The Cookie
The trio sat in the afternoon sun, enjoying the heated rays during lunch on campus. Sue sat on the grass, her legs tucked neatly beneath her, a copy of The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook open on her lap. Jana was sprawled against a tree, one headphone in her ear as she devoured her lunch and occasionally hummed along to Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. Naz sat beside them on a stone bench, readjusting her sunglasses, she turned her face up towards the sun as she bit into a red apple.
"Hi!"
Naz turned and saw a pretty blonde walk over to their location. "Jules!" The young woman raised her hand in greeting to Sue and Jana. "Guys, you remember Julia? She's in my French class."
Sue smiled a greeting and Jana called out, "Hiya Jules!" in that familiar, welcoming way, despite never seeing the girl before. "Join us."
Jules sat down beside Naz on the bench and sighed. "This weather is amazing."
"Tell me about it. I could sleep where I lay," Jana said, stifling a yawn.
"How's your revision coming for the French exam?" Naz asked, taking another bite of her apple.
"Badly," Jules said. "If I don't start focusing, Professor Head is going to have me for breakfast."
"From what I hear, that wouldn't be such a bad thing," Sue said. "He's handsome." She reached beside her and offered a cookie from her ziplock to Jules. "It's chocolate chip.
Jana snorted. "Professor Head? Too old. Keep me a cookie, will you Sue?"
"OLD?!" Naz and Jules said at the same time.
Jana waved her hand dismissively. "It's just cos he speaks in flowery french that you're all gah."
"Have you even heard his flowery french?" Sue pressed, sounding a little outraged as she nibbled on her own cookie. "He's such a gentleman, so refined."
"I would agree with that," Jules said, the blonde hair that barely reached her shoulders bobbing enthusiastically in agreement. "He's-"
Jana had her sandwich halfway to her mouth when all motion stopped, a low half laugh, half moan emanating from her, stopping Jules from finishing her thought. All three ladies looked at Jana with frowns. Her hands were waving distractedly to shush them, her fingers knotting in the cords of the headphones dangling from her ears. "Is that…?"
Naz's gaze followed hers and her apple bounced out of her hand, knocking her knee painfully before it rolled silently across the grassy verge. "Oh dear god it is," she said, her hand rubbing her leg. This had become Naz's go-to response whenever a certain Professor was on radar.
"Just... damn." Sue was slightly more prepared than her friends, placing her book on the grass beside her, the bag of cookies in her lap.
"Did anyone know about this?!" Jana demanded.
"That our hot academic piece of ass runs during lunch? Do you think I would hold back this kind of information?" Naz retorted. Jules covered her mouth and giggled at hot academic piece of ass.
Across from their perch, Professor Tom Wisdom was jogging around the track. He was unmistakable, especially since they had already carefully studied his build and mannerisms during an entire semester. Keeping pace beside him was Professor Head, the man they had just been discussing, and the University's soccer trainer, Coach Kirkwood.
"It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet," Jana breathed, her sandwich all but forgotten.
"Tell me again that Professor Head isn't attractive?" Jules said. "Look at him." She sighed wistfully. His hair was completely white, but other than that, he didn't look close to the age of 60. His muscles gently rippled as he ran.
Sue bit into her cookie, crumbs falling where they may and huffed. "They make running around in 90 degree weather look effortless."
"Totes," Naz concurred, spotting her renegade lunch. "Professor Wisdom owes me lunch. My apple's in the gutter."
"Much like my mind right now," Jana smirked. The foursome laughed out loud. "You know," she continued, her eyes narrowing, "Those shorts could be shorter."
"They're definitely tight enough," Sue observed. "There's some… assets on display."
Jules chuckled at that. "Coach Kirkwood's should be called hot bod. He is built like a house."
"Oh, I noticed," Jana smirked.
Naz rolled her eyes. "Of course you did. Nothing escapes you. Maybe we should take up running. We could bump into them... Ask for some advice on a training regime?"
Jana snorted. "Too transparent, Naz. Look at the bleachers! None of those girls over there have any interest in sport! You'd think they were on safari by the number of binoculars I can count from here. Dammit, they have the best seats!"
"Professor Wisdom's hair looks wet - sweat slicked."
"Hella hot. Look at how those greys are standing at angles…" Jana groaned. "Oh stop, Sue."
"And Professor Head's vest exposes everything we've ever wondered about the actual shape of his torso," Naz said to Jules undeterred. "Looks pretttty solid to me – for an old man," she said with a wicked grin.
"Alright, alright! I concede. For an old man, he's got sizzle!" The three runners stopped by their gear and Professor Wisdom began toweling his face and arms. "I would volunteer to be that piece of absorbent fabric," Jana said.
"Stand in line Eoll," Naz countered, removing her sunglasses to get a better view. "Oh no. WHAT DOES HE THINK HE'S DOING?!" They watched as he stripped out of his sweat soaked t-shirt and briskly dried himself. "Surely this is indecent?" she said, mockingly outraged.
"You complaining?" Jana used her hands to signal something Naz assumed meant "side-eye". She wouldn't move her eyes from him long enough to actually give her one.
"Hell no."
"Thought so."
"Incoming," Sue said. They watched as two brunettes sauntered into view, their slight figures outlined scandalously.
"Since when is Kim into running?" Jana snorted. "And in lumo pink?"
