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It was always the same old details with them.
Staring at the card in her hand, she reached into her school bag and pulled out her purse. After sliding the card into place, she clicked her tongue and then moved, checking the house for locked doors and windows.
With her mother making a quick escape, she had a tendency to just rush off without a moment’s notice.
Her mother’s bedroom window was open, as was the one in the bathroom, the back door was unlocked, and Teal made sure the house was secure before she made herself a quick cup of instant coffee, and then sat on the couch with her books in hand, and got to studying.
She had been like this for nearly an hour when the doorbell rang.
After climbing to her feet, she made her way to the door and checked through the peephole.
It was Jaxson.
Her heart raced. She hoped she didn’t look like a blushing schoolgirl. Her attraction to him wasn’t subsiding. With every moment she spent with him, the more she liked him.
This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she unlocked the door and opened it. “Jaxson,” she said.
“Is your mom home?” he asked.
“She’s already left.”
“She called me today. Told me that she was staying out of town, and that you’d be alone.”
“Yeah, she said. Er, would you like to come in?” Her hands had started to get clammy.
“Sure,” Jaxson said.
Other than for that one dinner, Jaxson had never come into her home. She was always around his. Her home wasn’t lived in.
Still no artwork on the walls. The laundry room still held a bunch of boxes her mother refused to unpack.
With Jaxson in her hallway, Teal struggled to think. Did it suddenly get hot?
“Would you like a coffee?” That was the polite thing to do, right? Ask if they wanted coffee?
“Love some.”
“It’s only instant,” Teal said. “Mom refused to unpack the coffee pot until Dad arrived.”
“Oh,” Jaxson said.
“Mom’s pretty stubborn like that. She won’t put up pictures or put anything in place. Dad was always the one with a keen eye for décor.” She chuckled. Turning away from him, she closed her eyes and cursed herself inside her head for saying such stupid, boring things. Why couldn’t she say and do the right things? This was so frustrating. He was her teacher. None of this should matter to her.
She grabbed the kettle and poured out his cup, only to find the water had gone cold.
“Crap! Er, I’m sorry. I just need to boil the kettle.” She placed it on top of the stove, turned the heat on, and waited.
“How was school today?” Jaxson asked. He suddenly sounded a lot closer than she imagined him being.
She spun around to find him less than a foot away. “It was … good. Yeah, it was fine.”
“I heard a couple of the kids talking. You tripped?”
“In gym class. Yeah, the whole running thing. My head wasn’t in the game, and I tripped. It’s fine.”
“You want me to take a look?”
