Chapter 7

Seven

“We have to stop meeting like this. People will talk.”

Hearing the now standard greeting from Anders, I keep my head lowered to hide the smile on my face.

“Surely you have other students to harass, Mr Cleave?” A very large vanilla latte enters my limited field of vision, but I still don’t look up at him.

“None that are willing to sass me like you do, Ms Davies.” I can hear the smirk in his voice. After another moment of silence, a plate with a sizeable slice of chocolate cake on it slides in next to the latte in front of me. My smile grows, but I still make him wait.

“Someone has to keep your head from growing so large you won’t be able to fit through doorways. And given most of the student population are either too intimidated to speak to you, or are likely to pop an eye out of its socket for all the batting of lashes, it appears the duty must fall on my shoulders.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Anders sinks into the seat next to mine and leans in, lowering his voice. “It would be rather embarrassing if I couldn’t fit through the door when I finally convince you to agree to a more private study session at my home.”

We have been having this same conversation for the last couple of weeks. I returned to the café after classes on my second day, hoping for another chance meeting with Anders. Just like that first day, he showed up at my table with a coffee and sat for a short while, chatting with me about study, law, life, everything really. He shamelessly flirted, and I did absolutely nothing to dissuade him. As the days went on, I found Anders staying longer, and I was heading to Mum’s office later and later, until last week we completely lost track of time and Mum called me in a panic when she had finished for the day and I still hadn’t arrived. I stretched the truth a little and told her I was getting some help with a particularly complex legal principal and lost track of time, which calmed her somewhat, but I’d taken to setting an alarm after that. Anders, however, saw it as an opportunity to suggest that we move our “study sessions” to his house.

“Funny you should mention that, because I have an idea,” I say, turning to face him in time to see his head tilt and eyebrow raise with curiosity.

Really, it should be illegal for someone who looks like him to be so smart. The way his hair flops over an eye when he tilts his head, how he nibbles on the corner of his lip when he is considering a question in class, the way he gently guides a student to the right answer, but I’m the biggest fan of the way he makes me feel like we are the only people in the world when we’re together.

“If you look at me like that any longer, Aria, I’m not going to be able to leave for quite some time.” Anders’s smug smile comes back into focus as I realise I have been staring at his face for far longer than I should have, and I can feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. Smooth, Aria.

I don’t acknowledge his comment and resist the urge to look down to see if he’s telling the truth by taking a gulp of my latte. “How would you feel about hosting an actual study group?”

“I don’t follow.”

“Well, when a group of students get together for the purposes of study...”

“I know what a study group is, smart ass. But I don’t see how having more people around will assist us to spend time alone.”

“And therein lies the genius of my plan,” I say with false modesty. “As you know, my mother is extremely overprotective, and completely against me dating at all. I can only imagine the fit she would have if she found out I was planning to spend time with my TA. But, with a group of students, outside of business hours so she can see me leave and come home, she will be more likely to let me come over.”

Anders is silent for a few moments, seeming to contemplate my suggestion. Whilst I’m keen to spend time with him alone, there are two problems. Both involve my mother. Firstly, her overprotective nature means I’ll need a legitimate reason to be with Anders, and while I’m willing to bend the truth, lying to her is something I will never do. Secondly, the move and demands of her new job are clearly taking a toll. The last couple of weeks she has looked so exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, and her mood has been frequently low, even with Robert’s increasingly regular visits.

Robert’s presence gives me a potential distraction method in the afternoons or evenings, but I’ve still been racking my brain for solutions to my two problems. I got so excited when the ideas came to me late last night that I couldn’t concentrate on my studies all day. There is more to my plan about getting the green light from Mum, but I wanted to see how he reacted to my idea before sharing more.

“Well, you have my attention, so pitch me your idea.”

“I think I can get Mum on board with me joining a study group, but there would actually have to be a study group, which is why I needed to speak to you first. However, there is nothing to say that the study group needs to actually go for the whole time. I would tell Mum it does...” I can see the moment he catches on to my cunning plan when his eyes widen slightly, and a slow smile spreads across his face, lighting it up.

“So there would be time before, or after, for you and I to get some quality one-on-one study time. I’m impressed, Ms Davies.” I bite my bottom lip at the praise and the prospect of what I could “study” during that alone time. Anders’s eyes home in on the movement, and darken, like he can tell exactly where my mind wandered. “But I get a final veto on the students. I will not have idiots in my home. I am, however, willing to help those who actually need it, so let’s talk shortlists when you have one.”

I reach down into my bag and slide the folded paper to him. His answering chuckle warms my insides when he opens the paper to find a list of students. “I guess I have some research to do,” he says, rising from the chair.

“And while you do that, I have my mother to convince.” He hesitates at the realisation that convincing me to spend more time with him was just the first battle. “But don’t worry, I have a plan to butter her up,” I say with a wink.

I just hope I can pull it off.