Professor Cline: Redeemed (Professor #2) (19 page)

Mason

Light penetrated through my lashes as I slowly opened my eyes. I quickly shut them, letting out a groan.

"Good afternoon, sunshine."

I turned my head to the side and squinted one eye open to see Luke sitting in a white chair on the far side of the room.

I tried to speak, but my dry mouth wouldn't allow me to. I rubbed my eyes and moved to sit up when all of a sudden, pain shot through my leg and up to my hip. I groan and laid back down.

"Take it easy, Mase."

"What the fuck are you still doing here?"

I figured he would have left after he sewed me up.

"I might be a dick, but I'm not an asshole. I wasn't going to leave you like this. I may not be an actual doctor, but I do know a cut like that," he nodded toward my leg, "could cause an infection if not treated properly."

He pulled on my arms, and I gritted my teeth as he helped me sit up.

"You cut yourself good, Mase. I had to get the bleeding to stop, then clean out the splinters of glass you had in there. I don't carry the things necessary to make sure you don't get an infection, so I wanted to make sure you didn't spike a fever or something."

I nodded, grateful to have him there.

He picked up a glass of orange juice off the side table and the two tablets he had next to it. "Take these," he stated as he handed them both to me. "I don't have anything stronger than this, so you're going to have to deal with the pain."

I took the juice and the pills from him and swallowed them down. I didn't mind the pain. That I could deal with.

Luke sat on the bed and ran a hand down his face as he yawned.

I cleared my throat. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

He turned and looked at me with a shrug. "Just a little bit, but I'm fine. I called your staff and told them not to come in tomorrow, as well. I figured you didn't want them to see you like this."

I nodded again in appreciation. "Thank you for coming last night."

"Look, man, I told you before that I can't keep doing this. I'm telling you now that if you do this to yourself again, I'm not coming, and I mean it this time." He stood up from the bed and paced a little before turning toward me again. "I don't know what the hell happened, but you need to get help, man. If you need someone to go with you or find someone, then I'll do it. I just hate seeing you like this. That," he pointed, "isn't normal."

I stared at the comforter and hated myself in that moment. I wasn't only fucking up my life; I was fucking up the lives of the people around me, too.

I raised a hand in defeat. I knew he was right. I needed help, but I had things I needed to do before I did anything else. I'd spent so much time focused on other things beside myself that it seemed like I'd wasted most of my life.

I knew I couldn't keep living this way. I needed to do something, but first, I needed to make a phone call.

Emmalynn

Monday morning rolled around and I couldn’t stop thinking about Mason. I’d spent all day Saturday and Sunday in a dreamland I didn’t want to leave.

I’d met the girls for coffee Saturday morning and let everything out about how I felt for him. I’d never experienced it before, with anyone else, not even the beginning of the relationship with Tim. I couldn’t explain it to them. It was like something had always been missing and I never knew it, until I had it in my hands. It was something I didn’t want to ever let go.

Waking in his arms then having to leave was torture. I’d wanted to call and cancel the coffee date, but I didn’t want to seem clingy. Everything was still so new and I didn’t want to scare him off, even though I didn’t think it was possible. I could tell by the way he looked at me that he had the same deep feelings I had.

The way he’d stared at me with adoration in the shower Friday night was enough to have me swooning for a week. I couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face if I’d tried, and the girls took definite notice.

At that very moment, I was smiling.

I was bummed that I didn’t hear from him on Sunday, but I was sure he was busy. He did have classes he had to get ready for, and I tried to busy myself with reading and catching up on all of my classes.

Mel also informed me that Quinn was moving in with her boyfriend so I’d finally have my own room to sleep in. It was exciting news, although I was sad to see Quinn go. It’d be nice to share a space with just Mel and me again.

“Good morning,” Brian greeted as he settled into his seat.

“Morning,” I smiled.

“How was your weekend?” he asked, starting to pull things out of his bag.

“Mine was great.” Erotic, sexual, pleasing, and orgasmic were all the things running through my mind that I couldn’t say. “How was yours?”

He sighed. “My parents had a get-together this weekend and tried to set me up with the daughter of a friend of theirs. It was disastrous.” He laughed.

