Vanessa POV
"Please read through the sheets at home and don't feel intimidated by the new material, we will carefully analyze it this week," I informed the class, before letting them go. "See you on Wednesday."
The sound of moving chairs has echoed throughout the classroom, as my third year began to walk outside.
"Ms. Jones, can I ask is there any additional material I could read?" William asked curiously as he approached me.
He was one of my brightest students, holding the second top score in my class right after Alexis.
That girl was extraordinarily smart, from what I knew she held high scores in all of her classes, but it wasn't just her. I allowed myself to peek into Daisy's and Sam's grades and they were both equally amazing. Daisy was the best with science subjects, while Alexis held herself high in history, English, economics, and psychology.
Honestly, I was a bookworm during my school years, but achieving such spectacular grades with their laidback approach would be an impossibility.
Concentrating back at William who patiently waited with hope in his eyes, I pulled an extracellular book out of my shelf and handed it to him. I had nothing against students going out of their way in order to improve. It was their final year of high school and so I understood that for those who genuinely tried, it was crucial to keep doing their best if not better.
"Thank you, Ms. Jones!" he beamed happily and walked away satisfied.
I began to pack my belongings but remembered an email I was supposed to send to one of my co-workers. Quickly opening my laptop, I sat back down and began to write.
Suddenly the laptop lid has slowly closed. Looking up, my eyes were met with a cheery brunette leaning against my desk. Playfulness sparkling in her green orbs – What a rare sight.
I hummed and crossed my arms against my chest. "What do you think you are doing, Miss Anderson?" I questioned with a raised brow, wondering how she was going to react.
To my surprise, her expression hasn't changed a bit.
"I was wondering, Ms. Jones. Is t-there any additional m-m-material I could read?" she asked cheekily, her stuttering not affecting her game, but rather adding a touch of charm.
"Don't be an ass Alexis," I rolled my eyes at her words. "Not everyone is as brilliant as you," I pointed out.
Her cheeks puffed up. "I w-wasn't mocking him, I p-p-promise," she grumbled.
I smirked and leaned towards her with mere inches separating our faces. "Nu-uh, no pouting my dear," I squeezed her cheeks, her pupils dilating at the action.
Taking a quick peek to the side, ensuring the door was closed and no one could see us being this friendly I patted her cheek. "Good girl. Now, I'm over the moon to see you in such a good mood, but I must finish this email," I said matter-of-factly and went back to the laptop.
"O..okay..." she choked out.
As I typed, I couldn't help but steal glances at the girl. She was drawing on the chalkboard with the brightest smile on her face.
It was something I realized a couple of weeks ago - Alexis loved being praised. I wasn't sure whether she knew it herself, but I decided on keeping it quiet as of now. Didn't want to embarrass or offend her, especially after not seeing each other for a week.
Either way - I loved it, but found it oddly difficult to keep them away. The fact that she was so perfect wasn't helpful either. This girl with a golden heart, cooked like an angel, was clean and held good manners, but also just so happened to be the most alluring being I met in my life.
"You are s-s-staring Ms. Jones," her smugly words and confident smirk has brought me back and I quickly turned away.
Scratch everything - Girl was a brat.
Finally finishing up I began to pack, eagerly anticipating my time with Alexis. I wanted to hold her in my arms because the shadows of her touch always remained. Ever since getting a taste of her presence, every day without her was torture. Evenings seemed empty without her playing with Amira and laughing happily as we cooked dinners and watched movies.
I knew it wasn't good but was it bad? Was it really that bad to allow someone into our lives? To allow myself to relax and find comfort?
I was a single mother for crying out loud. Sure, Ann was there for us and bless her soul for that, but mentally I had no one. And as much as I always thought I didn't need it, I longed for a connection, for someone to be there for me. Even though I didn't want to admit it, keeping everything together on my own was overwhelming.
There were many things that bothered me, but I knew she had them too – The what-ifs. So, as long as we decided not to overcomplicate things, I was going to keep on pushing them to the side and simply enjoy the moments we were going to share.
"Here," Alexis held out my coat, helping me to put it on. "Let m-m-me take these," she picked the folders up before I could disagree.
