Free Deviation (A Defined Series Book 1) by M.C. Cerny Page A

upset.
       “Then stop acting like one!” My voice rises louder than I intend. I’m frustrated with her willfulness. I hadn’t meant to and the second I do, I feel shame and know I’m wrong. She backs away, which kills me. “Baby… Edith, I’m sorry. Really, I didn’t mean it.” I can see tears pooling in her eyes and she sniffs before getting up from the bed and marching past me, naked and proud, slamming the door of the bathroom. “Edith? Edith, I’m sorry!” All I can hear is the toilet flush, then the shower start.
       Edith stays in the bathroom about an hour before she comes out to join me in the kitchen. I offer her a cup of coffee as a peace offering, which she takes and sits at the table. I wait for her to say something because the quiet is torture.
       “I’m going back to my apartment,” she finally whispers.
       “Edith…”
       She puts her hand up, making me pause. “Jack, think about it. Pretty soon, people besides Shelby and Aiden will know. I can’t jeopardize my scholarship, and you can’t lose this job. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt you financially, but you love teaching. I don’t want you to lose out on it.”
       “Sweetheart, I can teach somewhere else.” I will probably never teach again, after this semester, but I don’t think I need to tell her this. I try to hold her hand, but she moves it away from mine to hold the coffee mug.
       “The point is, no matter how anyone tries to spin the story, your reputation will be ruined, and my name will be dragged through the mud. We need to wait this out.”
       “I don’t want to stop seeing you.”
       “That’s not my first choice, either, but how do you propose we act normal on campus?” Edith looks at me. She has a point. I open my mouth to protest, but she raises her eyebrows, challenging me, and I know she is right. I hate it when she’s right…

Edith
       It’s weird being in my apartment again. After they fix my door with a new reinforced steel door, which Jack likely picked out himself, he wants to stay. Shelby and Aiden want to drop by, to bring me a fattening dinner from the Grease Lounge, but I am really tired. I am still feeling wiped out from the flu and sore from Jack’s undivided attention between my thighs. My body is pretty much giving up on me, so arguing with Jack depletes the rest of my energy. When he looks my sofa over, he says he wants to buy me a new bed. I explain it pulls out into a full-sized bed, but I was so sick and tired last week, I hadn’t bothered to pull it out. Everyone is exceptionally pushy, but I push back, declaring I need some alone time, earning me pouts and dirty looks. It is only Monday, so I promise I will see everyone tomorrow, making Jack promise to treat me like the rest of his students. I even threaten to call the janitors to have them steal his podium. He grunts and leaves, leaving me alone, wondering why I sent him away in the first place. After spending the weekend at Jack’s, my studio apartment does feel a little lacking, but I have everything I need to get by. Granted, a television or a computer would have made everything easier, and my phone only has basic texting features. I try to study a little, but that is pointless because my mind wanders right back to Jack, so I turn off the lights and drag the covers over my body. When that doesn’t work, I try fluffing my pillows. The last thing I remember is flipping my phone over and reading the digital display at 2:15am.
       Today is Tuesday, so I am heading over to campus for my class with Jack. I try mingling with other students and sit in my regular seat, which I haven’t seen since last week. As I pull out my book and notebook, my phone beeps.
       JH: Hi Beautiful.
       I look around, wondering where Jack is. He gave me his number before he left my apartment, but I didn’t expect him to use mine. He is standing at his podium, obviously texting.
       JH: You look tired. Did you sleep well?