Sitting in my office the following Monday, I still can't stop myself from thinking about the game on Saturday. It seemed like she was interested in me. She kept staring at me, watching me, moving for me. For my eyes only. How could I have interpreted it so incorrectly? One minute she can't break our eye contact and the next she only has eyes for butt smacker Derek Morgan. Maybe Dave was right. Maybe I did need to see that even though it hurt. At least now I don't have a reason to hold onto hope.

She's not interested in me. And she shouldn't be. I'm four years older than her and I'd lose my job for just thinking about touching her. And boy do I do a lot of that. Stop this! She's just a girl. There are plenty more. And she's a girl who's totally off limits. I need to stop this. But before I can distract myself, there's a knock at my office door. It shouldn't surprise me because I'm here to meet with students, they just don't usually come in unless it's time for exams or papers.

"Come in!" I yell. And in she walks. I should have known. "Ms. Garcia, how can I help you?" Those words alone are enough to bring a dejected look to her eyes as she looks away from me while shutting the door and coming to stand before my desk.

She takes a deep breath and I enjoy watching the rise and fall of her chest before she gathers her courage and her eyes once again find mine. "Mr. Hotchner, I need to talk to you about Saturday."

"Why? There's nothing to talk about."

"I'm afraid that you got the wrong impression during the game." At least I'm still right occasionally. "About me and Derek." The quizzical look on my face was enough for her to continue. "Derek and I are just friends. He's my best friend, actually, and no one seems to be able to understand that that's all we are. All we'll ever be."

"Oh. And you're upset about this?"

"No! I'm upset because I'm afraid that you think that our interaction was something more."

"You mean when he smacked your ass?"

"Yes," she replied, a blush beginning to creep onto her face. "That and the end of the game when he came up to talk to me. I'm sure that both of those looked like something else, but I can promise that I don't want anything more from Derek."

"I'm not sure why you're telling me this."

"I thought that that would be pretty obvious. Especially from the way I was looking at you during the game."

I cough in surprise at her response and find that I need to change the topic instantly before something bad happens. She is, after all, still my student, and she's in my office. We shouldn't be having this conversation. Not here. Not ever.

"Ms. Garcia, unless you're here to discuss this week's readings, I suggest that you leave."

"Fine," she huffs before going to sit at one of the chairs opposite my desk. "Have it your way. Let's talk about this week's readings."

"What reading are you having trouble with?"

"Romeo and Juliet."

"Really?"

Sure! Why the hell not."

"What don't you understand?"

"I don't understand how two people who have deep feelings for each other don't just say 'damn the consequences' and get together."

"Because sometimes there are more important things than love."

"Do you honestly believe that?!" she asked, sounding unbelieving and hurt at the same time.

"No. But I wish I did."

"So why can't they just be together and sort all of the rest of it out later?"

"Because that's not practical."

"They're just kids. They're not supposed to be practical."

"And that's why they both end up the way they do."

"So you're saying that when people are in love they have to be practical or else they'll end up dead."

"No, I'm saying that terrible things tend to happen when you stop being practical and only follow your heart."

"You wouldn't do anything for anyone if it meant that you could possibly get into trouble? Even if the chance was small?"

"The chance isn't small. That's the whole point. The chance is huge! They could be caught at any point by anyone. They wouldn't be able to be truly happy because they'd always have to hide it from everyone. They wouldn't be able to go on dates or see a movie without fear of being seen! And he could lose his position and be forced out of his program and she would be miserable knowing that she chose him."

"That's an awful lot of hypotheticals. And you seem to be casting aside the fact that they'd be happy at least some of the time."

"Happiness is overrated."

She stands up suddenly and I look up as she says "I have to leave. I can't sit here and listen to this anymore."

"You don't have to leave," I plead, really wanting our time together to not end like this.

"But I do. I can't deal with someone who truly believes that love isn't the end all be all. That there are things more important than being happy. That we wouldn't be worth it in the end." The last sentence is spoken so quietly that I barely hear it and even though I do, I instantly question whether or not she really said it.

"But maybe I don't really believe any of those things. Maybe I'm just saying them so that I push you away. Force you to leave and then I never have to face my feelings," I respond, feeling my face flushing under her gaze.

"And what feelings would those be?"

"That maybe this is real. And it terrifies me. And I can't afford to lose my job here. But every ounce of me wants to say damn the consequences and just go for it."

"I think you mean that Romeo was scared of his feelings and what it would do to his family."

"That's not what I mean at all, Penelope," I respond, standing up and moving closer to her. Before she can move away, I grab her hand and lace our fingers together as I move my other hand behind her head. Her eyes meet mine and I hear her gasp in the instant before our lips meet.