He rolled over in his large bed and draped his arm across the empty space opposite him. He sighed, remembering how it felt to wake up to someone else. He wasn't thinking about the awkward moments in college when he would wake up to find somebody unknown sleeping next to him. He was thinking about the day after their wedding, the first time he got to wake up and kiss his wife.
They hadn't been able to take a honeymoon because of their joint work schedules, but had stayed in one of the nicer hotels in the area to enjoy their first night as husband and wife. They had lived together for months, but something was different that morning. He had woken up in his usual groggy manner and thrown his arm haphazardly across the bed. He had rolled over and seen her dark hair cascaded across a white pillow, a sheet tucked over her chest to keep her modest. He had merely watched her; shocked that he hadn't woken her up with his arm. He had smiled when he saw her tanned skin glowing in the morning light. His eyes had traveled her arms and he saw the small diamond ring on her finger. His smile grew and he just watched her sleeping.
She had seemed so different from the Maren that he knew by day. She was a fighter in the daytime. She worked with determination and never broke down like most people do. But there in the early hours of the morning, he had seen a different side of her that had somehow passed him by before. He saw her in a rare and vulnerable state. He saw her just lying in bed, so human compared to the superwoman that he knew. He had curled tight behind her and kissed her cheek, relishing the feeling of holding her in bed.
He looked at the empty side of the bed again and rolled to his back. He traced random lines on the ceiling, trying to forget about what he had lost. A flash ran across his vision and he began to remember Saturday afternoon, realizing that he would get to see Callie again later that day. He smiled at the thought of her deep brown eyes peering at him from five rows away. Class was going to be difficult to handle; he would be distracted. But of course, his teaching came first. If all else failed, he would teach the walls of the room to avoid looking at her.
He blindly went through his morning routine, making his coffee mechanically after a shower. He grabbed a large winter coat before leaving, realizing that it was still storming outside. The winter was coming quickly and he couldn't afford to get sick, let alone have to miss a day of seeing the raven-haired beauty.
He pulled into the school with half an hour to spare. Rather than rush into class, he decided to stay in the car for a few more minutes to keep warm before facing the chill outside. He sipped his coffee and watched the students sulk by, each of them looking more depressed than the next.
From a few feet away, he saw long black hair being blown by the wind. A radiant smile stood out and he recognized Callie and, he was assuming as he had never directly asked, Addison. He smiled in his car and watched her and Addison joking about something as usual. Clearly whatever hadn't been resolved in the park had cleared up. He watched her walk toward the building and stop in front of it, looking out at the parking lot. He froze for a second wishing that she would acknowledge him. She shook her head and mouthed something to Addison before walking in. He grabbed his bag off of the side seat and took a deep breath before leaving the safety of his car and entering the classroom.
He unpacked his things on the desk, purposely avoiding looking up for fear of being distracted. Finally, he realized that teaching would be impossible without seeing her. He set up his slideshow and prepared to lecture. Thankfully, the day's topic was one he knew like the back of his hand, so concentration wasn't really a necessity.
"Welcome back to class. You've made it this far, I hope you ready to study for midterms," he announced to the class. A joint look of fear flashed in each of their eyes as they recognized the fact that midterms were fast approaching.
"Don't worry, if you've studied so far and you remember everything you've learned, you should be just fine." He smiled out at them and waited for a response. A collective sigh met him and he watched as the students leaned back in their chairs and began to somberly copy the notes. He checked to see that all heads were down writing before smiling directly at Callie. She smiled back and raised her hand in a slight wave that could easily be mistaken for pointing if anyone asked.
He lectured while the students copied notes from the screen in front of them. Thankfully, they were distracted most of the class with writing. He took long moments of his lecture to watch her. Her eyes were wide when she looked up to see the notes and she sometimes would catch his eye and smile. He felt happy. For the first time in months, Mark Sloan truly felt happy.
"That's all for today folks. I'll be uploading your first test to online grades tonight so be sure to check," he said as the student closed their books. He walked over to his class roster and picked it up, pretending to search for a name.
"Is there a Callie Torres in here?" he looked around, masking his smile with the hard face of a professor. He watched as all eyes flew to the girl with her hand up.
