Mia

He put the pen in his mouth and his hand on his head, trying to collect the thoughts that were hurtling through his mind. Why did he agree to see her after school? He knew she didn't need help with anything, surely...

He brought his hand back down and removed the pen from his mouth, spinning it again, watching it make each rotation, his mind spinning with it. "What if it IS all in your head?" he thought to himself, but then he thought of the way she'd looked at him, taking him in with her eyes, letting her mouth curl into a smile. It definitely wasn't in his head. He felt a familiar twitch and repositioned himself; he was suddenly nervous.

Whatever she planned to confront him with after school, he would be prepared for, he would not lose control, and he would not bite any bait. Though he longed for just that.

The school bell rang for a final time that day, letting everyone know that the last class had come to an end, and that the school day was over (unless you were unlucky enough to have a sixth period).

Mr Matthews sat back in his chair, and put his feet up on the desk; trying to relax. He could hear the hustle and bustle of students in the corridor outside, eager to get home. Twenty minutes had passed before the noise started to die down slowly. He stood and opened the door to his office, looking around outside, there were still a few students leaving to go home. He closed the door and looked at the clock again, 3.30pm. It had been thirty minutes since the bell had rung. He went back to his desk and sat down, distracting himself with things set out on the table before him which he then organised. 3.50pm, She wasn't coming.

Slightly disappointed, he resigned to the thought. He kicked back in his chair again, but this time managed to genuinely relax, he wasn't nervous anymore. He took out his phone and replied to messages that were received during the school day, he then started a game of Subway Surf; something his nephew had downloaded.

Just as he was about to complete the daily challenge, there was a knock at the door.

******

Mr Matthews sat up, uncertain of who had knocked, he clenched his jaw slightly, but relaxed again, and responded to the knock with a loud "Come in".

Half expecting to see another teacher and half expecting to see the cleaning lady, when he saw her open the door slightly to look in; he stood up. Every fibre of his being was suddenly on edge. She came in and closed the door behind her, before turning to face him once more. "Mia, you made it" he managed.

It was silent for a few seconds before she responded "Yea, I'm sorry, I was held up in English. Ms Haddon kept half the class back for detention".

They looked at one another, neither leaving the others gaze. It was tense and uncomfortable. Mia stepped back to lean against the wall, dropping her bag to the floor, she looked at Mr Matthews and smiled.

It was a smile that instantly put him at ease, and he relaxed, sitting back down. "Alright, let's get to it, what didn't you understand today?"

Mia laughed softly and smiled, sinking further into the wall. "That's not what I'm here to talk about".

Mr Matthews shifted, "Alright, what DO you want to talk about?"

She shrugged. "The truth".

He hesitated, "About?"

"I... feel a certain way about you, and I think it's mutual".

"I'm not sure I know what you mean".

"I know I'm 10 years your junior, but I'm not oblivious. I've seen the way you look at me when you think I'm not paying attention, I know where your gaze falls".

He shifted in his seat, "Mia... I don't think we should be having this conversation".

"Because...? You think I'm not mature enough? Or you think I'd pose as some sort of threat?"

He sighed deeply. "No, you're very mature for your age -" she was about to interject but he stopped her, "and I don't mean that in a patronising way, you're more mature than a lot of people I know. You're incredibly bright and talented, and to top it all off you're stunning".

Looking slightly jaded, she waited for him to say more.

"But you're also my student, and humouring this conversation would be a massive breach of trust on my part. If it were under any other circumstance, then we could definitely talk about whatever it is you think you know. But for now, you're young, you're beautiful, and intelligent, I suggest you set your sights on something more appropriate" He waited for a response.

Mia wandered over to the front of his desk, looking around and taking in her surroundings. She bit her lip momentarily before exhaling, and breathing "fine". She picked up her bag, and left.

Matthews was left dazed and confused, he'd expected more of a fight, but was met with complete apathy and indifference. Feeling proud of himself, and oddly let down, he packed up his things and went home.

********

Mia went straight to her room when she got home. Dropped her bag onto the floor and sat down on her bed, before letting herself fall back onto it.

