My Ten-Year Crush by Olivia Spring
Chapter Twenty-Two
Istretched out my arms. As a flashback of the night before popped into my head, I felt a big smile spread across my face. The tingles now racing through my body and the soreness between my legs confirmed it wasn’t just a dream. It really had happened. Three times. I’d officially moved out of the friend zone with Mike. We’d crossed the line in the most magnificent way.
I rolled over to look at him for added confirmation, but the bed was empty. Perhaps he was in the bathroom or…
No. I wouldn’t allow myself to think the worst. I trusted Mike. There was no way that he would have woken up this morning and decided that us getting together was a mistake. That was in the past. Everything I’d thought about him not wanting to be with me was wrong. He liked me as much as I liked him. I felt it. We had a connection. A deep bond. We always had.
I got out of bed and checked the bathroom, kitchen and living room. There was no sign of him, and his trainers were gone.
As I returned to the bedroom, I spotted a piece of paper on the floor. It must have fallen from the bedside table. I picked it up.
Morning, beautiful Bells!
Wish our amazing time together didn’t have to end, but have to go home to get changed for work. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you.
See you soon!
M x
My shoulders immediately relaxed. Of course he’d need to go home. He couldn’t exactly rock up to the lesson in tracksuit bottoms and that delicious vest top that clung to every inch of his solid pecs and abs. Just at that moment, I had another mental image of me removing his clothes, and my whole body sparked again.
Yesterday, round one had been swiftly followed by a second. After that, we’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms for a few hours, woken up and had dinner. We’d then attempted to watch some TV on the sofa, but it wasn’t long before we were at it again. By the time we’d finished, it was fast approaching midnight. Neither of us had the energy to check what time the last train and tube were, and as we agreed that we’d needed to get some sleep, I’d suggested Mike stay over. It was no surprise that I’d slept through the whole night. I hadn’t had a workout like that in years. I was already looking forward to the next one…
I jumped in the shower and couldn’t stop smiling as more memories of last night flooded my thoughts. After eventually dragging myself out, I slipped into a long dress, which made a change for a Monday, and floated out the door.
I looked up and the sky was bright blue. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but the birds seemed to be singing louder than usual. I felt like bursting into song myself and skipping down the street. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this happy.
The train pulled into the platform right on time and I got a seat straight away. This really was shaping up to be the best Monday. A teenager opposite me had music blaring from his headphones, and rather than getting irritated, I found myself humming along.
My phone pinged and I pulled it out of my bag.
Cassie
So… I didn’t hear from you last night. How’d it go?
Me
Sorry. I was busy…
Cassie
Busy, or getting busy???
Me
Yep! It happened!!! And it was AMAZING!!!
Cassie
Yay! I knew it! Sooooooo happy for you! Fill me in later, yeah? I’m already at work and my boss is breathing down my neck.
Me
Thanks, Cass! Will do. Fancy meeting at the weekend? Maybe on Saturday for lunch? Still feel bad about you leaving early yesterday. I saved you some food and put it in the freezer.
Hope your boss isn’t too demanding today.
Cassie
Saturday sounds good! And no worries about yesterday. So glad it was worth it! Thanks for saving the food too. Better go. Love ya! x
I sent Cassie a row of kisses and as I did, I started thinking about how great it was kissing Mike. Even though it had only been hours since we were together, it already felt like a lifetime ago. I couldn’t wait to see him again and press my lips against his. Mmmm.
I knew Sophia and Melody would also be keen to hear what had happened last night, so I fired off a couple of texts to let them know. Melody was the first to reply.
Melody
FINALLY!!!!
Melody
I don’t like saying I told you so, but I TOLD YOU SO!! Really happy for you, Bella-boo! xoxo
I wasn’t expecting Sophia to reply until after work, but minutes later, my phone pinged.
Sophia
Holy shit!!! This is the best news!! Go you! Still on for dinner on Thurs if you’re able to take the night off from studying? Can’t wait to hear everything!! xxx
I replied to thank her and confirm that I was definitely up for meeting. If I was seeing both Cassie and Sophia this week, I’d have to pull all-nighters probably every night to get my assignments done, but I didn’t care. What Mike always said was true: life was for living. Right now I was convinced that if I looked up cloud nine in the dictionary, there would be a giant photo of me. Mike and I had enjoyed a magical day and night together. And knowing that my closest friends were so happy for me too just accentuated the feelings of joy.
As I entered the building, a teeny flash of fear jumped into my mind, making me wonder how things might be between us during the lesson and whether it would be awkward, but I quickly brushed those thoughts aside. I trusted Mike. Everything was going to be absolutely fine.
I literally sailed into the classroom and from the moment Mike looked up from his desk and our eyes met, I knew I was right. A smile spread across his gorgeous face. God, he looked hot. He was freshly shaven and it took every inch of self-control to resist racing over to him, running my hands across his smooth, perfectly sculpted jaw, taking his face in my hands and kissing him.
‘Good morning!’ I beamed.
‘Morning, Bella,’ Mike replied. ‘Did you have a good weekend?’
‘It was amazing, thank you.’ I grinned. ‘How was yours?’
‘Mine was pretty amazing too, thanks. Especially yesterday…’ He winked. My stomach flipped. I quickly looked around the class to see if anyone else was watching us, but we were in the clear. Faye was chatting to Petra and Craig. I went over and joined in the conversation. I needed to take my mind off Mike and my naughty thoughts. Something told me that was going to be an impossible task.
I felt a huge sense of relief. Our teaching practice session had finished and now we were just waiting for feedback.
‘Faye,’ said Mike.
