Heading towards his classroom was like heading towards certain death. Death from humiliation.

I hadn't quite decided on how I was going to approach the situation. A part of me wanted to simply march in there, say thank you like an adult and walk right back out with my head held high. The other, less developed part of me, was contemplating writing him a note and slipping it onto his desk before he could notice me and then run like the wind.

Both options would get the point across, but only one was going to get Rachel off my back with this whole thing.

With a sigh, I made my way over to the door and surprised myself by doing one last sweep over of my appearance in one of the glass frames hanging in the hallway.

Even though it was hot out today, I attempted to cover myself by up a little more than usual, per the events of the past weekend. I wore normal jeans, and a maroon colored swoop neck shirt, and due to the healing bruises on my neck, a scarf was placed gingerly around my neck, hiding the marks beneath.

Once satisfied that the scarf was in place, covering as much as it could, I spun on my heel and walked until I reached the dreaded door. The door that was my only barricade between me and the man who had supposedly saved me that night. The man who embarrassed me in front of the whole class. The man who I just happened to be extremely attracted to for all the wrong reasons.

Yeah, this should go well.

I reached my hand out to the door knob but an unknown force seemed to have taken over as my hand just hovered there, not moving any closer to the knob. "Come on, Alex, " I muttered. "Just open the fricking door!" I said, scolding myself for being so immature.

"Just walk in, say thank you and leave." I repeated this mantra in my head about 8 more times before placing my hand on the doorknob and turning it.

No backing out now.

I hesitantly took a few steps into the room before spotting a familiar head of thick, brunette hair. Mr. McCoy was standing at his desk, both hands resting on the desk as he mulled over some papers.

"I'll be with you in a moment," he spoke without looking up from his work. His voice came out rather exhausted, making me reconsider ever stepping foot inside the room.

I stood silent for a moment, waiting patiently like he had asked, but the longer I waited the antsier I got. In reality, only about 15 seconds had passed but it had felt like a century to me. Internally debating on turning back or staying put; the coward in me was quickly winning the battle. Finally, about to combust with nerves, I concluded that a note on his desk at the end of class would have to suffice.

"It's alright, I-I have to be going actually..." I mumbled while turning my back to him and heading for the door.

"...and done!" he exclaimed.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath realizing that any chance at escape was now gone. Sighing audibly, I turned around to face him.

"Now, what can I help you with?" Mr. McCoy picked up a large number of papers and patted them down until they were in an even stack then finally looked up to find me standing there awkwardly. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and something passed through his eyes but was gone before I could decipher what it was.

Neither of us said anything for a moment. Both of us seemed to be frozen in time and our spots.

I tore my gaze away from him and started fidgeting with the ends of my scarf, pretending to be interested in what was written on the board.

"Um, hi." My eyes flickered back to his just long enough to see him collect his thoughts and be welcomed back into reality.

"Hello, Ms. Merrick, nice to see you early for class." I rolled my eyes at his attempt to make light conversation and mock me at the same time.

"I'm almost never late to anything," I pinned my eyes on his "Your class isn't any exception." He smiled down at the ground.

"You know, it's quite amusing how quickly you can revert from meek and nervous back into your feisty self."

And as much as I tried to hide it, a small smile formed on my lips. I couldn't help but feel a little prideful at that statement. I took a brave step towards him.

"Yeah, well, if you keep throwing insults my way, all you'll come to know of me is my feisty side." I stopped myself from throwing a wink in at the end of that statement.

He took his own step towards me and folded his arms across his broad chest. His eyes were every bit as playful as I felt at that moment.

"I look forward to it, Ms. Merrick." Then he did the unthinkable and threw a very devilous wink my way. My mouth popped open in surprise as laughter pulled its way through my body.

"And what seems to be so funny?"

I tried hiding my laughter into my scarf until it died down. I cleared my throat and said in my most serious voice, which happened to sound a little like an elderly man.

"Nothing."

We had a silent war with our eyes before he cracked and let out the most attractive laugh I had ever been witness to in my entire life.

"You sounded like a gremlin!" He continued to laugh on as I feigned hurt and swatted at his arm.

"Excuse you, but that is my very best impression of Gandalf from Lord of the Rings and I'm quite proud of it!" My hands landed on my waist as he put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Oh yeah, you should be." Sarcasm was dripping from his every word.