"I'm not old you know..." I huffed slightly offended.
The smaller brunette – mostly due to my heels – sighed and shook her head.
"First of all, I don't care if you are forty or t-t-twenty," she began, and I snorted not believing her words. "You make m..me feel happy and content. I never felt that b-before. And so," she came up closer and softly kissed my cheek. "I care of nothing else," she added right after.
My heart was beating widely against my chest, how could she make me feel this way? No girl I ever dated or hooked up with was capable of such a thing. She is the first to see me acting so insecurely, and yet it didn't bother me.
"Also, t..the only reason I'm t-t-taking these is that I need an excuse to walk you to your car," she smiled exposing a line of white pearls.
"Smartass," I remarked, trying to hide a smile. "Come on, let's go home," I said as I headed towards the exit.
She seemed to be needing a second, before composing herself and running after me. Once she caught up, we walked through the hallway and my stoic mask came back on. I didn't want to raise any suspicions; However, it was never this hard to contain my feelings. It's almost as if someone handed her the code to my heart and she knew exactly how to use it.
"You t-t-think it's fine for me t-to just enter your car?" Alexis asked, as she anxiously looked around.
"Firstly, this parking lot is massive, and no one pays us any attention," I pointed around us. "Secondly, if ever confronted about this I can easily say I just gave you a ride home. It's not a crime to enter teachers' car you know," I chuckled and unlocked the car.
"O-okay..." she hesitantly complied and got in.
We drove in comfortable silence, accompanied by the sound of rain. It was the beginning of January, and I just realized I didn't know her birthday – What if I was going to miss it? That would be unforgivable.
"Hey," I broke the silence, and she turned her attention away from the window. "I was wondering if you could tell me when your birthday is..."
She looked at me puzzled. "Thought, y-y-you knew. It's in my files."
I rolled my eyes. "Sure, but then it would be a bit... You know," I mumbled unsure of how to put it.
She hummed and focused back on the outside view. "Second of March," she said shortly. "How about y-you?"
"Oh," That's close! "Eighteenth of September," I answered, and nervously shifted in my seat. She seemed not to like the topic of her birthday, and so I decided not to push any further, happy that I got to know the date.
Somehow, I felt an odd relief from learning that her birthday was way before mine. At least for a few months, my mind could pretend that our age gap was smaller.
Sure, Alexis was a young adult soon to be nineteen, however, I knew from my own experience how much my early twenties have affected and shaped me for life - I didn't want to stand in a way of her fully blooming into a woman she was going to become.
A warm hand has nested itself on my cheek, looking to the side Alexis was giving me a worried expression. "I know that l-l-look all too well. D..don't forget I'm a queen of overthinking," she chuckled with a reassuring smile.
"Sorry..." I muttered, focusing back on the road.
"Why won't we t-talk about it inside," she proposed, and I agreed.
As we drove closer to my place the weather has visibly gotten worse.
"Seems like there's g..going to be a s-s-storm tonight," Alexis informed me after checking the forecast on her phone. "Maybe I s-should go home?" She wondered with sadness in her voice.
She did have a point, it might be impossible for her to get there in a few hours. Unless...
"You could stay for the night," I blurted out.
She stared at me wide-eyed. "Wha- b..but! I wouldn't want to im-impose," she panicked.
A tiny chuckle escaped my lips at her flustered expression. "As long as it won't cause you any trouble at the institute, and of course, most importantly as long as you want to, then I don't see why not," I assured.
Her lips parted, but no words came out, shaking my head I placed my finger under her chin and locked them together. "What is it gonna be sweetheart?" I inquired with a raised brow and a cheeky smile, as I slowly pulled onto the parking lot in front of my flat.
Alexis puffed her cheeks and furiously began typing on her phone, the second she was done she grabbed her bag and pulled a hoodie over her head. "Let's go?" she asked waiting for me to exit the car.
I suppose that meant yes.
We ran through the parking lot, avoiding the puddles of water, which so happened to be extremely difficult, as the rain fell onto the ground with full force and a sharp wind blew against our faces.
Even though the distance from the car to the building door wasn't that big, it was enough time to soak our hair and coats.
"This is c-c-crazy," Alexis squeaked at the sight of her fully wet shoes.
