Chapter Two

Next Encounter

"Love is like a slippery slope, you tend to fall when you least expect it."

Jasmine Dubroff

I enjoyed the hot shower, but my mind was in other places. It has been well over an hour since I met Ariston Crete, I was still stunned by the encounter, and I still felt breathless and sort of lightheaded. No one has ever had this kind of an effect on me. It feels as if he holds a power over me, over my body... even my soul. I could not help the blush that covered my cheeks at the thought of him. My hand still tingled from where he held it and kissed it.

No matter what, I could not stop thinking about Ariston; his smile, his voice, his beauty... how a dozen emotions can run through his eyes in a moment, and also the sadness he tries to hide. The thing was, that I did not want to stop thinking about him; this man fascinated me in a way I was hardly able to understand. The very thought of him made me smile for a reason I could not explain.

I got out of the shower and dried off then wrapped the towel around my hair. I chose my outfit with care; dressing in a blue cotton halter-top and a knee length, A-line, white skirt with leather wedges for shoes. The outfit complimented my perfect figure beautifully; I have always stayed in prime physical condition, health and fitness were important to me. Of course when you have worked with and ridden horses at least five days a week since you were able to, your body tends to be fit and toned, and with the "gifts" my mother gave me it was obvious why most men eyed me, not that I have desired such attention from anyone in the past.

I felt a difference within me today; something has changed, as I was certain it would yesterday. I ran a brush through my hair as I stood in front of the mirror, in front of my blue glass sink. The same face looked back at me, an elegant face with flawless, lightly tanned skin, high cheekbones, full pink lips and violet eyes that were more purple than blue surrounded with thick, dark gold eyelashes. A blush covered my cheeks in a beautiful pink and my full, wavy, golden hair flowed around me before I pulled some of it out of my face with a metal barrette, the rest cascaded down my back. I look as I always do, so it must be as I guessed, this difference must be within me. I walked out of my room in a sort of daze, thinking about the difference, wondering at it. I almost felt like I was glowing, it was a feeling of weightlessness that filled me.

"Well, don't you look beautiful!" I heard Margret's voice as I entered the living room, but only part of me was aware of it. I looked up at her and smiled. She looked taken aback for a moment, as if she saw something upon my face she had not seen before. "Are you dressing up for Aaron?" She asked.

I was shocked for a moment. After being with Ariston Crete for less than an hour, I all but forgot about my boyfriend of two years. I shook it off as well as I could and smiled to Margret; it was an unsettling feeling.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her, wanting a distraction.

"Your bag?" Margret asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank you." I said, walking back into my room and grabbing my book bag. "Let's go." I said to Margret and we walked out and locked the door to our apartment.

"How was my Willow this morning?" Margret asked in a fond tone, speaking of her six-year-old mare as we walked down the hallway. Willow is a 16 hand, dappled gray Irish Sport Horse and an absolute sweetheart, she is the exception to the rule about mares that only a horse rider knows.

"She was her usual sweet self; she could not wait for her food." I said with a smile, I really do love that horse. "Are you riding her today?" I asked.

"No, you can." Margret replied with a smile. "I so love that this school starts class two hours later on the first day of school. What a wonderful idea." She sighed.

"That does mean that school is out two hours later though." I reminded her.

"Yes, but the extra hours of sleep are worth it after being out late last night, wouldn't you say?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow with an expectant smile on my face, my eyebrows raised, and she suddenly remembered that I woke up at 5am this morning. "Sorry." She said apologetically. I laughed.

"It is okay." I told her. I was in a particularly good mood for a reason I could not exactly name.

We walked outside, and down the path towards the school in silence as I enjoyed the sunshine on my skin, and the slight breeze blowing through my hair on this beautiful day. I felt an extra warmth within me, an essence beside me, which seemed to radiate kindness, warmth and strength; it gave me goosebumps.

"Oh, I forgot to ask," Margret began. "Did the new horse arrive alright this morning?" I thought of Ariston and blushed as my smile grew.

"Yes he did; as it turns out, his owner is our new History Professor." I told her.

"Really? What's his name?" Margret asked.

"Ariston Crete, he is from Greece." I told her, trying not to sound as breathless as I felt. I do like how it feels to say his name.

"Is he good looking?" She asked.