She stared at the ceiling, biting her lip, and raised her right hand to open the wallet she was holding. She pulled out the drivers licence and stared at it for a while.

Looking at the picture on the card; she sighed, before tracing her fingertip along the letters. "Caleb Matthews, Britton Tower, London.".

She sat up and reached for her phone, looked up for a moment before making up her mind. Her resolve set, she typed the address into her Uber app and requested a pick up.

The car was 4mins away.

*******

It was just after 6.30pm when she left, she climbed into the Uber requested car, and said hello to the driver before introducing herself and confirming her destination. The driver put on the radio, and they rode the rest of the way not saying a word to one another.

Mia looked out the window as they started to approach central. It was beginning to rain. She watched as the water started to hit the window, watching the little droplets of rain race one another down the glass. She looked at her phone, it was almost 7pm.

They pulled up to the tall tower were Mr Matthews lived, she tucked her hair into her jumper, and thanked the driver. Pulling the jumper up over her head slightly, exposing some of her lean stomach and back so her hair wouldn't get wet, and went into the rain and towards the huge building.

She entered the lobby and fixed her jumper, untucking her hair and letting it fall down her shoulders and back again. She stood in the lobby for a few moments, then took out the licence and looked at it again, "3986" she thought.

There were two people behind the reception desk a man and a woman, both looking at her curiously. She heard the woman say "Would you like any help?" Mia looked up at her and smiled softly as she said "No thank you", the strange woman beamed back at her and continued whatever she was busying herself with before.

Mia made her way to where the lifts were, and pressed the arrow which pointed upward. She looked around and saw six lifts, three to her front and three behind her. There was a 'ping' noise and the lift to her left opened. She stepped in, for a minute not knowing which button to press. The doors closed, and she examined the buttons a little more carefully, they ranged from 1 to 40, she pressed 39, and the lift started to move. After thirty seconds she reached the 39th floor, and followed the signs which pointed to 3980 to 3999 and finally came to the door she was looking for. She looked at her phone, it was ten past seven.

Putting her phone away, she stared at the door, bit her lip, and knocked.

She heard movement inside. A key turned, and the door opened.

She was met with the sight of Mr Matthews wearing a grey hoodie and white basketball shorts, his hair was slightly messy and he looked younger than he did at school. He was looking back over his shoulder at something Mia wasn't aware of.

As he turned to face her, his mouth fell open slightly. She raised an eyebrow at him, amused as he tried to find his words. "What are you doing here? How did you -" Mia pulled out the wallet from her back pocket and held it up for him to see. "You stole my wallet?"

"Borrowed".

Mr Matthews was beside himself and completely taken aback, he stammered a little before saying "What the fuck?" in disbelief. Mia smirked, "you said under different circumstances, we could talk, this a whole other context".

Dumbfounded, Matthews again struggled to find his words. Mia looked behind him to see floor to ceiling windows which overlooked the South bank. It was dark out now, and it was raining heavier than when she arrived. She broke the silence, "can we talk?"

"No! You need to go home!" he exclaimed.

She glanced behind him again, and wore a look of worry on her face, "It's pouring and it's dark". She stared up at him in the same fashion she had done countless times before. He couldn't resist, "get in" and he stepped aside to make way for her to enter.

*****

Mr Matthews lived in a really nice flat, with high ceilings, minimalist furniture and a contemporary feel. She wondered how he could afford to live in such a place on a teacher's salary but didn't bother to ask.

She held out the wallet for him to have, and he snatched it quickly. Mia rolled her eyes and turned away from him to go and sit down on the huge L seater sofa, it was low set and she sank into it. The TV was on but Matthews soon muted it, and sat down on the opposite two seater, he watched her, still not knowing what to say. "Are you just going to stare me at all evening?"

Matthews scoffed, "You shouldn't even be here".

Mia bit her lip, "I'm sorry, I know it's out of line but I really wanted to speak to you".

"Why? All you're doing is making trouble-".

"I'm not maki- I wouldn't make trouble for you".

He watched her closely, she was quiet.

As he knew her, Mia had a slight superiority complex, and why wouldn't she? She was attractive and brilliant. But as he looked at her now, there was no show of any such arrogance. In fact, it was the opposite, she looked almost timid.

