No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the wary feeling in the pit of my stomach as I took another generous sized bite out of my brownie. 

When Mr. McCoy and I came downstairs for desert, Travis had made it a point to ignore my presence for the rest of the night, which I was fine with. But deep in the back of my subconscious, I knew something had happened upstairs. Something went awry in whatever plan he had come here with today. The more and more that I tried to analyze him and where I'd seen him before, the more my efforts proved to be useless.

Things had been eerily silent and tense during desert. My mom and dad had retired to bed and Claire and Travis were having a silent battle on who could keep their eyes on Mr. McCoy the longest without getting caught.

Deciding that I had had enough of the pointless and annoying tension, I shoved the rest of my brownie in my mouth and stood up out of my chair.

"Well, I'm done. Anyone want anything from the kitchen?" I ask out of courtesy with brownie still rolling around in my mouth. Travis and Claire both shook their heads no without looking at me. Mr. McCoy placed his hand on mine that rested on the table.

"I'm fine but would you like any help cleaning up?"

Not prepared to deal with anymore affectionate moments from him, I simply shook my head.

"No, I'm good. Thanks though." I smiled tightly at him and grabbed everyone's plates and made my way into the kitchen. I heard Travis mumble a 'goodnight' to everyone and head upstairs to bed, far away from me thankfully.

I grabbed the lime green dawn dish soap and began the monotonous task of washing the dishes, something that had always seemed to have had a calming effect on me. As I let the warm water run through my fingers and over my hands, some of the tension brought about by the day's events began to release. Just as I reached out to grab another plate, I heard Claire's voice pipe up.

"So, are you and my sister serious?"

My hands froze in mid-wash at the question. The only sound audible to my ears was the rushing water from the sink as I eagerly awaited his response.

"Well, I'm not quite sure how to answer that since we haven't been dating all that long."

My eyes rolled on their own accord. What a cop out answer.

"But," he interjected. "I do know that she is by far the best woman I've ever dated."

A smug smile tugged at my lips. Now that's more like it!

"Yeah, she's great." Claire paused and I sensed a 'but' coming. "She can be quite the prude though, don't you think?" My mouth popped open in shock as her words hit my ears.

What the hell, Claire?

"No, not at all, in fact, she happens to be the sexiest woman I've ever dated as well."

I heard Claire's scoff from the other room.

"Sexiest woman you've ever dated maybe. But what about the sexiest woman you've ever seen."

I heard her chair slide against the hard wood flooring. "Who would that be?" she asked in a husky voice that I assumed she thought was alluring.

I abandoned the dishes but left the water running in the background and crept towards the edge of the kitchen so that I could hear them better.

"My answer stays the same and always will," he said defiantly, an edge of irritation clear in his voice.

Hot damn, this is a good night for my ego.

"Hmm, that's nice of you." I could practically hear the fake smile in her voice. "Well, if you think she's sexy you should know that everything that she knows in the bedroom department, she learned from me."

My eyes bulged out at her statement. She is really stretching tonight. I knew how far she would go to impress a guy but this is borderline desperation. I guess Mr. McCoy was just more difficult to persuade than my 10th grade boyfriend that she stole out from under me.

"Are you insinuating incest?" he clipped out with more wit than even I could handle. I slapped my hand over my mouth and pinched my fingers over my nose to keep my laughter from being heard.

"Oh, god no!" she shrieked a bit louder than anticipated and stuttered a bit before continuing. "I was not saying that at all."

"What I was getting at is the fact that whatever you think she's good at in the bedroom; I can guarantee that the teacher," referring to herself, "is better than the student." Her voice had dropped an octave making it more difficult to listen in.

I pressed my body up against the nearest wall leading into the dining room where they resided. I leaned on my front foot, angling myself so I was balanced on one foot just a hair away from being exposed to them both.

"And since you're a teacher and I'm a teacher of the bedroom, why don't we come together and teach each other a thing or two?"

I held my breath as I waited for his response. Tension claimed by body in a stiff stance as my stomach rolled with anxiety.

"You know what," Mr. McCoy's voice rose slightly and I heard an echo of hands slapping against material, like he's just slapped his hands against his pants in exasperation. "Going back to your question from earlier about if this was serious between your sister and me. Well, if you consider the fact that I'm on the verge of falling deliriously in love with your sister serious, than yeah, you could say we're serious."

