Free Mr. Rush: An Island Rush Bonus Chapter by Marien Dore

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Mr. Rush’s POV
    Every man has a different and personal routine when it comes to preparing for the day.  Mine consisted of obsessing over my outward appearance — ironing, bathing thoroughly, checking my skin, and spending hours stressing over small details, I know, people won’t even bat an eye.  It sounds shallow, but with the kind of beauty as the woman in the other room, I had to raise my standards. She was beautiful, perfect, and I didn’t deserve her. I would be deeply disappointed if I looked anything less than perfect in her eyes. I wasn’t good enough for her, and it’s what I had to constantly drill in my head.  Otherwise, I would drown in my guilt.  If I think about the real reason why I try so hard for her, I will flip out before even getting on the plane.
    Wincing at letting myself think about that, I scowled at the man in the mirror.  His face was freshly shaven, body clean, nails and skin clear, and now perfectly clothed.  The liar hit almost all the big essentials in the preparation process.  The next step was hair, which was the most annoying to tackle.  After all, she loved my hair!  Sighing softly with my tired breath, I picked up the comb and got to work, styling it back as I spied on each strand.  I used enough product to help save some time and avoid her displeasure if it wasn’t perfect.
    After my morning routine had been done, it was time for me to say goodbye to Jill.  Being gone for several days would honestly feel like a nice break. That is if I can stop myself from thinking about a certain student of mine.  She drove me crazy nearly all school year.  With what I learned a few days ago, about her family, it only made my predicament that much harder to bear.  It made my interest grow.  Beyond everything that made me feel guilty, it made me want to help her more than anything. 
    Shaking my head to myself, I moved out of the bathroom and shut the light off.  Still very early in the morning, I made my way through the dark house and opened my bedroom door carefully.  Last night, Jill told me to wake her before I leave so I could say goodbye. From that request, I flipped the switch and flooded my room with light.
    The bedroom was clean and spotless as usual.  All besides my bed of course, which was being occupied.  She had the gray covers pulled up to where the top of her silky purple pajama shirt was.  However, with my action, she winced and pulled it up over her head.  “What the hell?” I heard her mumble in her high voice. 
    I scoffed as I came to sit alongside on the bed.  Turning towards her, I rested my hand on her.  “You wanted to see me before I leave,” I reminded her.
    She pushed the covers off her.  Turning to me, opening her sleepy eyes, she nodded.  “Right.  I’m going to miss you,” she said in a voice that said she was not happy. 
    “What’s wrong?” It wasn’t unusual for her to act this way.  Of course, I needed to remember she acted like that because she cared. 
    “Just going to miss you is all,” she said, sitting up.  Blinking awake, she propped herself up and stared at me, her blue eyes turning upset.  “Plus, I had hoped that your first trip to some place nice would be with me,” she mumbled, looking away. 
    “I’m sorry, but we will go somewhere even nicer than the Bahamas for our honeymoon,” I nodded.  “I doubt this trip will even be fun.  It’s with the school and a ton of kids,” I stated, trying to cheer her up, despite knowing my voice was blank.
    Releasing a little whine from the back of her throat, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against my shoulder.  “Whatever,” she said in a high voice.
    Sighing, I started stroking her soft blonde hair.  I didn’t want to leave my house worried about her getting pissed over nothing.  That would only make me feel worse about myself.
    “Hey,” I said, moving her back so she would look me in the eyes. “I’m sorry. You knew