As Fate Would Have It Ch. 03

"What's that?" he asked, gesturing to the essay she was marking as he sat down beside her with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"A very well written essay on the social and economic impacts of the French Revolution." She responded, not looking up as she took a sip of her coffee.

Peter leaned over to glance at it and almost fell off the couch. The name printed neatly at the top was Zoe Merton. He couldn't help but notice the grade at the bottom, she had gotten full marks.

"Full marks, that's not easy to do." He tried to remain neutral.

"No, she is a very intelligent girl this one. I hate to admit it, but I am quite fond of her." Mrs. Pearce glanced at him.

Peter cleared his throat "Yes, she's in my maths class." He replied awkwardly. He tried to imagine she was just any other student so he would know what to say and what not to.

Jenny was a sharp lady and she picked up on his awkwardness, "Intimidated by her intelligence, are you?" she mocked him.

"What? No, she is just quite a stunning young lady and I think she has great potential to go far in life." He explained, trying to sound casual but failing.

Jenny raised an eyebrow and Peter could feel the blush creeping up from under his collar. God this lady was intimidating, she made him feel like a little boy again.

"She sits in my classroom sometimes when she has a free period or in a foul mood." Mrs Pearce said slowly, "We talk and I agree, she is quite delightful and a promising young lady."

Peter did not trust himself so he just nodded and took a sip of his coffee. He knew Mrs Pearce was suspicious, Peter was not only uncomplimentary about the majority of his students but he preferred not to talk about them at all to other teachers and was quite harsh with all save the brightest and sharpest minds of the school.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Zoe walked into maths class, already in a foul mood after not being able to sit with Jack at lunch and him avoiding her all day. She hadn't spoken to him since Saturday night. She felt terrible about it but she wished he would talk to her, so she could fix the heart she'd broken. She was angry at herself about it and it had been putting her in a foul mood all day, combined with the fact she'd had an overdose of douche bags approaching her now that she wasn't with Jack all the time.

As she walked into math class, a kid called Pierre followed at her heels, eagerly chatting about how he would love to help her with her homework if she needs it. She ignored him, gracing him with the occasional "Mm" or "Sure." He was a good looking boy with long, dark curly hair, olive skin, defined features and bright eyes which gave away his Italian heritage.

She took a seat at the back of the room and was glad when Pierre decided to sit in his usual seat with his friends. She sat down, nodding curtly at the people who greeted her as they strolled in late and took their seats. Mr. Oakley was sitting at the front of the room, he had been looking at his laptop the entire time and she wasn't sure if he'd seen her walk in.

She still didn't know if she wanted to ignore him, tease him or act like nothing had ever happened. She presumed he wished to resume their usual student-teacher relationship, however she knew that could never happen. She was developing feelings from him, and she was sure it was more than just a crush. She craved spending time with him, talking to him, laughing at his lame jokes and cute smile.

She couldn't help but watch him as he worked. It was warm in the class room and he had his shirt sleeves rolled up, exposing thick forearms. She watched the way the muscles rippled through his arms as he tapped away at his keyboard while the room filled. She followed the curve of his jaw line and the slope of his strong shoulders. She admired his soft hair, remembering what it felt like to run her hands through it. Suddenly his cold blue eyes flickered, locking with hers for the briefest of seconds but she knew they both felt it. The sharp intake of breath, her heart squeezing as her breath caught in her throat and the blush creeping up her cheek bones.

Furiously, she willed the blush to disappear as she dropped her gaze to her workbook, glaring at it. She heard his deep, sexy voice boom across the classroom, quietening the rowdy kids as he began the lesson.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Peter had noticed her when she walked in. He was unsurprised to see a good-looking boy, whose name he did not know, trailing after her as she mostly ignored him. He couldn't help but smile to himself as she walked to her seat, clearly uninterested in the boy despite both his obvious intelligence and handsome face. He couldn't help but feel slightly proud in that moment that he'd been able to capture the interest of such a challenging young woman.