Matthews softened slightly.

He looked into her eyes, but she seemed to look right past him as he did. His sight then landed on her lips, her full, slightly parted, pouty lips. He licked his own instinctively. He let his gaze go lower still, passed her swan neck, and to her chest, which he watched rise and fall delicately. Her hair was dry but her top looked wet as it stuck to her shoulders and chest. He continued to look lower where her jumper had ridden up slightly from when she sat down, he thought of how nice it would be to caress the soft skin that was on display there. His eyes then dropped to her hips, the jeans clung to her figure, showing each and every facet of her legs. In his anger he'd forgotten just how beautiful she was. But as he took her in now, he was overwhelmed with a sense of awe, how could he ever have denied himself such perfection?

He looked up, only to find Mia watching him, with a blank expression on her face, she looked weary.

She huffed, and stood abruptly, pushing herself up. Slowly, Mia made her way to where Mr Matthews sat, he was suddenly alert, sitting erect with his jaw clenched. She smiled sweetly at him as she stood before him, looking down. "I make you nervous..." it was more of a statement than a question. He looked up at her, trying to feign calmness "no you don't".

"Well, I make you feel something. Your body betrays you." She smiled again, as she reached out and brushed the outline of his jaw with her finger tip. "You clench your jaw when you're on edge" she said simply, before caressing his ear with her thumb; he let her, "and your ears go pink", he reflexively clenched his jaw again, causing her to laugh softly as she let go and took a step back. "I need to use the bathroom".

"Down the corridor, first door on the left".

She walked away from him, not saying a word. He watched as she went. Eyes settling on her ass, watching her hips sway from side to side as she walked. Taking note of how carefree but graceful she managed to be when she moved. He reached up and touched his ear, it felt hot, whether it was because of her touch or something else, he wasn't sure. But he wanted to feel her hand there again.

*******

Mia walked down the long corridor, listening to her shoes hit the tile as she went. She saw the bathroom door to her left, but there was another to her right.

She peaked in; an office filled with mahogany furniture, walls adorned with countless books, and a fire place.

Curiosity eased, she turned back to the corridor and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. The walls were covered in black marble, and it smelt of men's perfume. She looked into the big mirror above the sink. Where was she? She thought of how she'd managed to get where she was standing, and it made her grimace.

How could she let herself be so needy? She bit her lip and started to think, maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all, but she'd wanted him for so long now, since he first started teaching at the school 2 years ago. She felt conflicted.

Continuing to stare at her reflection, she thought about leaving. Then there was a knock, a quiet tap against the big wooden door.

She opened it, Matthews looked up from his feet and looked her over quickly, he reached out his hand and passed her a tshirt, and what looked like shorts. "I noticed your top was wet, I thought you might want something dry to wear for the meantime, you can put your clothes on that heated rack there", he pointed to a silver radiator on the wall next to her. "There's a pair of shorts too, in case your jeans are a little wet or you don't feel like wearing them" he looked at her intently, like a puppy, seeking approval.

She took the clothes from him, letting her hands touch his as she did; he felt something go through him. "Thank you... that's very thoughtful", he smiled back at her, and she closed the door.

Once more facing the mirror, she looked at herself. Her jumper was wet, but she hadn't really noticed. Genuinely thankful for the dry clothes, she decided to put them on. Pulling off her jumper and hanging it to dry, followed by her bra which wasn't too wet, but moist enough to make her not want to wear it.

She undid the button on her jeans and pulled them down. They didn't look wet, but they stuck to her stubbornly as she took them off. She then picked up the clothes that he had given her.

A white v neck tshirt that seemed too small for him, but too big for her; she put it on quickly. The sleeves fell to her elbows and it was long enough to cover her bum.

She picked up the shorts, they were huge and would have threatened to slip off, but had a drawstring cord which she pulled tight, allowing them to rest on her hips comfortably.

She looked at herself in the mirror, and almost laughed out loud, but bit her tongue. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and took out her phone before hanging them up with her jumper and bra.

She looked around the bathroom once more, opened the door, and left.

