Hey. I'm nervous about posting this, I have been looking for a good student/teacher fic and have been struggling to find more than one or two so I thought I would write one of my own. I decided to use Eliza and Arizona because it just works better in my head, please be nice. I'm currently in the middle of writing 'Giving Into Temptation' but I have a bit of head block with that one and this one is exciting me to write. I hope you enjoy, comments always welcome as usual.
ELIZA'S POV
Have you ever felt that feeling of complete infactuation? You wake up every morning to the image of them. A simple glance gets your heart racing like no other and their smile puts your health bar at 100% no matter how you're feeling that day. Sleep never comes easy, it's hard to relax when every day you're high up on cloud 9 simply at the thought of them. Those days where your paths cross, their scent intoxicates you for the rest of the day.
You are completely enamoured by them, by her.
"Earth to Eliza, anyone in there?" My thoughts interrupted by the voice of my bestfriend. Now out of my daydream I realise that the whole classroom is empty except for us.
"Sorry, I must have spaced out or something," I quickly clear the table of my belongings and swing my bag over my shoulder so it's resting comfortably across my body.
"You seem to be doing that a lot. Do you want to come over to mine tonight to study? We can order pizza and talk about whatever it is that has you so distracted these days," Maggie asks, interlocking our arms.
As we walked down the hall I entertained her invitation for a moment, it might be nice to have a distraction this evening. "Sure, I'm keen to hang out, but no studying and no staying in. Tonight, we are drinking. Should we invite Amelia?"
"No, she's with her boyfriend tonight. Honestly that girl needs to get her priorties straight, it's our last year of studies and all she can thinking about is getting laid," Maggie scowled.
If only she knew.
Maggie, Amelia and I had become bestfriends our first year of University after all being put in the same dorm room. There was supposed to have been a fourth girl but she ended up never showing so the three of us had become inseparable for the last 3 years. It was now our fourth and final year and we had found ourselves spending less time together as we were no long roommates. Maggie still lived in the dorm but Amelia had decided to move in with her boyfriend at the beginning of the year and my sister had offered me her apartment for the year as she had got a job overseas and it was only fifteen minutes from campus.
"Well okay then, just us two girls, out on the town ready for a night of shenanigans?" I grin at my bestfriend, giving her a little shimmy to demonstrate my excitement.
"Yeah, yeah sounds good as long as you don't go leaving me to hook up with some hottie," she responds poking her tongue out as I give her my best shocked face.
I point my finger at myself before giving her my most dramatic response, "Me? I would never leave thy bestfriend alone at the bar to get my flirt on with some sexy stranger." We both fall into a fit of giggles. Locking arms once again, we continue to wander off campus to our local coffee shop. It was what we did most days as Maggie and I had almost all of our classes together and we both had a major caffeine addiction.
Walking through the park in a comfortable silence, I take a moment to scan the world around me. Children running and laughing in the playground, a group of mums pushing their strollers holding their to go cups of coffee, a group of college guys kicking the ball around on the grass. My eyes focus on a couple sitting on the bench coming up ahead of us, they must have been my age or a couple of years younger. One girl had her legs resting across the other's lap, their hands resting atop with their fingers intertwined as though physical contact was a must no matter where they were. I had never been in a relationship before, throughout college I had dated here and there but the connection was never strong enough for me to want to pursue. I didn't mind though, I craved independence and have always been happy for my studies to be my main focus.
Our coffee shop comes into view as we round the corner, making a beeline for our usual seats located out the front.
"Usual?" Maggie asks. I nod in response as she heads inside to order our drinks. It's a routine we have perfected over the years, taking it in turns to order, always getting the same drinks.
I drape my jacket over the back of my chair, place my bag on the free chair next to mine and slide my sunglasses onto the top of my head.
"Hey gorgeous," Amelia says as she takes the seat opposite mine, placing her own bag on the chair next to mine.
"Wasn't sure you would show today, Maggie said something about the boyfriend," I raised my eyebrows at at her suggestively.
"No way would I ever ditch coffee time, Link and I have plans tonight though." She grabs the menu next to her and gives it a quick scan. "I might grab a sandwich or something, I haven't eaten all morning."
Maggie returned with 3 coffees balanced on a tray, each taking our own drink before disposing of the tray and taking the remaining seat between the two of us.
"Wasn't sure we'd be-"
"Seeing me today, yes El just said. I told you I was busy tonight, not today."
"Hmm, well we're going to have a girls night at the bar so if you end up ditching your boyfriend you'll know where we are," Maggie said peaking over her cup as she takes a sip.
"When are you going to stop hating him? You barely even know him since you never let him hang out with us!" They had the same back and forth on a daily basis.
"He used to bully me in second grade Amelia! Made my life a misery for years."
"Okay guys come on," I interrupted before things escalated. "Let's just enjoy our coffees, have a little catch up, no need for any of these raised voices."
"So how was everyone's weekends? Maggie I assume that you were studying but El, I'm sure you got up to some fun antics you want to tell us all about?" Amelia's eyes twinkled.
