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“I met up with Sean and Lily for dinner last night,” Carlisle began, his voice calm and steady. “Christine later told me she wanted to thank me for helping her out, so she thought of treating me to a meal. I invited her to join us, and the two of them ended up having a bit too much to drink.”
He paused, watching Wanda’s face closely for any signs of disbelief. “I was worried they wouldn’t be safe staying at the motel, so Sean and I decided to take them to a hotel. The two of us shared a room while Lily and Christine shared another.”
Carlisle looked at Wanda, his expression earnest. “That’s all that happened, I swear.”
Wanda hesitated for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as if searching for any trace of dishonesty. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
Carlisle raised his hand in mock solemnity, his face serious. “I swear on everything. If I’m lying…”
“Don’t say it,” Wanda interrupted, her voice softer than she intended as she reached out and gently covered his mouth.
For a brief, suspended moment, they were both caught in the sensation of Wanda’s hand against Carlisle’s lips. Her heart raced at the closeness, and as his warm breath brushed her palm, a flutter of electricity ran through her. Instinctively, she pulled her hand back, but not before Carlisle’s lips curved into a teasing grin.
“Your hands smell nice,” he murmured playfully.
Wanda’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. Her embarrassment hit her all at once, and she instinctively reached over, pinching Carlisle’s thigh in an attempt to regain some sense of control.
“Ouch!” Carlisle yelped, more surprised than hurt, grabbing Wanda’s small hand in his. He wasn’t ready for the soft warmth of her fingers against his own, nor the jolt it sent through his chest.
Wanda’s heart skipped a beat as Carlisle’s hand closed gently around hers. Her face burned with embarrassment, her last memory of holding a boy’s hand dating back to when she was six years old—when Zachary had taken her to the amusement park. This is different, she thought, her breath catching. Carlisle’s hand felt warm, safe in a way she hadn’t expected, and her heartbeat quickened with the strange intimacy of the moment.
Before either of them could react further, a quiet voice came from behind them, snapping them out of their daze. “Hey, the teacher is coming…”
Wanda quickly withdrew her hand, her face flaming. She could feel the heat of Carlisle’s touch lingering on her skin as she scrambled to regain her composure.
A woman in her late twenties walked in, carrying a stack of documents. She was dressed in a tight pencil skirt, her hair tied neatly into a ponytail, exuding an air of professionalism that made the class instantly quiet.
“Let’s begin!” the woman’s soft, yet authoritative voice rang out, drawing the attention of every student in the room. As the class looked around for a class monitor, there was a brief moment of disorganized movement before they all stood up and greeted the teacher.
“Good morning, Miss…”
“Good morning, students. Please, take your seats!” The teacher’s smile was warm and welcoming, but it didn’t go unnoticed that many of the male students were still glancing at her in awe.
“Welcome to your first class. I’m your guidance counselor, Susan Lowe.” She placed the stack of documents on the podium with a practiced motion, then gave the class a sweet, professional smile.
The students, especially the male ones, couldn’t help but applaud at her presence.
“Woah! Our teacher is so beautiful!”
“She looks so young! Is she even qualified to teach us?”
“Shut up! You shouldn’t question Ms. Lowe!”
“Yeah! With a teacher like her, does it even matter if she’s qualified?”
Their chatter continued, oblivious to the more reserved students like Wanda, who couldn’t help but quietly observe. “Ms. Lowe sure is pretty…” Wanda whispered under her breath, momentarily distracted by the teacher’s grace.
Carlisle, ever the opportunist, seized the moment. “Is she? I think you’re prettier,” he said, flashing a grin at Wanda.
Wanda raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “Yeah, right. Your eyes seem to say otherwise,” she teased back, her own lips curving into a slight smile despite herself.