This thought was quickly suppressed and Peter pulled his gaze from her, forcing himself to look at his computer screen. When he looked up, his eyes locked with hers, she was sitting in her usual place, the centre of the back row, directly in line with his desk. He felt his breath catch and he quickly glanced away before her bright, green, enticing eyes drew him into her trap.

He quickly started his lesson, rushing through the explanation so he could sit back down and not stress about staring at Zoe while he spoke. She remained disinterested as he spoke. Every time his glance brushed across her, she was doodling on her work book or seemingly working on something else and completely ignoring him. He wondered if she would just forget about everything that had happened between them as he'd hoped. It was a foolish and unreasonable hope - he knew, but he couldn't help but wish she wouldn't make this any harder for him than it already was. He had no idea how he was going to get through the entire year like this; everything had seemed a whole lot more straight forward last night when he'd rejected her.

He knew he had lied. He wanted a relationship with her more than anything he'd ever wanted in the world. He thought he had loved girls before, but he knew now that he had not. This was only just the beginning of something with Zoe and yet it was far stronger than anything he'd ever felt for anyone else, like a pull at his heart which felt as if it would tear his heart right out of his chest if he tried to run away. As if there were a tether linking his heart to hers and there was nothing he could do to resist it as it pulled them together, time and time again.

Peter tried to focus on his work, glancing out the window, in an effort to clear his mind. He caught sight of the clock as his gaze travelled across the room and realised it was almost the end of class. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, the shrill sound of the bell burst through the room and students began filing out in a systematic order. Peter stood by the door, saying goodbye to each of the students as they left, struggling to remember their names.

When Zoe walked past he was unsure of what to say. She pursed her lips and said nothing to him. She was definitely angry about last night. He had a sudden urge to grab her arm and pull her back. Before he knew what he was doing his arm shot out and grabbed hers. She spun to face him, almost losing her composure, somewhat shocked by the desperation on his face. He quickly let go, realising the other students were still filing out of the door, though they were not paying much attention.

"What do you want?" Zoe spat.

"Just..." he paused, unsure of what to say as the last few students trickled out of the room, keen to go home. "I need to talk to you, please stay behind." He said.

She turned to walk away but the last students had left and so he grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him.

"Let go of me." She demanded, looking up at his hard face.

"You can't touch me; I am your student." She told him, pulling her arm from the grip.

"Zoe, look, please, I don't want you to be angry with me." He pleaded.

"Then maybe you should never have kissed me." She whispered angrily at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Zoe, I didn't mean to." he gushed.

She looked at him incredulously "How the hell can you not mean to kiss someone? Were you possessed?"

"No, I just mean..." he looked at the floor, they were still standing in the door way and he was worried their voices were carrying down the hall.

"Can we talk inside please." He said.

"No. I'm leaving." She said, turning and striding off down the hall way.

Peter watched her walk for a moment, her heels echoing in the already empty halls, then he swore under his breath and ran off after her.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

She didn't know what his game was, but she was sick of playing. He was toying with her, she was sure of it.

"Zoe please, wait up. This is important." He fell into stride beside her.

He grabbed her arm again, forcing her to stop and turn to face him. She glared at him, but she knew he would just keep bugging her if she didn't hear him out. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow as he glanced nervously up and down the hall.

He turned to face her, still holding her arm gently. Despite her anger, she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in dress shirt and slacks, the muscles rippling beneath. He clenched his jaw which outlined its strong line and his handsome face.

"Look Zoe, it's like every time I am around you, I am different. And not in a bad way, a good way. I feel like I'm finally myself, like I can just be me and not 'Mr. Oakley' or 'Peter the hot bad boy', which is typically the two lights society likes to view me in. I don't want to be that guy, I just want to be Peter sometimes. And you let me be that." He paused, and she remained unconvinced.

"Is this going somewhere? Because I don't like being lied to and I hate being toyed with." She told him, unimpressed.

"It's just that... I can't help myself. I don't want to get involved with a student -- it's against the law and everything I stand for. I don't want to toy with you and I don't want to take advantage of you. But see that's the problem, I don't want to get involved with a student, but I do want to be involved with you." He looked down at her earnestly.

