chapter 9

As much as I'd like to stay frustrated at Thomas it's impossible for me when I hear him speak. The passion in his deep voice when he talks about plays, books, and poetry makes me fall for him even more. His mind is so enticing that I Iind myself unable to blink or breathe when I get even a glimpse of how smart he is. 

Being smart turns me on so much more than being handsome, or having a huge dick though of course, those aren't a bad thing either. 

I wonder if Thomas has a huge... 

I spend all class fantasizing about my professor and hardly even notice the looks I keep receiving from Michael. 

What's his deal? 

"That will conclude today's lesson; I expect your written opinions of sonnet 18 next class period printed and stapled with your names in the upper right corner. " 

Thomas's eyes fall on me as he starts packing up his black leather briefcase. Does he want to talk again? 

Too bad. I've had enough excitement for one morning. 

How can I face him when I've just spent an hour thinking about him naked? 

Everyone starts packing up their things to head on to whatever else life has I store for them, but my packing is halted by Michael. 

"Hey Sophia, when is your next class?" He asks me as he throws his backpack over one shoulder. "It's in an hour in the foreign language building, why?" I can feel my heartbeat quicken because I'm not an idiot. 

I know why. 

"Let me buy you a cup of coffee?" Michael asks, his voice full of confidence. 

I feel an immediate inclination to say no, regardless of how otherworldly hot he is. 

Coffee leads to dinner, and dinner leads to drinks, and drinks lead to sex. 

Or at least it usually does. Not in my case so far but whatever. 

I'm not bitter, I swear. 

All joking aside, I'm just not sure that I'm in the right place emotionally to go on a pre-date with anyone. My heart belongs to Thomas and I can't "cheat" on him. I know he wouldn't do that to me... sober at least. 

"I'm sorry Michael, I'm going to have to say no. I've just got a lot of stuff going on right now. Maybe later though," I say as sweetly as possible, collecting the rest of my belongings. 

I make a run for the door and leave Michael standing there looking dumbfounded. He‘s not used to rejection, that's obvious. 

I make sure not to look back at either him nor Thomas as I run out of the building and into the refreshing cold winter air. 

I know Thomas was watching that whole exchange and for some reason, I was too afraid to see the look on his face, so I didn't. 

Ugh, I could really use a cup of coffee right about now. 

*** 

I walk into the cozy little coffee shop and am instantly greeted with the mouth-watering smell of mocha and cinnamon. 

I walk over to the counter where a lonely dark haired barista is busying herself with restocking cups and other such accessories that go into coffee making. 

"Hey, Clara," I say with a warm smile to get her attention. "I'll be right with you.." she starts, turning her head to glance and acknowledge the customer. 

Her entire persona changes as soon as she sees that it's me. "Oh, Sophia! Hi!" She responds in a much more chipper tone than before. 

Clara puts down what she was doing just to come and talk to me. I can see how much she cares and I can see the longing in her chocolate eyes every time we talk. Honestly, she makes me wish I were at least bisexual because I don't want her to have wasted her time on me. 

That would make life so much easier, wouldn't it? If it were a choice. I could kiss Thomas goodbye and date a normally aged person. It's not though and unfortunately for Clara, I can't return her interest. 

"Want your usual?" She asks, circling her finger around a small coffee stain on the counter. "That would be lovely, thank you," I reply and hand her cash for the drink. "Keep the change, of course." She bites her bottom lip "Thank you very much." 

I go and take a seat at an empty table and pull my laptop out. I have about a million things I could be working on right now and I can't really decide which one to prioritize. I could do my response for Thomas's class, or I could work on one of the trillion stories I have in progress saved to my hard drive. 

I run any thin fingers through my hair, brushing off any melted snow still clinging to the strands. 

"Hot and delicious, just like you." Clara instantly freaks out and stutters "I mean for you. Just for you.." she almost dies of embarrassment as she sets my drink down in front of me. 

"Thanks, Clara. No worries. We all make mistakes." I take a drink of my warm beverage and give Clara some time to recover from her traumatic error. 

Her interest in me doesn't bother me one bit, honestly, it's very flattering. I've thought about the "just try it, this is college" thing but I don't want to use her like that. 

"So, uhm, can I read that story now?" She asks me in a shy sort of whisper. "Oh yeah! I'd almost forgotten." 

I pull up the save file for the storyI started a few days ago at this cafe and turn the screen to face Clara. 

She sits opposite me and I can see her eyes as they travel across the page. "Oh, this is steamy!" She says, shocked. 

"Yeah, a bit. I thought I'd try my hand at a bit of smut. I'm sorry if that bothers you since the girl is based on you." 

"No no no, I like it. Use me however you want!" At that last outburst, I see Clara almost gi pale. "You know what?" She says, using her hands to lift herself off the chair "I'm going to go eat a peanut butter cookie." 

"Okaaay, have fun?" I reply, confused. She's halfway back to the register when she turns back towards me. 

"I'm allergic to peanut butter." 

***