We stand for a moment before he cocks a brow, and I realize he’s waiting for my response.
“Yes,” I manage to squeak out with a nod and almost melt into a puddle on the floor when his lips kick up the slightest bit.
“Come in, have a seat.” He steps back, sweeping an arm out toward two chairs that sit just inside his office, opposite his desk.
Again, I stand for a moment before I can make myself move, scurrying past him to fall into a chair as I hear the door close behind me.
Get it together, Wren. He’s your guidance counselor and a professor, which means he definitely won’t be interested in you!
By the time I’m done giving myself a pep talk, he’s moved back to his desk, and when I look up, I find his bright green eyes assessing me.
He looks nothing like any teacher I’ve ever had before. He’s tall and built. His white button-up shirt hugs his arms and chest tight enough that I almost worry he’ll pop a button if he breathes too deeply; not that I would complain.
His hair is brown and long, pulled back in a man bun that has no right looking as good as it does, and his face has a full beard and mustache to go with his strong jaw.
For as long as I stare, he does the same, as if unable or unwilling to look away. Or maybe he’s just weirded out by the fact that I’m staring at him.
I clear my throat and force my gaze away, looking around the room at literally anything else.
My eyes fall to the bookshelf built into the wall and the very old-looking books that line it.
It’s an impressive collection, and I have to remind myself this isn’t the time or place.
“Um, I’m Mr. Adler. I’ll be your guidance counselor for the year. If you need to talk, help with classes, or assistance, you can schedule a meeting with me at any time. My office hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but if it’s really important, feel free to email me, and we can set something up. I’m going to have our first meeting this Saturday just to ensure all of your classes go smoothly, and then we can discuss how often to meet from there.”
I nod as he speaks to show I’m listening, though I still can’t make myself look at him yet. My cheeks are still warm, and if I look at him now, I know I’ll just end up flustered again.
I hear his chair turn before the click of keys has me glancing over to find his focus, thankfully, now on his computer.
“I’ll print off your schedule and all the information you need in order to go down and collect your books and uniform…” He spins his chair around and grabs the freshly printed papers from the printer behind him before spinning back to face me. He looks down at the paper for a moment, his brows scrunching in confusion.
“You appear to have a few extra classes…” He looks up, gauging my reaction.
“Yeah, I missed some time. I thought I might make up for it.”
‘Missed some time’ is putting it lightly; I’m a year behind.
I watch as his eyes soften, and I regret having brought it up. Of course, he knows I missed time, and given that he has access to my file, I’m sure he knows why.
Crap.
“If you need to talk about—”
“No!” I shout before I can stop myself. I take a deep breath to settle my racing heart and try again. “I’m good, thanks.”
He doesn’t seem convinced, and honestly, he’d be stupid if he were, and while he’s a few things, I’m pretty sure stupid isn’t one of them.
Fuckable, yes…
Ugh, why am I like this?
I reach my hand out for the paper, and he hesitates a moment, looking down at it before he looks back at me and sighs, handing me the paper.
I quickly shove to my feet, more than ready to leave, but I’m not fast enough, and he doesn’t take the hint.
“I’m here if you want to talk…” I pause but refuse to look at him. I don’t need the pity I know I’ll find in his gaze. I just need to graduate and get away, be free of this nightmare I call “life.” “About anything,” he adds almost as an afterthought, but somehow it still feels sincere.
I don’t need a friend or a shrink, though.
