"I-I can't think right now." I stammered, heading for the classroom door.
"There could be a solution to your dilemma, Miss Rayborn." Severus spoke up.
"What dilemma?" I pressed.
He sighed. "We both have...similar difficult decisions to make. My predicament is much less dramatic, of course." Severus commented. "As such, perhaps you can be of service to me and I to you."
"What do you propose?" I was ready to do anything to get my mind off of him. Magic, drugs, therapy...
"You will come here every evening to mark essays, clean cauldrons and aid me with everything I need." The professor told me. "And in return, I shall prove to you that we are not romantically compatible."
Anything but that.
"I can't." I answered.
Severus raised an eyebrow.
"I want to spend less time with you, not more. How am I supposed to get over this crush if you're around me?" I inquired. "It sounds a lot like detention."
Severus let an intense sigh escape his lungs. "I will be assisting you in forgetting about me. It is quite simple...we become involved in a romantic relationship. Once you realize what you are getting into, you will not be enamored of me any longer."
"Ok, I'll do it..." I was still vaguely unsure I should put myself through this.
He took a deep breath. "You can thank me later, Miss Rayborn."
"I was thinking, if we're going to really do this, we should be on a first name basis." I suggested.
Severus watched me a moment before sighing. "Very well, Geneva. You have permission to call me Severus."
I opened the door to leave. "I'll see you tonight after dinner then."
"No one must know about this." He warned me before I left. I turned back and nodded, seeing that his black eyes were fixed on me in a piercing gaze.
"It'll be our secret." I promised, finally getting to leave the stifling room alone with him.
I went to my next class, hoping tonight would not be an absolute disaster.