"A simple yes would be an understatement," I said. "I have never seen anyone more... beautiful. He is tall, with black curly hair, skin the color of cinnamon and blue eyes the color of the summer sky on a cloudless afternoon. And his voice... oh it would put a choir of angels to shame." I said breathlessly, getting carried away at the thought of him. I could feel the blush deepening on my cheeks.

"Wow, he sounds hot!" She said, a smile on her face. "What is he like?"

"He has this way about him, a confidence, a regality, and at the same time a deep kindness, the kind where you can tell it is who he genuinely is." I told her, smiling even further. "He is also a perfect gentleman. Right before we said goodbye, my stomach growled and he ran to his truck and gave me his Chicken Caesar Wrap." I smiled at the memory; it was such a small thing, something any gentleman would have done, and yet it meant so much to me.

"He seems to have made quite an impression on you." Margret said to me, I rolled my eyes at the implication in her voice.

"There is just something about him, I do not know how to explain it." I told her with a shrug, while I smiled at the thought of him and tried to control the feelings that were taking over my being. I looked at Margret and found her looking at me with a knowing smile. "Despite that, you should not let your imagination get away with you. I have a boyfriend, and Ariston is a lot older than I am."

"Mera, you are nearly eighteen years old," Margret reminded me. "It is okay to be interested in an older man."

"I know that, but I am not." I told her. A part of me asked whom I was trying to convince.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. Margret and I are like that, we can talk continuously and then be quiet for hours. Ten minutes later we walked under the stone arch and into the main square. Although most of the dorms were already here on the Blueridge Prep Campus, the school itself was built later on. The enormous building was built around a huge courtyard in the center which lets in more natural light. Each of the classrooms were built in small amphitheaters so that the whole class can hear the professor clearly. Blueridge Prep truly is an extraordinary school, a diploma from here is a first class ticket to the best colleges in the world.

Students filled the courtyard. A grand fountain flowed in the center and huge oak trees were everywhere with benches under their shade. The leaves were just beginning to fade to yellow. Some students sat on the benches and others on the grass as they waited for school to begin.

"I am going to meet up with Jack; I will see you in history." Margret said, the same implication in her voice as she mentioned our first class. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"See you then." I waved as she walked away.

I went and sat on one of the benches and took a deep breath. I still could not get Ariston out of my mind, and it was getting ridiculous. I took out my sketchpad and some graphite pencils, hoping that drawing would take my mind off of him. I flipped through my detailed drawings; everyone I have shown them to has said that my work is genius. When I got to an empty page, I touched the tip of my pencil to the page and tried to think of something to draw, but all I saw was Ariston's face.

I gave in with a sigh a few minutes later, it was no use fighting it. I knew what I wanted to draw, whom I wished to depict. Within a few minutes I had the image I wanted on the page; I could not take my eyes off of him. It showed Ariston Crete when I first saw him, leaning against the door frame. His beautiful, sad, ancient eyes looked back at me with slight amusement. His beautiful face, crooked smile, and perfect features were clearly depicted on the page, and I was once again struck by his beauty.

After a few minutes, I turned the page and started a new drawing, this one showed Ariston with Vrontos, horse and rider looking at each other in the eyes, seeming to communicate without words being necessary. I gazed upon the drawing, trying to comprehend what exactly it was I was feeling. He was simply a wonderfully fascinating man whom I truly wished to know everything about.

"There you are." I looked up from my drawing to see Aaron's smiling face as he walked towards me.

I smiled to him as he walked over to me. He wore a russet henley colored, v-neck tee-shirt which fit him just right; he paired the shirt with relaxed fit jeans and good looking leather shoes. He wore a watch on his left wrist, one that belonged to his father. It was a simple leather strap with a gold face, it was something incredibly precious to him that his father left him. I knew the loss of his father was something that would never leave him, and all I could do for him was be there, and I have been every moment I could be. His leather backpack was slung across his shoulders, though he slid it off as he sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Hello Aaron." I greeted, looking into his sage green eyes.

"Hey beautiful." He replied in a loving way as he leaned in and gave me a kiss.

I have always loved his kisses, but after this morning, after that touch, it seemed... lacking, a thought I tried to forget the moment it entered my mind. I laid my head on his shoulder, something I have done for years now. He smelled of the aftershave which was his favorite, that and a hint of cologne, which went well together. His shirt was a soft cotton wool blend. I saw Aaron look at the sketch and felt him stiffen a bit. I prepared myself for what was to come.

