Author's Note:
Once again, late to the party, but I promised myself that I would finish these, even if it takes me four more years. I've got four more to finish now. Anyways, hope you enjoy the unresolved sexual tension! Let me know what you think after you're finished!
Homework Assignment #4:
UST & the Art of a Slow Burn
In my on-going career as a college professor, I have been provided with the opportunity to cross paths with many bright and unique students, learning just as much from them as they have from me. The job is difficult and challenging at times, but I also consider it vastly rewarding. There was just something so spectacular and fulfilling about watching the individuals who took my class excel where they had once struggled and carry that success over into other areas of their life. Seeing the bright light of understanding in their eyes made my job that much more enjoyable, and watching them succeed made me exceedingly proud.
I began my teaching career at the age of twenty-five, after gaining my United States citizenship and graduating with my Masters. Even though I loved my home country of Romania, I wanted to expand my knowledge and experience to more than what was comfortable, to give American students another perspective when it came to the topics of American and European history. Starting off, I taught at small community colleges around upstate New York before finally being offered a position at the University of Alaska in Anchorage shortly after my twenty-eighth birthday.
To say I was excited would be a severe understatement and I spent the months leading up to my cross-country move contemplating what might be in store for me at such a prestigious university.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would meet the woman whom I would fall in love with and marry at that campus. It had started out innocently enough even though it was the most scandalous and insubordinate thing I had ever done. But, for her, I would happily dance through the fire a thousand times over.
My heart involuntarily sped up as I watched her progression through my class room out of my peripheral vision while I glanced over my lecture notes, not quite paying attention to the words scrawled across the page. Her soft foot falls echoed through the still empty room, and I so badly wanted to glance up and see which blouse she had paired with her signature jeans and Converse shoes today.
She sat down at her usual desk in the front row on the left-hand side of the room. She was early. In fact, she was always early.
Isabella Swan.
Bella, I thought to myself, finally flicking my eyes upward to look at her. Ah, she's wearing the ivory Henley. Excellent choice.
She was flipping through her notebook, the quiet swishing of the paper and the ticking of the clock the only sounds in the room, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she searched for something in her notes. She was doing some last-minute studying for today's quiz, no doubt, and my pride over her diligence swelled. She was one of the best students who had ever graced my classroom, and for more than just the reason that I thought she had a brilliant mind.
I found Bella Swan extremely – and sometimes even arousingly – attractive.
Frequently, I found myself ashamed of the lustful thoughts and feelings I harbored for her. In all my years of teaching, I had never been attracted to any of my female students. I actually found the practice of male teachers seducing their female students to be foolish and a good way to get one fired, thrown in prison, or both. Not to mention I found it extremely unprofessional, but yet, here I was, inwardly drooling over how perfectly round her breasts looked in that shirt.
Before I could catch myself, I started imagining kneading those supple breasts like fresh dough, which only made my dick begin to throb. I forcefully dropped my eyes to the surface of my desk and took several deep breaths, fighting off my budding erection.
You are not supposed to be feeling this way for one of your students, I thought, repeating those words to myself over and over like a mantra.
Clearing my throat, I lifted my eyes to ensure that my little "episode" had not been noticed, then opened my mouth to greet her. "Good afternoon, Bella."
"Hey, Mr. V," she immediately replied, using the shortened version of my last name, Valerious. She lifted her head and smiled warmly at me. "How was your weekend?"
"Not long enough, unfortunately," I answered good-naturedly, returning her smile. "What about yours?"
Honestly, I'd actually been hoping it would pass faster so that I could see her again, but I was neither brave nor foolish enough to admit that to her out loud. Her class met on Tuesday's and Thursday's and I was constantly counting down the hours until she walked back through my door. What would I do once this semester was over and her time in my class came to an end? Would I hope to spy her around campus, or even learn her schedule to keep closer tabs on her?
That would be the quickest way to get myself labeled as a stalker, I thought, vowing that I would definitely not stoop so low.
