Lessons After Class.

Chapter 6

The spoon fell from his hand and hit the bowl with a sharp sound. At first I thought it was just an accident, but then his face changed. His eyes went wide. His lips pressed together as if something was stuck in his throat. He coughed once, then again, hard and loud.

“Sir”, I said without thinking.

My chair scraped the floor as I stood up. I moved fast, faster than my mind could catch up. I went to his side, grabbed the cup of water on the table, and held it out to him with both hands. He took it and drank in long gulps. Some of the water spilled down his chin and onto his shirt, but he did not stop until the coughing slowed.

He bent forward, one hand on the table, breathing hard. I stood there, frozen, watching his chest rise and fall.

After a moment, he straightened up and nodded once.

“I think I am okay now”, he said quietly.

Are you feeling better now, I asked.

He nodded again, then gently pressed my shoulder and guided me back toward my seat like nothing strange had happened. His hand was warm. I felt it even after he let go.

Thank you, he whispered, and there was a small smile on his lips. Not polite. Not forced. Something else.

I blinked, unsure what to do with my face, then nodded and went back to my seat. My heart was beating too fast for a normal morning.

The kitchen smelled like bugeoguk. Sunlight came in through the wide window and rested on the table. Everything looked calm, but my body felt like it was still running.

We sat in silence for a few seconds. Then he spoke again.

“We did not have s*x last night”.

He said it clearly, firmly, like he was stating a fact in court.

I looked at him. Really looked at him. My mouth opened a little, but no sound came out. I did not believe him. Or maybe I did not know what to believe.

I looked down at myself. At the shirt I was wearing. It was grey and soft and far too big. It was not mine. I knew that much. I had left my house last night in a burgundy mini skirt and halter cropped top. I remembered that clearly. Or at least I thought I did.

I felt his eyes on me as I stared at the shirt. I felt heat crawl up my neck. Then I heard him chuckle.

I looked up fast.

“What is funny about this situation?” I asked, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.

He did not look offended. He leaned back slightly and studied my face like he was trying to read a book he had seen before.

“What do you remember about last night?” he asked.

I swallowed.

“I left my friends at the bar”, I said slowly. “After that, I walked into another bar and drank some more. That is all I remember”.

Saying it out loud made it sound worse. Empty. Like there was a hole in my memory that someone had scooped out.

He nodded once.

“Okay”, he said. I will tell you.

I held my breath.

“I was also at the bar you were with your friends”, he continued. “I was meeting a friend from college”. He paused, then added, “I heard how I ruined your whole day”.

My stomach twisted.

“So my friend and I followed you to the next bar because you did not have anyone else with you and you were clearly tipsy”.

I covered my mouth with my hand.

“You drank a little more”, he went on. “Then you found me and said a lot”.

He rolled his eyes slightly, like he was remembering something annoying but not serious.

“Then you threw up on my friend and passed out”.

I gasped.

My face burned. My ears rang. I wanted to disappear into the floor.

“I am so sorry”, I started to say, but he raised a hand and continued speaking.

“I drove you both home”, he said. “She cleaned herself up. You and I stayed. She also helped you change your clothes. That is all”.

That is all.

The words echoed in my head.

I pushed my chair back and stood up too fast. My knees hit the edge of the table and pain shot through my legs.

“Oh my goodness”, I said, my voice shaking. “I am so sorry, sir. Thank you, sir”.

“Hey”, he said quickly. “Be careful”.

He reached out like he wanted to steady me but stopped halfway.

“It is nothing, really”, he said. “I have a class in an hour, so I will be heading to campus. I can drop you off at your place”.

“Thank you so much for the offer, sir”, I said quickly. “I will call an Uber and be out of your hair as fast as possible”.

His eyes narrowed just a little.

“You are not a nuisance”, he said. “If you were, you would know”.

My throat went dry.

“Thank you?” I said, unsure if it was a question or a statement.

“Go get ready so I can drop you off”, he said. “I will take care of the dishes”.

“I can do them”, I offered. I wanted to do something. Anything. I wanted to clean away my shame with soap and water.

“Go get ready”, he repeated.

His voice was calm, but his face was firm. It was the same look he wore in class when he sent me out.

I nodded and walked upstairs.

The room was quiet. The bed was neatly made, like no one had slept there at all. My clothes were folded on the chair. My bag was beside them. My phone was inside. I remembered the number of missed calls and texts and saw and sighed.

I sat on the edge of the bed and held my head in my hands.

What had I done?

I washed my face again, and tied my hair back. When I went downstairs, he was already waiting by the door with his keys.

The drive was silent. Not awkward. Just quiet.

When the car pulled into the driveway of my house, I let out a breath I did not know I was holding.

“Thank you again for last night”, I said. “And I am really sorry for the trouble”.

He nodded.

“Take good care of yourself, Hana”, he said.

Hearing my name from his mouth felt strange.

I stepped out of the car. When I looked up at the house, I saw the curtains move. Someone had been watching.

Melissa was home.

His car drove away, and I walked inside.

The door had barely closed behind me when arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

“I actually thought you had been kidnapped, r***d, and all your vital organs harvested”, Melissa said in one breath.

“I can’t breathe, Melissa”, I said, my face pressed into her shoulder.

“Ooooh… sorry”, she said and finally let go.

I dropped the shopping bag that contained my bag and clothes to the floor and dragged myself to the couch. My body felt heavy. Like I had lived a whole week in one night.

“Where did you drop your phone all night, she asked. I have been calling you. Where did you sleep last night. You did not come home and I was so worried. Who was the guy that dropped you off this morning. Did you have a one night stand. Yemi has been calling me nonstop. He has not been able to reach you since the fight last night. Are you bre…”

“Melissa”, I said softly.

She stopped.

“I blacked out”, I said. “And the man who dropped me off was my criminal law professor. The same man who bumped into me yesterday and threw me out of his class”.

She stared at me.

“You have got to be kidding me”, she said slowly.

“I’m not”

She adjusted a throw pillow and sat back like she was about to watch a movie.

“Tell me everything”, she said. Her eyes were bright with excitement.

I leaned back and closed my eyes.

I did not know where to begin.