"Who is he?" Aaron asked, some jealousy in his tone that he clearly tried to mask.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I sat up straight; this would not be the first time Aaron has become jealous. Does he have a reason to be jealous this time? I wondered as I looked upon the image, then shook off the thought and decided to answer his question.

"His name is Ariston Crete, he is our new History Professor, and this is his horse Vrontos." I told him with a smile.

"That's an odd name." Aaron said, his voice still a bit off.

"Vrontos means thunder in Greek. Ariston is from Greece." I said simply.

"Ariston?" Aaron asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked into my eyes.

"It is his name. Are you going to tell me that his name is odd too?" I asked, though I should have known it would not derail him from his rant.

"Since when are you on a first name basis with our teachers?" Aaron asked. I sighed.

"Aaron," I said, trying not to get upset. "You are reading too much into this."

"Am I?" He asked.

"Yes." I told him firmly, closing my sketchpad, while looking at Aaron with a raised eyebrow, challenging him. He sighed and shook his head then smiled to me apologetically. He caressed my cheek.

"Sorry for the twenty questions." He said softly. "Forgive me?"

"I forgive you." I told him with a smile. I put my sketchpad and pencils away in my book bag and we got up from the bench.

I took one step and my body froze. It felt like someone was watching me... no, not someone, something. It felt cold, like ice water running down my spine, and dark, so very dark. I cannot explain what happened next, it was pure instinct. My mind and body told me that this darkness was the enemy. This knowledge, combined with the dark essence I felt, triggered something within me. My body was put on high alert, going tense as it prepared for a fight. My hands felt hot as they curled into fists and an energy, like nothing I ever felt, began building up within me.

Strange as it was, somehow, I knew this feeling. Something in me was daring the thing, the darkness, to show itself. My heart was pounding in anticipation, somewhere within me, I wanted a fight. I looked all around and saw nothing, but I felt it closing in behind me and I prepared, anxiously waiting for it to attack so I could rip it limb from limb!

The fight never happened. The next thing I felt was a bright golden essence, it felt like it was made up of light and warmth and strength. It came like a blast towards me and in the very next moment the darkness dissipated, and my body relaxed, my fists unclenching as my hands cooled.

The feeling of the light was... indescribable, but strangely enough, it seemed familiar. The light faded a moment later... no the light did not fade, something within me said that the light was still there while my ability to sense the light faded. All of this happened within five seconds and then I was left there in confusion, not able to come to terms, or make sense of what I had felt.

I stood there, trying to understand what I had felt and how I knew to react the way I had. Some latent instinct had taken over; for those five seconds I was someone else, I was stronger, I felt unbeatable, like I could fight that darkness with ease and win. For those five seconds, I was a warrior through and through. I felt confused but at the same time I felt that I understood, which made me all the more bewildered, and even frightened by what I had felt and what I became.

I looked at the people walking the path before me; some were giving me odd looks. No one else seemed to have felt the darkness, nor the light which saved me from god knows what. I felt a hand on my shoulder and instinct took over; I spun around and blocked the arm, taking hold of his wrist while grabbing the throat of the person who had laid a hand on me. I was prepared for anything as my fingers dug into the skin of his neck... well, anything except for what I saw.

"Mera?" Aaron barely got out over the grip I held on his throat. I let go of his throat a moment later and stepped away. There was a strange recognition in his eyes, as if he understood why I had attacked him as he coughed. "What the hell was that?" He asked as he rubbed his throat, looking into my eyes. I put my hand on his back as I tried to soothe him.

"Aaron, I am so sorry, are you okay?" I asked him, feeling unbelievably guilty for what I had done. How could I have done that to him?

"I am fine." He said as his voice recovered, still looking at me with that look in his eyes. "What happened?" He asked.

"I felt like someone was watching me." I told him. I thought I saw worry in his eyes, but a moment later he put a smile on his face.

"Mera, you're the most stunning woman there is; of course someone is watching you." He said with an easy smile. I laughed lightly, not wanting to tell him what really happened for fear he could question my sanity.

"You are probably right." I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder, kissing his cheek before stepping away from him.

"Ah, I found you." Came a relieved voice behind me. My heart skipped a beat as a smile spread across my face. How do I already know his voice?

'My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound.' I remembered the line from Romeo and Juliet. I could not forget Ariston's voice, even if for some ridiculous reason I wished to attempt to do so. At the mere sound, a relief spread through me after the event that had just happened to me.