"Apparently since Professor Wisdom is?" Naz responded. They watched as their classmate Kim Spores jogged toward the trio and hunched over, palms to her knees, dressed in what could only be termed as stylishly impractical exercise wear. Her friend, similarly attired, her dark ponytail swaying, began stretching – the kind of exercises where boobs protruded this way and butts the other. "Who's the girl with her?"
"Jenn Jacheson. Freshman. And urm... Kim aint here for our hot academic piece of ass."
"WHAT IS SHE DOING?!" They watched her sidle up to Coach Kirkwood and because of distance, they were not privy to their conversation. Next thing they knew, Kim lay flat on her back and the Coach was helping her stretch her hamstrings.
"Coach Kirkwood!" Sue said scandalised. "So hands on." She was now absentmindedly nibbling on another cookie.
Kim lay on her back, her left leg raised from the ground, her knee kept straight. Beside her, the Coach pushed her leg forward, leaning into the stretch.
"I feel dirty," whispered Jules beside Naz. Her eyes were as riveted as theirs. "Jenn sure is giving Professor Wisdom an eyeful." The freshman was practically doing yoga aimed directly at the stoic Professor.
"She's got balls, I'll give her that," laughed Jana. Another couple of minutes passed before the duo flashed parting smiles at the Coach before taking off down the track once more. Then Jana gasped, turning away, turning back, looking everywhere but in the oncoming direction. "The Professors are heading this way, they're heading this way! Keep calm, keep calm!"
"Jana, shrieking like a banshee isn't keeping calm," Sue said deadpan.
"Suck it Sue. Omgomgomgomg."
"JANA!" Naz hissed in an effort to curb her friend. But when she glanced up, she sputtered. "ALL THREE OF THEM!"
Professor Wisdom, Coach Kirkwood and Professor Head strode closer. The men were talking, still too far off for them to hear what they were saying. Around Professor Widsom's neck was his small towel and Coach Kirkwood chugged down water from his bottle. It was the most words they had ever seen Professor Wisdom say to others when he wasn't lecturing. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying their company. They watched fascinated as a slow, easy smile spread across his face, showing the full effect of his smile.
All four women gawked. "No way! Tell me they did not just coax a frikken smile from him!" Naz hissed from the side of her mouth.
"He smiled." Sue said, her words followed by the crunch of another cookie.
"Oh dear God," Naz added. The lower half of his face had slight scruff, like he hadn't shaved in a day or two. Around the corners of his mouth, lines radiated outwards, indicating that perhaps he did smile often – but maybe only in private.
"Glorioussssss," Jules concurred with a long sigh.
"Word." Jana exhaled loudly.
As the men neared, Professor Head looked over at his students and nodded, a small smile on his lips. Then he did the unthinkable, he stopped.
"Naazneen, Julia, enjoying the afternoon sun?" Professor Head was also British and his accent, although similar to Professor Wisdom's, was more refined but contained none of his colleague's haughtiness. His eyes were smiling and kind. Beside him, Coach Kirkwood, his piercing blue gaze trained on them, smiled too, making them all squirm under its intensity. Professor Wisdom's head barely dipped in their general direction, his hands behind his back the minute he came to a standstill.
There was an awkward silence before Jules realised they had not actually responded to the greeting. "Urm yes, cramming for that French exam." She sounded shy. But then it wasn't every day she was confronted with her sweaty, hot French Professor in shorts.
"Très bien," he said. They might have figuratively swooned. Flowery french indeed.
"Cookie anyone?" Sue said suddenly. All eyes went to Sue, her friends' eyes bulging. If she looked Jana's way, she would have seen a serious look of WTF. In this case, she was lucky; all eyes went to the ziplock packet with three remaining cookies. Professor Head smiled politely, declining, and Coach Kirkwood shook his head.
"I would like one, thank you," that voice said. Shivers down all their spines.
"Excuse me?" Sue asked, blinking a few times. Her brain felt sluggish, like it had to work twice as hard to comprehend.
"A cookie," Professor Wisdom clarified, his eyes flicking to her outstretched hand. "I would like one. Please," he added, inclining his head politely.
"You like cookies?" The words tumbled unbidden from Jana's lips. Her tone was one of disbelief. She might as well have been asking whether he ate unicorns as an entree. She squirmed when his blue/green/grey gaze found her.
"Oh yes."
Collectively, they gulped, then bit their lips, then tried to remember their place. On autopilot, Sue extended the packet and he accepted one, biting into it almost immediately. "Delicious," he said. His eyes went to the book beside her. "You like tea?"
"Yes," Sue squeaked out, reaching for and then clutching The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook to her chest.
"Its a good book," was all he added. He sounded amused. Figurative swooning was happening again. The gentlemen moved on and Professor Wisdom did the extraordinary. He winked and then smiled.
"He smiled! ABORT MISSION. ABORT MISSION," Jana shrieked when they were out of earshot.
Jules yelped. "Professor Head is soooo nice. What a gentleman!"
"Anyone notice Coach Kirkwood's eyes before? Yikes!" Naz said. "What was up with that wink though?! SWOON"
"Word. Ovaries exploded," Jana concurred before saying, "You gave him my cookie. That was my cookie. HE ATE MY COOKIE."
Sue grinned. "True. You have a problem with that?"
Jana winked. "Not at all." Then she rubbed her hands together in the way that meant she was up to no good. "Right," she said. "Soooo, when do we begin our running regime?"
"I don't run," said Jules.
"Of course you do," Jana said with a naughty grin. "For science."