Lessons of Love (Part 4)

          Norah walked into the dorm, still sweating from her first jazz class, and noticed Autumn sitting on her bed doing homework. As Norah dropped her bag onto her own bed, she could feel a tension from Autumn that was so thick, it could have been cut in half with a butter knife, so she whipped around to face her dorm mate with her hands on her hips.
          "So are you gonna tell me what happened earlier or are we just gonna have this ridiculous friction?" She asked in a demanding tone.

          "What are you talking about Norah?" She responded with an annoyed undertone to her voice.
          "Well, I'm talking about how you pulled a complete 180 on me when I mentioned that Matthew kissed me. Did I cross a line because before I said that you were all happy go lucky for me, so what is the problem? Did you two mess around or what?" Norah asked angrily, her steel grey eyes filling with rage at the ring around Autumn was putting her through.

          Autumn let out a defeated sigh before closing her book and turning to face Norah. "No, nothing like that.. Look I'm sorry about this morning. Me and Matt never did anything, but I have had the biggest crush on him since I met him at the beginning of the month. I didn't think anything would come out of you two hanging out but I guess I got a little jealous that it was you and not me." She spoke softly before lowering her head. "I'm sorry Norah, I shouldn't have treated you like that. I'm really happy for you."

          Astonished, Norah took a seat on her bed and took in everything Autumn told her. For the first time in her life, she was the girl he wanted, not the stunning blonde sitting across from her. "Autumn, if I had known that, I wouldn't have done anything that I thought would hurt you or upset you." She whispered as she picked with her nails.
          "Look, how I reacted earlier was inexcusable and I'd like to say that I'm truly happy for you Norah. I know you. I know you wouldn't go out of your way to hurt someone, especially a friend. Now with that being said, go take a shower and tell me about your day!" She squealed as Norah grabbed her shower caddy and headed for the dorm showers.

          Norah let out a small sigh as she stepped under the shower head, letting the hot water rush over all her aching muscles. Her mind raced to Matthew as she poured her coconut rose body wash onto her loofa and started to wash off her body. She couldn't get their coffee meeting out of her head and she felt a small thrill go through her as she remembered the goose bumps that appeared over his arms and his ragged breathing. She rinsed off all the soap before turning around and leaning her head back under the spray and shampooing it with her favorite jasmine shampoo. She chuckled when she thought of the time her and Autumn went to the store to get toiletries, and Autumn making the comment that Norah always smelled like a subtle bouquet of flowers. Once the water ran clear, she turned the water off, wrapped a towel around her petite frame before wrapping up her hair and heading back for the dorm.



          As Norah was finishing up a writing assignment there was a three quick raps on their door and she saw Autumn get up to answer it, so she returned her concentration to her homework.
          "Hey! What are you doing here?" Autumn asked in a startled voice.
          "I was wondering if Norah was able to talk for a second.." Matthew responded, his hair was disheveled as if he had been running his hands through his hair multiple times.
          "Yeah, come on in. Excuse the mess, you know how girls can be.." Autumn backed up and let him in.

          Norah had her headphones on so Matthew spotted her before she noticed him in the room, allowing him time to study her. She was wearing baggy black and red flannel pajama pants and a matching snug red tank top. Her gorgeous thick hair, still damp from her shower earlier, hung around her shoulders like a small blanket and her black rimmed glasses were resting perfectly on the bridge of her nose. Matthew loved seeing her dolled up, but completely adored her in her own element, not putting on airs for anyone.

          "I'm gonna slip out of here and give you guys a few minutes alone.." Autumn whispered to Matthew as she grabbed her jacket and snuck out the door. Matthew walked over and sat on the corner of Norah's bed, causing her to look up and her eyes to go wide.
          "Matthew! What are you doing here!" She exclaimed as she pulled her throw blanket tighter over her shoulders.

          "Norah, I had to see you again. I can't stay away from you. You're all I think about and I think we could make this work if we're really careful. Let me take you out on a date Friday." He spoke gently as he moved a little closer to her on the bed.
          "Matthew you could get into serious trouble if we get caught. I don't want to be the reason you lose your position or even get kicked out of school."
          "I could care less honestly, I just want to be with you. I've not felt like this about someone in a good while."

          Norah chewed lightly on the inside of her cheek thinking about what he said. Did she feel the same way? She thought about how in class, she couldn't focus but kept looking at him. All through her dance class, she kept thinking of how it felt to dance in his arms. After deliberating for a few moments, she looked up at Matthew's blue eyes.
          "Only if we're really careful.. I'll let you take me out." She replied softly with a sweet smile.
          "Oh Norah! That makes me so happy, I could kiss you. Can I... Can I kiss you?" He exclaimed before hesitantly asking her about kissing her.