I turned around to see Ariston Crete walking towards me. I realized when I saw him that there was a part of my mind that had wondered if he was real, if I had not only imagined his beauty, but clearly I had not. Somehow, he is real, right down to his ancient eyes. It felt just as indescribable to look into his eyes as it had before. Only now, after that incident and the darkness I felt I just wanted to be near him.

I walked towards Ariston while smiling, my heart still pounding. I could have sworn he saw in my eyes that something had happened; he was looking at me as if he were asking if I were okay, I gave him a relieved look and nodded. The closer I got to him, the greater the peace I felt, until I stood right before him. I found that even though I am 5'7 and wearing three-inch heels, he still has a few inches on me. He still wore the same clothing I saw him in this morning, a blue button down shirt with a few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up along with almond colored dress pants, and a leather belt and Italian shoes.

"Hello again, Mera." Ariston said, his ancient eyes looking right into me, once again stunning me with their beauty and hidden sadness. I remembered my promise as I forgot about the incident that just happened.

"Hello yourself." I greeted him.

"It seems I am in need of your assistance." Ariston told me.

"How can I help?" I asked.

"I cannot seem to find my classroom." He replied. I laughed out loud.

"Do not tell me you have gotten lost already?" I said in a playful tone. He chuckled.

"I am afraid so." He admitted with a smile.

"I will show you the way, history is my first class." I told him.

"I would greatly appreciate that." Ariston replied.

Looking into his eyes I forgot where I was, there was only he and I and his sadness. I looked deeper into his eyes, trying to understand the sadness within them. I realized a moment later the difference in his eyes, they almost looked like liquid.

Not a moment later I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders in a protective way; I once again resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Ariston's face took on a mask of friendliness as he looked at Aaron who stood beside me.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Aaron asked me, that tone in his voice again.

"This is our new History Professor, Ariston Crete." I began. "Ariston, this is my boyfriend, Aaron Rockford." I introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Rockford." Ariston's voice was friendly as he held his hand out. I noticed that Ariston was a few inches taller than Aaron and more muscular.

Aaron looked at Ariston's extended hand; I had to give him a nudge in the ribs before he would shake Ariston's hand. While their hands were clasped, I could see the muscles bulge in Aaron's arm, and I rolled my eyes at his display of testosterone. He was trying to prove that he was the stronger of the two. Some men really have not come far since the time they carried clubs. Ariston's face was the same friendly mask, although now there was a slight smirk on his lips. I heard a sudden intake of air from Aaron followed by the both of them letting go of the others hand. Aaron stretched out his hand, and gritted his jaw in displeasure at not having won that little battle.

"That's some grip you have." Aaron said, Ariston gave a bow of his head and I met his eyes, which were unreadable as he searched my eyes, making me wonder what he was looking for. "Are you ready to go?" Aaron asked. After tearing my eyes off of Ariston's, I looked at Aaron with confusion.

"I thought you have engineering?" I asked Aaron.

Blueridge Prep is different from other schools. Here the students are allowed to choose what classes they wish to take, and each class is taught twice a day so that you do not miss a class you want. It really is a brilliant way to learn, it makes it so that you are excited about your classes because you are interested in each one. Aaron chose to take engineering in the morning and history later on in the school day.

"I think I have enough time to walk my girlfriend to class." Aaron responded with a smile, but I knew him better than that. He did not want to leave me alone with Ariston.

This brought a lot of irritation to the surface, which I did what I could to hide. I hate when he is like this.

"I do not want you to be late for class on your first day," I told Aaron. "What kind of way would that be to start your school year? Go, I think I can get to my classroom." Aaron seemed to debate this for a moment before he sighed. "I will see you later." I said with a satisfied smile, knowing that I had won as I always do. He smiled back.

"Later." He said.

He leaned down and kissed my lips. The kiss was longer then our goodbye kisses usually are, and I knew it was because Ariston was there. I did not at all like the feeling that Aaron was claiming me as his. I broke the kiss, pulling away a bit, I just wanted to get out of that kiss, an odd feeling for me. Something felt wrong about kissing him in this moment.

"You really should get to class." I told him.

"You're right." Aaron said with a smirk, and a look that at one time had made a blush appear upon my cheeks, knowing what he was about to do.