‘Yes.’ Her voice trembled.
‘You did great, just try to take it slow. You want to make it easier for your learners to understand. And remember, it’s best to keep the TTT—teacher talking time—to a minimum. It’s something that can happen to all of us when we’re nervous. If you ask a question and the room falls silent, don’t just talk even more. It could be that your learners don’t understand, so try rephrasing the question in a shorter way and use concept-checking questions, okay?’
‘Okay, thanks.’ She bowed her head and scribbled down notes into her notebook.
‘Bella…’ Hearing Mike say my name sent shivers down my spine. He’d done that so many times last night…
‘Yes?’ My voice shook. I sat up straight and attempted to focus and not act like I was imagining him kissing every inch of my body, which was exactly what I was thinking about right now.
‘Overall, you did a great job. I know you want the lesson to be perfect, and I can tell you spent a lot of time prepping, but try to avoid overplanning. When you’re teaching English as another language, you have to allow for more contingency time than if you were teaching to native speakers. For example, if your learners don’t understand, like I was saying to Faye, you’ll need to find a different way to explain, which will add minutes to your lesson plan. If you pack too much in, you’ll struggle to rejig things.’
I nodded. He was right, of course. If overplanning and overthinking were an Olympic sport, I’d definitely win gold. I’d have to work on reining it in. I was glad that Mike had been honest and wasn’t giving me special treatment just because we’d started sleeping together.
‘If you plan for eighty percent and have something fun like vocab bingo to fill in a couple of minutes if you need it, you’ll be better off.’
‘That’s a good idea, thanks.’ Adding games to the end of a lesson obviously wasn’t something that I was used to doing.
‘Anything to add, Graham?’ Mike asked.
‘I think you pretty much covered it,’ he said. ‘Just remember to grade the language to suit your learners. There were just a couple of words that might be too advanced for elementary level.’
‘Okay,’ I replied.
Mike went round to everyone in the class, giving his feedback and sharing the thoughts of the learners that had come in to help us practice. Afterwards, we split into groups to discuss it further. I was put with Faye and Petra.
‘I know we’re supposed to be talking about the TP sessions’—Petra rolled her eyes—‘but can we all just take a moment to appreciate the glory of our tutor?’ She fanned herself and licked her lips. ‘Not Graham—obviously I’m talking about magnificent Mike. I swear to God he is the finest man I have ever seen. I don’t see a ring on his finger. Does anyone know if he has a girlfriend?’
My eyes widened and my cheeks burned. I caught myself, then tried and failed to act casual.
‘Um…,’ I stuttered.
‘I think he has,’ Faye jumped in. I didn’t know what had given her that impression, but I was glad it took the heat off me responding.
‘Shame,’ Petra sighed. ‘Then again, even if he has, doesn’t matter. He might still be up for some fun…’ She winked.
I wanted to shout ‘hands off, he’s mine!’, but I bit my tongue. I supposed this sort of thing came with being with a man who was so attractive. But I trusted Mike. Crossing the line with me was one thing. There was no way he’d get involved with someone like Petra. I didn’t think anyone in the class liked her.
Home time came around quickly. I desperately wanted to see Mike tonight, but after taking off so much time at the weekend, I had a lot to catch up on.
‘Bella, do you have a minute?’ Mike called out as I walked towards his desk. I’d deliberately taken a long time to pack up my books again so everyone else could leave the room.
‘Course!’
Mike headed to the door, stuck his head outside, looked both ways, then closed it.
He strolled back towards me, his eyes burning, pushed me against the wall gently, then planted his lips on mine.
My heart thundered against my rib cage. God, his mouth felt so good. But this was so risky. Our lesson had only just finished. Anyone could walk back in…
He slid his tongue into my mouth and my knees buckled. Thank goodness he was holding me tight. I dropped my bag on the floor and suddenly I didn’t care about what could happen.
As we kissed, it was like the whole world around us melted away. All that existed were sensations. The feel of his soft lips, the gentle flicks of his tongue, the sweet scent of his minty breath and the velvety smoothness of his chin resting on mine. I had no idea how much time passed. Probably a few minutes, but even if it was hours, it still wouldn’t have been long enough.
When we reluctantly came up for air, I opened my eyes to find Mike staring at me, almost in a daze. Like he was mesmerised.
‘I’ve been wanting to do that all day,’ he growled. There was fire in his eyes again. ‘That and a whole lot more…’
‘Really?’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘What does a whole lot more involve exactly?’
‘Hmmm… me, you and that desk.’
‘You mean, me standing there while you sit and mark my work?’ I teased.
‘Not exactly. Let me clarify: you on my desk and me removing your knickers. With my mouth…’
I closed my eyes and groaned as I pictured the scene. The thrill of how it would feel to have Mike’s head buried between my legs, combined with the idea of doing something so forbidden, made my whole body spark.
‘God, I would love that,’ I gasped.
‘Fuck, Bells. I really don’t know what to do about all of this. I want you, but we better not do anything here.’
‘I wish I didn’t have to study tonight. I want you too. No, I need you.’
‘Same.’ He glanced between his legs. His hard-on strained against his trousers. ‘But I’ve got to work late tonight.’ He paused. ‘Unless…’ He stood back and I could literally hear the cogs in his brain turning.
‘What are you thinking?’
‘Of a way that we can get what we want and still be able to do our work tonight. On the fifth floor, they’re redecorating some of the classrooms, so they’re out of action. Meet me in the one right at the end of the corridor in ten minutes. Then we can pick up from where we left off…’
‘Okay,’ I said before more questions about whether we might get caught invaded my thoughts. ‘See you there in ten.’