It was bad enough that I masturbated in the shower while thinking about her, inwardly yearning that it was her body squeezing me so tightly instead of my hand. Secret, lustful thoughts and desires were one thing, but openly showing my interest in her was akin to career suicide.
Besides, the chances of her wanting me in the same way was next to none. As much as I wanted her, I knew it was not meant to be.
She shrugged one shoulder, the right side of her mouth tugging up at the corner. "I spent it studying for mid-terms mostly. Didn't even feel like the weekend, to be honest." She paused and trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes briefly glancing at the door before once again settling on me. "Speaking of, is it okay if you take a look at my study guide after class? I want to make sure I'm studying the right topics."
I was so focused on her mouth and how her teeth were depressing her lip that I nearly missed her question. "Of course, Bella," I answered, my mind still focused on her gorgeous mouth and how much I wanted to kiss her. "Whatever I can do to help."
She smiled and bobbed her head, then dropped her gaze back to her text book. My eyes widened when I saw a light pink blush color her fair cheeks. Was she really...blushing? What the hell did that mean? Had I been staring at her a little too intensely? Quickly glancing down, I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see a noticeable bulge protruding from between my legs, meaning that I had successfully fought off becoming aroused. I didn't know the meaning behind her blush, but I was suddenly very much anticipating our after-class meeting.
Moments later, my other students began slowly filing in and I begrudgingly shifted into "professor mode", forcing myself to focus on the questions and concerns of my other students even though I wanted nothing more than to keep my attention centered on Bella. Staying on track during today's lecture would be a monumental task.
"I know all of you have been greatly anticipating this quiz, so I won't waste any time," I said with a grin once everyone had settled into their seats.
A chorus of unenthusiastic groans and mumbles that I recognized as mostly sarcastic sounded from the crowd of students in front of me. I couldn't stop myself from chuckling as I snatched the stack of quiz papers off the edge of my desk and handed them to the first student on the right-hand side of the room, – the opposite side from where Bella was seated – instructing them to take one then pass the stack on.
"This is a small example of what our mid-term is going to look like, so please pay attention to the format of the questions. You'll be seeing it again in a couple weeks. And as a bonus, I will be giving them back to you once they've been graded so you may add it to your study guides. Any questions before we get started?"
I glanced around the room with a quirked eyebrow to give them the chance to speak up if they wished. My gaze fell on Bella last and her mysterious expression made me pause, wondering if she had ever looked at me like that before when I wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were like large pools of molten chocolate and I wanted nothing more than to sink into them, but I snapped myself back to attention before the other students could notice my lapse and cleared my throat.
"Very well then. You may begin. You have forty-five minutes," I announced with an encouraging smile, then went to sit at my desk to finish pulling together my lecture notes.
As the clock on the wall behind me counted off the seconds, I forcefully kept my mind focused on my task to prevent myself from staring at Bella. Several times, I swore I could feel her eyes on me, but dared not glance up to prove my feeling right or wrong. I couldn't stop thinking about how she hadn't looked away when our eyes met. She'd held my gaze unflinchingly and I wondered how long we would have stared at each other if I hadn't looked away first.
The way she had looked at me made me both excited and wary at the same time. On one hand, the small ember of hope that she also harbored feelings for me was still smoldering faintly, yearning to be reciprocated. But on the other, my paranoia whispered that she somehow knew of my lustful thoughts and was plotting to lull me into a false sense of security, to trap me in a situation that would give her the proof she needed to turn me over to the school board and get me fired.
I lifted a hand to rub my forehead and sighed heavily, suddenly feeling foolish. You're placing diabolical intentions onto a girl who probably won't give you a second thought once she graduates, the logical side of my mind whispered. You'll drive yourself crazy if you keep this up. Stop.
That inner pep talk was motivation enough to help me regain my concentration, for the time being at least.
Around the thirty-minute mark, the other students started bringing their completed quizzes up to my desk, as they had been instructed to do before, and I immediately started grading them so that I could hand them back at the end of class. Keeping my mind focused on the task at hand kept it from wandering too far off course.