My breath stole from my lungs at his proclamation. But before I had the chance to react to his statement, I heard his chair moving as he gave my sister a curt farewell.

My entire body erupted into a silent tip-toe run as I made a break for the kitchen. My adrenaline had peaked to the max and all of the ninja action movies that I'd watched in the past were all harnessed in that moment in time. I reared around the corner of the kitchen and dove for a plate, grabbing it in my two hands just as Mr. McCoy entered the kitchen.

Mission accomplished.

"Hey," he greeted from across the kitchen.

I spun around on the spot and discovered him leaning up against the side of the opening to the kitchen with an exhausted look covering his handsome features.

"Hey!" I responded a bit too enthusiastically and prayed that he didn't take notice.

A lazy smile graced the planes of his lips as he looked down at his feet and then back up at me, resting his head against the wall. His eyes were filled with an affection that now terrified me with the new piece of information that I'd just overheard.

"I'm gonna head up to bed. Which room am I staying in?"

I had to stop the word 'mine' from barreling out of my mouth. In reality, that was the last thing that needed to happen today. I didn't think my body could take a whole night next to Mr. McCoy's without attempting to rip his clothes off in my sleep.

"Uh, I'll be up in a second to show you. Let me just put these in the dishwasher real quick." I offered up a small smile to him which he mirrored back to me before silently turning on his heel and heading upstairs.

A minute later, the dishes were all done and I headed up the stairs and found Mr. McCoy waiting for me on the couch in the upstairs foyer. He stood when I reached the second floor.

"Hey, so you'll be staying in my old bedroom right down the hall." I pointed down the hallway to my childhood bedroom that I hadn't been able to stay in since senior year of high school.

A look of confusion passed through his deep blue eyes. "Why aren't you staying in your own bedroom?"

Shit. I never thought about him asking that. I racked my brain for a plausible answer that wouldn't delve too deeply into my past and unfortunately come up empty handed.

Okay, so vague truth it is.

"I can't stay in there, haven't for a couple years," I answered as nonchalantly as possible. His brows knitted together in concern.

"Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders and averted my stare to the floor. "Every time I stay in there I tend to have night terrors. I wake up screaming and just...yeah." I stopped myself before I reached the realm of no return that was my past.

"Every time I'm here now I stay in the guest bedroom down the hall from my old room. Sleep like a baby in there!" I joked to try and lighten up the mood of the conversation. My efforts fell short as he continued to stare at me intensely. Feeling uncomfortable under his acute gaze, I decided that it was time for me to go change for bed.

"Welp, I'm off to change for bed. Is there anything you need before I go?" I raised my eyebrows expectantly at him waiting for his answer. He slowly shook his head while still having his eyes trained on me.

"Okay then," I drew out awkwardly. "Uh, night," I sputtered out under my breath and left to the confines of the guest bedroom.

Closing the door behind me I let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't asked too many questions. Telling him about my past right now was not something I was even remotely prepared to do. I walked over to the off-white, vintage looking dresser up against the wall on the other side of the room and pulled out a pair of black shorts and a plain white tank top to sleep in.

I always kept a change of clothes here just in case I stayed the night unexpectedly. I peeled my blouse off over top of my head and let my jean shorts slide down my legs and kicked them off to the side.

Just as I pulled up the pair of black shorts over my indigo colored, laced thong, there was a knock at the door. Standing in just my black shorts and black bra, I figured it was my sister coming up to apologize or something of that sort.

I strolled over to the door and cracked it open expecting to see my sister but instead a pair of sapphire eyes stared back at me and widened. I yelped and sprung away from the door trying to shield myself from his view. I quickly grabbed my tank top from the dresser and put it on faster than lightening. I stood there for a moment trying to regain some composure and scolded myself for being so stupid and opening the door in just a bra.

"I didn't see anything I didn't like if that makes you feel any better." I heard Mr. McCoy say from the other side of the still slightly adjourned door. A blush rose on my cheeks as I wandered back over to the door.

"You're such a perv," I accused of him before gesturing him into the room so the light from the bedroom didn't wake anyone else up.

"Hey, I'm not a perv," he defended himself as he took a few steps into the bedroom so I could close the door. "I'm not the one who goes around opening doors half naked."

I felt my face flush up again and turned to face him, giving him a look that I was sure could kill. He simply chuckled at my attempt to be intimidating.