Aaron went to kiss me again, but I turned my head so that his lips met my cheek instead of my lips. I somehow met Ariston's eyes for a moment; I thought I saw outrage in his eyes, but when he blinked it was gone. There was still a protective edge there, yet it was different than the one within Aaron's eyes for it was not controlling. I looked back to Aaron as he took a step away. Aaron looked at me one last time with worry in his eyes, then walked away. I turned to Ariston, wanting to speak with him.

"Mera?" Aaron called to me, I turned back to him. "What did the rug say to the floor?"

"What?" I asked, not really in the mood for one of his jokes, but the need in his eyes encouraged me to listen anyways.

"Don't move, I've got you covered." He said with a smile.

I laughed once and he walked away with a smile. On the rare occasions that Aaron and I fight, he always tells me a joke once we reach a silence, and makes me laugh every time. It is just another thing I love about Aaron, even if his jokes are idiotic and at times even moronic. We are not the type of couple to let any upset linger between us, we see it as a waste of time. Yet everything was so different between us now, on my end at least. I was not as certain as I once was as to where our relationship is going, and it brought an ache to my soul. I turned back to Ariston, seeing a worried look within his eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked, I just shook my head with a smile, noticing the people walking around us on the path.

"Everything is fine." I told him, though a sadness crept through me. "This way." I said to him and we began walking side by side, we were quiet for a time before I decided to say something. "Thank you for the wrap this morning, I truly was hungry, and it was delicious."

"You're welcome, I am glad you enjoyed it." Ariston said to me. We were once again quite for a few moments. "How long have you and Aaron been together?" He asked, studying my face. I found it was hard to think when he did this.

"Two years." I told him. "We met when I first arrived at Blueridge, and we were friends for a year before he finally asked me out."

"He seems..." Ariston began.

"Jealous?" I offered as I laughed lightly. Ariston held the door to the building open for me, I smiled a thank you to him. "That would be him. Anytime I talk to another male he gets like that, which is one of the reasons I do not have any friends who are men." I told him as I thought back. "At first I thought it was sweet, that he wanted me all to himself; but now I find it can be quite irritating. I may be his girlfriend, but he does not own me." I told him as we walked down the crowded hallway. Ariston smiled to me.

"I agree." Ariston said and I was lost in his eyes for a moment before he looked away. For some purpose, I felt the need to defend Aaron.

"Do not misunderstand me," I told the man beside me. "Aaron is kind and sweet, he has one of the best hearts of anyone I know; he has always been there for me. Besides the jealousy, he is a good guy."

"I understand. Men are like that when they fear they are going to lose the one they love." Ariston said to me, causing my mind to go off in a direction I simply could not allow it to, not yet at least. I decided to change the subject.

"How about you? Is there anyone special in your life?" I asked, Ariston shook his head.

"No, not for sometime." He said, his eyes far away before he returned to the present.

"What made you move from your home?" I asked him a few minutes later. I had been wondering about that; if I lived in Greece, I could not imagine wanting to leave.

"This job." Ariston replied, looking into my eyes. "When I was offered it, I knew it was far too important to pass up."

"You enjoy your job then?" I asked him, I could not help the questions, I wanted to know him. He chuckled.

"Far more then I intended to." He replied, looking away from me, seeming deep in thought before his eyes returned to me. "I take it you enjoy your work?" Ariston asked.

"At the Stables?" I queried. He nodded. "What makes you say that?" Ariston chuckled once, a sound I enjoyed hearing more than I could say.

"You seemed to be enjoying it when I saw you this morning." He stated. I blushed and he laughed, causing some irritation to spike up within me.

"In my defense you were early," I said to him, a bit of said irritation coloring my tone. "You were not supposed to arrive for another hour. If you had been on time, you would have arrived to find me waiting for you looking quite presentable, instead of dancing around like a fool and singing at the top of my lungs, with hay in my hair and bits of shavings stuck to my skin. Just a downside to having thick hair, hay likes to hide there." I told him, he laughed and I shook my head, smiling at the sound, though there was something missing to it.

"There is no need to defend yourself Mera," Ariston told me in all honesty. "I rather enjoyed watching you dance and as I said before, you sing beautifully. Where I come from singing and dancing while you work is a common occurrence; and it was a very good song." I blushed from his compliment. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, not with a voice like yours." His tone and his eyes were true.

"I get it from my mother, she always sings." I told him with a fond smile. "She told me once that she had her heart set on becoming a famous singer, then she fell in love with my father. She said that all her plans went out the window when I came along, but she never imagined that she could be so happy or that her life could be so complete." Ariston smiled in a way that I could only watch in wonder.

