At this point, I don't even care how many stories I start anymore lol. But I already have 5 chapters written, so i'll just update a chapter whenever I'm too busy to get another story updated or while i'm writing on another one. So at least i'm making progress! I think i'm going to start doing that from now on, just writing 3 + chapters so all I have to do is update one of them while you're waiting on another one.
"Hmm, do I go with red, or do I go with black?" Stephanie asked aloud to herself as she stared at the two dresses in front of her, the black and grey faded stripped bandage dress was short, but appropriate. The other was a plain red dress, not too flashy but just right. "Fuck it, i'll wear the jumper" She said as she pulled out her black, gold belted jumpsuit.
"And we're back" Stephanie heard on the tv as she ran back into the bedroom. "And I must say this is the most hilarious man I have ever met in my entire life."
"Yes, yes he is" Stephanie said agreeing with the news anchor before her eyes slowly drifted over to the muscular blonde that sat across from her in a black chair.
"So you have to tell me, I just have to know this because with all the success of your books, and with a good majority of them being turned into very successful movies that you've helped direct, will we be seeing your beautiful words come to life once again with this masterpiece, will there be a movie?"
The man chuckled slightly and sat up in his seat and gave a warm smile that showed off his beautiful, pearly white teeth. "I don't know" he said with a shrug "we'll see" he said winking at her.
The news lady blushed and then turned towards the camera. "Well, there you have it folks, Paul Michael has done it again, and whether or not we will get to see his new book 'Her' come to life in theaters, well, we'll just have to wait and see" she said as she smiled at the camera before it cut off shortly after.
It was not too long after Stephanie cut the television off that she heard her phone ring, she walked over and picked up the phone and smiled. "Hey you"
"Hey babe, did you catch my interview?"
"I did, you were great as always"
"Thanks", his response made Stephanie laugh because she could already picture the goofy grin he had on his face after she said that, he was a sucker for compliments. "What's so funny?" he asked
"Oh nothing, when will you be home?"
"Sometime tonight if i'm lucky."
"If you're lucky?"
"I'm trying to find a private jet to charter."
"I see, well I'll get the little ones tucked in"
"If I can't get home before then, send my love will you?"
"Of course"
"I love you baby"
"I love you too" Stephanie said as she and her husband said their goodbyes and hung up. She tossed her hair in a quick ponytail and tightened her black silk robe as she headed down the hall. Once she reached the kitchen she made herself a hot cup of tea and and curled up on the couch to go over her lesson plans for the first day back tomorrow. "Damn honors students" she said as she sipped her tea. Every year her university picks multiple high schools to allow their highest scoring students to come and study for free for an entire year to take courses that will count towards their college careers. Steph has been able to avoid it the last three years seeing as how the first two were absolutely horrible, she would never volunteer to do that again and has been avoiding being picked, but with a shortage of professors due to many leaving because of retirement, she had no choice in the matter this year. "They better be on their best behavior" she said as she continued to scan over her paperwork. After an hour of doing so, and with Paul calling to confirm that he would not make it in time to tuck in the kids but would be there in the morning, she put everything away and headed up the stairs to their rooms. "Hey you" she said softly as she saw her son and daughter cuddled up to one another while watching Moana.
"Hey" they replied in unison as they continued watching the movie
"Mind if I join?" Steph asked as she climbed in bed with them and got in the middle
"Mommy, where's daddy?" their youngest child asked
"Oh honey, he can't make it tonight" Stephanie said as she softly brushed away the blonde streaks of hair that fell in front of her daughter's face. "But he'll be here first thing in the morning." She said with a warm smile
"He always has to work"
"I know" Stephanie said softly as she reached over and ran her hand through her son's silky brown hair. He was getting so big, she was starting to wonder how many more moments she was going to get like this and she only hoped that Paul could be with them. "But it's time for bed okay?"
"Nooo" they both cried out in unison, Stephanie couldn't help but laugh, they both were mirror images of their father whenever they pouted.