          Norah nodded her head as she moved closer to him on the bed. He reached out, cupping her delicate face in his hands before lowering his lips. They molded perfectly to the shape of her lips as they connected and Norah could feel an unfamiliar fire burning deep inside her soul. It was almost as if she had been in the cold and dark for so long, she forgot what it felt like to be touched in the most gentle ways. Matthew deepened the kiss by parting her lips and gently stroking the inside of her bottom lip with his tongue, receiving a soft sigh from Norah's throat. She reached one of her hands up and knotted them in his hair, pulling him closer to her. As the kiss got deeper and heavier, Matthew broke the kiss and placed his forehead against Norah's, both of them breathless.

          "I have to go, but I'll see you in class tomorrow.." He trailed off as he stood up. He noticed her little pout and chuckled before giving her one more small kiss on the lips. "Don't worry my darling, we'll pick that up again soon." He whispered in her ear before he made his way across their room. He turned toward her before walking out and blew her a kiss. When the door clicked shut, Norah flopped back against her pillows with the biggest smile on her face that she has had in a very long time.

          When she heard the door open, Norah popped back up to see Autumn walking in with a cheesy smile. "Girl with that smile, you better tell me every single detail of what just happened!!" She exclaimed as she rushed over and jumped onto Norah's bed.
          "Well, we're going out Friday night and we're gonna try to see each other secretly. Which means you take this to the grave." She said with a mischievous grin.
          "Holy shit this is amazing! I'm planning your outfit!" Autumn squealed as she got up and rushed to her own closet, which wasn't quite as neatly organized as Norah's closet.
          "Oh Autumn, I haven't told you the best part. He's my college algebra teacher's TA."
          "Wait wait wait, so you get to droll over him in class???"
          "Not if I wanna pass that class!"

          Norah woke up extra early the next morning to plan out what to wear for school. She started to pull out several outfits before deciding on her black knee-length pencil skirt, a red camisole tucked in, and a silk wrap top. Once she slipped everything on, she examined herself in the full-length mirror and couldn't recognize herself. Before coming to school, her mom and sister took her clothes shopping that she never thought that she would wear, until now. She sat at her vanity and carefully curled and pinned her hair to cascade down her left shoulder; her makeup consisted of a dramatic line across her eyelids and a bold ruby red lip. As she was adding the finishing touches to her makeup, she heard Autumn stirring and waking up.

          "You're up early.. Hold shit dude." Autumn stopped dead in her tracks when she turned the light on and spotted Norah as she stood up from her vanity to grab her red pumps that matched her outfit.
          "Does it look okay?" Norah asked once she finished strapping her heels on and stood up to face Autumn.
          "If Matt can concentrate on anything besides you in that classroom, then he's completely nuts.
          "Thanks hun!" Norah spritzed her favorite rose perfume on her neck before grabbing her backpack, hugging Autumn, and headed out to class.


          Matthew walked into the empty classroom and set his things down on his desk. Not a lot of things excited him any more but the promising date that he had scheduled with Norah had him flying. Nothing could bring his mood down today. Just as he opened his laptop to edit a few presentation slide, he heard someone's heels tapping closer. It was too early to be a student in his class, so he ignored them. When they stopped just outside his door, he lifted his gaze to see his gorgeous goddess standing in the doorway looking sweet and seductive all mixed into one. He cleared his throat as he stood up and walked over to her.

          "My my, Miss Wright.. What's the occasion?" He asked in a mischievous tone, subtly running his fingers up her silk clad arm.
          "I really wanted to impress my TA.." She trailed off as she bit her lower lip, restraining herself from jumping in his arms to kiss his perfect lips.
          "Well, he is very much impressed." He replied as he pulled her into the empty classroom, closing the door behind them, as if he was reading her mind. He gently backed her up against the wall and cupped her face in his hand while his other hand explored down to her hip before lowering his head to kiss her soft full lips. She reached her arms up to knot her fingers in his thick soft locks as she pulled herself closer to him and parted her lips to deepen the kiss. He nipped her bottom lip before breaking the kiss, but he kept his position with her in his arms.
          "Norah you are absolutely the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on." He whispered as he stared deeply into her steel gray eyes. He could see the faint pink color spread across her cheeks and he chuckled before kissing her lightly again and stepping back. "This isn't being very careful.." He joked before he poked his head out the door and opened it.
          "You're right.. That wasn't being very smart but fuck I enjoy kissing you Matthew." She spoke quickly as she walked over to his desk and perched herself on the edge.

          Matthew walked over to his desk and planted a kiss on her neck before settling into his desk, "Don't worry my darling, I enjoy kissing you as well and I will sacrifice everything to kiss those pouty lips." He responded as he started clicking away at his laptop.
          "So why did you want to start teaching anyways?" She asked curiously.
          He paused typing and leaned back into his chair to think. "You know, it wasn't my original plan nor was it my family's plan."
          "Oh? What did they want you to do?"
          "They wanted me to work on our farm, but I decided that I wanted to enjoy the world, or even just the city before settling down there. I wanted a decent education and I guess become a teacher." He shrugged his shoulders before leaning in closer to her and placing his hand right above her knee. "I'm glad I left because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met you." Norah's face turned bright red and she smiled so hard, her cheeks hurt.

