Seduced By My Professor

"Come here, little one,' Dr. Ward beckons. I do as I am told, anticipating what he will say next.

"I will see you soon," he reassures. I believe him, but I need more than that.

"When?" I inquire softly.

"Soon," he repeats. Feeling defeated, I turn and throw on my bookbag, only after fishing my car keys out of the side pocket.

"Soon sounds great," I say, not sugarcoating the bitterness rolling off my tongue. I feel him grip my bag, pulling me into him. I stumble at the loss of balance. He is so unbelievably strong.

"Smart and pretty girls only speak with kindness when she's with her superior," Dr. Ward challenges. I bite my tongue.

"I will send you an email detailing what we went over today during office hours," he says casually. Does this mean I can look forward to hearing from him? Maybe even later tonight? I smile at the thought of talking to him outside of this room.

"I look forward to seeing you soon," Dr. Ward emphasizes, leading me to believe he already has a plan. I am on cloud nine knowing he wants to see me again.

"Thank you for your help, Dr. Ward," I reply slowly. He leans in and kisses me softly.

"I complete you," he says, his own version of 'You're welcome.' I give his lips a peck and grab a hold of his hand.

"Will you walk me to my car?" I ask, innocence filling my voice. Dr. Ward brings our embracing hands to his mouth, kissing my knuckle gently.

"Yes, sweetheart," he promises. He drops my hand and rests his on my back. Together we walk towards the door. Dr. Ward opens it and guides me through, turning off the light behind us. The hallway is quiet as we walk silently, my brain trying to think of creative things to say. My mind is blank from exhaustion, so I stay silent. We reach the double doors and simultaneously push through them. The air is chilly and almost refreshing after the steamy encounter. There are very few cars left in the lot, allowing me to easily spot mine. The flood lights illuminate us as I unlock it, signaling that it is time for my dreaded departure. I open the driver's side door, launching my bookbag into the empty passenger seat. Tiredly, I plop myself down, my knees hitting the wheel. I reluctantly pull out my key, jamming it into the ignition carelessly. I look up into the caring eyes of Dr. Ward as I turn the key. My car rumbles to life and my dashboard reads 10:03.

Dr. Ward leans in, stealing a final kiss from me. My stomach churns, not wanting to be away from him ever again. He pulls away and I am filled with loneliness. How am I going to sleep tonight? My heart breaks.

"Good night, smart girl. I am so proud of you," he beams, closing my door and walking away. I don't bother to wait to see which car he gets into. Instead I head straight home, my body aching for rest. I am in bed within minutes of walking through the door. I haven't even begun to process everything that happened tonight. I am torn between puppy love and loneliness, wishing Dr. Ward could just be lying here beside me. My thoughts are interrupted as my phone vibrates at an incoming email. My heart skips a beat as I see his name. I open it, my head buzzing with excitement. He begins, addressing me by name.

I am following up with you regarding today's office hours. I enjoyed helping you. You ask fantastic, thought-provoking questions that encourage introspection. Continue looking within yourself. I hope to see you in future office hours.

Take care,

Dr. Ward

My heart glows as I finish reading his email. I notice a seven digit number as I scroll down, quick to enter it into my phone. Hi, Dr. Ward :), I hit send. I wait, staring at the message thread thirsting for a response. What's taking him so long? He told me he'd see me soon, why won't he answer? Worst case scenarios get in my head and I shut my eyes, trying to keep them away. My eyelids become heavy, wanting to surrender to the night. My phone vibrates. I'm thinking of you.