Wishing Well

I paced around my room as I awaited Gerard's arrival. I honestly had no idea when he was showing up with Frank, and I couldn't help but fee nervous. The nervousness surprised me though, he had come over multiple times and I never felt quite like this.

I did my best to fix up my hair and make up to pas the time, but I couldn't quite get this off my mind. It was a simple, normal movie night between friends (except Frank and Lana of course.) But something was different this time, I had a strange gut feeling about it, and my gut feelings were usually right.

I was relieved when I heard a knock on the door, my nervousness subsided for the moment and I came out to the living room where Frank and Gerard were just sitting on the couches. I got a nod from Frank and a small smile from Gerard. "Hey you guys." I smiled as I sat on the couch opposite them.

"Hey, I should apologize." Frank started, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I was pretty rude to you a few weeks back, I was just stressed out and I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I should apologize too, I didn't really understand where you were coming from then." I admitted, even if I didn't completely feel like I should have been apologizing. I really did appreciate his apology though.

"We good?" He asked, as if I could say no. He was too nice, too good of a friend to let go of over something like this.

"Yeah, we're good." I smiled. Lana walked in with the phone in her hand just after ordering a pizza.

"Okay pizza is on the way! And I've decided on SAW 6. Any objections?" She asked, taking the movie from the DVD stand and popping it in without really wanting objections, even though I would have loved to back out. I like classic horror movies, but the SAW series made my stomach turn. The effects looked so real and there was such an incredible amount of gore that I could barely keep my lunch down when I watched them. I knew this was going to be a disaster.

Lana sat down next to me with a blanket, making herself comfortable and apparently making Frank uncomfortable. "Hey, Ashley, want to trade me seats?" He asked, not really thinking about how weird it was to ask someone to sit and watch a horror movie on the same couch as her professor! It didn't feel weird like that to me, but it should have.

"Uh sure, if Gerard doesn't mind." I said quietly, glancing over at Gerard.

"Come on over sugar." He said with a little chuckle. The nickname was kind of cute, but I didn't want him to know I thought so, especially because it was absolutely inappropriate.

Frank and I switched places and the movie began. I felt a little uneasy, but did my best to keep my cool and focus on the movie, not the stunning man to my left.

The movie started with a scene where two people, a man and a woman in different cages, had to cut off body parts to weigh down a scale. Whoever had the heaviest weight in the scale by the end of the "game" got to live. It was already too much for me, but when the woman started hacking her arm off I started gagging. "You okay?" Gerard laughed, putting a hand on my back.

"I'll be fine." I said, choking it all back. Yuck. Like I said, I didn't do well with gore and I was accidentally making it pretty obvious.

Through the rest of the movie I had to resist gagging, but by the end of the movie, there was an awful scene where the main character got through to the end of the "game" and he ended up getting a big rack of spikes in his back and acid poured over him, causing his body to fall apart before your eyes. I started coughing and gagging, doing my best not to throw up. Frank and Lana started laughing at me and Gerard put his hand on my back again, and the other pushed y hair from my face, probably in case I actually did throw up. I quickly calmed myself after a moment and realized I had put my hand on Gerard's thigh to hold myself up. I quickly sat up straight and threw both hands in my lap. "I'm so sorry." I whispered, though I knew Frank and Lana couldn't hear me apologize to Gerard through their laughter.

"Don't be." He chuckled, waiting maybe a moment too long before taking his hand off my back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I don't sit well with gore." I admitted, laughing at myself a bit.

"You fucking-" Lana started through her shrill laughter. "Oh my god! You're such a baby!" She cried.

Her laughter embarrassed me, maybe ab it more than it should have, but I put on a smile anyway, not wanting it to show, but I think Gerard knew. "Hey, you want to go for a walk?" He offered sweetly.

"Sure." I accepted, taking any chance I could to get out of there.

"We'll be back. We're walking to the gas station while you calm yourselves." He announced and lead me out the door. It was silent until we made it to the sidewalk. "Sorry about them. The laughter was a little overboard."