She felt her heart flutter, but she quickly pushed it down. He had to be lying. A man like him, he could get any girl he wanted, why would he want her? He was probably just bored of women his age and wanted to try messing around with someone younger. That had to be it. There was no way a man like him would pour his heart out to her like that after only knowing her like what? Two weeks?

She turned and stalked off down the hall leaving Mr. Oakley to stand there, frowning in confusion.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

He felt the rage rise in his chest, why didn't she believe him? He poured his heart out to her, showed her every card he had and she was still angry with him?

"Zoe." His voice boomed down the hall and she stopped dead. He approached her slowly, as she stood stock-still. He walked slowly around to face her, hands gripping her shoulders.

He looked down at her, "I will quit my job if that is what it takes for you to believe me." He told her softly. "And I love my job."

She said nothing, just stood, frozen, staring up at him. They stood there like that for a moment, as she tried to process the thought. Could he be telling the truth?

"No" she breathed. "Don't quit your job." She paused. "I just need some time to think." She told him and this time when she walked away, he let her go.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

The weeks passed, Mr. Oakley gave Zoe the space she had asked for and they maintained a limited student-teacher relationship which didn't extended much further than pleasant greetings and handing in assignments. Zoe studied hard, worked out at the gym, worked weekends and played the 'goodie two shoes' at home, as her brother said. It wasn't as if she had an agenda she told herself, just a... dream.

She laughed at herself whenever she tried to convince herself she wasn't trying to get on her parent's good side just so they would allow her to go away over the holidays. As it was, she'd saved up plenty enough money to fund her spending's if they agreed to buy her plane tickets.

Her brother was currently in New York, USA, staying in some mildly luxurious hotel, funded by his company. She'd always dreamed of going to New York and she'd already asked her brother if he'd let her come and stay with him. He, of course, was excited to see her, especially seeing he wasn't going to be able come home over the school break.

She'd told her parents and begged them to let her go over, convincing them she couldn't be in better hands than Jeremy's. Uninclined to doubt or disappoint their favourite child, her parents agreed to let her visit him over the two-week break.

Now, asleep in her bed, the night before she was due to fly out, she could hardly contain her excitement. She couldn't wait to see her brother and even more so, explore New York. She had packed a huge suitcase, with outfits for every possible situation. She made sure to pack plenty of money; in case she needed to buy another suitcase for all the things she wanted to buy.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Peter had been slightly nervous when the school chose him to attend a ten-day conference in New York over the school break. However, they had offered him a deal he could not turn down, 5 day weeks with weekends off, fully funded accommodation at some luxury hotel and fully catered meals at the bar and restaurant of the hotel. He arrived in New York the first weekend of school break and settled into his hotel. He had been to New York once before and so though all of the tourist destinations still amazed him, he felt no burning desire to revisit them. He smiled to himself as he drifted off to sleep that night. Two weeks away. Fully paid for. He was going to have a great time. Maybe he'd meet someone. Maybe he would be able to forget about Zoe.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Before long, Zoe was in her brother's arms, embracing him as he picked her up from the airport. He laughed into her hair as she squeezed him tightly.

"Let me breathe Zo." He chuckled as she let go of him.

"How have you been?" she asked.

"Good -- the same as this morning when I spoke to you on the phone." He told her, as he grabbed her suitcase.

She shrugged, "You never know, you could have hit someone with your car or stood on your neighbour's cat since then."

He frowned at her "What? That's not even an expression, how would standing on my neighbour's cat make my day a whole lot worse?"

She shrugged again as she followed him through the crowd "Well, it would make the cat's day a whole lot worse" she told him.

He rolled his eyes, "I don't own a car and I don't have neighbours anyway," he informed her.

She grabbed his arm and they walked through the crowded airport, arm in arm. Jeremy directed her to the front of the airport and hailed a taxi, New Yorkers weren't big on trains and cheap public transport he told her. Jeremy threw her suitcase in the trunk and gave directions to the taxi driver before they sped out of the airport and into the heavy New York traffic.