As I was recording the grades in my ledger to enter into the computer later, I heard approaching footsteps and glanced up expectantly, holding out my hand to accept the incoming quiz. I met Bella's waiting gaze and anarchy ensued in my head once more, my scattered thoughts centered on how breathtakingly beautiful she was. The mental image of those gorgeous doe eyes staring up at me as I made sweet love to her caused me to shift slightly in my chair before I shoved that thought away. I dipped my chin toward her as my fingers closed around the sheet of paper and she smiled, her cheeks filling with color for the second time today.
She was closer now, so I knew that I definitely wasn't imagining it this time, but she promptly turned around and returned to her seat before I could admire the rosy pink that was tinting her fair skin. Instead, I admired her perfectly shaped ass as she walked away, desperately wishing that I could grab a handful of it. My mind filled with even more questions and lustful urges, but I forced myself to go through the motions of grading her quiz, grinning proudly at her perfect score.
The fact that she had aced the quiz wasn't a surprise to me. It did make me wonder though, why would she want to meet with me about her mid-term study guide? I was fairly confident that if I handed her the mid-term right now, she would pass it with flying colors.
She couldn't possibly be worried about not studying the right material, could she? I asked myself, that question joining the myriad of others already ricocheting around inside my skull.
Normally, the time passed quickly for me while I was teaching, but this particular class period had succeeded in testing my patience to its limits for the first time in my career. I felt a strange kind of exhilaration whenever I had active and engaging discussions with my students, but suddenly, I was a student all over again, feeling like the seconds were dragging by so much slower than normal and wishing there was a universal fast forward button to make the time pass by quicker.
By the time I finally wrapped up my lecture and handed back the graded quizzes, there was so much pent up energy contained in my chest that I felt like I was going to implode. I had never been so relieved to dismiss a class in my life, and I watched the crowd of students shuffle out of my room while impatiently tapping my index finger on the surface of my desk. The speed at which they were moving seemed so aggravatingly slow that I needed to hold myself back from running over and shoving them out of the room.
I realized that I might have been anticipating my meeting with Bella a little too much. All of our conversations thus far had been limited to a few words here and there before or after class, which was probably a good thing. Any time spent with her outside of normal class hours was bound to make my inappropriate feelings for her swell even more, but I was still looking forward to it, even if it was just to help with her study guide.
Behave yourself, I thought as I turned to Bella, watching as she finished packing her notebooks into her backpack, and approached her desk slowly, trying not to look too enthusiastic.
"You ready, Mr. V?" she asked, looking up at me as she rose from her desk with her backpack slung over her shoulder and her study guide in her hand.
"Certainly," I replied, and gestured to the back of the classroom where my office was located as I led her in that direction. "We can talk in my office." I held my office door open for her so she could precede me inside, then shut it behind me. We were alone for the first time, and the thrill that shot down my spine only reminded me that I was expecting far more from our meeting than I should have been. "Please, sit wherever you like."
My office was no bigger than a standard bedroom, but that was really more room than I needed. My previous offices were like broom closets, so I had felt ridiculously spoiled when I realized I could purchase a bigger desk, but I hadn't stopped there. I also procured a second bookcase, plus a small couch and a pair of chairs for the occasion when I had meetings with other faculty members or students. Such as now.
After taking a few moments to glance around the room at my various cultural knick knacks and the pictures of the Romanian countryside that were hanging on the wall, she headed straight for the couch and sat down. "I'm sorry, I should have asked if you had any other meetings after class. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked, bending the corners of her study guide worriedly.
A small part of me thought about going to sit in one of the arm chairs across from her, but decided to just sit with her on the couch. In the event that she had chosen to sit in one of those chairs though, I would have recognized that as a deliberate request for space. "No, of course not," I answered, waving my hand through the air dismissively as I sat down beside her, respectfully leaving almost a full cushion's worth of space between us. "I'm free for the rest of the afternoon."
"Okay, good," she replied with a relieved smile. After a short pause, she extended her study guide toward me. "Well, here you go. Tell me what you think."