"Nope, no gossip I'm afraid. I think I've just about dated every queer woman in this town and none of them have managed to climb over my towering fear of commitment yet."
They both broke out into laughter.
"What about Melissa? I thought you were going to take her out on a second date? She said she really likes you," Amelia smirked.
"Melissa likes anyone and anything with a pulse, I don't think that girl has slept in her own bed since the beginning of first year," I reply.
"Well then what about Brie? She's cute and you guys did hook up at that party a few months ago, why don't you ask her out?"
"Amelia, stop. Just because you're in a relationship now it doesn't mean it's what the rest of us are interested in," I reply impatiently.
Amelia picks up her napkin and waves it in my direction. "My bad," she whispers.
I checked my phone for the time, I wanted to have enough time to study before I started getting ready for the bar tonight.
"Right my beauties, I want to get in a few hours of studying before this evenings events so I'm going to head back to my place now," I grab my bag and jacket as I stand, leaning down to give both women a kiss on the cheek.
"Can't wait to hear all about it tomorrow!" Amelia replied as she stood to embrace me, she always had been the hugger of the group. "Maggie and I are going to stay and chat about who we want to set you up with," she winked.
"Well you girls have fun with that," I said narrowing my eyes. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I turn and leave the girls to it.
I decided to head back through the park, it added some time onto my journey but it was worth it. As my ears filled with the sounds of the birds singing and the river flowing my mind started to wander back to her. It had been two months since she had walked into my class and introduced herself, we had barely held a conversation but this woman was all I could think about. Having feelings for someone who was forbidden was torture, not being able to talk to anyone about it had been a struggle but I knew even if I did discuss it with Maggie and Amelia they would tease me mercilessly before reiterating that nothing could happen anyway.
As I walked passed the campus I remembered that I needed to pick up a book from the library that I had recieved an email about becoming available that morning, so I took a detour back to school and headed straight for the library.
ARIZONA'S POV
As mornings go, this one was turning out to be an absolute misery. I had spent the night tossing and turning in bed, barely achieving more than a few hours of sleep before my alarm sounded. Then my morning shower was interrupted by my screams when the delightfully hot water was replaced with ice cold, so a broken boiler ontop of little sleep had put me in a foul mood. Driving into campus earlier than normal I was relieved to see my favourite parking space available, finally some good news. I needed to get a hard start on looking through my student's essays, they had all submitted their first drafts for their final essays of their senior year and I wanted to get them back to them as soon as possible to ensure they had enough time to make the necessary changes and finish them before the year ended. Grabbing my papers and books from the back of my car before entering the building and making my way straight to my office, I need coffee, I thought to myself as I rounded the corner and noticed someone waiting for me outside my office.
''Professor Stark,'' I greet him without a smile.
''Professor Robbins, I'm so happy I caught you, I need to ask a favour. I have a lot of papers I need help grading-''
I held my hand up at him before I unlocked my office door, struggling not to drop my books.
''Robert I have no more time to help you catch up, I helped you last week and I have my own students papers to focus on. I'm sorry but it's a no.'' I closed my door and put my stack of books onto my desk, releasing a sigh of relief as I drop down and sink into my chair.
Deciding against getting a coffee, the potential of bumping into Stark again not worth it, I instead grabbed the papers infront of me and started to to read through them.
Once I had got through about half of the papers I took out my phone to check the time, I had about 20 minutes before I needed to be in class which was perfect as I was yet to get a coffee and my head was starting to pound due to my lack of caffeine. I stood and pulled my skirt down slightly as it had ridden up from being seated, ran my fingers gently through my hair before leaving my office.
''Arizona!'' I rolled my eyes but my face quickly broke into a smile at the image of my bestfriend walking towards me.
''Please tell me you're about to get coffee, I need me some coffee this morning,'' Teddy asked excitedly, falling into stride with me.
''Yes, coffee. I have had the worst morning, Stark was here waiting for me when I got in asking me for more help.''
''Ugh that man is awful, he needs to just retire already if he can't keep up with his workload,'' I nodded in response. ''So it was meant to be mine and Henry's anniversary tonight, I always booked us a fancy restaurant a few months or so in advance so they called me this morning to check on the reservation and I couldn't get the words out to cancel. Will you come with me tonight? It's a great place, the food is the best in the city and then we can go out after and get our drink on.''
Henry was Teddy's husband, he had passed away a month ago and she had only just got back to work after taking some time off. I had tried to be there for her the best I could but she was stubborn and didn't like bothering others with her own personal life.
''Sure Teds, I would love to go to dinner with you. It will be nice to get dressed up for someone, it's been a while!'' I said with a grin, a slight twinkle in my eyes.
We reached the cafe on campus and Teddy ordered us two coffees from the barista. She made the payment before passing me one of the cups.
''Thank you,'' I said with a smile, giving her arm a squeeze. I took a sip of the hot liquid, a feeling of relief immediately filling my body.
