Chapter Five

Joey could easily have slept for a few more hours but her cell-phone was vibrating on the bedside table causing a highly annoying and loud buzzing noise. Wilder was stirring next to her, how could he sleep through the noise? She reached for the phone and pushed the green button.

" Hello?" she yawned, closing her eyes again. The thick dark curtains blacked out the morning sun so Joey could pretend that it was still last night. She tentatively reached a foot out, touching Wilder's bare foot before pulling back, a smile creeping across her face.

" Look, I know it's Saturday morning which meant that last night was Friday night and I know that meant that you didn't have to come home but you didn't come home!! Where the hell are you?" shouted Audrey so loud that Joey had to move the phone away from her ear.

" I'm at Wilder's, I'll talk to you later," she sighed and cut Audrey off before she could reply, she then switched the cell-phone off altogether and placed it back on the bedside table. She turned on to her side and looked at Wilder, his eyes were shut but she knew he was awake. She traced his lips with a finger, causing him to smile and begrudgingly open his eyes.

" Was that the inquisition?" he mumbled, reaching his arm over Joey and pulling him towards her. She let herself be pulled into his arms and twisted her body so that they lay together in bed, his arm around her shoulders and her nestling into his chest.

" Audrey, sometimes I feel like we're married,"

" I'm sure she's just checking up on you. I know I'd be worried if you didn't make it home," he murmured, attempting to go back to sleep. Joey sat up and looked at him intently, he blinked his eyes open again.

" You'd be worried? About me? Well, aren't you just the cutest?" she teased. He mockingly slapped the top of her arm and she relaxed beside him once more. " You do realise that I actually have to leave today…at some point anyway,"

" Yeah, you've probably got stuff to do. I've got stuff too, y'know," he smiled, running his fingers through her hair. " I don't suppose you're gonna make me breakfast in bed?"

" Yeah right! I'm the guest, you should be cooking for me!" Joey laughed, picking up one of her pillows and smacking him over the head with it. He laughed and hit her back with his own pillow and soon they were laughing breathlessly as they sat up and pounded each other with pillows. " You know, I was telling Audrey yesterday about how mature and grown up you were and look at you now. It really is a disgrace,"

" We could talk about Sylvia Plath if you want. Isn't she the one all you teenagers 'dig' now?"

" No way. I've had enough of that woman to last me a lifetime. Maybe you should make us breakfast," she smiled, using her feet to inch Wilder out of the bed. He finally gave in and got out of bed, leaving Joey to lay back and think about what happened next. Was she supposed to keep all these feelings quiet just because Wilder was her professor? If she didn't, he could lose his job and then he'd have to move to get another one and they would end up separated anyway.

She wandered into his kitchen wearing one of his over-sized shirts that reached to her knees. He was brewing coffee and serving out two plates of bacon and eggs with toast. She grinned at the image of him; he had always been Professor Wilder with his shirts and trousers and sarcastic comments, now he was David – cooking breakfast in his boxer shorts. She sat at the breakfast bar, lifting herself onto one of the high stools; he turned and passed her a plate of food.

" What would happen if I quit your class?" queried Joey, taking a bite out of a piece of toast. He frowned as he sat next to her.

" Nothing. I mean, you don't need my help to write, your work is amazing. Why are you even thinking about this?"

" Because I figured that if I quit your class then you won't be my professor and we don't have to hide from everyone. What do you think?"

" I honestly don't know if it would work. I mean, I'd still be a professor even if I weren't yours. I don't know if the powers that be make a distinction,"

" Then find out, I want to stop sneaking around. I want to be able to smile when I see you instead of hiding, I want to stay over without worrying about someone seeing me leave the next day,"

" Okay, Joey Potter. I will find out. Anything to keep that smile on your face,"