I accepted the small stack of papers from her and examined it carefully, my eyebrows furrowed in concentration. It didn't take long until I felt even more pride for her dedication as a student at how expertly organized and thorough her study guide was. She had included most of the important content that would be showing up in the mid-term, which didn't surprise me in the slightest, but I noticed a few points that she was missing. Handing her study guide back, I suggested the extra points she might want to study and watched as she scribbled them down. I had a sneaking suspicion that she would go back later and rearrange the information into the correct order.
"Thank you so much, Mr. V," she said as she returned her study guide and pencil to her backpack. "I was worried I wasn't studying the right material."
"On the contrary. I am impressed with your attention to detail. I can already tell that you're going to do well on the mid-term."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she replied, coyly tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
Her eyes met mine and she opened her mouth to say something else, but paused and trapped the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth again. My dick twitched, so badly wanting to lean forward and capture that bottom lip between mine and kiss her until our mouths went numb. It took a monstrous amount of will power, but I managed to hold my resolve.
"Was...there something else you needed help with, Bella?" I asked, very much wanting to hear what she had been about to say.
A particularly naughty thought passed through my mind before I could stop it. I'd be happy to help you out of your clothes and fuck you right here on this couch if you'd like.
I clenched my teeth, derailing that train of thought before it could leave the station.
"Um..." she began, her voice wavering uncertainly. "Do you...mind if I ask you a...personal question?"
My eyebrows jumped up slightly in surprise, but my interest was piqued. "Of course not. But, depending on what the question is, I may elect not to answer," I replied, attempting to remain professional even though I was more than willing to answer whatever she asked me, no matter what the subject matter was.
"Oh, I know. And you don't have to answer if you don't want to," she stammered, nervously twisting the ring she wore on her index finger. I watched her throat constrict as she swallowed, anxiously waiting for her to speak. "I know this is probably really inappropriate, but are you...in a relationship of any kind?"
I couldn't stop my eyebrows from jumping even higher at her off-the-wall question. I almost felt like pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. "Am I in a relationship?" I repeated, wanting to make sure I heard her correctly.
She nodded stiffly and swallowed, the blood once again rushing to her cheeks.
I shook my head. "No, I'm not. Actually, I haven't been in a relationship since I moved to Alaska two years ago," I responded, inwardly marveling at that timeframe. I almost couldn't believe it had already been two years, but my non-existent sex life chose that moment to remind me that yes, it really had been that long. Masturbation just wasn't the same as the deed itself. "I guess I haven't found the right woman yet."
The relief in her expression at my answer was painfully obvious and I stared at her with wide eyes as she let out the breath that I assume she had been holding in, in complete disbelief. What is happening? Could she really...?
"Well, I know this might get me into trouble," she began, leaning forward to pull a pen out of her backpack, "but here goes nothing."
Reaching over, she grabbed my left hand and flipped it over so my palm was facing the ceiling, then started scribbling something onto the heel of my hand. My heart began pounding relentlessly against the inside of my ribcage, already having an idea about what she was writing down, but not wanting to jinx myself. Instead, I focused on how soft her hands were and how much I wanted her to touch me in other places so I could experience just how soft they really were. When she finally pulled back and let go of my hand, my suspicions were confirmed: a phone number. I forced myself to take a couple deep breaths to slow down my rapid heart rate, still thinking this was far too good to be true.
"Bella?" I inquired as I flicked my eyes up to meet hers, hoping that the unsteadiness in my voice wouldn't give me away. "Is this your phone number?"
She nodded again, her chocolate brown eyes carefully examining my face as they tried to read my expression. If I was being honest with myself, I was completely and utterly flabbergasted, unsure of how I was supposed to react now that the scenario I was longing for had literally fallen into my lap.
I must have been staring at her blankly for far longer than I thought because she sighed and looked away, her long hair falling in front of her face like a curtain. "I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't have done this. Just…forget I ever put that number on your hand, okay? I'll see you on Thursday."