I giggled at his facial expression. “How so?”

He quirked a brow. “She had a huge gap in her front teeth, she snorted when she laughed, and she had a lazy eye.”

I practically guffawed.

“I know that probably makes me seem judgmental. I wasn’t attracted to her at all, but I could tell she was into me. It was awkward. And my parents kept trying to find ways to get us alone.”

“I don’t think you’re being judgmental. I’ve always believed that you need to have a physical attraction first. Maybe they noticed your lack of interest and they won’t do it again.”

He scoffed. “That’s highly doubtful. They’re having another get-together this weekend. Which brings me to the question I wanted to ask you.”

I looked at him curiously. “Okay?”

He paused for a moment then cleared his throat.

“Would you like to come to dinner with me Saturday night?”

I fumbled for words as I realized what he’d asked me. Was he asking because he’d honestly wanted me to come as a date, or was it his way of getting his parents off his back? Either way, it didn’t matter. I was with Mason, but I knew of someone who might want to go.

“I’m sorry, Brian. I have to work this weekend, but I do know someone who might be interested. I promise you she’s pretty, single, no gapped front teeth, and she definitely doesn’t snort.” I laughed as the image of Victoria snorting flashed through my mind.

The door to the classroom opened and I was distracted from what I was saying by an older man walking into the room. He placed his briefcase on Mason’s desk then grabbed a marker and wrote ‘Professor Scherf’ on the board.

I turned to Brian who was looking at me with a confused expression.

“Good morning, class. Today, I’ll be stepping in for Professor Cline, who is out for personal reasons. If you have any concerns that you need addressed right away, please see me after class and we will get them taken care of.”

He pulled open a folder on the desk and began to write something down.

“Well, I guess today will be interesting,” Brian stated as he opened his notepad.

Disappointment flowed through me as I watched the sub shuffle papers on Mason’s desk. I’d woken up that morning anticipating being able to see him, but it apparently wasn’t going to happen.

My mind wandered as I thought of the many reasons why he’d miss his classes. He wasn’t the kind of man to do so for no good reason. Maybe he was sick.

I glanced over at Brian who was lost in this computer, obviously forgetting about the conversation we were just having. I leaned down to grab my phone out of my purse, pulled up his number and quickly sent a text.

Me: You’re not in class today. I hope everything is okay. If you’re sick, let me know if there is anything I can do.

I placed my phone on my desk just as the sub started to speak, but nothing he was saying was registering in my brain. My concentration was on my phone as I waited for a reply.

A reply I never received.

The class dragged on, and what started as a happy day turned into a crappy one that couldn’t end fast enough.

It wasn’t only about not being able to see Mason, but the damn sub handed out sheets of paper that we had thirty minutes to review before we had to stand up and give an oral argument.

My mind wasn’t into it, and the day turned into a complete fail. I’d berated myself when I’d walked out of the classroom for letting something so stupid get my mind off what was most important to me. I promised myself I wouldn’t let it happen again.

~*~

“What’s up with you?” Victoria asked as I sat down on her old floral couch with a glass of wine.

“Nothing,” I said, taking a sip of my wine then staring at the contents.

I was lying, and I knew she knew it. Mason hadn’t arrived to his Wednesday class, either, and he never replied to any of my texts or calls. As much as I told myself not to read into it, I couldn’t help it.

Why have a damn cell phone if you’re never going to use it?

“You’re full of shit, Em.”

“Hello, I’m here!” Becky yelled from across the apartment. “Sorry I’m late. I almost missed the damn train, too.” She laughed as she made her way into the room, eyes pinned on me. “Oh, damn, you already broke out the wine. I better get some,” she stated as she dashed to the kitchen.

“Where’d you just come from? You aren’t dressed like you just got off work,” Victoria asked Becky as she came back into the room, wine in hand.

“I told you I had my V appointment today,” she stated, pointing between her legs.

“Oh, yeah.” Victoria laughed.

“I just took the rest of the day off, so I was already at home.”

“And you were running late?” I added with a smile.

Becky shrugged. “I took a nap. So, what’s been going on?”

“I was just asking Em what was up her butt.”

I raised a brow at Victoria. “And I was just telling Victoria that nothing is up my butt.”

