“That was cute,” he said.
She pushed him away and smiled. She climbed into her car and rolled the window down. “I should go before you make me do something unbecoming of a teacher.”
He laughed. “Sure. I still need the address though. And your number.”
She gave him a long, serious look.
“Please be discreet, okay?”
“Always.”
She gave him her number and address. She waved at him before she drove off. West watched her leave and sighed like all was right in the world.
He walked home with a bounce in his step, playing a song in his earphones. He danced along the pavement, mouthing the lyrics. When a car drove by, he pointed and winked at the driver. It was a beautiful day.
That night, he laid in bed with his phone in his hand. His thumb hovered over her name. Would it be okay to call her? He remembered she had work to do and he didn’t want to wake her if she was asleep already. He also didn’t want to smother her because he finally got her number. He groaned and rubbed his face.
“Fuck it.”
He made the call. She picked up on the second ring.
“Yes?” she said.
“Hey, beautiful.”
He could’ve sworn she was smiling on the other side.
“Hey, love.”
“Are you in the middle of something?” he asked.
“Not right now. In fact, I was hoping you’d call.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No. I…I wanted to hear your voice. I miss you already.”
“I miss you too. I wish I was standing right behind you.”
“Well, you might have that chance soon. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see you again.”
He smiled. “I can’t wait to have you to myself for a while.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
“Only a lovely dinner between friends.”
She chuckled. “Between friends? Interesting.”
“Aren’t we?”
“I think the whole boyfriend-and-girlfriend thing is a bit overplayed,” she said. “So yes, we are friends. Good friends.”
“I like that. And I hope you’ll like what I’ve got planned for us on Friday.”
“You haven’t let me down yet.”
“Yet?”
“Kidding!”
They had a laugh.
“Listen, West, as much as I’d love to listen to you laugh, I need to go. I’ve still got work to do.”
He sighed. “Alright. I enjoyed our little chat. Good luck with everything.”
“We’ll have plenty of time for more little chats soon, love. Sleep well.”
“Good night, Jess.”
“Good night, West.”
There was silence between them for a time, like neither of them wanted to hang up right away. The silence lingered.
“Hang up, please,” she said with a light laugh.
“See you soon.”
“Good night, love,” she said. “Last time.”
“Good night, Jess.”
He put his phone away and laid down, content. He thought about the preparations he needed to make for their dinner and he thought of her. He hoped she thought of him too.
“If this is still a dream, I don’t want to wake up,” he whispered to the ceiling.
The next day, he was back at school, renewed. He tried not to let thoughts of Jess distract him. There was still plenty of work to be done before finals. Assignments were stacking with back-to-back due dates. Even Miss Bennett added one to the pile, though she softened the blow with a smile and a joke.
He and Diego got an afternoon with Miss Bennett to polish their scene. She was all business and West was fine with that.
“I’m like Antonio Banderas and West is like Denzel Washington. We’re a winning combo,” Diego said to her. Then he jumped onto West’s back.
“I’m sure you are,” she said with a laugh. She grabbed their script and sat on the desk in front. “The stage is yours.”
West never expected Diego to take acting very seriously but he was surprised to see him shine when he was on stage. Comedy was his bread and butter and it was easy for West to bounce off his energy.
Diego became Frederick, the nephew of a rich earl, and West his valet, Cooper.
“Cooper! Come here at once! I believe I’m expiring,” Fredrick said, propping himself up on wobbly arms.
Cooper entered bearing a tray and a bracing tonic. “Not quite, sir. It would seem you arrived home in an impaired state late last night.”
“Such theatrics, Cooper. The very fact that I came home by myself should prove I was well above ‘impaired.’ Now help me up and give me something for this headache.” Fredrick flopped back onto the floor and slapped his forehead.
Miss Bennet giggled.
“Of course, sir.”
His valet hauled him up to a sitting position before handing over the tonic. Fredrick gave him a knowing smile.
“A bit of the old corpse reviver, eh?”
“Indeed, sir. Leave not one drop.”
He gulped it down and his eyes bugged out briefly. His body jerked and he jumped to his feet. Cooper pulled the corners of his lips down to prevent undue embarrassment of his employer.
“Quite a kick to this one, I must say.”
“It is one of my own concoctions, sir.”
Fredrick whipped his gaze to his valet. “Cooper, why do I feel as though I should be remembering something?”
“There is a small matter of lunch with Aunt Rose,” he said. “Within the next hour, if I recall.”
Fredrick became pale.
“Why did you not wake me sooner?”
Cooper cleared his throat. “I made several attempts, sir. None were successful.”
Fredrick began to notice his clothes, his hair and his face were wet. He noticed his cheeks stung. In fact, there seemed to be distinct hand-shaped prints on his face. He’d woken up on the floor, tangled in his damp bed sheets. A smart man might’ve wagered he’d been yanked out of bed.
“Oh dear…”
“Indeed, sir.”
The rest of their performance had Miss Bennett clapping and laughing. They took a bow. That was the first run-through. They performed six more times for her, each time taking her advice and making changes. It was rough. Diego’s energy dipped but West was invigorated by Miss Bennett. She stepped in to show them how to choreograph parts of the action, moved them to block their scenes better, recommended props, and told them to adjust their delivery repeatedly.
She took a long drink of water and almost offered the bottle to West. They shared a crooked smile and looked away from each other. Other students were lined up for their sessions with her. She called up the next act. West couldn’t stick around to watch.
“You’re not staying?” she asked.
“I wish but I need to get some work done and prepare for that dinner,” he said.
“Of course,” she said with a subtle smile. “Don’t feel any pressure for that dinner, by the way.”
“I won’t.”
He left with Diego. While they walked home, he filled him in on the dinner he was planning for Friday.
“Look at you,” he said, bumping his shoulder. “Did you also buy her roses and scented candles?”
“I’m not that cheesy. I had something else in mind.”
“Is that what you told Miss Bennett?”
“Just asked her opinion on what I should do.”
“Right, right.” Diego smiled. “I bet you ask her for all kinds of advice.”
“You can shut up now.”
Diego laughed and they walked in silence for a stretch.
“I’ll need you to cover me again,” West said.
Diego nodded slowly. “You should really pay me for this. Sounds like I’ll be covering you a lot these days. What’s the excuse this time?”
“I’ll sleep over for the weekend.”
He raised his hands in the air with a look of shock. “Whoa! Am I understanding this right?”
“Yes, you are,” West said, hiding a smile.