(if you missed part 1, it's available in the Mysterious Ways section of Fanfiction.net. http://www.fanfiction.net)
"Tutoring Sessions"
Part 2
Miranda glanced at the room number she'd written down just before leaving Waldau's office. "Well, this is it," she mumbled to herself. She knocked hesitantly, and was rewarded by a "come on in!" from behind it. She reached for the knob, twisted and pushed open the door. Then, clutching the books she'd brought with her to her chest, she stepped inside.
And promptly stepped back in surprise, backing up until the door stopped her.
RJ stood before her in black denim jeans... and nothing else. Miranda forced her eyes away from his bare chest and soon realized that the same natural disaster that wrecked Declan's office on a daily basis had also visited RJ. The room was a mess! "Sorry," she muttered in embarrassment.
"Oh, hey! No! Don't be... I just can't seem to find the shirt I was looking for." He shrugged as if it didn't matter, and finally grabbed something out of the closet. He then pushed a large pile of books off a thankfully made bed and motioned for her to sit down. Noticing her hesitation, he sighed. "I'm sorry... I'm usually not this messy. I've just been a little preoccupied... and then Professor Dad pulls this tutoring crap out of nowhere and--" He stopped short suddenly. "Hey! I didn't mean..."
"No, it's okay," said Miranda, and actually meaning it. RJ was refreshingly *not* like his father, and his honest babbling was kind of sweet. "I understand about fathers," she added, meaning the overbearing kinds who want too much from you.
"You have one, too, huh?"
"Yeah."
RJ was still looking around the room, and was now frowning in an expression a little too reminiscent of his father. "Wanna move this somewhere more comfortable and less destroyed?"
"Library?" Miranda suggested.
"Actually... I know this coffee shop... it's not too far..."
*~*~*~*
"... and then it blew." RJ said, finishing his story. They'd ended their session an hour ago, but instead of leaving to go meet Declan and Peggy, RJ had convinced Miranda to stay and talk to him. 'If you're going to be my tutor, we may as well get know each other,' he'd said before launching into the story of why he dropped his chemistry class last semester.
"It... blew?" Miranda echoed.
RJ nodded. "Sky high.. or well, ceiling high, since we were inside and not out."
"Professor James must have been furious," Miranda commented, sipping her mocha latté and staring at the man before her thoughtfully. He was like a puzzle to her. Waldau had said RJ was failing his class, and yet he seemed to have understood the section they'd covered tonight.
Chuckling slightly, RJ flagged the waitress down and asked for another cup of coffee. The girl's eyes seemed to widen in recognition and she gave him a friendly smile. "You gonna be here tonight, RJ?" she asked, glancing at Miranda hesitantly. "We missed you last Friday night."
"Open mike night," RJ mouthed in response to Miranda's questioning expression. He turned back to the girl and smiled apologetically. "I can't. I have to do the family thing tonight. Sorry, Gia..." he added as her smile melted away. "I'll be here next week, though. Promise."
"You come here a lot, then?" Miranda asked after Gia had gone to get RJ's coffee.
"As often as I can get away from Dad," RJ admitted, making a face. "Open mike night's pretty cool, though. You should come sometime."
"Me? Um..." Miranda stammered. It did sound like fun, but she'd just met him after all and he *was* technically her student now. He was also fun to be around; she'd never had a tutoring session she'd actually enjoyed. "Maybe."
RJ flashed her an infectious smile in return. "So... let's talk
about you now."
(Continued in part 3)