"We're not doing this tonight guys" Stephanie said as she raised her brow
"can we at least finish the movie?" Murphy asked "pleeeease?"
"Alright, you can finish the movie" Stephanie said as she snuggled in closer to her children and watched the last few moments of the movie with them.
"Brayden, Murphy! come on down and eat your breakfast or you're going to be late" Stephanie said as she placed the dishes down on the table
"Okay!"
"Coming!"
Stephanie finished setting the table and started a pot of coffee, a major key to making it through this day.
"There she is, there's my baby"
Stephanie turned around and smiled as she ran into Paul's arms. "You made it"
"I told you I would" he said as he lowered his head and placed a lingering hot kiss to his wife's lips, causing a low moan to escape from her. "Mmm" he said as he pulled back, "I think I already know how my night is going to end"
"Oh hush" she said as she turned around before letting out a small shriek. "Ow!" she said rubbing her butt
"Oh you like it" Paul teased as he walked over to the counter and grabbed a piece of turkey bacon. "I hope there's enough for me"
"There is" Stephanie said as she begin to mix in her creme and sugar. "Sit down and i'll fix you a plate" she said as she poured everything into her thermo cup.
"Daddy!" Murphy said as she ran over and jumped in her father's lap.
"Hey Murph, how's my favorite girl in the entire world?"
Her cheeks widened and her small white teeth flashed bright enough to light an entire room. "I'm good, I missed you"
"I missed you too" he said as he placed a kiss on her forehead
"Are you taking me and Bray to school daddy? say yes"
He chuckled. "Yes, yes I am"
"yaaaay!"
"You weren't this happy about me taking you" Stephanie chimed in as she put some papers into her briefcase
"But you always take us mommy"
"Hey dad"
"oh, so i'm dad now? I was 'daddy' a few days ago" Paul said as he gently grabbed his son by the arm and pulled him in for a hug.
"I'm a big boy now" he said flexing his small muscles
"Oh really?" Paul asked as he ruffled his hair
"Heyyy, stop it" Brayden said before he was up in the air laughing
"Not so big now, huh?" Paul asked as he spun his son around
"Careful" Stephanie said as she watched on, she was always nervous whenever Paul played with the kids like that.
"I got this" Paul said as he flipped his son upside down, holding him by his waist. "see?"
"Paul" Stephanie warned as she raised her brow at him
"Daddy stop it!" Brayden said as he began laughing
"Oh, so i'm 'daddy' again?" Paul teased before flipping his son over again and tickling him
"Ye…yeah" Brayden said as he broke away from his father's grip with a huge grin on his face. "Maybe"
"Don't make me tickle you again" Paul said as he leaned over and planted a kiss to his son's forehead.
"Well before you do that, I would like for him to at least eat his breakfast first" Stephanie said pointing to the plate of food that was bound to go cold at any moment if he didn't start soon. Murphy was already halfway finished with hers, she might be a girly girl at times, but she can eat like her father and she can be tough like him too, sometimes tougher.
"Where's mine?" Paul asked innocently
"i'm coming, i'm coming" Stephanie said as she began fixing his plate
"Oh trust me, you will be" Paul said with a smirk as he waited for his wife's response. Stephanie blushed and turned around and gave him an evil gaze before turning her attention back to the food. "Don't get mad at me because it's true" he teased
"Shut up" Stephanie said as she sat the plate down in front of him and took Murphy's to the dishwasher "you didn't leave one bite"
"It was good mommy" she said as she hopped down from the chair and went towards the living room to watch her morning cartoons before school.
"Daddy, I bet I can beat you"
"At what?"
"Finishing my breakfast"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"How about no?" Stephanie said as she walked over to them and placed her hands on her hips.
"But" Paul started to say before he was cut off
"I said no," Stephanie said as she folded her arms "I don't need either of you choking like the last time"
"Last time was his fault" Paul said softly as he took a small piece of his bacon and threw it at Brayden
"WAS NOT!" Brayden said as he threw an entire piece at his father which landed on his head
"Hey! no throwing food, either of you"
"He started it" Brayden said pointing to his father
"Did not" Paul said as he grabbed the piece of bacon that Brayden threw off of his head "I was too busy eating, see" he said as he stuffed it into his mouth
"That was mine!"