"Yeah..." I agreed, beginning to worry about Mira. "You should take a shower, your clothes are soaked. I will give you some things to change," I offered and swiftly walked to my bedroom.
Once I gave Alexis some joggers and a shirt, she went to the bathroom. Meanwhile, I quickly made a call to the teacher in charge of my daughter's school trip. Apparently, the storm hasn't gotten to them, at least not just yet, and everything was going according to plan. They were currently on a break before going to the evening visit at the aquarium.
I relaxed knowing my Mira was fine and decided to pour myself a glass of wine. I was never this far away from her, especially for an entire night. It was different when she was with Ann, I knew she was safe and nothing would have happened to her, but my baby was all the way in a different city...
"Hey," a soft voice soothed my negative thoughts. "Everything o..okay?" Alexis questioned coming closer and observing me with concern.
I took a second to get in the view - How did we get here? She looked so good in my clothes, my possessive side getting to know itself by the excitement I felt from seeing her like this. Her hair now only slightly damp, she already knew where the hairdryer was, which made me happy. I wanted her to feel at home...
I wanted to be her home.
No, no, no.
I wanted her to be mine.
I shook my head - She couldn't be. I would never put pressure on whatever this was, even if I was going to get myself hurt she had to know she was free in order to fully enjoy her young adult years.
"Yes, sorry got worried about Amira," I took another sip of my white wine. "Gave teacher a call, everything is fine. They are going to the aquarium soon," I told her knowing she was also worried about the girl.
She smiled widely, "That's amazing!"
I nodded and looked at the bottle of wine. Alexis was giving it a weird look, and so I assumed she might have wanted a glass. "Would you like some?" I asked nonchalantly, there was nothing wrong with drinking at her age.
Her eyes snapped to mine so quickly it caused my heart to skip - She looked horrified, her lips parted, but almost as if stopping herself she bit her inner cheek and shook her head.
"N-n-no t-t-thank you," she stammered and reached for a bottle of water.
Oh?
"Do you not like it?" I wondered, wanting to know for future reference.
She moved her jaw to the sides, and that's when I knew something was off. I reached for her, but she slapped my hand instead, which shocked me and broke my heart altogether.
"I..I don't w-wanna t-t-talk about this, please..." her voice so fragile, she practically begged me.
"Hey, hey... We won't, okay? Just tell me, sweetheart, does alcohol trigger you?" I had to know.
She pursed her lips together and finally muttered, "Something like t-that."
I wasn't sure what it meant, but quickly placed the bottle back into the cabinet and poured my glass out in the sink. Alexis wanted to argue, but I stopped her with a stern expression, which told her to comply.
"I'm going to shower, you can start cooking since apparently mine isn't as good," I reminded her of the recent insult, causing her to whine.
"Who knew you were this s-sensitive," she remarked in a whisper.
"What was that?" I teased her with a serious tone.
"N..nothing Miss..." she shocked herself by realizing what she just called me. I guess student habits die hard.
Her cheeks grew red and I might have enjoyed this a tad too much. "Someone's kinky," I implied with a smirk.
"Wha-What?!" she exclaimed. "I-I'm not!" she whined, but I already turned around and went towards the bathroom, happy that I managed to change the topic.
As I washed my hair my mind went somewhere where I haven't allowed it to go. Alexis, she must have been a virgin, right? Would she be even interested in well... sexual interactions?
I couldn't lie and pretend I wouldn't want to take her to my bed and show her a good time, but that's the thing. A young brunette with gorgeous bright green eyes wasn't just some random hookup of mine.
No, she was so much more and it scared me because she always took my confidence away from me. She made everything seem like the first time and maybe that's why I always allowed her to be in control of our close interactions because I simply worried to make a wrong move.
Drying myself up I decided to stop. Even if we were to have sex it definitely wasn't something that would happen before she graduates - I was not about to get myself into some illegal shit, especially with Martha on my back.
'You are smarter than that Vanessa' is what I kept on telling myself, but then I saw Alexis swaying to the sound of music, as she cooked dinner, and I realized I wanted to be the only one blessed enough to see this view.
"I want to make you mine..." I spoke under my breath.
