After that hot and heavy session that Nathan and I shared in his classroom, it was extremely difficult for me to focus on anything else that day so you could only imagine my relief when my final class for the day let out.

Yet, that normal relaxing feeling that usually accompanies arriving home after a long day and looking forward to the weekend wasn't exactly what I received when I stepped through the door of my apartment.

Instead I was greeted by the three worried faces of my best friends.

The first one to jump up was Rachel. "Alex!" She came bounding over to me and pulled me into a hug.

"You had us so worried!" She drew back from the hug and stared at my utterly confused face. And then she reared her hand back and slapped my arm; hard.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?" I asked as I nursed my abused arm back to health, moving away from the abuser herself.

"Have you ever heard of a little thing called answering your phone?" Rachel practically yelled at me, eyes wide and furious.

Phone?

I searched my pockets and all throughout my bag and came up empty handed.

Where in the world was my phone? The last place I had it was-

Oh. Light bulb.

Nathan's Classroom.

I cautiously looked back up to my best friends faces, trying to conjure up my most impressive innocent face.

"Whoops?"

They all three dead panned at me, not amused even in the slightest.

"Whoops, Alex? That's all you have to say is whoops?" Ben moved from around the counter top he was standing behind and came to stand next to Mia.

"I'm so so sorry guys!" I huffed out a breath of defeated air and moved closer to the kitchen were they all now resided. "I must have left my phone somewhere and didn't even realize it."

"Alex, you know I'm not one to normally scold others for their actions but do you know what that did to us?" Mia spoke up, her large brown eyes seeping into mine and making the guilt I already felt double.

"We were all worried that he had gotten to you and none of us were there to help you. We didn't know where you were or who you were with, and now I'm starting to sound like my mom so thank you for that," she finished with an annoyed pout on her lips.

"Guys, what can I do to make this up to you? You know I would have responded if I had my phone! I'm such an idiot for leaving it..." I trailed off, throwing my stuff and myself down onto the love seat that sat across from the kitchen, pulling my legs up onto the soft cushioning.

"Well you have to have a phone with you at all times, now more than ever. Do you know where you left it?" Rachel asked, seemingly having forgiven me just a bit as she rounded the corner of the couch and plopped herself down adjacent from me.

"Yes," I answered, trying to keep my voice as normal as possible. Keeping a secret as big as Nathan and I from my best friend was far more difficult than one would think.

Unfortunately, her interrogation didn't stop there.

"Well, where?"

My mind blanked. I scrambled to come up with a lie that would satisfy her curiosity and seem true enough for her and the others to believe. But unfortunately, I ran out of time.

"Jesus, Alex. You were in his classroom weren't you? That's where you left it?" Ben spoke up accusingly.

My eyes snapped up to meet his. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He scoffed in response, traveling over to the fridge and grabbing a beer out. "Don't you think it's about time that you told your best friends about our professor and you?"

"Alex, what is he talking about?" Rachel asked, leaning forward on the couch.

"Nothing, Rachel," I looked over to Ben hopefully. "Right, Ben?"

He stared at me, disappointment and irritation filling his eyes. "No, Alex. I'm done pretending I don't know anything about you two. We're your best friends. Just come clean," he finished speaking, his tone taking on a considerably softer approach.

"Does this have anything to do with that professor of yours that you and Ben were arguing about that one day?" Mia piped up to ask.

I couldn't help the groan that escaped my lips. This cannot be happening. How would Nathan feel if my friends knew about us? I know Ben finding out was sort of an accident, but he had accepted that accident and trusted me enough to trust him with our secret, even though he and Ben didn't quite get along yet.

But what if he found out that more people knew? Would he be upset with me? Feel betrayed? I would prefer if none of the above occurred but, it wasn't looking like I had much of a choice left in telling them...

Well, here goes nothing. Or everything.

"Yes. It does," I finally answered Mia's question in an utterly defeated voice.

"Okay! Two questions for you, my dearest Alex," Rachel spoke up in fake enthusiasm. The fear inside of me multiplied with her tone. "The first would be what is exactly going on with you and this professor that I've heard oh so little about?"

