Five

"You said you were looking for fun, so here we are." I hear Blake explain next to me.
I currently can't see. My eyes are blinded by my hands. He told me that where we are going is a surprise.
I assume we are in the small part of town considering the traffic is less quiet. What could be so fascinating here?
"Can I open my eyes now or do you not want me to see you murder me?" I ask, turning my body to the location of his voice.
He chuckles. "Go ahead."
My eyes open and I immediately gasp. In front of me is an abandoned building with a large white board above the entrance. The board has letters spaced out from each other, leading to the word, tonight.
While still staring at the large building, I ask, "What is this place? A movie theater?"
"It sure is." He steps in front of me, his back facing the building. "Ready to see the inside?" He grins, lines appearing on each side of his mouth.
"What?" I glance back behind me to see if anyone is near. "Are we allowed to do that?" I whisper back at him, watching him wipe off dirt from his white T-shirt.
He puckers his lips to the side and shrugs. "No one ever said that we couldn't."
I suck in my lips and think about it for a second. "Will we get in trouble?" I pinch the hem of my skirt.
He relaxes on his right leg and sighs. "This is your problem, Rosie. That's why you never have fun." He shakes his head. "You're too cautious."
My jaw drops and I defend myself, "I am-" I stop to realize that he is right. Earlier today, I was convincing myself to break the rules. Who cares if we get caught? What's the worst that can happen?
He smiles. "Now can we go in?"
I nod my head and follow him through the entrance.
As we walk in, I observe what used to be the lobby. It's red color has faded and the wallpaper is peeling. The place is so dull.
"How old is this place?" I ask quietly while admiring every feature of the aged interior. I can already smell the distilled air. I cough from the dust.
"I think it was built in the thirty's or forty's." He shrugs while stepping over a pile of wood. I mimick his motion so I don't trip on it.
"That's amazing." I whisper in awe.
We stop in one of the rooms. There are rows of red seats filled in the room. The color is almost a gray from all of the dust. In front is a large, blank screen with a long tear across it.
The projector flicks on, startling me. It covers the screen with an introduction to Betty Boop.
I glance back to see Blake walking towards me from the projector. "It still works." He then gestures his head towards the screen and softly commands, "C'mon."
I follow him to the middle section of the fifth row. After we sit down, I declare, "This place is so amazing. I wish I could have lived the time this place was full of life." I stare at the black and white screen, imagining myself here decades ago.
"How would you rate your satisfaction of entertainment for this evening?" He raises an eye brow at me. His fingers swipe back his short, brown hair.
I hum. "Well, throw in a pony and I would say about a ten." I smile.
He smiles back and nudges my shoulder. "Okay, smartass."
We sit quietly for a moment, watching the short film. Betty Boop begins to pamper herself in a black dress and a scarf. She talks to herself in the mirror about her features with her squeaky voice.
"I see a similarity between you and Betty Boop." He admits after a moment while watching the screen.
"Really?" I narrow my eyes at him with a smile.
"Yeah. You both are short," he glances at me with smile. "you both have a tiny voice," he continues.
"Now you're just making fun of me." I declare.
He chuckles. "No, I'm comparing you to Betty Boop. Shouldn't that be a compliment?"
"Not the way you're putting it." I laugh and add, "You're the one who is Betty Boop."
"Alright, you caught me. I'm intentionally criticizing you." He remarks flatly. His phone buzzes, causing him to glance at it in his lap. His smile falls after reading a text. He groans before declaring, "I have to get back to practice. C'mon, let's go back." He rises from his seat.
I glance at the time on my phone. "I guess it is getting late. I still need to pick some books up from the library before it closes."
I stumble over a pile of wood on the way out and catch myself from falling. I frown at it behind me as I walk away.
"I promise that Friday will be a better day. That is if you're still up for it?" He asks as we walk side by side towards the exit.
I smile at him. "Definitely."
* * *
I sit under the same tree from yesterday with a stack of books beside me. I continue to read a romantic novel that was recently released a year ago. I now feel like I have more time to read it than I did before.
"Interesting choice." A soft voice approaches me.
I glance up to see Professor Collins gazing down at me, his hands tucked into his pockets.
My heart pulses rapidly. I swallow hard.
"Hello, Prof. . .Dean. Is there something wrong?" I ask innocently up at him.
He watches me. "No. Thought I would join you. May I?"
"Of course." I respond a bit too quickly while pushing my books aside.
He sits himself down next to me with a sigh. His eyes draw towards me. I can smell his sage fragrance. I take it in, allowing it to intoxicate me.
I admire his sculpted face and his tan skin. His hair looks so soft and playful. Why is it that every time I look at him, I want to jump his bones? He's my Professor, damn it.
I've never looked at a guy and felt this sexually attracted to him. All the guys at my high school hit on me and flirted with me like some sex doll. I never gave them the time of day. I never wanted anything from them. That probably explains how I'm going on nineteen and have never been in a relationship before.