"Don't be sorry." I smiled, hiding shame. "She's right, I'm a baby. I can't help it." I shrugged it off. "Thanks for getting me out though, I think I need the fresh air."

"Anytime." He nodded. We walked in silence for a short while longer until I started to shiver. I must have been in too much of a hurry to get my jacket before I left, which was stupid because it was October and the air was cold at night. "You cold?" He asked, probably just trying to get me talking.

"A little. I was in a bit of a hurry to leave I guess. I forgot my jacket." I shrugged. He wasn't wearing one either so I wasn't sure how he wasn't just as cold as I was.

"Do you mind if we run into the Walmart by the gas station? There's something I need to pick up." The question was a bit out of the blue but I didn't mind. It kept me out longer, and I'd have been lying if I said I didn't like the alone time, though I pushed that thought out of my head.

"Sure, I don't mind." Although a part of me was afraid I'd be seen with him by someone who went to school with me or a teacher. We made small talk about class and art and comics until we made it to the Walmart he was talking about. Being in such a large and populated store made me nervous, so I came up with an excuse. "I have to use the bathroom, how about you get what you need and I'll wait for you by the door when I'm done?"

"Sure. I won't be long." He smiled and we parted ways. I didn't bother to see what direction he was as I rushed into the bathroom before I saw someone I knew.

After about 5 minutes I came out and waited by the door like I said I would. It only took him about another 5 minutes to meet with me. He held the bag out to me as we walked back into the cold. "What's this?" I asked as I opened the bag. I pulled out a dark red sweater with an ivory lace trim. "You bought me a sweater?" I couldn't believe it, why would he do that?

"You said you were cold. Look, I see that face you're making, so stop." He smiled. "It's already bought and we've left so you might as well just wear it because I don't have another girl to give it to."

His last statement stuck out to me. I was for some reason surprised to hear that. I kind of figured he would at least have a girlfriend, who wouldn't be interested in him? "Thank you." I said softly as I put it on. It hung off my shoulder and fit me comfortably, not to mention it was soft and warm. It had probably just become my favorite clothing item. I threw the bag in the nearest trash can as we made our way into the gas station.

"Do you want anything to eat?" He asked as he browsed the chips.

"No, that's okay." I declined, already feeling guilty that he'd already spent money on me.

He lowered his eyes at me, letting me know he thought I was full of shit. "Seriously what do you want? It's cool."

"I don't know." I said, quietly. I felt a bit shy suddenly as us hanging out felt different now than ever. I couldn't help but feel the smallest bit like he was flirting with me, but I was convinced it was all just in my own head.

"What is your middle name?" He asked, though it was a strange and out of the blue question.

"Lucia. Why?" I asked, confused.

"Because I'm about to sound like your parent." He laughed. "Ashley Lucia, you go get something now."

The use of my middle name made me laugh with him. "Fine! On one condition." I bartered. "I get to know your middle name too. Just in case."

"It's Arthur. Now go." He said as he playfully shoved my arm toward the snack isle.

I picked out some gummy worms and he got the same. We opened our bags and ate the gummies as we walked home. "So do you get nicknames?" He asked, popping the candy in his mouth.

"People mostly call me Ash." I said, shrugging. It really wasn't the cutest nickname, but it was what people called me.

"I'm calling you Lulu." He said, glancing at me for a reaction.

"What?" I laughed. That was definitely a new one. "Why?"

"Your middle name. I like it, and it's now something only I can call you." He winked, and I swore he was trying to flirt again, but I knew he couldn't be. The first day of class he had a strict speech on teachers and students dating, it was not even possible.

"Whatever you say." I smiled at the ground, though I could feel his warm eyes on me. "Mr. Way." I added, mocking him. I looked up at him and he was holding back a laugh, rubbing his forehead.

"That's not funny." He said, though obviously he thought it was. "You know better than to call me that outside of school."

"Sure I do. I just wanted to see you get all upset about it." I playfully shoved him, only to receive a shove back.