She gripped her backpack strap and was about to stand up when I reached out, catching her shoulder. "Bella – "
"No, I know what you're going to say," she interrupted, moving her shoulder out of my grasp so she could stand up. "'Fraternizing with one of your professors is highly inappropriate, Bella. You could be kicked out of the school and I could be fired.' I know, okay? I thought about all of that before I opened my big mouth. So let's just forget this ever happened and move on."
I stood up and blocked her path just as she was about to turn and walk out of my office. I could tell she was embarrassed; her entire face was bright red now. "Bella, you misunderstand," I said gently. "You aren't wrong. There is a measure of risk if we were to pursue...something more, but I wasn't going to say that."
She was frowning when she glanced up at me through her eyelashes. "Then what were you going to say?" she asked apprehensively, her shoulders lifting toward her ears like she expected to be scolded.
"I was going to give you my number in return," I answered, extending my hand for her pen.
Bella froze and her eyes popped open impossibly wide, her entire countenance shifting from embarrassment to shock. I would have considered her reaction humorous had I not been exuding sincerity to ensure she knew I wasn't playing some sick joke on her. After the silence stretched on between us for several seconds, I quirked an eyebrow and flicked my gaze down to the pen she still had in her hand, signaling that I was in fact serious.
Sucking in a sharp breath as she came out of her stupor, she lifted her hand and handed over her pen. I flashed her a charming grin as I took her right hand in my grasp, the pads of my fingers brushing delicately along her palm to her fingers, uncurling them. Her bottom jaw sagged open slightly and she drew in a quick intake of breath, her gaze focused on my hands. The skin along my spine inexplicably turned to gooseflesh as I slowly scrawled my cell number down on the heel of her hand, taking a great deal of care in the shape of each number so that I could continue holding her hand for as long as possible.
Once I finished writing my number on her hand and pressed her pen back into her palm, it suddenly felt like I was in the middle of a waking dream or like some kind of spell had been cast over me. The logical part of my mind still couldn't believe what was happening, and I found myself looking down at my palm to make sure her number hadn't disappeared. Bella was staring at her hand with the same star struck expression that I was sure was present on my own face.
We're both stunned? I thought, astonished, as the corners of my mouth tugged upwards. That's a good sign, I suppose.
"You...you're really going to call me?" she asked, a hint of cynicism audible in her voice.
"Yes, I promise, but please don't be alarmed if you get a text from me as soon as you walk out of my office," I remarked, hoping a little bit of humor would help her feel more relaxed.
"I...wouldn't mind that at all actually," she said, looking up at me demurely, a coy smile playing on her lips. I was being completely serious, so her reply reassured me.
When our eyes met, I was struck with the same sensation I had experienced mere moments ago and realized that she was the cause. I was under her spell, irrevocably wrapped around her finger, and I felt myself being drawn toward her, like she had her own magnetic force that I could neither fight against or deny. I wouldn't go as far as to say that I was in love with her, but the current feelings I already harbored for her had the potential of blossoming into just that if given a nudge in the right direction.
The most important question, of course, is would she reciprocate?
"You are...so beautiful," I murmured, spitting out the first coherent thought that I could muster.
Before I could baulk at such a bold confession, Bella giggled bashfully and turned her face away, another blush rushing up her neck. "You're not so bad yourself, Mr. V," she replied as she shifted her eyes back to mine.
"Please, call me Stefan."
"Stefan."
The ghost of a smile was playing on her lips as she mumbled my name under her breath, testing it out, and to be honest, it sounded bizarre to hear her call me anything but Mr. V. I had always retained an air of professionalism with my students, striving to label myself as an educator in every sense of the word, and not allow my personal feelings to interfere with my job. Though I couldn't deny the thrill of excitement that shot down my spine at how lovely her voice sounded as my name rolled off her tongue.
I'll have her moaning my name soon enough, that dirty voice in the back of my mind purred.
Thankfully, she spoke again, breaking me out of my inner erotic musings. "Have you...seduced many of your female students before?" she asked, and her expression turned guarded with a hint of nervousness just beneath the surface.
I swallowed, suddenly feeling slightly nervous myself at the unexpected turn of our conversation. I could tell that this was something she was concerned about, so I knew I needed to do whatever was necessary to reassure her that I was not some kind of predator. I shook my head. "No." I paused and exhaled. "Before you, I have never been attracted to any of my female students."