Okay, so she might be slightly pissed.

"And the seconds question would be why the hell does Ben know about it and not me?" She screeched.

Okay, lets amp that up to majorly pissed.

"Ben only found out by being in the wrong place at the right time! He's the only one of you guys who is in that class with me and he happened to hear Mr. McCoy's slight confession in a heated argument between myself and him."

"But I thought you told us that nothing was going on between you guys? You promised us that after you told us about that weekend he came to your parents' house!" Rachel yelled, flailing her arms about as she stood up off the couch and started pacing around. My gaze found Ben's and if fire could have protruded from my eyes in that moment, Ben would have been gone up in flames; barbeque style.

"Nothing was going on between us at that time! I mean sure there had been lots of little things but when we were at the gala I found out that he had a girlfriend and put a stop to it."

"He has a girlfriend?!" Mia roared from the background, causing me to internally cringe at my poor explanation skills.

"No! He broke up with her for me but I still told him no and we fought it for the longest time until..."

"Until what?" Rachel's pacing had come to a stop. Her eyes pierced mine with anger and an undeniable hint of curiosity.

"Until he kissed me in his classroom a couple of weeks ago," I muttered, barely audible enough for my own ears. Or at least so I thought.

"You kissed your professor!?" Rachel and Mia both screamed at the same time, earning a flinch from both Ben and I.

I slapped my hands over my face, wishing I could melt into the love-seat and escape this miserable conversation.

"Hell yeah!"

"Are you crazy?"

Both phrases sounded at the same time. All eyes turned towards Mia, whose excitement slowly started to wane. Her eyes dimmed and her smile cranked down a few notches. Her fist, which was raised above her head, slowly lowered.

"I mean, are you crazy?" she said meekly in a pathetic attempt to fit in with the mood of the conversation.

All eyes focused back on me.

"No! Yes?" I groaned deep within my throat, letting my head fall against my knees, hands still stationary over my face. "I don't know..."

A moment passed in silence, and then I felt the seat dip next to me, alerting me that someone had joined me on the love seat. A warm hand placed itself on my knee.

"Alex," Rachel's voice called out tenderly. "I know he's sweet and he saved you at the club and he's crazy handsome but," She hesitated for a moment, finding the correct wording I assumed. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? I mean, he's your teacher. He's considerably older than you too. Are you sure this is smart? You know better than any of us how dangerous it is getting involved with an older guy. Not that you and Greg were involved," she quickly put in at the end.

I raised my head up off of my knees, staring at Rachel head on. Nathan was nothing like Greg and she needed to understand that.

"No, I don't know if it's smart. No, I don't know how it's going to end but I do know that Nathan is the furthest away from being like Greg than any man I've ever met before." Rachel's stare was unwavering as I spoke, which only infuriated me further. Who else knew Greg and Nathan better is this room than me? If anyone could catch on to similarities, it would be me. Greg was shit compared to Nathan. He was just shit in general.

"Alex, getting involved with an older man can be tricky. He may only be 7 years older-"

"Five. Five years older."

"Okay," she huffed. "Five years older but he has more experience. There is no real way you could know if he was leading you on-"

"He's not leading her on."

The voice came from across the room and my head snapped up to meet his face with wide and astonished eyes.

Ben's form stood tall and confident as he defended my honor and the honor of a man whom, up to this point, I thought he wanted to chase down with a monster truck with spikes on the front.

"How do you know, Ben?" Rachel asked skeptically.

"I've seen them together. I've seen the way he looks at her and...there's no doubt in my mind that he genuinely cares about Alex. Hell, he may even love her!"

"What?" I squeaked, eyebrows shooting up in shock. Ben looked over at me and shrugged.

"I'm not positive but the man's got it bad for you, Alex. I knew it when he came over here a few days ago when you were freaked about Greg."

"Wait, wait, wait! He was here?" asked an extremely bewildered Rachel. With all of this new information she was due to burst any moment.