Out of nowhere, I felt a hard hit to the mouth. I gasped and grabbed my mouth, shocked at the sudden pain. "Hey!" Gerard yelled out to the other side of the sidewalk. "Fucking assholes!" I watched him pick up a football from by my feet, which was what hit me, and throw it back at the two guys who originally threw it. He ended up hitting one of them in the stomach, making him double over. "Are you okay?" He asked, turning me to face him.

"Yeah, just a little shocked." I said, moving my hands back to find a bit of blood. "Oh."

"Shit, here." He said, stepping closer to me to wipe the blood of with his sleeve, thankfully it was black so it wouldn't stain. He was very careful as to not hurt me, he wiped it away slowly and softly, and I felt safe for whatever reason. I just liked the closeness, though I really shouldn't have.

"Thanks." I whispered when he was done.

"Sure." He whispered back, not stepping away. He placed his hand on the side of my face for a moment, just looking at me, as if making a decision. I stood quietly, letting him swim in his thoughts, even though I was drowning in my own. He leaned in close and just barely pressed our lips together, being as gentle and cautious as possible. I would have been a lot more paranoid had it not been dark out. The kiss lasted all but 3 seconds, but I felt like I was there for a lifetime. "I'm sorry." He whispered, almost inaudibly, after a few seconds.

"Don't be." I said, making sure to keep my voice from shaking.

"I shouldn't have-" He started, before I cut him off.

"Don't." I said quickly. "We don't have to talk about it right now." I honestly was in such shock from it all that I didn't think I could talk about it rationally anyway. I felt happy, excited, and maybe a little confused, but mostly shock.

"Okay." He nodded, taking a step back. "Are we okay, at least?" He looked a little scared. I could see he was afraid he'd just ruined our friendship, but even if this never went any further, I wouldn't let it ruin a good friendship.

I stepped up and gave him a hug, and he quickly responded by hugging back. "We're fine." I backed up and exchanged a smile with him. "Now shut up and eat your gummy worms." I chuckled, feeling a little confident.

He smiled and ate his candy as I'd said, shaking his head. We were both in a weird mood, like we were 10 again and our crushes said they liked us. We were laughing and talking and joking around like nothing happened, but we both were kind of just embracing that something did happen.

When we got back to my dorm, Frank and Lana were kissing on the couch, as expected. "Alright guys, we're back. fun time is over." Gerard announced as we walked in.

They sat up and straightened themselves out. "Feeling better?" Frank asked.

"Much." I smiled, feeling incredible. I could barely hold back my obvious joy, but I had to do my best.

"What happened?" Lana asked looking suspicious.

"With what?" I asked, feeling a little scared that my cover was blown already.

"Uh your lip? Did he hit you?" She laughed.

"Oh, no. Someone threw a football and it hit me. It's fine." I assured her.

Gerard and I sat back on the couch where we had been before, but everything was different now. It was like there was a magnetic field forcing us closer that we had to resist, even though something so simple happened. I thought it was amazing how something so small and fast could change things. But my head was too clouded, I wasn't thinking about the bad things that were possible, the things we'd have to deal with if we pursued this weird thing we had.

We all sat around and talked for a while longer and played a few video games, but by around 11 Frank had decided it was time he and Gerard leave. I was a little sad to see him go, but showing that was a bad idea. They said their goodbyes and I caught a wink and a sly smile from Gerard before he left, making my heart burst into flutters.

I quickly went to bed after they left, mostly so I wouldn't have to keep trying to act normal in front of Lana. I looked at my phone just as a text came in from the man of the hour. "Hey. We should really talk about what happened. I was going to talk to you about it in person but I chickened out."

"Say whatever you need to say." I replied. I still felt happy, but I was a little worried he'd say we couldn't be friends anymore.

"I should just say sorry. I didn't mean to put you in such a weird position, and I had no right to ever touch you. I have to remember that you are my student."

"So are you sorry because you put our futures at stake or because you actually feel something for me?" This was not the kind of question I would ever ask. In fact, I would never have been brave enough to as so bluntly, but the distance (and phone screen) between us made things a lot easier, and I really just had to know how he really felt.

"Both. But I shouldn't be telling you that." His responses were fast, thankfully. I hated waiting forever for a text back.