"Ms. Torres, I'd like to see you after class please." He watched as she bit her lip and went wide-eyed putting on a decently terrified look. She nodded her head and turned to say something to Addison. Callie nodded at her and watched as the students left the room slowly.
Mark walked over to the door and shut it as Callie ascended down the stairs. She was wearing tight jeans and a sweatshirt which gave her a token college-girl look. He checked the door once more before turning to face her. She was on the bottom stair, smiling at him. Her hair cascaded down one side of her sweatshirt and her dark eyes beamed out from her face. All he saw in the room was her-she was breathtaking even in her sweatshirt and jeans.
"Mark?" she asked with a smirk.
"H-hey uh I just wanted to say hi," he said meekly, realizing that she might have some place else to be. "I hope I'm not keeping you or anything. I just really wanted to say hi."
"Mark, is the door locked?" she asked him softly. He nodded his head and she proceeded toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him softly on the lips and smiled when he went back in for another. They stood in silence, merely smiling at each other.
The phone ringing caused her to jump back.
"Professor Sloan?" a voice questioned from other end.
"Just a second," he responded, momentarily panicking.
Callie raised her hands in a silent question. Who? She mouthed to him.
"That's the head of the medical department at the school. I forgot that she wanted a meeting. I've got to go now," he whispered.
She kissed him once more and smiled again.
"I'll be back for office hours. I hope you stay open late," she whispered back with a wink, sauntering out the door.
His heart raced for a second, but a mask of calm on the outside prevailed. This was really happening. He was having a fling with a student.
"Professor Sloan, as I'm sure you know the Johns Hopkins Medical Conference is one of the largest and most prestigious conferences in the country."
He nodded his head at the statement, remembering when he was first told about the meeting. Shayna Marshall sat across from him. Her office was plastered with achievements from an undergraduate degree to a doctorate.
"We'd like you to represent us this year."
His eyes refocused on her and went wide. He opened his mouth to speak but was unable to form a sentence.
"I know you went through some hard times last year, but you are one of the most valued minds in our department and we would be honored to send you to Maryland to attend the conference."
"This is an honor. Thank you so much. I don't exactly know what to say, but I am honored and willing to represent our incredible establishment," he responded with a wide smile.
He stood up from his chair and shook the department head's hand.
"You leave in a month," she said to him.
He nodded back and thanked her again, collecting his things and leaving the office. He smiled all the way to his car. The year had been shitty for him. It was soon to be over, but clearly one last hurrah needed to happen. Maybe more.
He sat in his office waiting for the time to tick by slowly. Callie had emailed him two hours ago saying that she had to study with Addison until 11, but would be over after that. He was entering grades when a knock came from the doorway.
She stood in a tight red tank top and jeans, clearly trying to make an impression. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes went wide.
"Did-did anyone see you come in here this late?" he spurted out.
She shook her head and smiled at him seductively.
"Professor, I really need some help for this midterm," she said in a sultry voice slowly closing the door behind her. "I really don't understand anatomy very well. I think I understand some things, but others just confuse me."
She walked over to his desk and sat on top of it, leaning back and sticking her chest out. She raised her eyebrow and smirked, provoking him as much as possible. He felt his heart begin to race and a knot form in his stomach. He tried to keep his breathing under control. His jeans pulled tight against his bulge and he tried to stay calm.
"Callie, what can I help you with?" he asked her in a joking tone.
He watched as she trailed her finger slowly across her chest. She turned on the desk to face him, opening her legs wider than necessary. She leaned over to the chair and grabbed his hands, pulling them up to cup her breasts.
"Sir," she said lightly. "I wanted to know if you could tell me about the female body."
He squeezed gently, cherishing the look on her face. Her mouth opened slightly and she moaned as he continued. He grabbed her arms and pulled her off of the desk. He flipped her so that she was facing away from him and wrapped his arms around her chest. He continued to knead her breasts and her head rolled back to lean on him. He placed light kisses from her collarbone to her ear.