********

Mr Matthews sat back on the sofa, leaning into it and hoping it would consume him whole. He had no idea what he was doing.

He heard footsteps, the sound of bare feet against tile. He hadn't really expected her to change, but she had. She looked bizarre, wearing clothes that were much too big for her, but she looked comfortable, as though she belonged in them.

She sat down a little closer to him than they were sitting before, with just four feet separating them now. As she sat, the shorts that brushed her knees, slid back to reveal her toned thighs. Hugging one knee to her chest, she thanked him again, to which he nodded in acknowledgement.

He was trying not to look at her legs, but caught himself looking at her bare feet, there was something so appealing about them, how neat and clean they looked, how slim they were, he followed them up to her slender ankles, and to her tight calves, her flesh looked so soft and pliable he felt his mouth might water. His eyes continued passed her knees and to her thighs, hugging her knee had caused one side of the navy shorts to fall back completely, and he caught a glimpse of what looked like black lace. Something tingled within.

He tore himself away and looked toward the giant window, it was very dark and it was still raining badly. He thought for a moment, "It's really dark, how are you getting home?" she looked at him, "I'm not". Puzzled, he stared back "what do you mean you're not?"

"I'm not going home".

"Where do you plan on staying? Won't your parents worry?"

She looked right at him, holding his gaze for longer than necessary. He swallowed. Mia broke their gaze and smiled, showing her perfect teeth. "Don't worry, I know someone nearby, I'll stay with him. I told my mum I was sleeping at Alice's today".

"Him?"

She turned her head to face his again and smiled, raising an eyebrow, "Yes, 'him' that's' not a problem is it?"

"No", he paused, "When do you think you'll leave?"

She laughed, "Why? Do you want rid of me?"

Quietly, he breathed the word "No".

At this, Mia let go of her knee, turned her whole body to face him and crossed her legs. Looking at him intently. "Alright, Caleb, let's talk". He was silent. "Do you mind if I call you Caleb?"

"I don't know".

"Would you like me to call you 'Sir' instead?" she cocked her head to one side playfully and grinned. His ears started to go red. He didn't understand why she made him feel so nervous. He had his fair share of attention from women, and never faltered before, but something about Mia made him feel like a little boy again. "Caleb is fine..." he said. She smiled.

"Ok, Caleb it is" she smiled again, "What is it about me that makes you so nervous? Why are you so scared?"

Caleb didn't know what he was expecting her to say, but it wasn't that. "I could lose my job..." he said hesitantly. Mia smiled, "you don't need your job", she gestured around as she said this, and he laughed, "You've perked up".

"A dry set of clothes does wonders for a girls mood" she smiled. He smiled back, and then thought of another answer to her question, "I don't know, you're just, different. Your flawlessness is intimidating. I've never met anyone like you before, and I don't think I will again. You have an incredible mind and an appearance to match. The fact that you're my student just makes it a little unnerving".

Mia looked at him through her lashes again, caught off guard by how complimentary this man before was being. She uncrossed her legs and crawled over to where he sat. Still on her hands and knees, she placed a small kiss on his cheek; her lips lingered slightly.

"You're very sweet. I wasn't expecting you to be. Thank you". She crawled back a few paces sat back down, facing forward toward the TV this time, she looked over her shoulder at him, "do you think we could watch something?", he threw her the remote and watched her flick through the channels.

Her profile was beautiful, her hair, her brows, the long lashes, the perfect nose, the natural pout of her full lips. His eyes fell and he noticed something he didn't before. Mia wasn't wearing a bra. Caleb clenched his jaw slightly and swallowed as his throat became dry. He shifted. He couldn't help but stare at her breast, fixated on the slight protrusion of her nipple against the cloth. Instantly his mind was drawn to what it would feel like to suck the little nub into his mouth.

"Hey!" he looked up, slightly flustered and embarrassed thinking he'd been caught. But Mia was looking at the TV, she turned to him and pointed to the screen with the remote, gesturing for him to look, he saw a woman on the screen, dancing on a stage in a white dress, she looked old fashioned, and the cabaret music she was dancing to, confirmed she was from another era. He didn't recognise it.