schoolgirls? Do you think that’s why you’re here?”
The tone of his voice was defensive, but there was something else behind his question. I realized he didn’t want me to think he was messing around with me. He didn’t want me to think that what we were engaging in was something flippant or commonplace.
“That’s not what I meant,” I answered quickly, trying to reassure him. “I was just curious, that’s all. What am I supposed to think? You’re here kissing me, so why would it be so crazy for me to think that maybe you’ve kissed a schoolgirl or two before this?”
Mr. Stevens abruptly loosened his grip on me and stepped back.
“Isabel, I need you to understand that I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said, looking straight into my eyes, his tone serious. “In answer to your question, yes, I’ve kissed someone with braces before … when I was sixteen. And no, I don’t go around kissing schoolgirls. I’ve been a teacher for over ten years and this has never happened before, and–”
I put a hand up to his lips, stopping him. “That’s not what I think,” I said softly. “I wouldn’t be here if I thought you were like that. I was attracted to you from the first day we met, and I didn’t even know you were married then. I was just curious if you had ever been with someone else as young as me, that’s all. I didn’t mean to imply that this is what you do for kicks.”
Mr. Stevens relaxed a little; I could see it in his body language. He placed his right hand on my left cheek, and then leaned forward and embraced me again, as carefully as if he were dealing with a priceless porcelain doll.
“You understand what I’m risking here, don’t you?” he murmured in my ear. “This choice I’ve made to give in, to hold you, to kiss you…” he pulled back and looked into my eyes. “I’m risking my career, I’m risking my family. I’m risking everything. I could go to jail if I were to get caught, do you know that? I would never do something like this if I didn’t sincerely care about you, Isabel. You’re not a game to me.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words. This had never been anything more to me than a crush, and some kind of conquest. I wanted to break some rules and see how far I could go with Mr. Stevens, how far I could get him to go. But there were serious repercussions on his end, and it wasn’t just a game. Now that I was in his arms, I knew that it was more than a game for me as well; I had developed stronger feelings for him than I realized. It was as if that embrace and that lingering and passionate kiss awakened a love I hadn’t felt before, and overwhelming emotion that was new and unexpected. The thought of him going to jail put me into a cold sweat and it was clear that I cared a great deal about this man who was putting his life at risk for me. All of a sudden, I realized that this was an immense responsibility for me, to engage physically with him like this, and to care for the faith he so willingly had in me.
“I know, I really do,” I replied. “I believe that you care about me, and it means the world to me. I want you to know that.” I took a deep breath and seized the opportunity I’d been waiting for. “Will you write me a letter? So that I know how you honestly feel about me?”
Mr. Stevens seemed to hesitate, but finally he nodded.
“All right,” he said, “But you have to be really careful. We both have to be very careful. And after you read the letter you have to destroy it, or give it back to me so that it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.”
“You can trust me,” I reassured him, “I wouldn’t do anything to get you in trouble. But, I don’t think I’ll want to give it back.”
He paused, then nodded again. “I felt the same way about yours,” he said, leaning toward me again.
We stole another lingering kiss before I left his classroom. I walked quickly down the hallway, wondering if I looked any different now
The tone of his voice was defensive, but there was something else behind his question. I realized he didn’t want me to think he was messing around with me. He didn’t want me to think that what we were engaging in was something flippant or commonplace.
“That’s not what I meant,” I answered quickly, trying to reassure him. “I was just curious, that’s all. What am I supposed to think? You’re here kissing me, so why would it be so crazy for me to think that maybe you’ve kissed a schoolgirl or two before this?”
Mr. Stevens abruptly loosened his grip on me and stepped back.
“Isabel, I need you to understand that I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said, looking straight into my eyes, his tone serious. “In answer to your question, yes, I’ve kissed someone with braces before … when I was sixteen. And no, I don’t go around kissing schoolgirls. I’ve been a teacher for over ten years and this has never happened before, and–”
I put a hand up to his lips, stopping him. “That’s not what I think,” I said softly. “I wouldn’t be here if I thought you were like that. I was attracted to you from the first day we met, and I didn’t even know you were married then. I was just curious if you had ever been with someone else as young as me, that’s all. I didn’t mean to imply that this is what you do for kicks.”
Mr. Stevens relaxed a little; I could see it in his body language. He placed his right hand on my left cheek, and then leaned forward and embraced me again, as carefully as if he were dealing with a priceless porcelain doll.
“You understand what I’m risking here, don’t you?” he murmured in my ear. “This choice I’ve made to give in, to hold you, to kiss you…” he pulled back and looked into my eyes. “I’m risking my career, I’m risking my family. I’m risking everything. I could go to jail if I were to get caught, do you know that? I would never do something like this if I didn’t sincerely care about you, Isabel. You’re not a game to me.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words. This had never been anything more to me than a crush, and some kind of conquest. I wanted to break some rules and see how far I could go with Mr. Stevens, how far I could get him to go. But there were serious repercussions on his end, and it wasn’t just a game. Now that I was in his arms, I knew that it was more than a game for me as well; I had developed stronger feelings for him than I realized. It was as if that embrace and that lingering and passionate kiss awakened a love I hadn’t felt before, and overwhelming emotion that was new and unexpected. The thought of him going to jail put me into a cold sweat and it was clear that I cared a great deal about this man who was putting his life at risk for me. All of a sudden, I realized that this was an immense responsibility for me, to engage physically with him like this, and to care for the faith he so willingly had in me.
“I know, I really do,” I replied. “I believe that you care about me, and it means the world to me. I want you to know that.” I took a deep breath and seized the opportunity I’d been waiting for. “Will you write me a letter? So that I know how you honestly feel about me?”
Mr. Stevens seemed to hesitate, but finally he nodded.
“All right,” he said, “But you have to be really careful. We both have to be very careful. And after you read the letter you have to destroy it, or give it back to me so that it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.”
“You can trust me,” I reassured him, “I wouldn’t do anything to get you in trouble. But, I don’t think I’ll want to give it back.”
He paused, then nodded again. “I felt the same way about yours,” he said, leaning toward me again.
We stole another lingering kiss before I left his classroom. I walked quickly down the hallway, wondering if I looked any different now
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