"I know. And I shouldn't be asking those kinds of questions anyway. So what do we do?" Of course I wanted to try to have a relationship with him, I hadn't felt this way since I'd met Ben, and even then it wasn't quite like this. It wasn't as intense.

"For now, let's not do anything. Let's keep this between us and just see what happens. We still have a professional relationship we have to continue." I couldn't have been more relieved by his answer. I felt some pressure lift, as we didn't have to take any action. I didn't want to rush into things too much if we decided we wanted to be together, but I also didn't want to give up on it too fast either. It was nice to be able to just relax and see where things went. We came to a mutual understanding that things would continue as normal, but if we couldn't handle not being together, then we would have to deal with that when it came. And if we didn't want to be together, then that was okay too, maybe even better. We'd continue as friends and everything would be okay.

We talked all night, literally until the sun rose and I had to sart getting ready for his class. I instantly regretted staying up all night, knowing how tired I would be. By the time I got to class, Gerard was already there and had started the lesson, which meant I was way late. I tried to sneak in without him noticing, as he was notorious for calling people out when they tried sneaking in.

The door was open when I came so I was able to get in silently. I silently rejoiced when I saw that Gerard's back was to the class, writing on the board. I sat down at my usual seat and thanked my lucky stars until I realized I apparently hadn't been sneaky enough.

"You're late Ashley." Gerard said, without turning out. Shit.

"Sorry, uh, Mr. Way." I had to actually think about calling him Mr. Way now as we both had a habit of actively not speaking to each other in class if we didn't have to, probably for our own comfortability, not wanting anyone to think we were friends, and I assumed that would be more apparent now more than ever after the kiss the night before.

"You are aware what happens when students are late right?" He said, turning aroud and leaning his back against the board where he hadn't written yet. I couldn't lie, he looked amazing, and I swore he was laying on the charm, but it was probably just in my head.

"Essay?" I answered, not too thrilled about my extra homework now. He was right though, he always made students that were late, or more so, more late than him, write an essay about a subject of his choice, and if we were going to hide whatever the hell we were, friends or romantic partners, he'd have to treat me just like everyone else.

"See me after class to discuss your essay topic with me." His strict tone made me feel small and a little embarrassed, but it did give me an excuse to see him alone again, as stupid as that sounds.

I sat through class, avoiding eye contact with Gerard. I was paranoid that everyone knew what happened between us, although no one even had an idea. Things were happening so fast it seemed. When I met him he was just my teacher, then we'd become friends and suddenly there was a kiss and everything was different. I was getting a little stressed out already, though I had no reason to complain, I knew I would end up having feelings for him and I was stupid enough to continue letting him come to my dorm and hang out. I was not innocent in this.

After class, I approached his desk and waited until everyone left before I began speaking. "Do I really have to write an essay?" I asked, probably whining a bit.

"Yes!" He laughed, though I could tell he was being serious.

"What the hell?!" I said, unable to stop myself from smiling, even though I hated that I had to do this. "No fair! You keep me up talking to you all night and then when I'm late you punish me!"

"Hey! You know what time I get here! I was even more late than usual too! There's nothing I can do!" He defended himself, though obviously he was a little amused by my complaining.

"You are an asshole! You know that Mr. Way?" I mocked, making him scrunch up his face in that cute way he did when he was frustrated.

"Shut up. You're doing it!" He laughed.

"You are going to regret this!" I threatened. "I will get you back." I didn't really have a plan as to what my little revenge would be, but I figured I'd think of something eventually.

"Whatever sugar." He said, sitting back in his chair with that devilishly handsome smirk on his face. "2 page essay on the creation digital art and how it's role in advertisement. On my desk. Tomorrow morning."

"I hate you." I said, lowering my eyes at him.

He leaned stood up and leaned in close to me and whispered "If you hate me, then why did you kiss me back?" He rocked back on his heels, creating more space between us, as that smirk rose on his face again.

His sudden comment made me blush, I didn't really expect anything like that. I was stunned for a moment, but shook my head to regain my compsure. "Well, maybe it was because of your striking good looks." I said, sarcastically, though it wasn't a complete lie, it definitely played a role.