Maybe I'm picky. Maybe I focused more on studies and hobbies and friends. I have no idea. All I know is, high school boys could not win me over no matter what they did nor what they looked like. I guess I was more attracted to celebrities and fictional characters if anything. Too bad I couldn't have dated them.
But now I'm here with Professor Hottie and all of that has changed. I wish I could deny the way I feel about him, but each day I grow closer and closer to him. Of course it sounds cliche. I met him a few days ago and now it seems as if I found my soulmate. It's completely ridiculous. But I do wonder, how delicious he looks shirtless.
"You're biting your lip." He breaks the long silence.
I quickly pull my bottom lip out from my teeth. And as if I have no control over my mouth, I quickly ask, "Why can't I bite my lip?"
Oh no! I said it! How pathetic did I sound?
"Because some of the slightest distractions result in awful regrets." He replies sternly.
What the hell does he mean by that now? This man is so confusing.
I stare down at my lap, trying hard to process his response.
"Don't worry about it." His thumb and forefinger softly grip my chin and slide off.
My chest warms even more now as I quickly glance back up at him.
He grins at me while rising and says, "Don't forget about our session on Monday. If anything changes," He pulls out a business card from the inside of his suit. "my contact information is here." He hands me the card.
I stare down at it. It has his full name, obligation, mobile and work phone number along with his email.
When I glance up, he grins at me and remarks, "See you Friday."
No, don't go. Not like that. You have to tell me exactly what you mean!
I watch him walk away.
After he leaves, I glance back down at the card.
I have his number.
I pull out my phone and enter the digits to his work phone. As much as I would love to add his mobile, I really want to keep things professional. It would look foolish of me to have his mobile.
What did he mean about the distraction part? I glance up from my phone.
That man is so confusing.
* * *
Thursday went by slower than I wanted it to be. Now that Friday is here, I couldn't be more excited for the day.
I have so much to look foward to: the weekend, hanging out with Blake tonight, having Dean for class today.
I smile as I walk over to the mirror to apply lip gloss.
"Whoa, someone is in a good mood today." Julie chuckles.
I glance at her with a smile. "Something about Fridays." I shrug.
"You're definitely dressed for it." She smiles while slipping on some denim shorts.
I glance down at my outfit. I wear a white crop top with a high-waisted, black skirt that reaches to my mid-thigh. I've paired it with black, buckle high heel boots that reach my ankle.
"It's casual for me. Plus, I'll be hanging out with a few friends tonight." I smile before applying more lip gloss on.
"Sounds great! I hope you have fun. Tonight I'll also be with a few friends too. Cheers to us!" She squeals.
* * *
"He told you what?" Alex gasps.
I decided to inform Alex about everything with Dean. From beginning to end. I needed someone to talk to before I went crazy. . .and to confirm my sanity.
"Yes, he told me that distractions have regrets or something like that. Do you know what that means?" I run my fingers through my hair.
She huffs. "Yeah." Her eye brows flash at me. "He's into you, girl."
"What?" My eyes widen. "He can't, he's my professor. Also, he's too hot for me." I sigh.
"So what he's your professor? That won't stop him. Besides, you're also hot, girl. He has to be into you." She swipes her hand at me.
I never considered myself to be hot, but I also never thought I was ugly. Could I really match up to his league?
"You can't deny it. Think about it, he prefers you to call him by his first name, he's always running into you, telling you to not bite your lip. . .What's there to not catch on to?" She twists her face.
"Alright, you guys can go now." Professor Anderson informs while walking to his desk.
Alex and I rise from our seats.
"Don't be afraid of the truth." She remarks before turning down the opposite direction down the hall.
Maybe she is right. Maybe she's wrong. My head is spinning. This is all too much to take in.
* * *
"Ready for tonight?" Blake asks when I sit down. "It's going to be lit."
I smile. "Yes. Where is it that we are going exactly?" I tilt my head.
"A party. I know a few guys who throw awesome parties. You'll love it." He utters while leaning in his chair.
I'm not much of a partier, but I'm going to commit to my self promise.
"Awesome." I reply with a grin.
I glance at Dean, who currently is watching me with his hungry eyes again. Could it be true? Does he like me? Is that why he looks at me like that all the time?
"Man, what is up with that guy?" Blake huffs.
"What?" I turn towards him.
"Professor Collins. He watches you you like you're a rabbit and he's a fox. What a creep." He shakes his head and folds his arms.
Even Blake notices it too. This all has to mean something, right?
"Well, I wouldn't say that." I chuckle weakly while scratching my head.
"Oh, please." He sits up more in his seat. "You can't tell me that you haven't noticed either."
Believe me, I've noticed.
I turn my head away, thinking of a defense. Why do I continue to deny all of this?
"Good morning, class." Dean rises from his seat.
I glance at him, my attention all on him. This time I will observe his every move.
"Another reminder, your first lesson begins Monday. It should be basic stuff that you have covered before, so don't panic." He explains. His eyes then meet mine.
I swallow hard from his gaze. Whether it is true or not about his feelings for me, having him in class each day will be so hard.