Our laughter started to fade as our eyes met and something changed in the air around us. Suddenly, everything was very serious again. Mr. McCoy's eyes left mine and scaled down my face and dropped a little lower, causing a blush to rise up on my cheeks. Then, he started towards me.

I intuitively took a half step backwards before realizing what I was doing. He stopped for a moment, his eyes finding mine again. They were filled with a certain calmness that seemed to radiate over my entire body and calmed my mind before he started towards me again. His steps were slow and calculated, all the while keeping his eyes locked on mine.

My breathing increased and my body heat spiked. He was only a few steps away from me now, with no signs of stopping.

I knew I should turn and run for the hills, stop him and remind him of our relationship and how inappropriate his current proximity to me was, but I couldn't. My feet wouldn't move and my mouth was stuck in the slightly ajar position.

Mr. McCoy took his final steps and was now directly in front of me. I could feel his body heat radiating off of him and his intoxicating cologne wafted over me like a drug. I was at his mercy.

An electrifying shock shot up my arm and a gasp, barely audible to the human ear, escaped my mouth. I then realized that Mr. McCoy had begun to trail the tips of his fingers up my arm. He watched his fingers as they grazed up the length of my arm, watching as goosebumps sprouted wherever he touched. My body was on fire and my mind was mush.

I stifled a moan as his fingertips reached the base of my throat and my head began to tilt back to allow him better access. His movements stopped for a moment at my heads tilt and a feeling a dread and sheer embarrassment began to form in the pit of my stomach.

Oh, God, did I take it too far? Of course I did! I'm so fucking stupid...

Prepared to look up and meet his accusing eyes, I was utterly shocked when I felt his entire hand envelope the back of my neck and cradle my head. My head leaned back onto his hand and my eyes fluttered close as I felt his minty breath wash over my neck.

Just as I thought his lips were going to grace my skin with their presence, he pulled down my scarf instead, revealing the bruises from my attack.

My entire body stiffened as did his.

For a moment, I wasn't entirely sure of what to do. Run away? Cry? Neither option seemed particularly good at the moment.

I tilted my head up some to see Mr. McCoy, whose eyes had turned hard. He ran his thumb over one of the bruises and I winced at the contact. An intimidating noise vibrated in his throat. I pulled my head up the rest of the way and grabbed his attention with the movement. His hard expression dropped when he found my eyes. An unrecognizable one took its place.

"I'm sorry," Mr. McCoy started to speak before I interrupted him by pushing him away slightly and throwing my scarf securely back in place around my neck.

"What, this?" I pointed to my neck and took a few steps backwards towards the door. "That's nothing, it really doesn't even hurt anymore. It looks worse that it feels." I lied. It actually still hurt quite a bit when I swallowed or laughed too hard.

"I should have been there sooner. In fact, I knew something was wrong and shouldn't have even let you walk away or else none of this," he motioned to my neck "would have happened."

"None of what happened that night was your fault." I started to roam around the classroom, suddenly very uncomfortable with the conversation. "It was my own stupid fault for leaving my drink alone for even 10 seconds. Without you being there and being with me that night, for reasons I am still oblivious to, I'm not sure what would have happened to me." I gulped down a lump that has suddenly formed in my throat.

He scoffed as he began to pace around the room with a hard look plastered on his face.. "Yeah, me either. You know your friends really should have been looking out for you, instead of trying to screw anything with a pulse." A vain that I had never noticed before was pulsing in his throat.

I halted in my spot, suddenly feeling every bit as angry as he looked.

"Hey! My friends did everything they should have that night. We were out at a club to have fun and forget about school for a while. Nobody should have had to babysit anyone. No one could have anticipated what happened that night and anything that happened to me or would have happened to me would have been my own fault and not theirs."

I sped walked down the stairs, and passed by the rows of desks, and grabbed my purse that I unconsciously sat down on Mr. McCoy's desk. "So if you could stop throwing my friends under the bus, I'd appreciate it!"

I spat out my last few words and practically stomped my way towards the door. Hand on the knob, I threw open the door, only to have it be shut after opening only a few inches by a tan, masculine hand.

"Let. Me. Out." Venom seeped through my words with every pause.

"No. I mean, not until I explain," he slightly pleaded behind me.

His muscular frame was just inches from mine. If I were to lean back, I would no doubt fall into his entire frame, letting his body press up against mine, feeling every inch-

Dammit! Stop it, Alex! Focus!

"There's nothing to explain, really, I have to be getting to class."

"This is your next class."

