AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Soulmate.
Is that what she was? My soulmate?
I'd never believed in them before, but Winnie might've just changed my mind.
* * *
The next day, I sat in my office, my red pen in hand, as I graded papers. I hadn’t been able to keep my mind off Winnie. I hadn’t seen or heard from her, so I had no idea if she was alright or not. I was this close to finding her number or home address from the school records and hunting her down. But that would be insane.
Instead, I’d spent most of my day in this very spot, reading over papers and watching the clock tick by, one agonizing minute at a time. Luckily, it was Friday, which meant I had only office hours and no classes.
The hours dragged on, and all the letters on the papers in front of me began blurring together. All I wanted was to go home and down a bottle of Jack, maybe find some porn of a girl who looked like my little fawn, and fuck my fist until I fell asleep.
A soft knock sounded from my office door, and I blinked, startled at the sound. Looking up, I inwardly groaned. Who the fuck was that? I didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now, especially not some student who likely didn’t pay attention in class and was confused with their homework.
I made my way across the small, mostly empty office and pulled the door open. Whatever excuse I was about to spew died on my lips as blue eyes met mine.
"Winnie," I breathed. A shy smile spread across her lips, and she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
I stepped back, waving at the office. "Of course not. Please, come in." She hurried inside, and I firmly shut the door behind her. Alone again. "I've been worried about you."
She hesitated, her shoulders bunching. "I'm fine," she breathed, her back to me. "I just...wanted to thank you for the book. I kind of ran out before I could." She let out a nervous laugh, shifting on her feet.
I waved her off as I rounded the desk, putting some much-needed space between us. "It's okay," I told her softly. "It was a hard day for you yesterday."
"But it was rude." Her dark brows bunched, like she was mentally reprimanding herself. "I finished reading it last night, so?—"
"Wait." I held my hand up, and she paused. "That book is over four hundred pages. You already finished it?" I took her in again, noticing she was in the same outfit as yesterday, and dark smudges sat under her eyes. "Did you sleep?"
She lowered her eyes, and I took a deep breath. "I have trouble sleeping. But it gives me more time to read." She said the last words lighter, as if it were okay.
"You need to sleep," I snapped. Why wasn't she taking care of herself? Did she have no one who checked on her? Who cared about her well-being?
She'd closed in on herself, and I mentally slapped myself. I couldn't be harsh with her. She was fragile, still too raw after yesterday.
I gestured for her to take a seat, and she hesitantly obeyed, sitting in the chair on the other side of my desk. I took my own seat, the leather creaking under me as I rested my elbows on the desk, leaning toward her.
We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, the ticking of the old clock on the wall the only sound. "Talk to me," I finally said, not bothering to hide the pleading in my voice. "I'm worried."
"I'm fine," she mumbled.
"You're not sleeping. Have you eaten today?" She twisted her lips to the side, and I let a harsh breath out through my nose. "I'll take that as a no?"
"No, sir," she whispered softly, almost inaudibly. My cock jerked in its cage at sir, but I forced myself to ignore it.
"You're not in trouble, Winona." I dipped my head, trying to catch her eye. "Please look at me."
She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she lifted her gaze. "I didn't mean to make you upset," she said, and my heart squeezed.
"You didn't upset me." I rested my hand on the desk, sliding it across toward her, wishing I could touch her again. "You could never upset me, understand?" She didn't look like she believed me, but she nodded. "I just want you to take care of yourself. Don't you have anyone—" I stopped myself. That was such an intrusive question.
"I'm alone most of the time," she admitted.
"What did I tell you yesterday?" Her breath hitched at the words, and she chewed on her lip. "I told you I'm here, and I meant every word."
"I can't—I can't burden you with every one of my thoughts," she said, letting out a little hysteric laugh. "I was sad because of my parents, and—and overwhelmed when we—" She stopped, but she didn't need to finish. I knew what she was referring to.
