Professor Presley

Chapter Fifteen

After my final class, I meet Sarah in the quad and we walk over to Elvis' office together. While I didn't plan on having her come in with me, she just wanted to be close by his office in case anything happened.

"Are you nervous?" She asks as we step through the front doors of the faculty building.

I nod, "Of course I am! I have no idea how he's going to act or anything. He could try to..." I stop talking as another professor passes by us. I smile politely at him before looking back at Sarah, "Well you know... Do what he did in the stairwell."

She nods and opens the door to the stairs, "Yeah that's understandable. I wouldn't know how I'd feel about that either."

I shrug, "I know for a fact that part of me doesn't mind, but the other part of me is terrified of getting hurt again."

"I know how you feel. I'm not sure what advice to give you. Maybe just see how he is, 'Ris. See how he reacts towards you. If he acts weird at all, just text me and I'll be right here, okay? I'm going down to visit Professor Mann's replacement. I have a paper I need to speak to her about."

I laugh softly, "Oh you mean Mrs. Professor Mann. I was confused for a moment."

We stop outside of Elvis' office and I sigh. Sarah rubs my back, "Just be brave." She gives me a quick hug before leaving me.

I stand outside of his office for what seems like an eternity, contemplating whether I actually want to go in. I sigh, shake my head, and knock on his door. "Come on in!" I hear him call.

I open the door and step into his office, shutting the door behind me. I turn to look at him and stop in my tracks. He sat at his desk, dressed in a suit and tie, his hair washed and slicked back. I furrow my brow, wondering when he actually had time to change. "You look different than you did this morning," I say, approaching his desk.

Elvis flicks his eyes up from the massive stack of papers and nods, "I wasn't feelin' well, so I cancelled the rest of my classes for the day, went back to my place, and made myself a little more presentable." He shrugs half-heartedly, his eyes lingering on my outfit, "You look different also."

I sit down in a chair on the opposite side of his desk and nod, "I went home to change between classes because I was uncomfortable in my heels."

He nods once, curtly and slides a stack of papers to me, "You can get started on these ones. I'm lookin' over the other half. Just check off the names of anyone that turned in a paper on this sheet here," he slides an attendance sheet between us, "and let me know if you have any questions."

I set my binder from my last class in the chair beside me and pick up a pen. Silently, I make my way through the stack only checking off the names that I see. After I've finished that I look up at him, "Has anyone scheduled an appointment with you yet?"

Elvis shakes his head, "Not yet. I'm not sure if anyone will."

I nod, quietly beginning to read through each person's paper, making grammatical corrections as I go through my first time. The second time I read through a paper, I leave comments on things they could add or take out. This process takes me awhile and before I know it, my stomach is growling. I curse myself silently for only eating a small sandwich earlier.

I hear Elvis laugh, forcing me to look up at him. My eyes lock with his and I see him smiling coyly. "What's so funny?" I ask, shifting a little in my seat.

He shakes his head, "Nothin'. We could order somethin' and have it brought to my office if you're real hungry."

I shrug, "That's fine by me. Whatever you want."