Seriously Universe? Why torture me like this?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw your friends under the bus like that. They were actually very helpful that night; well except for that blonde one... she was just a mess."

A small laugh tumbled through my lips. I felt him shift behind me, and his hand left the door, letting me know that I could leave if I wanted to.

"But besides that, they were great. They were all terrified though." He paused. "We all were."

Intrigued, I turned my head to the side so I could just barely see his figure through my peripherals.

"I was just angry and began talking without thinking. It's actually a bad habit of mine..." he mumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, I can attest to that." He sighed audibly and his hot breath fanned over my entire neck, sending a shiver through my body.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is that this whole weekend has been nothing but me trying to get those images of that guy harassing you in the back of the club out of my mind but seeing you with those marks halt's any progress and puts me right back in that moment and I just feel..."

"Helpless." I finished for him. I turned and faced him.

"I know the feeling."

Our chests brushed against each other's before he backed up to a more appropriate distance.

Mr. McCoy's forehead creased with sadness as he searched for something to say. I cast my gaze down at the floor, waiting for him to find whatever it is he wants to say to end this completely unprofessional moment.

"I know that this whole thing is kind of...odd for people with our kind of relationship, but seeing any women in that kind of state; even one of my students, would get to me and make me kind of irrational, hence why I blamed your friends and deeply regret it."

"And we've come full circle, congratulations," I said sarcastically to hide some of the hurt that came my way when he stated he would be upset if he found any female in that sort of position.

Irrational, I know. Damn, hormones.

He sighed. "Yes, we have. Took me long enough," he tried to joke and lighten the suddenly dampened mood.

"Yeah." Then a question occurred to me out of the blue.

"How did you know, by the way?" Mr. McCoy brows crinkled in confusion. "That I was drugged?" I clarified.

His mouth dropped open and his eyes became dodgy. "It's just uh, some random knowledge I picked up in my younger days." My gut told me there was more to it, but I decided to leave it alone.

"Well, however you got the know-how, I'm grateful. That's actually initially what I came here to say before we got side tracked." I laughed nervously, now realizing that this was the moment and reason I came here for.

"So um, thank you. For, you know, saving me and all." Wow, that came out a lot less heart felt then I meant it to.

Mr. McCoy laughed suddenly. "Don't worry, it was plenty heart felt coming from you."

Huh?" Did I-"

"Say that out loud?" he finished for me. "Yes, you did." That playful glint was back in his eyes.

Cue another nervous chuckle from me. "Well, I really do mean it. I am truly very, very grateful that for whatever reason, you were with me that night."

Mr. McCoy tilted his head to the side slightly and focused his eyes on mine. "So, you really don't remember anything from that night?"

I shook my head. "The last thing I remember is getting into a fight with some woman who had more plastic surgery than Tara Reid."

Mr. McCoy suddenly erupted into a laughing fit that wracked his entire body.

"What did I say?"

"Uh, nothing, I just know someone who fits your description perfectly."

"Well you should find that person some help, like a PSA group. Plastic Surgery Anonymous! Because if your friend is anything like this woman than they are just one surgery away from becoming a plastic blow up doll!"

And even I have to laugh at that one. We laughed together for a moment before we both heard students bustling out in the hallways.

I cleared my throat awkwardly before speaking. "I should probably get going now, so it doesn't look weird with me being in here first." Mr. McCoy smiled and ran his hand behind his neck, looking to the ground contemplatively.

"I guess you should then, don't want anyone getting the wrong idea." He spoke the last part more quietly, more just to himself.

I stood there for a moment longer before deciding the moment was dangerously close to becoming awkward again.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in class, Mr. McCoy." I turned towards the door before stopping and glancing at him one last time. "Thank you, again."

Our eyes latched onto one another's, his beautiful, sapphire eyes stared deeply into mine. I almost became lost in the moment again, but then he spoke, breaking my concentration completely and sending my heart into a fit of confusion.

"I'd do it all over again if I had to."

My breath hitched in my throat and my eyebrows elevated in surprise. But before I had a chance to respond, the door behind me opened, bumping me out of the way and behind the open door.

"Hey Mr. M!" one of my classmates that just entered greeted. The student turned to put his stuff on their desk and I took that moment to slip out from behind the door and walk out of that classroom without ever looking back.

What the hell happened in there?

Hey all! This one took a little bit longer to write than normal, I had some difficulty with it so please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading as always! Please vote and comment!