"It is amazing how a child can change your life." He said with a shake of his head.

"Do you have any children?" I asked. His smile faltered for the briefest of moments, before a look came over his face that I have seen on my fathers' face a million times, but his sadness was still there. I could almost see him trying to not think of something.

"I do, a daughter." Ariston replied. An image of him playing with a little girl immediately flashed through my mind, as I melted at the image.

"How old is she?" I asked him.

"Twenty-three;" He answered, much to my shock. "She is my world." He said with such devotion in his voice.

Twenty-three...? Ariston must have been quite young when she was born. I smiled and tried to imagine what she looked like; quite a few possibilities running through my minds eye; then I began wondering about the mother. He has already said he is not with anyone. Was he married before? Did he go through a divorce, or worse yet, did something happen to his love? As curious as I was, I decided not to ask since it was such a personal question. We were quiet for a while as we walked down the bright, sunlit hallway.

"Thank you." Ariston said to me after a while of silence.

"For what?" I asked, it took him a moment to respond and I noticed his face somewhat strained, an emotion he tried to hide. What could he be thanking me for?

"For not asking about my wife." He said, not meeting my eyes as I tried to find his. "It is not something I enjoy talking about."

What has this man been though? I wondered, my heart aching again at the thought of his pain. I wanted to make it go away more than I could put into words.

"Your welcome." I said. He smiled a thank you to me, and I returned the smile as he met my eyes.

I was lost in him, not able to glance away from his beautiful, saddened gaze until he looked away and towards the hall as I turned my eyes front. Suddenly I stopped, noticing our surroundings for the first time in a while. We were in a hallway, like the other hallways, the left side of the wall was lined with lockers and doors and the right wall was made out of glass. That being said, it was the wrong hallway. I shook my head.

"What is it?" Ariston asked. I turned to look at him, blushing in embarrassment.

"We walked by our classroom about five minutes ago." I admitted, he chuckled.

"Not to worry, we still have time before class starts." Ariston said.

We turned around. The walk to the classroom was silent; we would look at each other now and again and smile, or in my case, blush.

"Here we are." I told him when we reached the red oak door.

Ariston once again held the door for me and waited for me to walk through it. As I said to Margret, a true gentleman. I walked through the door wondering why people think chivalry is dead, and he followed behind me.

The seats of the small amphitheater rose to my left with room for two hundred students. To my right was a carved oak desk that was painted black with a comfortable looking chair behind it. The orchestra was fifteen feet in diameter, more than enough space for Ariston to walk around and teach. Behind Ariston's desk, a huge chalkboard took up the wall to my right and above us the ceiling was made up of a grid of glass, letting in more than ample light. Ariston smiled then walked up to the chalkboard and wrote his name in huge beautiful letters; I stood facing the chalkboard as he did this. He placed the chalk down and dusted his hands off before looking back to me, smiling as he looked upon me, as if just my presence brought him relief.

"Do you have the history book?" I asked him.

"I do not need one, I know all the knowledge I need to teach this class." Ariston said, as he leaned against his desk, facing me. I could hear in his voice that he was not boasting. It was a simple fact for him, though it was amazing for me.

"You must have an incredible mind." I noted, Ariston chuckled.

"Indeed." He replied, which made me chuckle once.

His ancient, soulful searching eyes were drawing me in once again. I absurdly wanted to feel his warm skin again, to feel the storm flow through me. I felt my feet begin to move towards him when the school bell sounded. I snapped out of my daze, blushed and turned to take my seat in the front row. Moments after, students started pouring in from the door we entered. I watched some of the young women watching Ariston, and just barely hear them gushing about how hot Ariston is; in all honesty, I could not blame them. Margret came in holding Jack's hand; they sat in the seats to my right with Margret next to me. She took a peak at Ariston and then leaned in next to me.

"You weren't kidding, he is hot!" Margret said. I blushed and glanced at Ariston, he met my eyes and his smile grew as he shook his head and glanced away.

When everyone was seated Ariston looked upon them and shared a smile as he leaned back against his desk, greeting the class. His voice held the tone of a leader and of a teacher with great knowledge to be shared.