I hate when they did this. Victoria was the most perceptive of the three of us, and she didn’t stop until she got what she wanted.

“You keep staring off in space.
Something
is up. Is it Mason? Did something happen?”

“Oh, man,” Becky added. “You might as well just give her something. You know she won’t quit until she gets it out of you.

“Why do we get like this?” I asked.

“Get like what?” Victoria questioned with a raised brow.

“When a guy doesn’t call, we start getting all these scenarios in our mind as to why they aren’t responding.”

“Did you get that way about Tim?” Victoria asked, going for the jugular.
Ouch
.

I thought about that for a minute and realized I didn’t. I never worried. Maybe that was the problem.

“You like this guy, Em, so of course you’re going to be down about not hearing from him. Did you not see him in school?”

I hadn’t told either of them that he had been out since Monday.

I shook my head. “He hasn’t been in school this week. I’ve tried to call
and
text him, but he’s not responding.

“Maybe he’s sick or something,” Becky added.

“That’s what I was thinking.” I took a healthy sip of wine and stared into it. “I really like him. Like,
really
like him, and it’s messing with my head. Ever since the first day of class, he’s always on my mind.”

“It’s good to be consumed, Em, but remember that you have a future you’re going to school for. Don’t let yourself lose sight of that. You’ll hate yourself in the end if you let that happen.”

I loved that she was so protective and nurturing, but she wasn’t telling me anything I hadn’t already chastised myself about.

“I know. That’s why I’m trying not to let it get to me.”

“Just go see him,” Becky blurted after taking a sip from her wine. “You know where he lives.” She shrugged as Victoria and I looked at her like she was crazy. “You could make him a ‘get well’ basket and bring it to him. I mean, at least then if something was fishy, you’d find out right away and you’d just look like you were being a concerned and loving girlfriend.”

I wouldn’t deny that the idea of going to his house hadn’t crossed my mind. It would be a sweet gesture, especially since he could really be sick and not well enough to use his phone.

Just the thought had me furrowing my brow in sympathy. Nothing was worse than being sick with no one there to take care of you.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” I confessed.

“You can’t be serious,” Victoria chimed in.

“What? You think it’s a bad idea?” Becky asked. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve come up with lately,” she stated with a laugh.

“No, I’m just surprised
she
thinks it’s a good idea,” she said, looking toward me.

I shrugged with a small smile as I thought about knocking on his door. It made me nervous. It would be a bold move since I wasn’t the type of person to show up to a guy’s house uninvited.

“You don’t think I’m just losing my mind with lust for the man and I’m overanalyzing it all?” I asked, scrunching up my nose.

Victoria shrugged. “So what if you are? If you think he’s as in to you as you are with him, then don’t worry about it. Guy’s love to be babied.”

“You’re right,” I agreed. “I’m going to do it. I mean, it’s a nice gesture, right? He said he wanted to try things out. This is me trying and being sweet.”

“Exactly.” Becky smiled.

“Okay, so, since
that’s
been hashed out, what are we doing this weekend? All this guy drama has really gotten me in the mood for some man love. It’s been way too long,” Becky stated, and we all laughed.

“I can’t do this weekend. I’m working at the club.”

“And I have a date,” blurted Victoria.

“What?” Becky yelled in surprise. “When did that happen?”

“I set her up,” I told Becky with a smile.

Brian and I never finished the conversation we’d had on Monday, so Wednesday I’d suggested Victoria as a possible date for him since I wouldn’t be available. I showed him a picture of her I had on my phone and I could tell he was holding back a smile of approval. Then I took a picture of him and sent it to Victoria, telling her what was going on and to see if she’d be interested. She agreed in a matter of minutes, and that was that.

“She set me up with her study partner, Brian. It’s been a while since I’ve been out on a date, and he’s actually really hot. So, I’m excited,” Victoria stated with a giggle.

I smiled at them as they started talking about what Victoria was going to wear on her date. I wanted to join in, but the only thing that kept running through my mind was seeing Mason. I’d made up my mind to go, but the whole idea made me nervous. It was just a friendly gesture. I just needed to figure out when I was going to do it.

The sooner, the better.