Page 103 of Fundamentals of Chemistry

I nipped lightly at his jaw. “Like a parasite?”

He huffed a laugh. “Less invasive, more beautiful—like a tattoo.”

His eyes were pools of chestnut, coffee, and chocolate, and I lost myself in them.

“I love you,” he said, voicing my own thoughts before I could.

This was more than I had dared hope for. He was more than I had hoped for. He adored me and challenged me and valued me and made me laugh. And he loved me.

I didn’t want this moment to end.

I didn’t want to leave.

***

Two weeks later, I stood with Ashley and the hens at the faculty end-of-term party. The final exams had ended that morning, and the students had left campus that afternoon, leaving only the faculty. Phyllis had been in charge of refreshments, and everyone was very much in the holiday spirit after sipping on her spiked punch for the last hour.

Jack walked over, and I smiled up at him as he slipped a fresh drink into my hand.

Phyllis said, “oooh,” when he bent down and kissed my temple.

Our relationship had been out in the open for the last two weeks, and I still wasn’t used to the attention. Of course, Jack and I had tried to remain professional outside of the privacy of Brookside, but no one made it easy. As expected, every student at Newbury saw the video of Jack carrying me away within about three minutes.

I wasn’t surprised when the cafeteria erupted into a round of applause and wolf whistles the following morning. The students refused to settle down until Jack dipped me into a Hollywood kiss in the coffee line.

I was surprised when I walked into the chemistry classroom and found a life-size cardboard cutout of me and Jack kissing standing at the white board. I filmed a reaction video when Jack found it before his second period class. He tried to act like a serious teacher as he tucked the cutout into the storage closet, but I could see the smirk pulling at his mouth.

Similar shenanigans continued (seemingly nonstop) through the end of the term. I was very much looking forward to two weeks of alone time with Jack, away from curious eyes.

“So, what are your plans for the holidays?” Ashley asked, sipping her own drink.

“We’ll be staying around here most of the time, but we’re spending Christmas at my parents’ house,” Jack said.

“Ooh,” Phyllis said and nudged me with her elbow. “Meeting the parents. That’s a big deal.”

I shrugged and grinned up at Jack. “I think I’m up to it.”

“And what will you be doing around here?” Ashley asked.

“Well,” I said. “I have a substitute teaching gig lined up in Norwalk, and I need to look for a place to stay. Something between there and here.”

Jack squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back. “I offered to have her stay here with me,” he started, answering Ashley’s unspoken follow-up question.

“And I said it would be weird to live here without working at the school,” I added. “I would love to stay, but I need to make my own way, you know? But I’ll be around.”

“You let me know if there is anything I can do for you,” Ashley said. “Anything at all.”

“Thank you. I will.” I offered her a watery smile. I was never going to get used to all this crying.

After that, the conversation turned to happier topics. Ashley was planning a solo trip to Greece, and Phyllis was going to meet her newest grandbaby for the first time.

A couple of hours and a couple glasses of punch later, I was content and sleepy, leaning on Jack for support.

“Let’s get you to bed, Princess,” Jack said as he zipped me into my coat and wound my scarf around my neck.

“Only if you’ll be joining me,” I teased.

“Always,” he replied before pressing his lips to mine.