She remained silent for many long, torturous moments. Her expression was completely unreadable, which left my mind reeling as I wondered what she was thinking about. My heart was hammering so hard against the inside of my ribcage, the sound of it deafening in my ears, that I feared she might be able to hear it as well. I'm sure it would have been far more startling if I'd told her the opposite, that I did in fact make a habit out of seducing my students and she was my next conquest.
I'm definitely in the wrong line of work if that's the case.
"Well," she began, finally speaking after her silence had started to drive me mad, "I can't say that I've been attracted to any of my teachers before either, so I guess there's a first time for everything."
I was stunned into silence at her answer and was equally as stunned when I managed to find my voice to offer a suitable reply. "That's one way to look at it," I responded with a relieved smile, my heart now pounding with elation instead of nervousness.
Bella returned my smile, her face shining brighter than the sun, and I found myself staring at her in wide-eyed awe. She couldn't have looked more beautiful to me in that moment if she tried. Even if her hair was singed and she was wearing nothing but a paper bag I would still think she was the most breathtaking creature on the face of the planet. My mind suddenly filled with the endless possibilities of what the future could bring: possibilities of a relationship, falling in love, and so much more.
I was anxious to start exploring those possibilities.
I didn't notice that I had started to creep closer to her until I felt the warmth of her breath crawling across my cheek. I froze, finally realizing how close we were, and stared down into her brown eyes, surprised that she hadn't moved away. She was gazing up at me expectantly, as though she was patiently waiting for me to do exactly what I was thinking about, which just so happened to be kissing her. My eyes broke away from hers, descending to her mouth, and focused on her perfectly pink, kissable lips. The temptation to pull her into my arms and take this as far as she was willing to go was almost too much for me to bear.
You know, you have yet to christen this couch…
Shoving those thoughts away, I inched closer, our mouths now a mere hairsbreadth apart, and still she hadn't made a move to pull away or tell me to stop. Encouraged by her silent acquiescence, I bridged the gap between us and ever so lightly brushed our lips together. I fought back the urge to groan under my breath upon discovering her lips were far softer than I had imagined. She drew in a quick breath of air, the smallest of gasps, as her eyelids began to slide shut, prompting mine to close as well. Fireworks exploded in the darkness behind my eyelids when she responded to me, her lips brushing against mine with all the gentleness of a butterfly's wings.
Another shiver crept inexplicably down my spine, my hands twitching at my sides as I wrestled with the notion of pulling her closer or remaining motionless, and I was just about to throw caution straight out the window when the silence surrounding us was shattered by a phone ringing. I was so startled by the sudden appearance of the loud ringing that I unintentionally backed away from her, my eyes wide in alarm, and swung my head around to look at the door, my paranoia over being discovered rising up inside me like a thirty-foot wave. Realizing that it was only Bella's cell phone helped calm my frayed nerves slightly.
I had just exchanged phone numbers with – and kissed – a student. If anyone else in my position wasn't a nervous, paranoid wreck, then it was likely that they didn't have a conscience.
Bella gasped in fright at the same time that I pulled away, swearing under her breath as her hands fumbled with her backpack, attempting to dig her phone out of the recesses of the front pocket. The infernal device had already stopped ringing by the time she found it, and I watched as she checked the screen to see who had called.
"My roommate," she sighed, meeting my eyes over the edge of her phone. "She's probably wondering where I am. I better go, I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. I believe I've taken up enough of your time anyways," I replied as I approached the door to open it for her. Frankly, I would have enjoyed spending the rest of the evening with her, but I needed to refrain from coming on too strong.
She smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she walked toward the door. "Thank you again for agreeing to help me with my study guide," she said, stopping in front of me. "I know I probably shouldn't have been so worried, but I'm glad I'm on track for mid-terms."
"It was my pleasure, Bella. You have all the resources you need. Have an enjoyable rest of your day. I'll see you on Thursday."