"Good morning class," Ariston greeted, a gesture some returned, myself included. "I would like to introduce myself. My name is Ariston Crete, and I am your new History Professor. In this class, I will not only teach you the facts of history, but I will also explain to you as best I can the whys. What brought about the cold war? How did Stalin gain so much power and why did he use it the way he did?" Ariston posed the rhetorical questions while looking at the faces of his students, his eyes lingering on mine for a moment more than the others before he looked away. "Some of these questions are philosophical, and to a certain extent psychological, but they still have much to do with history, for if you wish to understand history, then you must understand the men and women who made it.

"These questions, and so many others, I am going to answer for you, or at least show you how to answer them for yourselves. If you have any questions or feel that my explanations are lacking in anyway, I ask that you speak up so that you can get the best and fullest education possible." Ariston looked over his students, his eyes once again resting on mine, causing my heart to beat faster, before looking back to the rest of the class. "Now, let's begin." He said with a hint of his beautiful crooked grin. I smiled; although I knew it before, I was now certain that I was truly going to enjoy this class the way he was going to teach it.


I was not the only one in rapture as the bell rang, bringing an end too soon to Ariston's story of Ancient Greek history. He said that was a good place to begin, since America was founded out of many of its ideas, and of course those of Rome after it. Even the straight men in the class were lost in the way this man told of times long gone by. He had said with a soft laugh, that he was not certain how he could fit all he wanted to teach into a single year. What truly made him a great teacher was how much he clearly loved what he taught.

I sat there for a moment in wonder; realizing that the bell sounding was like being in the middle of of an incredible book, entranced and unable to turn away and then suddenly having the book taken away until tomorrow. I shook my head in amazement, meeting Margret's astounded gaze as we stood from our seats, book bags over our shoulders as we prepared to leave. There was a huge crowd around Ariston. Those of the students whom were bold enough, were talking to Ariston, a few of the girls even flirting with him. Their attempts sent an odd and burning feeling through me. Ariston, however, seemed not to notice their attempts, and he was glancing to me from time to time when he was able. I walked over to him when he was free, still lost in astonishment at the way he taught.

"That was... an absolutely amazing class; you are an incredible teacher." I told him in all honesty, he smiled.

"Thank you, I had a great tutor." He said.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"My sister; she is undoubtedly the greatest mind of all time." He said, looking into my eyes.

I was going to ask who she was, but I could not seem to form words or even thoughts until he looked away from me for a moment, nodding politely to a passing student as she said goodbye before meeting my eyes again. Looking into his eyes, through that silence, I could feel a kind of intuition. As though those sky blue eyes held the answers I sought, and the keys to everything that was to come. I tried to get my thoughts in order, to find a way out of this daze.

"I have to get to my next class." I told Ariston softly.

"I will see you tomorrow." Ariston told me.

I was once again trapped in his gaze until finally, I do not know how, I tore myself away from his ancient eyes and began walking, until I heard his voice; the sound seemed to go right to something which made me stay.

"Miss Vandenberg?" I smiled breathlessly, finding the formality of what he called me somewhat ridiculous. I turned around to face him. "Will you be going to the Stables later?" Ariston asked, I nodded.

"After school." I told him.

"I will see you there then. Vrontos needs to be ridden." He said, I smiled and nodded.

"I will see you then." I told him.

I walked out of the classroom and towards my next class, the same smile still on my lips as my thoughts went through everything this day has brought. I saw Aaron and we walked towards each other.

"I was just coming to find you." He said before giving me a peck on the lips. "How was class?"

"It was amazing, Ariston is an incredible teacher." I told him as he took my hand. We began walking together to our next class as I went on with my words. "He is so in depth, he speaks as if he was there and is telling these historic events from what he witnessed. You are going to enjoy his class."

Aaron made no reply. He was silent for a time and I became lost in my own thoughts; it felt like something was trying to break though my subconscious, some important truth. It was so frustrating, feeling the answers are right there, like I almost have them but they are just out of reach.

"So I was thinking about tonight," Aaron said.

"Tonight?" I asked, startled from my thoughts.

"Our date?" Aaron said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, of course, I am sorry." I said to him apologetically. "Where are we going?" I asked as I tried to focus on what he was saying.

"I have reservations at the sushi place we like." He said.

"Sounds great." I told him with a smile before my mind inevitably drifted to Ariston once again.


Author's Note: And for this Sunday night, I am happy to share this with you! I do hope you enjoy it, and perhaps leave me a review with what you think ;)

Time for Dexter! Have a great night my friends!

Love: Jasmine