"Get out." He laughed, pointing to the door.

"Will I see you later?" I asked on my way out.

"Do you want to see me later?" He asked, a little too flirty for our surroundings. Just then the first few students of his next class started coming in and taking their seats, luckily no one seemed to hear the question.

"Uh, with Frank and Lana or..?" I trailed off, not wanting anyone to catch on to what we were talking about.

"No." He said, simply.

I walked back to his desk to talk with him quietly. "How?" I asked, still being careful.

"X marks the spot." He winked and made his way to the middle of the class room. I was a little paranoid that someone saw that, but I really knew they didn't. I was so focused on if someone saw that I didn't even think abot what he said until I was mid way through my next class. What the hell did "X marks the spot" mean? I assumed it was some kind of word play, as he was pretty good and making you think something when it meant something else, but I found I was wrong. It was exactly what it sounded like.

After classes I got in my car, only to find a rolled up piece of paper in the passenger seat. I opened it to find a pencil drawn map that looked like it came straight out of a classic pirate movie. The trail started at my dorm and little black dash marks lead their way to a large, unfamiliar wooded area just outsid of town. A big red X was placed pretty deep in the wooded area and I was suddenly a little scared. Gerard wanted to meet somewhere in the reaking woods? It sounded super creepy but I trusted him, for whatever reason. At the bottom of the map said "6:00pm sharp!" in a cool pirate looking script.

I drove home and changed into a pair of black yoga pants with a tight black zip up and matching tennis shoes. If I was going in the middle of the woods I was definitely going to be comfortable. But just before I left, Lana stopped me at the door.

"Where are you going?" She asked, looking suspicious.

"Uh, I have plans." I said, trying to quickly come up with a lie.

"Doing what?" She asked, leaning closer to me as if to intimidate me.

"Meeting up with someone. I'm going to be late Lana." I said, trying to move passed her, only to be blocked off.

"Who? Where?" The interrogation was killing me.

"A guy and a movie at his place. We're just friends so don't freak." I lied, hoping she'd believe it.

"What guy? I didn't know there was a guy!" She said, super interested.

"Uh, Jeremy." It was literally the first name I could think of and hoped I'd remember it if I had to use it again. "Now stop I have to go."

"What about Ray? I gave you his number forever ago. Have you been talking to him?" I was actually surprised she waited this long to ask me about him.

"Not really. We don't seem to have a lot in common." I said, telling the truth in a way. I really hadn't even known him well enough to say that though.

"I promised him a date with you! You're going. Friday. Go it?" She demanded.

"Whatever Lana, can I go now?" I said, getting antsy. I was going to be late if she didn't stop.

She nodded and stepped out of my way. I half ran out the door and juped in my car, not really knowing what I was getting into. My nerves were going crazy but the excitement seemed to overwhelm me.

When I got to the woods, I parked my car out in the gravel area, apparently it was an old hiking area, though there were signs saying the trail had closed due to the lack of upkeep and the new trail was in another location. I got out and stopped at the edge of the woods for a moment, not so sure about it all, when suddenly Gerard appeared from behind a tree and held out his hand.

"Let's go. We shouldn't stay out here too long." He said, seemingly happy to see me.

The moment I took his hand was the moment my life seemed to change forever. Had I not taken it, had I turned around and went home instead, things would have turned out so differently, and never would I have created one of my favorite memories with the man that I would eventually love. I never would have started a journey that would lead me down so many paths, good and bad. Who knows, maybe I would have finished school, forgotten about the crush I had on my professor, and gone back home to Virginia to marry Ben. But taking his hand meant letting all of that go, and had I known that at the time, I might have reconsidered making that decision so quickly. I might have thought the consequences were too great to risk on a man I just met a few months before. I was already lying to cover my tracks, hiding from a guy I'd promised to go on a date with, and running away in the dark. Things seemed bad, and probably were, but my heart screamed to go for it, like it knew how he'd eventually make me feel, how he'd win me like a big teddy bear at a carnival. Things were wrong, and absolutely unacceptable, but god did it feel right.