Now it was Ben's turn to look uncomfortable. He rubbed his hand behind his neck and kept his hazel eyes trained on the shaggy, tan, carpeted floor.

"Um, yeah. He came over and I let him in while you guys were in Rachel's room," he explained to the other two girls in the room unwillingly.

"Did you guys have sex?!"

Once again all eyes swooped over to Mia, who was practically jumping in place in excitement. Her brown eyes large and shinning, her perfectly white teeth were on display for all to see with how big her grin was.

"What guys?" she asked, still hyper as all get out. "I know you guys might not be for it, but I honestly don't see anything wrong with it. Alex is a big girl and she knows what she's doing. Plus the age difference is small enough and with what Ben said, I don't see any reason that we should be against it."

My heart swelled at that moment for my petite friend across the room. She was exactly the breath of fresh air that I yearned for in this daunting conversation. No judgement. Just acceptance.

I mouthed a sincere 'thank you' to her from across the room in which she returned with a wink.

Silence encased the quaint apartment living room. Rachel's rebuttal had been squashed by Ben and Mia's statements. She now stood frigid in the corner of the room, her lips pursed together in thought, sadness flowing through her light blue eyes.

Standing up, I moved over to her and sat down on one of the black, railed, bar stools that sat at our counter. I spun in my seat and faced Rachel.

"The only reason I didn't tell you was because it's not my decision to tell. Do you know how much trouble Nathan would get in if the board found out he was dating a student? They would fire him and that's the last thing I want to happen. If he lost his job because of me...I just..." I trailed off, unable to come up with the proper words to describe the crushing feeling that would occur if I was the cause of him being fired.

My voice broke her concentration and she peered up at me, understanding within her stare.

"I get it. I do. I just...don't want to see you in that place ever again, Alex. It's not that I don't want you to be happy because I do," She took a step towards me and once again placed her warm hand on my own which rested on my lap. "Of course I want you to happy and if what these guys are saying is true then I couldn't be happier for you! I just want you to be careful is all."

A small smile tugged at my lips as I wrapped my hand around hers in return.

"I promise I will be. He's a good guy, Rach." My eyes pierced hers, understanding and truth shining through them. "I know what I'm doing," I said, nodding my head.

Her eyes stayed on mine for silent moment before blowing out a sigh and nodding her head.

"Okay."

I felt my spirits lifted with the knowledge that all of my closest friends were on my side. A content happiness overcame me that was all too soon interrupted by none other than, Mia.

"So, did you guys have sex?"

My head snapped over to Mia as we all burst out laughing.

"My God, Mia! You're incorrigible!" I said between my laughs. "And no! Not that it's any of your business anyways," I said as I walked over to the love seat, grabbing my belongings off of it before heading to my room, sticking my tongue out at Mia like the five year old I was whenever I was around her as I rounded the corner to my bedroom.

I could hear laughs and protests from an upset Mia as I changed into my running gear. I pulled on my black leggings, form fitting, white tank top with a sports bra underneath and headed out, my music to accompany me along my run in hand.

Panic at the Disco played through my ear buds and pumped my blood faster with every slap of my foot against the pavement. The crisp air filled my lungs and the light breeze nipped at my face. Fall had officially begun and the roads were scattered with brown leaves, some cracked and broken, others perfectly intact.

My body hummed with the familiar sense of calmness that came with every one of my runs. I rounded the same halfway mark as normal when suddenly that feeling scurried out of me and an ominous feeling crept in. A feeling that everyone had experienced at one point in their lives, as had I. But never had I ever experienced that in such a magnitude, in this secluded spot that I had come to know as my own.

The feeling of being watched.

And there it is! They officially know! How sweet of Ben was it when he stood up for Alex and Nathan? Aw, Ben truly has a special place in my heart :) What did you guys think? Who do you think was watching Alex in the end there? ;)

Also I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all of the votes on the last chapter from people that I had never seen vote before. Your support is what got this next chapter out so fast! You guys are amazing and please continue to VOTE/COMMENT your love for the book and Alex and Nathan :)

Until next time! Which is going to be a really good one, guy ;)