The Distraction

THE FIRST LESSON

Edward Kim looked around his office. It was furnished with a large wooden table and several wooden chairs. Typical furniture found in any university library. On one wall there was a whiteboard, and on the opposite wall was the door to the room. It was made of glass and anyone walking by could easily see inside. A fact of which Edward was keenly aware of, but other than that, it was a nice quiet room. A perfect place for him to study and work on his dissertation for his Ph.D. in mathematics.

Since he was a doctoral student, he was able to reserve the room for months at a time, and it had turned into his proxy office where he had spent the last year working on the more challenging sections of his graduate work. Edward had no real difficulties with the first part of his program, but recently, his studies had turned into a chore that he had been avoiding. Looking around at the room, he sighed because he was unsure of how many more years, he would have to spend there.

Edward was a first-generation Korean American man. When he was younger, he looked like a stereotypical Asian nerd. He had been skinny to the point of being malnourished and always wore thick glasses, dressed in wrinkled T-shirts with tech slogans on them, and had patches of acne covering his face. As he grew older, his acne cleared up, he dressed better like a young professor in slacks and button-down shirts, got rid of his glasses for contacts, and while still thin, he wasn't skinny anymore after having grown into his body.

Women did not throw themselves at him, but little did he know that if he tried, his advances would have been accepted more times than not. Especially, because of his deep and raspy voice. He knew it was his most attractive quality. However, there was one problem. He never knew what to say.

Though he was twenty-eight, he had little to no real experience with women. For the most part, he was not a very social person preferring to spend his time alone, quietly working on equations or studying some new mathematical theorem. With math, there were no grey areas. There was always a right or wrong answer. For this reason, he always found that solving high-level, theoretical math problems was far easier than trying to say something interesting to a pretty woman at a party.

Because of all this, he was absolutely dreading his next assignment. Every doctoral student had to teach, and because he was so socially inept, his fear of speaking in public was immense. Since he was having problems focusing on his dissertation, he decided to take the time to improve his teaching skills. Like everything else he attempted, he analyzed the situation and broke it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Eventually, he decided to start things off as easy as possible by tutoring undergrads individually one by one.

Though it was a seemingly simple task, Edward grew increasingly nervous as the time approached for his first tutoring session. To calm himself, he paced back and forth in his little office while rehearsing his opening intro to the lesson. He became so engrossed in his inner monologue that he didn't realize his first student had already arrived.

"Are you Professor Lee?" a sweet, innocent voice asked.

"No. I mean, yes. But I'm not a professor yet. You can just call me Mr. Lee or Edward."

"Hi, I'm Stacey," she said.

Stacey Nakamura was a second-generation Japanese girl who had round chubby cheeks with cute dimples that appeared only when she smiled. She was petite standing at around 5 feet 2 inches tall, and for an Asian girl, she was surprisingly busty and had an overall curvy figure. Edward couldn't see this quality of hers because her body was mostly hidden under an oversized hoodie.

Unlike Edward, Stacey was extremely social. Not only was she an attractive young woman, she was also a very sweet, giving person making her one of the more popular girls on campus. Everyone she met was drawn to her.

Though she knew a lot of people, there was a side of Stacey that she kept hidden. She had a mischievous, playful side to her that she only shared with people she truly cared about. She would constantly tease her close friends and test boundaries by saying or doing outrageous things to elicit shocked reactions from them. It was how she got to know people and also how she showed her affection.

"Nice to meet you, Stacey. Come in. Have a seat," he said and motioned for her to put her things down next to his chair so that they could work side by side. Stacey walked into the room and set her things down. Once she got situated, she turned to him.

"Ready," she said with a smile.

They talked for a bit to find out where she was in her studies and how he could help her. Then he started outlining his teaching methods. It was the speech he had been practicing before she arrived. As he tried to recite it, his nerves got the best of him. He stuttered a bit, then stammered, then repeated himself a few times.

Stacey couldn't understand anything he was saying. His words were coming out a jumbled mess. So instead of paying attention to what he was saying, she paid attention to other qualities about him, and the first thing she noticed was his voice. It was deep and raspy, and it mesmerized her a little. She had no idea until then but she had a thing for men with deep voices. Her thoughts wandered. She wondered what kind of man he was, and what kind of women he liked to...

"How does that sound?" Edward asked.

"What?" Stacey asked snapping to attention.

"I said, how does that sound?"

"Oh, good," she said. "Everything sounds good to me."

"Okay, great. So let's get started with some simple problems."

As the lesson continued, Stacey had a hard time concentrating because his voice kept distracting her. She got lost a few times and had to ask him to repeat himself. He must think I'm such a ditz, she thought.

But Edward was so focused on himself, he thought he was doing a poor job of teaching her. He blamed himself every time she asked him to repeat something. His explanations were confusing, he thought. This made him feel even more self-conscious, and the thought intensified his social anxiety making his words come out even more jumbled than before.

What made things worse was when their hands accidentally touched. Halfway through their lesson, while Edward was holding the textbook open, Stacey pointed at an equation, and in the process, her fingers accidentally grazed his hand. Then for some reason, she left her hand on top of his and gave him a gentle pat. To Stacey, it was nothing more than a friendly gesture. She was hoping that her hand on his would calm his nerves, but it did the opposite.