          Unfortunately her smile faded as she heard several students down the hall and noticed it was about 9:15. "Well, I guess our secret rendezvous is coming to an end.." She spoke softly before planting a quick kiss on his lips and walked over to her seat. Shortly after she sat down, a group of students rounded the corner into the classroom to take their seats.
          As more students walked in, Mr. Samuels entered and closed the door behind him, signaling the beginning of class. Halfway through his lecture, Norah felt a sharp point jab her in her left side. When she glanced down, she noticed the guy behind her was holding a note out for her; so she grabbed it and opened it.

                              "Hey girl, you lookin fine. wanna meet me after class?"

          Norah felt the bile rising up in her throat as she read it before crumpling it up and throwing it away. As she walked back to her seat, the guy sitting behind her licked his lips and winked at her, to which she returned the look with a disgusted expression splayed all over her face. When she returned to her seat, she glanced up at Matthew who was looking over at her quizzically. She stuck her tongue out and pointed to the back of her throat as she nodded her head subtly to the guy sitting behind her. Matthew's eyes glanced behind her and could understand the disgust expression. The guy behind her, Kenny, would eye Norah up and down like she was a piece of steak and Matthew could feel his irritation bubbling up. He may not be her boyfriend but he was damn close and he wasn't about to let some frat boy mess with his goddess.

          Mr. Samuels concluded class by handing out the homework assignments, telling us he would see us tomorrow, and walked out of the class with a few students already trailing out of the class. While Norah was gathering her books in her bag she felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, so as she stood up she noticed that Kenny was still in his seat eyeing her.
          "Can I help you?" She asked in an acidly tone.
          "You threw away my note, that was rude." He replied, a sick playful smile resting on his lips.
          "Yeah well so was your disgusting note. Besides, I have a boyfriend." She lied as she clipped her bag closed and went to walk out. Matthew was beside her in moments. "Is everything okay?" He asked, his eyes flashing back and forth between them.
          "Yes but tomorrow I would like a different seat in class." She replied.

          Kenny scoffed as he shoved by her to walk out of class. Matthew could feel himself about to snap. "Hey dude, you wanna say excuse me next time?"
          "And if I don't?" Kenny walked back into the classroom over to Matthew.
          "I'll straight fuck you up next time." Matthew's stance got real defensive, gently pushing Norah behind him.
          "Oh I get it.. She's fucking you, that's why you're being all tough."

          Without thinking about it Matthew cocked back and caught Kenny square in the jaw, causing him to fall onto the class floor. Matthew walked closer to Kenny and grabbed him by his collar, "Don't you ever talk about her like that again or I'll make sure you're drinking soup through a straw for 6 months. Don't you even think about ratting out who did this to you either, or this will be a lot worse, I promise that." Matthew spat acidly as he landed another solid punch to Kenny's jaw.

          Norah's eyes went wide as she rushed over to Matthew to check his hand, which his knuckles were covered in blood. "Baby your hand! Come on!" She grabbed his good hand and rushed him to the restroom down the hall. He was leaned up against the counter as she dampened a paper towel and began to clean his knuckles. "Matthew that wasn't smart. What if he gets you in trouble.." She trailed off as she pulled out her mini first aid kit from her bag.
          "Norah, I will not let someone disrespect you in my presence. I may not be officially your boyfriend, but I will protect you and your reputation as if I am." He responded seriously as he took her face in his hands to gaze into her eyes. A small tear escaped the corner of her eye. "My darling, why are you crying?" He asked as he wiped the tear away with his thumb.
          "Because I've never felt so protected in all my life." She whispered softly.
          "Come on my darling, I think you should take the rest of the day off and relax." He let her wrap gauze around his knuckles and tape them up. He chuckled as she discarded the bloody items and pack her kit back up. "Do you always have a first aid kit?"
          "Of course! You never know when your TA is gonna punch the living hell out of a student."

          Matthew wrapped her in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. They stood that way for a few moments before they left the restroom and off towards her dorm. Once they got there, she let him in and walked in behind him.
          "I'm really sorry about the mess, it's been kinda crazy.." She trailed off as she started to furiously put things away. Matthew picked up her pajamas from the night before, walked over to her and grabbed her hands.
          "Norah.. Relax. I don't mind this at all. Now, do you want me to walk outside while you change into your comfy clothes?" He asked before offering her pajamas.
          "You can just turn around, as long as you don't peek." She replied as she unstrapped her shoes and placed them in the closet. Matthew turned around as she removed her black wrap. He caught a glimpse of her in the mirror, noticing a huge Japanese cherry blossom tree on her bare back before she slipped her shirt on and he shifted his eyes to another part of the room out of respect for her. "I'm done, you can turn around."
          He turned to see her perched on her bed, taking out her contacts and slipping her glasses on. He kicked his shoes off and sat on the bed beside her.
          "Do you wanna cuddle?" She asked quietly, picking at her nails.
          "Absolutely." He laid back against her pillows and she cuddled up next to him. Before either of them knew it, they fell asleep together, shutting out the rest of the world and just enjoying each other for that little bit of time.