"You know flushed is a very good look on you, Miss Merrick," he complimented with a look in his eyes that spoke volumes of the different ways he was thinking of making me flush in his mind.

I quirked an eyebrow up at him playfully and walked to sit on welcomingly soft bed, pulling my legs underneath me. "So I've been told." My eyes were alight with playfulness but my voice was thick with seduction.

"So what can I help you with? You need a bed time story before you go to sleep?" I teased and turned my body towards him on the bed. He cracked a smile, sat down, and undid a few buttons on his white button up shirt, exposing a generous amount of tan skin with it. My eyes ventured down greedily to the newly exposed skin.

"Only if that story involves what happened to you in your old bedroom," he spoke up and my eyes sprung back up to his. Dread began to course through my body at having to explain all of the gory details to him of all people.

"No," I denied. His eyes pleaded into mine as he shifted his body closer to mine on the bed.

"Why not?" he asked and put a warm hand on my bare knee, sending a jolt throughout my body.

"I just don't want to is all. It's not something I like reliving."

My head dropped down and found great interest in the patterns on the bed. Suddenly, fingers touched the underside of my chin and lifted my head up and I was met with Mr. McCoy's face, which was considerably closer than before; his eyes boring into mine.

"Did someone hurt you, Alex?"

I stayed silent for a moment, contemplating on whether or not I should lie. Looking into those eyes of his, filled with such concern and adoration, I knew I could never fathom lying to this man.

"Kind of but honestly I really don't want to talk about it here and now." I got up from the bed and walked over to the door, signaling him that it was time for him to leave. "Maybe another time."

I looked back up at him to see him having what seemed like an internal battle within himself. Eventually, one side of him claimed a victory as he got up off of the bed and walked towards me but didn't stop once he got there. Instead his hands enveloped my slim waist and brought our bodies up against each other's as he placed his forehead against mine tenderly. His eyes danced with mine as I accepted my fate and rested my hands on his broad shoulders.

"You don't have to talk about it now. I do want to know eventually but I don't want to force it out of you. Just know that I meant what I said earlier," His thumbs started drawing slow and fiery circles on my waist. "I will never let anything happen to you, Alex. I'll always protect you, even in your dreams."

My heart swelled at his words and the realization from before started pounding in my head like a jackhammer. My hand snaked up to his cheek and stroked it gently. I lifted myself up onto my tip toes and found myself face to face with him, his lips only centimeters away, his eyes searching mine. My eyes danced around his chiseled face. My hand that was on his cheek slowly took control and turned his head to the side where I placed yet another singular, lingering kiss on his other cheek.

"Thank you, Nathan," I whispered into his ear and felt his body shiver at the sound.

I lowered myself back down to ground level and watched Mr. McCoy head out with one lasting look sent my way before he went to my old bedroom.

I shut the door and plopped down on the queen size bed, thoughts of Mr. McCoy plaguing my mind. But one thought stood out above them all and that was the terrifying realization that I had come to during dinner today. And everything that happened just now only helped to solidify it.

I'm falling in love with my professor.

The next morning when I awoke, Travis and Claire had both already left and Mr. McCoy was downstairs preparing breakfast with my father; an odd but heartwarming sight. Mr. McCoy left soon after breakfast with talks of actually going to the meetings that he missed yesterday. He didn't miss out, though, on the last chance he had to place a ginger kiss on my cheek before heading out, sending a blush straight to the cheeks that his lips had so sweetly graced.

An hour or so later, I bid a farewell to my parents with promises of stopping by the next month. My heart ached as I closed the front door with one last look at my mother's saddened eyes and fathers bittersweet, crooked smile.

Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I strolled over to my car and tossed my bag in. Just as my butt hit the driver's side seat, I noticed something. Shifting out of my seat slowly, I reached over my car door and picked up the wind shield whipper to grab the slip of paper trapped under it. Turning it over, I couldn't help the sense of foreboding horror that wrapped itself through my brain at the writings on the page.

Lost and lonely
Scared and confused
We've both been down
We've both been abused

We are together
Two birds of a feather
Don't you see it too?
You belong to me, and I belong to you

I need you, love
Don't you need me too?
Come on darling, don't make me blue

I know you want me
So don't pretend

You are mine until the end.

Cliffhanger ending!! Who do you think the note is from?? Thank you all for reading and staying with this story! A lot of things will be revealed in the next chapter so stay tuned! You guys are awesome! Please comment/ vote if you liked it :) Until next time!