"Shouldn't have thrown it" Paul said with a mouthful
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "The both of you in one room is too much to handle" she said as she began clearing away the rest of the dishes.
"Are the kids ready to go?" Paul asked a while later as he walked into their bedroom
"I would assume so" Stephanie said as she played around in her hair a few times to get it just right.
"You look beautiful" Paul said as he walked up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You always do" he said as he placed a soft kiss to the side of her temple.
"Thank you" she said softly
"You ready for your first day?" he said as his hands began to go lower
"Yeah, I mean of course it's going to be a challenge with these honors students but…Paul, what are you doing?"
"Nothing" he said as his hands made their way back up and around to her butt before he squeezed it gently.
"Paul…"
"You know how I get when i'm jet lagged, I need a quick pick me up" he said as he began torturing her neck with tantalizing kisses.
Stephanie moaned and closed her eyes tight at the amazing sensations that Paul had shooting throughout her body. She knew she had to stop him soon or her body would go limp and she would be his for the taking. "Not now" she said softly as she stepped forward out of his embrace, he clearly was not expecting that because lord knows it would not have been that easy and simple had he been aware of her intentions.
"Get back here" he said in demanding, yet very sexy tone
"Later"
He stepped closer and she placed her hand on his chest to stop him before slowly allowing her index finger to trail down from his chest to his abdomen. "I said later" she teased as she quickly kissed his lips and backed away.
"I'm going to hold you to that"
She smirked and motioned towards the bedroom door with a slight nod of her head. "The kids are waiting"
"alright, alright" he said holding his hands up as he walked over "But you owe me" he said pointing at her before walking out of the bedroom.
"don't I always?" Stephanie said as she closed the door behind him and went back over to the mirror to once again correct her hair.
"Paul Michael just continues to impress, I mean, I have always been a fan of his work but this book right here has to be his greatest work yet"
"I agree Barbara, Her is an amazing novel I would recommend it to everyone."
"I mean Tom, the way he captures the feelings of a father who had to give up his daughter to adoption years ago and tries to find his way back to her really hits home for some people, I mean, he wrote this story so well that it's almost as if it really happened to him."
"That's the brilliance of this man, and I tell you what-"
The man was cut off as Stephanie turned off the radio. "Speak of the devil" she said as she saw his name flash across her phone screen. "How was it, how did she do?"
"She was fine, she didn't cry or anything, It's Brayden i'm a little worried about though"
"Why?" Stephanie asked as she checked her hair at the red light.
"I just don't want him to get influenced by the wrong kids or anything."
"He won't" Stephanie said as she pulled into the parking lot
"I think he's stressed and wants to make an impression"
"Well, he's starting the 4th grade, I think he feels he has to prove something to his peers"
"And that's the thing Steph, I don't want him to feel that way, I just him to be him"
"You know how school life is, we'll just deal with the changes together" Stephanie said as she stepped out of the car "But i'll call you later babe, I need to run to my office really quick before class starts"
"Alright, I love you and have a great day"
"I love you too, and the same to you as well" Stephanie said as she hung up the phone and headed towards her office.
"Dr. Levesque"
"Dr. Chadom" Stephanie responded with a nod of her head and with a smile as she passed her colleague in the hall and walked into her office. "Where to start?" she asked herself as she pulled out her lesson plans yet again.
"I'm just so nervous"
"Don't be, you'll do fine" Allie said to her friend. "Besides, I heard she's really nice, tough, but nice" she said as they took their seats
"First time in here?" a boy asked as he sat behind them
"Yeah" the shy girl answered
"Don't worry, she's cool, this is my third time having her"
"your third time? she's that tough?" the girl asked as her eyes grew wide with fear
He chuckled. "Nah, she teaches other courses and i've had her for them as well, but as far as assignments go, just don't fuck up on your work or be late, she hates that" he said as he ran his hand through his blonde locks before placing his baseball cap on backwards.