I thought she was going to bid me farewell and leave my office, but she hesitated in the doorway, staring up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. My eyebrows twitched and I opened my mouth to ask if something was the matter, but stopped when she lifted herself onto the balls of her feet and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. My eyes widened, pleasantly surprised by her bold gesture.
"I am still expecting you to text me though. See you Thursday, Mr... I mean, Stefan," she said, catching herself. Smiling bashfully up at me one last time, she turned and promptly walked out of my office, her long, dark hair swinging back and forth behind her as she went.
I watched her go with wide eyes and a slack jaw, warmth blossoming through my cheek where her lips had touched. Once she disappeared, I turned around and slumped into my desk chair, in a daze over what had just happened. Looking down at my hand, my eyes locked onto Bella's phone number, a blaring reminder that our meeting had not been a figment of my imagination. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I snatched my cell phone off the surface of my desk to send Bella that text message I had promised.
Needless to say, I intended on taking a piping hot shower once I got home.
A smile slowly stretched across my mouth as I stared up at my living room ceiling, fondly reminiscing about the beginning of mine and Bella's relationship. So much had happened since that meeting in my office three years ago and a part of me was still in disbelief at how amazing our lives had become. I could say with complete confidence that I was living the life I had dreamed of living while I was growing up in Romania. All the hard work and perseverance I put in to get my education and citizenship had paid off handsomely.
After arriving in Alaska all those years ago, I wasn't sure where else my path would lead me and now I was sitting in a house I owned with my beautiful wife in Seattle, with an excellent job at the University of Washington. Meeting Bella was the turning point I had been waiting for and I would have never found her had I not left Romania.
The clinking of dishes in the kitchen pulled me out of my reverie and I turned my head in the direction of the kitchen, my smile widening as I wondered what Bella was up to. I could see her moving back and forth as I approached the kitchen entryway and paused in the doorway to watch her. She was putting clean dishes away, emptying the dish washer in preparation of filling it with tonight's dinner dishes. The ingredients she intended on using to prepare dinner were already sitting out on the counter, ready to be utilized.
My gaze dropped to her rounded stomach as she concentrated on her task and my chest swelled with indescribable pride. She was thirty-six weeks today. We were only one month away from meeting our son and the both of us were ecstatic. We had several reasons for relocating to Seattle after we were married, the main one being so we would be closer to her family once we decided to start one of our own. Job availability was another factor. As much as I enjoyed teaching at community colleges, I had gotten used to working at a large university and I couldn't turn down the offer that the University of Washington had offered me.
Bella finally noticed my presence in the doorway when she went to retrieve another ingredient from the fridge. "There you are. You looked so comfortable on the couch, I didn't want to disturb you," she said with a smile.
I grinned as I went to join her at the counter to help with dinner preparations. "I was reminiscing about the time you asked me to help you with your study guide."
"Ah, where it all started. Now look where we are," she said with a laugh, placing both hands on her stomach.
I chuckled as I turned toward her and rested my hand over hers, another rush of pride and excitement overtaking me. "If you had never asked to have that meeting with me, I doubt we would we be here today."
"It was nerve-wracking, but I'm glad I did it," she replied, moving closer to me so she could rest her head against my shoulder.
"As am I, because I know I wouldn't have said anything, and then I would have regretted it."
She nodded and hummed under her breath in agreement. "But we don't have to live with that regret. We have an amazing life and I wouldn't change a thing about it."
"Neither would I," I said, leaning my head down to plant a tender kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Bella."
"I love you too. Now let's get dinner going. I'm starving," she said, lifting a hand to pat my chest affectionately before stepping away to continue where she left off.
I laughed, but promptly stepped in to help her, knowing how unwise it was to get between a pregnant woman and her next meal.
I watched her move about the kitchen as I arranged the pots on the stove top, my eyes focused on her stomach, smiling calmly. So much had happened to bring us to where we are now, and I knew there was still so much that was in store for our future. Thinking back, it wasn't only I who was playing with fire in the infancy of our relationship. She had been as well. And I know it's something we would both do again.