Alexis taken aback by my sudden appearance quickly turned the volume down.
Still flustered from earlier she spoke up with her cute red cheeks, "Have y-you said something?"
"Nope," I popped the 'p' and walked up behind the girl.
She stiffened up as my hands carefully found their place on the side of her waist, slowly creeping under my shirt. She squeaked when my cold hands touched her warm body.
"Risotto?" I asked when I looked into the pot.
"Mhm," she hummed trying to focus on stirring. "No?" she quickly turned her head to the side looking at me with a beaten-up puppy expression.
"Sounds perfect," I said as I looked deeply into her eyes. The second she turned back I began placing soft kisses on the top of her neck and slowly moving down towards her shoulders.
"Vanessa..." she said my name out of breath, and that's exactly how I wanted her to say it.
Not getting enough of her I kept on going until I gently bit the crook of her neck. That's when she moaned loudly and I couldn't help, but feel myself throbbing.
"Oh f-f-fuck this," she turned the heat off and turned towards me with a pouty expression. "Late d-d-dinner is on you," she informed me before connecting our lips in a hungry kiss.
Slightly surprised by the quick turn of events, I picked her up and sat her down on the small kitchen island, as I situated myself between her legs that automatically wrapped around my torso.
"You aren't such a good girl after all," I practically moaned from the heavenly feeling of her lips kissing and sucking against my collarbone.
She smirked against my skin and raised her head, lips hovering over my ear. "I could be... if you make me," her husky challenging words vibrating in my head - This girl had no idea who she was dealing with.
I carefully, but firmly grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled back, so she had no other choice, but to look into my eyes. She was panting heavily and her eyes - most likely just like mine - were filled with lust and deprivation.
"Noone gets to touch you like this, understood?" I warned through gritted teeth still gripping onto her hair, fully controlled by want.
She gave me a nod, but to my surprise, she wasn't intimidated or shocked, because she smirked playfully - Was I dealing with more than met the eye?
At this very moment, I had two options. Give in or stop it right this instant.
Oh, who was I kidding... The second option was long gone and my judgment has been clouded by her beautiful moans.
I was just a human with desires and needs, controlling myself for so long has been torture and all I wanted was to give in.
The way she looked at me almost begging to continue. We were both consent adults, but she was still my student...
"Don't think," she caressed my cheek leaving a trail of sparks igniting from her touch. "I w-w-want to," she assured confidently and planted a soft kiss against my lips, which quickly turned into something much more - almost desperate.
We both needed this so badly that someone could easily call it sad- Two people in search of comfort that they never got to experience.
As we kept on molding our lips together and panting from this incredible feeling my phone has suddenly rang.
"Fuck," I groaned not wanting to move away.
"Mmm, it's fine, p-pick up," she breathed out heavily.
Sighing I grabbed my phone. "Yes?" I answered annoyed still standing between Alexis legs.
"Hi, this is Laura from Amira's school, there's been a small problem."
My heart clenched.
"What problem?" I asked worried, Alexis observing me with confusion and worry.
"Um... Do you think you could pick her up? She's been throwing a tantrum for over an hour... We thought we could stop her, but..."
"Over an hour and you are only just calling me?!" I hissed furiously.
"Yes ma'am, I apologize... we try not to bother parents before attempting to control the situation ourselves, however, it seems that she won't stop until someone picks her up..."
I huffed, worried about my little girl, "Please tell her I will be there as soon as I can." I ended the call not caring for the woman to finish.
Alexis furrowed her brows and traced my trembling lips. "Let me come, y-y-you aren't in the condition to drive," she pointed at my shaky hands.
I was freaking out! I shouldn't have made her go, she didn't even want to... I was a terrible mother.
"I can d-drive," Alexis surprised me with the new information. "D-dont look so surprised," she playfully rolled her eyes. "Sam ensured w-w-we all passed and got our license at sixteen."
I never portrayed Sam as such a mature and responsible person, but it was nice to know he took care of some things.
Alexis embraced me in a gentle hug and ran her hand through my long hair. "Let's go get y-y-your princess," she told me reassuringly.
Breathing in her intoxicating smell I smiled against her neck.
"Our princess."