For Edward, that light touch was more physical contact than he was used to. It had been a while since he had been with a woman, and her hand on his sent a rush of emotions through him. It felt so nice that he didn't move his hand away at first, but then he thought about someone walking by his library office and seeing Stacey's hand on his. The thought made him snatch his hand away from hers.

His reaction surprised Stacey. She wasn't used to a guy pulling away from her like that. It made her wonder if there was something wrong with him. Then she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Either way, she needed to know why he acted the way he did. Her curiosity about him grew.

Edward was lost in thought as well. All these emotions raced through him, and he tried to clear his head but couldn't. His nerves, once again, got the best of him, and he froze for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Stacey asked.

"Sorry, I was trying to think of something and just got lost."

"I know the feeling."

At that moment, he didn't know why but he opened up to her. Maybe it was because she was from a completely different world than his, and there was a certain anonymous comfort in confessing your problems to a stranger. Maybe it was because she was Asian like him, and he felt a certain familiarity with her. Or maybe it was because of her inviting smile that put him at ease. But for whatever reason, Edward found it surprisingly easy to open up to her.

"This is my first time," he said.

Stacey's mind went somewhere else.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"I've never done this before."

"Oh, you mean, tutoring? You've never tutored anyone before?"

"I'm not a very social person," he said and went on to tell her about how he had to teach in front of a class, but he had a fear of speaking in public. He wasn't planning on opening up to her but the minute he let it out, his nerves began to leave him, and he felt better.

"I probably shouldn't be telling you all this."

"It's okay," she said. "Sometimes, you just have to let it out."

"You could be right."

"But for what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job."

Edward thanked her but still looked a little flustered. He was being so nice to her that Stacey wished she could do something to cheer him up. Then without thinking, she leaned over to hug him.

She was only going to give him a quick one to try and cheer him up, but as she leaned into him, her chair tipped over causing her to fall forward. Edward caught her in his arms, and she ended up sitting on his lap with her legs straddled to either side of his. Their bodies were pressed up against each other, and it was then that Edward became aware of her voluptuous body hidden under her baggy hoodie.

Stacey was well aware that she was a great hugger. She had been told many times that her body was soft in all the right places. Every guy she hugged practically melted in her arms, but this time, when Stacey hugged Edward, she was the one that melted.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said. "I think the chair slipped out from under me."

Stacey was surprised at how nice it felt to be pressed up against him. It felt nicer than she could have ever imagined. Because when he spoke, she could not only hear him, but she could also feel him. The tone of his deep, baritone voice reverberated through her entire body. It felt so good that she lost herself in his arms.

Just like the accidental touch, Edward felt a rush of emotions race through him causing his heart to beat furiously. Part of the reason it beat so fast was because he was afraid of getting caught in the arms of a coed, but the other reason was because it just felt good. She was soft in all the right places, and he felt this sense of comfort among other things that he had been lacking in his life of late. Though he could have easily lifted her off of him, he let things linger a moment because he too had started to melt.

"Stacey?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you mind?"

"No, I don't."

"I mean, do you mind getting up?"

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry," she said as she snapped out of her daze. She looked at the young professor. His head was down and his eyes were glued to the math book in front of him. His cheeks were bright red.

"Stacey, you shouldn't...," he stammered out.

"It was an accident. The chair slipped out from under me, and then I fell into your...," she said and thought about being in his arms and felt a wave of shyness wash over her.

"It's just that if someone were to walk by, they might get the wrong idea."

"I understand. Sorry," she said. "You just looked like you needed a hug."

She was right. He had needed one, but he didn't feel right admitting this to her.

"I'd appreciate it, if we could keep things a little more professional between us," he said. "I'm your teacher after all and..."

"I totally understand," she said sitting up in her seat. "Won't happen again."

"So then, back to the lesson?"

"Whatever you want, Professor."

"I'm not a professor, yet. Remember?"

"Oh right," she said. "Duh, I'm such a ditz."

"Where were we? Problem 22?"

"I think so. Yup."

The lesson went on and after the initial difficulties, they both got more comfortable with each other. Edward's nerves settled down especially after opening up to her, and Stacey was able to better concentrate though his voice still distracted her at times. By the end, they were able to establish a good rapport with each other.

As Stacey gathered her things, Edward stood up and opened the door for her.

"Thank you," she said as she stood in front of him. "I think I actually learned something."

"That's good to hear," he said. "So, see you next week?"

"Sounds good," she said and stood there waiting for some conclusion to their meeting. She usually gave people hugs but after his reaction from the one during their lesson, she knew it wasn't an appropriate thing to do. Still, she wanted to hug him because it was the nice thing to do, but if she was being honest, she wanted to because she wanted to feel his voice against her body again.

Stacey stood there awkwardly in front of him, and for some reason, Edward could sense what she was feeling. Though they had just met, he knew that she wanted a hug. He could just sense it. In any other setting, he might have given her one, but as her teacher, he felt it was completely inappropriate. He did his best to keep things as professional as possible and extended out his hand. She looked a little disappointed, but it couldn't be helped.

