A Lesson In Love

Chapter three

Abby's P.O.V

He looked so good at the bar last night and I was sure he was interested in me too until he left abruptly. 'Abs, he's your teacher. He's probably looking for someone with more maturity.' This thought made me a little sad. I wasn't childish by any means, but a sophisticated college professor like Shawn was surely looking for someone more worldly than myself. 'Shawn..' He had told me to call him that. That particular thought brought a smile to my face. 

"Abby, stop day dreaming and get ready or you'll be late for your first class with Mr. s*x God!" Lucy teased. She had seen the way I had looked at Shawn and hadn't let me hear the end of it. 

"Oh hush it woman have you no shame?" I giggled. 

"You want the truth?" She looked at me and decided to be unashamedly upfront with her inner workings. " No. No I don't... I'd ride him on his desk long and hard until he screamed my name, but that's just me."

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened at her comment. I hadn't expected her to be so... vulgar. I also had not expected to get jealous after hearing her say that either. "Ok ma'am go buy you a coin operated boy before you rape the poor man" I scoffed. 

She rolled her eyes at me. "Please... even if I wanted to I wouldn't because I wasn't the one he was eye f*****g last night...it was you."

"I doubt that very much... but any who I need to get going I promised Shawn I wouldn't be late again..." I stated absentmindedly. 

"Shawn... hmmm?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at me. 

I groaned at my slip, rushed out of the room, and headed to class. 

                                                                                         ***

I was able to keep my promise and made it to class without being late. I sat in the front again and got out the materials needed. I still had like 10 minutes to spare so I decided to read a story on my phone until class started. 

"Abigail I would appreciate it if you would put your phone away while you're in my class." Shawn snapped. 

"But class has not even started yet..." I mumbled. 'Seriously teach get a grip' 

"Whatever.." He grumbled. Shawn walked back over to his desk and looked through his papers. His posture was visibly stiff as if something was bothering him. But what could it be? 'Is he mad at me?' I couldn't have done anything because the last time I saw him was last night at the bar and I can't remember doing anything that would have caused him to be angry with me. 

The rest of the class went by very slowly and Shawn spent the whole time being snappy and looking irritated. When he asked the class for answers to some of the problems on the white board he would ignore me even if my hand was the only one that was raised. I just couldn't figure out what I had done to deserve this kind of treatment and it was starting to get under my skin. So I decided to confront him after class was over and everyone had left. 

As soon as the last student left I stalked up to his desk. My stomach knotted up as my nerves got the best of me. I was not good at confrontation, but I seriously needed to know why he was so upset with me. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No." He said flatly. He didn't lift his eyes from the papers he was so intently studying to even look at me. 

"At least look at me when you're talking to me!" I shouted, "You don't have to be so rude!" I cringed inwardly at my own rudeness, it was not like me to raise my voice. 

He slammed his fists onto his desk making me jump. "Damn it I'm your teacher! You cannot talk to me that way!!" He roared. 

I flinched when he hit his desk. My breathing quickened as did my heart rate and I became lightheaded. I took a few slow steps backwards and took off  running until I came upon the women's bathroom. I dropped my bag on the floor as I collapsed and started to sob uncontrollably. 

*Flashback*

SMACK

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dad." I sobbed, clutching my sore cheek. 

The older man was red in the face, anger rolling off in waves. "Did you enjoy that boys tongue my little slut?!" He yelled punching me in the side surely breaking a few ribs. 

"He only kissed me on the cheek! You have to believe me!" I pleaded. 

"You're a filthy liar!" Her step-dad screamed. He snatched me up by the roots of my hair and drug me up the stairs. I grabbed at the rails desperately trying to get away, but it was no use. "I know what little sluts do when they think no one is looking. I hope you enjoyed f*****g him because I'm fixing to teach you a lesson you will never forget." He growled. 

He threw me into my room and closed the door behind him. I quickly scooted clear across the room as he approached me. "No please I'm sorry..."

*End of Flashback*

The sound of the bathroom door opened startled me and I saw Shawn locking the door behind him. His eyes held concern as he slowly walked toward me. My breathing was still erratic and tears still ran down my face. When he's within a foot of me he crouched down so that we are face to face. He seemed a little sad too. "Abigail, I am so sorry for my behavior earlier." He paused. "Do you wanna talk about it? You're very upset...."

I shook my head. I could tell he knew my extreme reaction was not solely because of his outburst earlier. "Not really..."

He reached forward and pulled me in to his chest for a tight embrace. He was so warm and he smelled so good. I laid my ear against his chest and listened to the rhythmic sound of his heart beat. We sat there for quite some time. He released me when he could hear that my breathing had returned to normal and my trembling had ceased. He pulled away slightly and looked at me. "Would you like to go for drinks at the bar with me this evening?"

"I would like that Mr. Graham." I reply softly. 

"Call me Shawn." He smiled. " Meet me there at 7."

                                                                                          ***

SHAWN'S P.O.V

The rest of the day I couldn't stop picturing Abigail's frightened expression from earlier. I had snapped at her over something that wasn't even in her control. However I do not think that was the reason for her panic attack. It did seem to trigger something within her...a memory perhaps? I hated seeing her so broken. I have not known her for very long at all, but from the moment I first laid eyes on her I felt drawn to her. 

"Hey Shawn.."

I looked toward the door to see Jason leaning against the door frame with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. "Hey J..." I muttered. 

"Alright.. What's going on in that tiny brain of yours?" Jason wondered curiously. 

I rolled my eyes at his attempt at a joke. Jason and I have been friends for practically our whole lives so he knew when I was upset about something. "My dad called me this morning..."

Jason cringed. "What does he want now?"

"Same thing he always wants... to take over his company.." I sighed. My father was the CEO of a highly profitable business. His company created and distributed top dollar medical supplies and equipment for hospitals, clinics, and hospice. He's been on my case to take over for him my whole life. I was groomed from a very early age to be his successor but it never appealed to me. This had always been a bone of contention between us for many years. Our conversations with him would always end on this topic and an argument would be bring the call to an abrupt end. 

These phone calls would always ruin my mood making me irritable and snappish which is what happened today with Abigail. He was disappointed in his only child and he had made sure I knew this too. I was closer to my mother than I was to him so his disappointment doesn't really bother me. I just hated him making it out like I have no say in my life as if I was still a young child. "And it ended like always does... in a heated argument about me being a failure."

Jason raked his fingers through his shaggy black locks in confusion. "I don't see why you don't just take over. You would be filthy rich."

Typical Jason, always the one to be on the shallow side. He never had that type of lifestyle that I had growing up in so he wouldn't understand how suffocating it could be. "I love teaching J. I don't wanna be a CEO of some big corporation that only cares about making money." I gave him a pointed look. "Plus I have  my trust fund in savings and it has been building up interest my whole life. Money isn't an issue for me. I teach because it is fulfilling."

"I feel ya man." He shrugs. "So is there anything else on your mind? Like Abby maybe?"

"I asked her if she would go have drinks with me tonight." I grin sheepishly. I wasn't going to mention her panic attack; I don't feel it was the kind of information that she would have wanted to be shared. Eventually I will figure out what that was all about but I wanted to gain her trust first. 

"Alright man way to go!" He smiled devilishly. "I didn't know you had it in ya!!"

I rolled my eyes and chuckled at my best friend. Even though I am going against the University rules I can't help but think that she would be worth it