Chapter 7

Charlotte's laptop screen flickered dangerously as she tilted the screen, threatening to shut down. It had been acting funny ever since it rained into her apartment, and she feared that it somehow got water damage. She noticed that as long as she didn't move it too much, it tended to work ok. Friday night and Saturday morning had passed by without incident. She hadn't heard much from Owen, and the Professor was keeping his distance.

Charlotte was unsure if this was a good or bad thing. Either he misinterpreted her the other day, or he was preparing to pounce. She had to admit to herself that the latter was more appealing. It had taken all her strength to resist going to him after class or trying to contact him. As hard as it was, she was still determined to make him come to her. She was just about to shut down the computer when a new email popped up. Initially, she thought it was from the school. Then she noticed the address and the subject matter.

To: cmatthews

From: jhutcherson

Subject: Assignment

Miss Matthews,

Please see me immediately regarding your most recent assignment. Contact me to set up an appointment date at your earliest convenience.

Regards,

Professor J. R. Hutcherson

Department of Psychology

New York University

Charlotte squirmed in her seat, excited that he finally took her bait. She seriously wanted to reply right away, but she made was going to make him wait. She had a feeling he was sitting in front of a laptop somewhere, nervously waiting for her response. To pass the time, she got up from her seat and tidied up her apartment. It was good work, and she finally had the time to do so.

As she cleaned, she contemplated what to do about Owen. He was a great friend, and was a love interest at one point...but now the Professor trumped him and had her much more interested. She didn't want to hurt him, and she wanted to remain friends, but she didn't know how to bring it up. As if on cue, her phone chirped. It was Owen, asking her if she had fun on their date. Truthfully, she did; and she told him so. He seemed pleased, and Charlotte wondered how she was going to tell him that it wouldn't happen again.

She decided she'd stay busy and keep her distance for now until she figured out what to do. In the meantime, she had a certain Professor to make an appointment with. Checking her phone, she noticed it had been at least an hour since she received his email. I better put him out of his misery, she thought. Sitting back down at her laptop, she typed out a reply, telling him she would be on campus that afternoon and could meet around six. At 5:30, Charlotte was walking out the door to discuss her "assignment" with the Professor. She had just locked her door and turned to leave, when she nearly ran into Owen.

"Owen! Hi! Uhh, you kinda dropped by at a bad time. I was just walking out the door."

Owen looked slightly disappointed, but managed a smile anyway.

"Oh. I was hoping I could surprise you and take you to dinner. But if you're heading out, that's cool. Where are you going? Can I walk with you?"

Charlotte hesitated. She had been keeping contact with Owen a minimum since Friday, and she had noticed that doing so had made him more needy. As this thought struck her, an idea formed in her mind. It was going to sting, but she knew it was necessary.

"Uh, sure! I was actually just walking up to the school; Hutcherson emailed me earlier, demanding that I meet with him to discuss that paper."

They stepped off the porch and started the walk to the school. They chatted lightly for a few moments, Charlotte giving short answers to his questions. They had just reached the school when Charlotte stopped.

"Actually, Owen. There's something I need to discuss with you.."

Owen stopped and turned towards her, a look of confusion on his face. But his eyes held a degree of knowing what she was about to say. He was silent though, so she continued.

"I wanted to say...well, what I need to tell you is...shit."

Her nerves were through the roof, her palms sweaty. She took a deep breath to settle herself, and just said it.

"Listen, my ex from back home recently contacted me. We dated for...well, for a long time. But we had to break up when I came here. He's moving out this way soon, and we just have so much history together. He wants to get back together, Owen. We can't be dating anymore, but I'd really like to remain friends."

Guilt spread through her veins. Half of what she just said was part lies, part truth. It was true that she dated her ex for a long time, and that they broke up when she got into NYU. But it was for reasons other than school, and he had most certainly not contacted her to rekindle their relationship. She knew for a fact that he was very happy with his new girlfriend, and that they were inseparable. Even when him and Charlotte were dating. She tried to catch Owen's eye, as he was now staring at the ground.

"Your ex. Right."

His response made Charlotte feel worse.

"I'm sorry Owen, you're..you're such a great-"

"A great guy. I know. That's what all the girls say when they break up with me. Which is funny, because they all leave, even though I'm so great."

He was pacing now, his voice becoming increasingly louder. Charlotte's nervousness was raising with Owen's voice. Say something! She demanded to herself. She could see the hurt on his face, and she naturally wanted to make it better. Even though it was necessary, she couldn't stand causing someone else pain.

"Owen, I'm sorry. But I really want to stay friends with you. Can't we do that? Just be friends?"

He laughed shakily and turned away from her. Then, just as quickly, he turned back.

"Friends! Don't you understand? I can never be just friends with you, Charlie! I've crossed the line, I can't just change the way I feel about you just because you want to be friends!"

He shook his head and ran his hands anxiously through his hair. Charlotte stared at him in shock, then remembered where she was supposed to be. She pulled her phone out. 6:10! Where did the time go? She thought. She was at a loss of what to do. She didn't want to just leave him, but she knew the Professor was adamant about punctuality. She turned to leave, then hesitated and turned back.