They shook hands and as she turned to leave, she said, "Okay, Professor. See you next week."

After Stacey had left, Edward sat down at his desk and tried to work on his dissertation but couldn't concentrate. No matter how hard he tried, his mind was filled with all these troubling thoughts. He questioned his abilities. He questioned everything that he was doing. What if he wasn't smart enough? What if he would be stuck here forever, halfway done with his dissertation? What if this was as far as he was meant to go?

His thoughts were too heavy for him, and it made him want to run away. He needed to escape for a moment from his troubled thoughts and desperately tried to think of something more pleasant. Something a little lighter. And that was when his mind drifted to Stacey.

He thought about her sweetness. Those cute little dimples that only appeared when she smiled. She wasn't his type at all. In fact, she was the complete opposite, but still, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

It was almost too much for him. He tried to purge his mind by thinking about her in terms of logic and reason. She was ten years his junior. Dating a student would end his career as a professor or at the very least, harm it with a poor reputation. Besides he thought, why would an attractive, young woman like her even want to be with a boring, older man like him?

In the end, all those reasons faded away and were replaced with images of Stacey's cute smile. One thing that he couldn't deny was that thinking about her was a lot better than thinking about his dissertation.

THE SECOND LESSON

Edward was unlike any man Stacey had ever met. She was used to guys chasing after her, but the young professor kept his distance and almost even pushed her away. Most guys got all handsy or would say something crude or get that pervy look in their eyes after hugging her, but Edward acted like a perfect gentleman. He even gave her a cute, little lecture about keeping things professional between them.

Then she thought about how she felt in his arms and how she could feel his voice reverberate inside her. She thought about how she got lost in his arms, and that surprised her the most. She was not used to being the one that melted.

Everything about Edward intrigued her. She was normally good at reading people, but she had no idea what he was thinking. All this made her curiosity grow over the week between their next lesson. This interest in him mixed in with her mischievous side, made her want to do something to test the boundaries. To tease him a little. Just to see his reaction.

So for their next lesson, she wore the same baggy hoodie she wore last time, but underneath, she had on a thin pink bra with a tight white tank top over it and little booty shorts that barely covered her. She knew what an outfit like that one did to most guys, but she had no idea how her young professor would react.

She was planning on taking off her hoodie halfway through their lesson at just the right moment to really see his reaction, but the minute she saw him and heard his voice, she couldn't help herself and took her sweatshirt off exposing the skimpy outfit she had hidden underneath.

"What?" she asked keeping her eyes on him to gauge his reaction. "It's hot."

But the room wasn't hot. It was well air-conditioned, and Stacey immediately felt a chill rush through her. Goosebumps covered her body, and she was sure that her nipples were erect and clearly visible poking through her thin bra and tank top. Normally when she was in that state, she would cover herself up or put her sweatshirt back on, but since it was only the two of them in the room, she pretended like she had no clue.

Edward looked at her for a quick moment but once again, instead of lingering or smiling or saying something pervy, he looked away and kept to his side of the table even more so than before. He opened up the textbook in front of them and started the lesson as if everything was normal.

He gave her no real response. He didn't even check her out. And the way he practically ignored her really bothered Stacey. It became a challenge to her. The more he ignored her, the more determined she felt to get some type of reaction out of her young professor.

As Edward was trying to help her with one of her problems, she leaned forward and pushed her breast against the side of his arm. He immediately felt her soft body against his, but on the surface, he pretended like everything was normal. Deep inside though, there was no denying the physical contact between them. They stayed like that for a moment, but then he retreated from her again.

Edward felt bad for leaving his arm there with her breast against it for as long as he had. The more he thought about it, the more he felt wrong for getting excited by accidentally coming in contact with her. She was young and innocent, he thought, and she probably didn't know what she was doing. So he thought it best to keep his distance from her. When she leaned toward him, he leaned away like they were two magnets repelling each other.

Stacey knew what to do with guys when they chased after her, but her young professor had done the opposite, and she wasn't used to that at all. She had no idea what to do next, but she was even more determined than ever to get a reaction out of him. The more he pulled away from her, the more she was drawn to him.

During a break in the lesson, while Edward was searching for the next problem to work on, Stacey took the moment to tease him again.

"Can you touch your elbows together?" she asked.

"What was that?" he asked still focused on finding another problem to work on.

"The other day, these boys in class asked me if I could touch my elbows together. I tried, but I couldn't. Then they all started laughing at me."

"Touch your elbows together? I don't understand," he said and stopped to look at her.

"You know, like this," she said and showed him what she had done in class. She tried touching her elbows together, but all that happened was that she smashed her breasts against each other causing them to jut out.

Edward was immediately overwhelmed by the sight of her breasts pressed together. Her cleavage almost spilled out of the low scoop of her tank top. The sight surprised him. His eyes went wide, and though most men would have lingered, he quickly looked away.

"You shouldn't do that," he said while keeping his eyes averted.

"Why not?" she asked playing innocent as she kept trying to touch her elbows together. The more she tried, the more her chest jutted out. She turned her body toward him trying to force him to look, but he kept his eyes away from her.