"That makes me feel so much better" she said sarcastically as she looked over at Allie who was chuckling slightly
For a few minutes there was nothing but constant chatter amongst the students, some getting acquainted with one another, others talking to classmates they have seen in other classes before and the usual conversation between friends. It all came to a halt when the door slammed shut and everyone in the class turned around to see a beautiful brunette with a tight french bun and glasses on. "Hello, I am Dr. Levesque and welcome to my class, this is course 4452 so I hope you're in the right spot, if not" she said motioning behind her "the way you came in shall be the way you leave out unless you cannot resist looking at me." She said as the students laughed and she continued down the steps. Stephanie walked over to the podium and placed her briefcase down and titled her glasses slightly to fit her face.
"I'm very straight forward and to the point and i've never been known for holding back, you can ask anyone around campus about that." She said with her back still facing towards the class. "Those of you who have had me before already know how I operate." She said as she slowly turned around to face the class with her arms folded "Those of you who have not - learn how I operate." She said as she walked over to the middle and pulled down the screen. " The rule for being late - don't. I expect you to be here on time, if you are late you might as well not bother showing up as you will be asked to leave or the door will already be locked." She said turning to face the class again.
"It is not only a distraction to me, but to your fellow classmates, I also find it very annoying and disrespectful, the same goes for clowning around, i'm paid to teach you, not entertain the jokes you think are funny." she said walking up towards the class. "If you leave my class early, I have the right to remove you from the sign in list, if tardiness or distractions is a reoccurrence I will personally drop you from my class and you and the dean may discuss where you will end up next. Also, you are to get your work done and the assignments turned in on time. It's very rare that I give extra credit or make up work, so let's get it right the first time shall we?." She said as she walked back over to the podium and pulled out two sheets of paper from her briefcase. "Since this is a large class, 78 of you to be exact, this will be the only time I call roll, attendance will be taken on the sign in sheet that will get passed around, other than that I expect you to be here every class period, after all you are paying for it and I doubt your parents want their hard earned dollars to go to waste, correct? and those of you who are here on scholarship or as honors students, i'm sure you'd hate to lose that privilege, because failing my class will play a prominent role in doing so. Now with that said, let's begin. Josh Abston"
"Here. oh and I have a question"
"Yes?"
"Are you normally this hot when laying down the rules?"
Stephanie smirked as the class laughed. "I don't know, i'll have to ask my husband" she said with a wink. "And if you all are wondering, i'm not as mean as I sounded just now, I just have high expectations and i'm very direct" she said offering a warm smile. "Now, where was I?"
"One more question"
"You have until next Monday to drop this course" Stephanie said as the class erupted into laughter.
The boy smiled "I don't plan on it"
"You didn't read the syllabus then!" one guy shouted from the back which made everyone including Stephanie laugh.
"Oh my god" Stephanie said as she tossed her head back and smiled before looking down at the papers again. "Stephanie Bardner?"
"Here!"
After a few minutes Stephanie was pleased to finally start getting down the list "Aurora McCullan"
"Here" a shy voice said from the middle of the class, Stephanie glanced up and smiled, but it soon faded as she started to stare at the girl, as a matter of fact, she stared for so long that it made everyone else turn around and look at her too.
"Is…is there something wrong professor?" the girl asked with a nervous smile as she sunk down in her seat a little at the unwanted attention she was receiving.
Stephanie said nothing as she continued to stare at the young girl, she was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. She had pretty hazel brown eyes, and flowing brown locks. She looked so familiar, maybe because she was, call it instinct but in a flash Stephanie immediately knew who she was and a sharp pain went flying through her chest.
I know that name, I know those eyes, I know that smile, I know that face…she's my daughter…it's her.
Leave reviews! :) and yes i'm very well aware that the girl in the image is not Aurora lol, that's just the closet thing of what I thought a grown up version of her would look like to fit this story.
