Alexander said.

Jackie lowered the book and gave him a questioning 'hm.' Alexander meticulously wiped the counter around the sink with a Swedish cloth and dried his hands. She squirmed on her chair. Every little thing the man did made Jackie swoon, there was no denying it anymore. A clean and organised kitchen was a bonus.

"His brother is in the parish committee," Alexander continued. "Jazzo promises that if the aggro with the school board escalates, you've got his brother's support."

"I've got his brother's support," Jackie repeated, a tad puzzled.

Alexander nodded.

"Edwin, Jazzo's brother, can vouch for you." He gave her a pointed look. "For when you were a teacher here. That you didn't sleep with me then."

Jackie's eyes boggled. "What?!"

"They only had their Mum growing up," Alexander elaborated. "And she was often away. Jazzo and I spent a lot of time together. A few times we'd get sloshed, mostly on the brandy we nicked from his Mum's cupboard; and I had to drag him back to their place. As soon as he was bladdered, he'd cry and complain that Viola Holyoake ignored him. I couldn't speak of my feelings as well as he did, but it helped." Alexander shrugged. "He whinged about how beautiful she was. And how he wanted to make her happy. To save her from her husband. I felt the same. It made me feel better to hear it."

Jackie wasn't sure what to answer, her eyes roaming him in agitation. Alexander sighed again, and rubbed the underside of his jaw with his knuckles.

"One time he passed out on the floor, and I just sat in their sitting room, drinking alone. Edwin found me there," he said. "He looks like Jazzo. But everyone always says how boring he is. He told me off then, said I was wasting my life, pining over you. That I needed to focus on realistic goals. I was so angry that I almost punched him. But then I started crying, and he held me and patted my back and said everything would be alright. I don't remember ever crying before or after that night."

He stopped, and Jackie's heart thrashed in her throat.

"He's stuck up, but he's solid." Alexander stretched his hand and turned on their new high-tech black and chrome electric kettle. A few of such gizmos were scattered around the cottage now. Jackie called them 'his dowry.' "He knows what happened in the past, that you refused me," he summarised. "Oliver Pemberton knew too. You've got people to back you up."

Jackie digested the information.

"That's a relief to hear," she finally said and smiled at him softly. "Even though he was wrong and your goals ended up being very much realistic."

He gave her an unreadable stare, and she snickered. With a pensive frown, he threw teabags into their mugs.

"Did you really not fancy me then?" he asked suddenly. "Or just to knob me?"

"You were a child!" Jackie exclaimed. "I cared about you just like the rest of my pupils, but nothing more."

"Jazzo kept saying then that he was sure Viola was into him. That she was just hiding it because she was married."

Knowing the Holyoakes personally now, Jackie would assume that it wasn't true; but after what happened with Gabe, she was just a tad less prone to make optimistic assumptions. 

"It's hard to judge what's going on in other people's heads," Jackie commented. "But I definitely wasn't harbouring any secret crush on you. Any minor is basically a toddler in my eyes."

He studied her, and Jackie stuck her tongue at him.

"When does it switch? When they turn eighteen?"

"Who they?" Jackie asked with a chuckle.

"Your pupils."

Jackie laughed harder. "Firstly, there are no 'they.' I rarely think about whether my former pupils are of consenting age now. Also, there's no specific n in this n-tuple, darling. It's more of a quantitative analysis than a specific number."

He was clearly unsatisfied with this loosey-goosey answer. The crinkle between his eyebrows grew deeper, and Jackie decided she was in need of some 'Alexander goodness.'

She slid off her chair and climbed on his lap. His palms readily cupped her backside.

"If I'm forced to define it, by some bizarre circumstances," she joked, "to be considered an adult, my pupils need to open a business or two; weigh about fourteen stone; and be able to grow a full beard." 

Jackie purred and playfully scratched said beard - short and thick - with both hands.

"That's a properly narrow likelihood ratio." He leaned and rubbed his nose along her jaw, towards her ear, and then kissed her cheekbone. "You can't perform optimisation with these parameters," he rumbled and caught her ear lobe between his teeth.

"But I'm done. I've already–" She stumbled over her ridiculous flirting because he'd just pushed his hands under her top, up her back; and she reflexively squeezed him with her legs. "I've already assessed the goodness of fit. I don't need any more–"

There were some more convenient terms that she was going to use in their 'maths shag talk,' but her thoughts jumbled.

"Table or bed?" Alexander asked, and Jackie burst into throaty guffaws.

***

They were lounging on the sofa, she with her novel, he in his earphones, her legs across his lap; when her phone rang.

"Good afternoon," the vicar's wife greeted her gleefully.

"Hello."

"I apologise for intruding on your day off, but–" Mrs. Svensson paused. "We're having a friend over, and I was wondering if you'd like to join us for lunch. You've met her. Peggy Brown? She did a presentation in the Comprehensive for the Educational Visit month."

"Ah, yes, of course," Jackie answered, still somewhat confused by this conversation. "Ms. Brown runs the tour company, Kaleidoscope, correct? She gave a talk on the history of architecture of Fleckney."

"She's also the Director of the Fleckney and Tri-County Queer Alliance. And she would love to meet you in less formal circumstances." The vicar's better half paused once more, and then said in a pointed tone, "To strengthen your relationship. And to discuss certain aspects of the school's current social image?"

Jackie could feel Alexander's intent questioning gaze, and she gave him a comforting shake of her head.

"That sounds lovely, Ulla," she answered. "I'd love to stop by. When would you like me over?"