"Owen, I have to go. Can we talk about this later?"

He placed his hands on his hips, and nodded.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

She pursed her lips, and quickly ran into the school.

Charlotte arrived at his office at 6:15. She was about to knock when the door swung open, and another student pushed past her. He was muttering all kinds of expletives as he stormed down the hall, and Charlotte could still hear him long after he was no longer visible. She stared after him for a moment, then turned to face the open door. Professor Hutcherson was leaning over his desk, his hands flat on the surface with a look of frustration on his face. He glanced at her and motioned for her to come in.

"Shut the door, please."

Charlotte obliged and stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do. Eventually, she sat down, perched on the edge of her seat, waiting for him to make a move. He had moved away from his desk and was staring out the window. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Were you waiting long?"

Charlotte cleared her throat.

"No, I had actually just arrived when...your other student was leaving."

He glanced at his watch.

"You were late, then."

His voice was firm, and Charlotte could immediately tell that being late had been worse than she thought.

"I'm sorry, Owen showed up at my door and wanted to walk me..."

He whipped around.

"Owen? Again?"

Jesus, everyone was in a bad mood today, she thought.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

The Professor gave a clipped laugh.

"A problem. Yes actually, it is. I don't share, Miss Matthews. Owen Holt needs to go."

Charlotte was quickly losing patience.

"Well, problem solved then. I'm late because I just broke things off with him and he didn't take it well. Happy?"

Now they were both in a foul mood. They were silent for a moment, the only sound in the office being their breathing and the ticking of the clock on the wall. After a few heartbeats, Charlotte's thoughts drifted to the student who nearly knocked her on her feet.

"Who was that? The student that came out all pissed off?"

"Miss Matthews..."

"Charlotte."

He blinked at her, then nodded.

"Fine. Charlotte, do you know why you're here?"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, you emailed me...something about an assignment. But you didn't answer me. Who was he?"

His gaze became intense and she quickly shut her mouth. He was not in the playing mood either apparently.

"That is none of your concern."

Ok...she thought. He finally sat down at his desk.

"I called you here to discuss the state of the paper that you submitted. It started off with plenty of promise, but then it was all down hill from there. Now, I've seen your grades and I've seen the kind of notes you can take. It would seem that you are not a slacker. Therefore, I can't understand what happened here. Please, explain so I don't have to fail you."

Charlotte stared at him. She was confused, she thought he asked her here for...other reasons.

"Wait. You mean to tell me that I'm here purely for academic reasons?"

Finally, his bad mood seemed to lift and he smirked at her.

"Usually that's why one enrolls in college Charlotte, yes."

She glared at him, unappreciative of the sarcasm.

"I mean this meeting. You called me here to actually discuss an assignment? There's no...I don't know, hidden agenda?"

He raised his eyebrows, and his eyes grew dark. He stood up, and walking around his desk walked towards her. Placing his hands on the arms of her chair, he leaned forward, his face inches from her's.

"Were you expecting something else, Miss Matthews?"

He placed his hand on her shoulder, pushing her farther back into the chair. Charlotte was speechless, but not necessarily opposed to the turn this meeting had taken.

"Maybe something like...this?""

Very lightly, he brushed his lips against hers. She sighed, her hearth thumping loudly in her chest, her face flushed. Swallowing hard, she stuttered to reply that she wanted to go further, but at that moment he smirked at her and backed off, returning to his desk. She stared at him questioningly, and he stared back, feigning ignorance on why she looked so frustrated. She was about to protest when he smiled at her.

"Here's the deal. If you want a decent grade on this paper, and I suspect you do, you will rewrite it and hand it in to me by Monday. If you do a good job, you will be rewarded. If not...well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Am I understood?"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure him out. His change of personality was going to give her whiplash.

"Is this going to be too much of a challenge for you, Ms. Matthews?"

That was it, she thought. He's trying to make me beg. Well Professor, good luck with that. If he wanted to play that game, then she was going to play back. She suddenly stood, and leaned over his desk. Her v-neck shirt gave a perfect glance down her bra, and she knew he was taking advantage of the view. Reaching forward, she grabbed his tie, and pulled him closer.

"Not at all, Professor. I enjoy a challenge. But I hope you're prepared to lose."

He gave her a cocky smile, and she released him.

"Josh," he said.

Turning, she smiled at him. "Josh." She agreed. Swinging her hips, she walked out of his office. She was only half way down the hall when her confident mood plummeted and she remembered Owen. Oh Owen, she thought. He was so kind to her, and she knew that he deserved better than this. Sighing, she pulled out her cell and sent him a quick message, then began her walk home.

By the time she got home, he still hadn't answered. Before she knew it, it was time for bed and still, no reply from Owen. She was beginning to become concerned, remembering how upset he had been earlier. She tried calling him, but it went straight to voice mail. Defeated, Charlotte crawled into bed, hoping to have better luck tomorrow.