After almost an hour in terrible traffic, they reached the hotel, a fancy building, surrounded by even more fancy buildings. Zoe climbed out of the taxi, followed by her brother. She lived in a large city, New York wasn't that different she knew, but there was an atmosphere in the air which was slightly different to London. She stood on the street, taking everything in, craning her neck to see the top of the buildings surrounding her in, shrinking the width of the streets to narrow channels which people flowed through, thick like honey. Her brother paid the taxi driver and pulled her suitcase out of the car boot.

"You ready?" he asked, moving to stand beside her in front of the hotel.

"Yeah." She breathed, pulling herself from her daydream.

As she climbed the stairs with her brother, she felt more confident, more wondrous and more daring than ever. She felt alive.

"Do I get my own room?" she asked.

Her brother laughed, "Already sick of me? But yeah, I managed to get you a room next to mine."

"See? It'll be fine, way closer than usual." She smiled at him.

"I suppose. Where do you want to eat tonight?" Jeremy asked.

Zoe stared around the hotel lobby. Straight ahead was a receptionist desk with lavish looking elevators behind them. The right wall opened into a very posh looking bar and restaurant and the left opened into a terrace with cute little pruned trees and benches.

"Zoe?" her brother frowned at her.

"Hm?" she asked, once again pulling herself from her day dream.

Jeremy shook his head and laughed. "I forgot how much you day dream. You always were a dreamer."

Zoe shrugged, "C'mon, I want to see our rooms." She told him, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the elevator.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

It was Sunday night, Peter had had an amazing Saturday night and was ready for a quiet night in. He'd gone out to a bar, drinking scotch with a few blokes he'd met while playing pool. At some point they went to a club, where he met a nice girl. He'd taken her home and they'd had a good night. She was a nice girl and probably deserved far better than him, but he knew he would never see her again. He felt no pull toward her. Not like Zoe.

He cursed himself the second the thought came into his head. Even overseas, he couldn't stop thinking about her and what she thought of him now. He'd never cared so much what other people thought about him. He put on a dress shirt and a pair of blue slacks with brown leather dress shoes. He hadn't shaved in a few days and a light stubble was growing -- not that he cared.

He shoved his room key and phone in his pocket then headed down to the hotels bar and restaurant, deciding he could go for a drink after he filled his stomach.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Zoe smiled to herself as she looked at the reflection of herself standing next to her brother in the elevator. She was glad they were together again, she missed him a lot when he was away. When they were little they were best friends, they would tell each other everything and play pranks on the neighbour's kids.

Her brother led her along the hallway to their rooms, he handed her the key to her room and followed her in with her suitcase.

The room opened into a kitchen/lounge, with the kitchen on the left, a U-shaped bench, one side of the bench dividing the lounge area from the kitchen. The carpet was dark grey and the walls a light, almost white shade of grey. The room was decorated with a modern contemporary look, with a big leather couch and huge flat screen.

Zoe grinned "Even quite nights in won't be boring here." She paused and sighed, "I'm never going to want to leave."

Her brother smiled sadly at her, "No matter how amazing the place is, the wonder of it all wears off enough for you to realise there's no place like home -- nothing ever compares." He told her.

Zoe nodded, seemingly thoughtful for a moment. Then she turned to her brother, grabbed her suitcase and marched into the bedroom on the left with an ensuite bathroom.

The bathroom was neat and white, and the bedroom had a huge king sized bed with matching decoration to the rest of the room. She smiled and plonked her suitcase in the cupboard by the huge window which gave her a view through the concrete jungle.

"This is amazing, thank you so much Jeremy" she smiled at her brother who was standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

"I'm just glad to see you again" he smiled, "See you for dinner in 20 minutes?" he asked.

She grinned, "Challenge accepted."

Her brother returned the grin then turned and left. A shower and picking an outfit in 20 minutes. That was definitely going to be challenging.