She turned to face him and kissed him hard, leaning the chair back slightly. He wrapped his arms around her middle and continued kissing her, holding her closer than before. She smiled in to the kiss and his hands traced patterns along her back, his fingers trailing up and down her spine. He could feel goose bumps rising on her arms and loved knowing that he was the cause. He dragged his lips down her neck again and pulled back keeping hold of her. She smiled at him softly, and leaned her head into his. They stayed still for a few moments, enjoying the silence and each other.
He broke the silence with a quiet comment.
"Callie, I do have to go home. It's a half hour drive from here and I'd like to be home before midnight."
She nodded and pulled away from him, attempting to stand up. He pulled her back down gently and kissed her lips.
"I forgot to tell you my good news," he whispered across her lips.
"What is it?" she asked back.
"I'm being sent to the Johns Hopkins Medical Conference in a month. I was chosen of all the staff here!" he replied with a grin.
A smile broke out across her face and she pulled him in for a deep kiss.
"I'm so happy for you Mark. That's incredible. Congratulations!" she said with another kiss. "I'll let you get home now. I'll see you on Wednesday."
She stood up from his chair and smirked at him before calmly walking out, leaving him turned on and alone in his office. He shook his head and smiled, reveling in his joy. 10 minutes passed and he noticed how late it had gotten. Picking up his briefcase, he walked out to his car. He walked by each dorm, remembering her mentioning that she lived in Vilas Hall.
He eyed a student opening the front door and couldn't resist. He followed the student in, explaining that he had official business to take care of with a student. The boy shrugged at him and walked off in the other direction toward the common room. Mark walked along the first floor, reading names off of white boards on the doors. He hit the end of the hall and finally saw "Callie" written in feminine script. He smiled and raised his hand to knock on the door, but held back. Instead, he dug a small piece of paper out of his briefcase.
You're beautiful. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.
-Mark
He smiled at the note and stuck it in the corner of the whiteboard, hoping that nobody would assume it was him. It was risky, but he knew it was worth it. He drove home, thinking of her the entire way back. He fed Sami and curled up in bed, hoping to dream of his beautiful Calliope.
She was the refreshing breath that he needed after being drowned for the last six months. Hell, she was all he needed.
He's sitting in his car in the school parking lot. It's winter break and the campus is nearly abandoned. But at least one person is still there.
A knock on his window distracts him and a smiling Latina meets his gaze. She has on a purple snow hat and a large black coat. Her cheeks are rosy with cold and he doesn't waste a second to let her into the car. She kisses him lightly and unzips her coat, tossing it into the back seat. Her thin tank top doesn't do much to warm her. Goose bumps travel across her chest and he sucks in a breath of air to keep from getting hard at the sight of her.
"So where to?" he asks her and smiles.
"Surprise me," she responds.
"Do you mind being outside? I know it's cold, but there's somewhere I'd love to go."
"Not at all," she says with a smile. "As long as you keep me warm."
She winks with the final statement and giggles to herself. He pulls out of the lot and drives down the street to their favorite park.
"Let's take a walk," he whispers, planting a kiss on her.
He reaches to grab her coat from the back, but is distracted by her tongue on his neck. She licks a path downwards and trails her hand to his jeans.
"Cal, don't you want to walk?" he asks.
"I'm perfect fine here," she whispers in his ear, biting gently. Her hands make quick work of his pants and slide inside his boxers. She teases him, lightly running her fingers along his shaft and over the tip before taking it in her hand and rubbing gently. He breaths deeply and kisses her, moaning into her mouth.
Her lips break from his and travel downward. She takes him in her mouth and sucks hard, feeling his hand in her hair. She slides her tongue in circles around the tip and feels him begin to shake.
He groans loudly before letting go. She swallows quickly and pulls her head back up to him, leaving his lower half exposed. She ghosts her finger over the tip again and smiles at him.
"Still wanna go for a walk?" she whispers.
"I'd much prefer to stay here," he says back, pulling their lips together.
He opened his eyes to the sunlight streaming through the window. He was wrapped around a pillow wearing nothing but boxers. He laughed at the comical position and sat up in bed, calling Sami over to lay with him.
"Shit," he said out loud. "Who's going to take care of you when I go?"
He looked down at Sami and an idea popped into his head. He picked up the phone next to his bed and dialed the number he had now memorized.
"Callie, I need to ask a favor of you…"