''Right I have a class, I'll see you later. Pick you up at 8!'' She said before striding out of the room.
I too quickly headed off in the direction of my classroom, lateness was my pet peeve and I didn't want to give any of my students an excuse to be late in the future. Striding into my classroom, my students lower their chattering voices and all turn to look at me. I'm not strict but I don't go easy on them, I make sure to put as much time and energy into my students that I can, I let them know that my door is aways open to them and they respect me for it.
Halfway through class I put on a 5 minute video for them to watch, I like to keep my lessons interesting and I often find different forms of stimulation during long classes keep my students engaged. I took a seat at my desk, watching the video on and off whist my eyes scanned over the young adults infront of me. As my eyes trailed along the rows I noticed a pair staring back at me, they belonged to my top student Eliza Minnick who seemed to be lost in thought as she hadn't noticed I had seen her staring.
''Everything okay?'' I mouthed at her, tilting my head slightly.
Quickly realising she had been caught she nodded her head in response, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as she focused her attention on the screen infront of her.
Her eyes were a light blue/green colour, I had never seen a pair quite like it before. I had noticed them the first time I had ever met her, she always had impeccable grades and never failed to come to class without her complete attention and a smile on her face, I suppose she had made quite the impression on me. The video finished and I asked a couple of questions before dismissing them for the day, I left in a hurry to make sure I got to my next class on time; I only had two today so later I could focus my attention on looking over the rest of my essays.
When I finished my final class of the day I headed back to my office to collect my papers before deciding to look over them in the library, I didn't feel like being interrupted by another Professor asking me for something and I knew nobody would come looking for me in the library. Once there I found myself a table in the corner out of the way and quickly got to work. After a little while I noticed somebody looking in one of the aisles next to me, someone I recognised.
''Eliza?'' My voice barely above a whisper.
She pokes her head out of the aisle looking for the voice, her eyes settling on mine. Such beautiful eyes, I think to myself. Wait, what was that? Not beautiful eyes, just your students eyes. Her lips turn up into a small smile before she takes a few steps in my direction.
''Hello Professor Robbins. Everything okay?'' She asks, her tone soft but strong.
''Oh yes absolutely. I just finished reading your first draft and I wanted to tell you how well written it is.''
''Thank you so much Professor Robbins, that really means alot.''
I pull out the chair next to me and offer it to her, she reluctantly took a seat. ''Please, call me Arizona, we aren't in class right now,'' I say with a cheeky smile. ''Your essay topic, I have some personal experience with it so if you would like to use me as a resource, I would be more than happy for you to interview me.''
She started to play with her fingers, running them over her nails and gently scratching across the back of her hand.
''Everything okay Eliza?''
The movements of her fingers stop and her eyes found mine, ''Everything is fine. I um, I appreciate your offer to help but I don't want to bother you and take up your time.'' Her pupils are dilated, but I find a slight sadness in her eyes.
''It would be my pleasure honestly. You are my best student Eliza, I trust you to write my personal experiences,'' I lift my hand and rest it ontop of hers. Why did I just do that? Arizona you're being so inappropriate. Quickly I lifted my hand off and placed it on my lap.
''I mean, as long as you don't mind I would really like to use you,'' Eliza replies nervously.
It takes everything in me not to respond to her wanting to use me, instead I bite my lip and give her a quick smile.
''What are you doing in the library Professor Robbins? Don't you normally do your work in your office?''
''Yes normally but, between you and I, the other professors keep bothering me and I'm hiding out in here.''
We both laugh together, our bodies leaning down slightly in an attempt to stifle the sound so nobody hears. The movement caused our heads to become much closer together, my eyes landing on her plump pink lips. I quickly pull my eyes away but the act doesn't go unnoticed, Eliza was smirking at me, her pupils now so dilated her eyes are almost black.
''It's Pillow Talk,'' Eliza states confidently, a smirk still evident on her face.
''I'm sorry?'' I respond, completely caught off guard. Is she flirting with me?
''My lipstick, I noticed you looking. It's Pillow Talk by Charlotte Tilbury,'' her tongue poking out to wet her lips.
''Oh, right um, yes, love the colour. I'll definitely, I'll check it out.'' She's definitely flirting with me. What do I do? I can't tell her she is being inappropriate I was practically just flirting with her too.
''Anyway, I should get home and study. Maybe we could arrange a time when I could come by your office and talk to you?''
Oh my god she wants to talk to me, about the flirting? Did she notice? Does she think I'm being appropriate? ''Oh yes of course, talk to me about what?'' I smile, pretending I'm not having a breakdown inside.
''Talk about my essay,'' she giggles noticing my nerves. ''You said I could interview you.''
''Oh yes of course, I'll look at my schedule and let you know a good time,'' I respond confidently attempting to pull back this conversation.
Eliza stands and pulls her bag over her head, ''I look foward to it,'' she says over her shoulder before walking away.
What was that Arizona? You're her Professor, you could get fired. Pull yourself together.