~•Seven•~
Mishti was, for lack of a better word, shocked. It wasn't like she knew her project partner on a personal level, but she'd made the assumption he was intelligent, the kind of man who thought with his brain rather than acted with his heart, but now, now she knew that not to be true and it calmed her somehow.
Intelligence had always been a turn on for her, smartness attracted her, yet she couldn't deny her inherent need for a man who could do both and this mysterious texter of hers definitely seemed like someone who could, especially since he had been able to keep up with her wit aswell as having what seemed to be a tattoo of his ex's name on his chest.
But this information also left her a little deflated. It wasn't new information to her that she had a crush on her teacher, she also knew now he wasn't her texting buddy, plus, he seemed far too brainy to be that emotional and that meant that her dreams of him were just that...dreams, he didn't even fit her idea of him, but the fake professor definitely did.
Sighing, she slipped into her chair, rested her elbows on the desk and steepled her fingers beneath her chin. Perhaps a good lesson might take her mind off of the weird dynamic she was juggling with cancer, a crush and confusion.
"Interpretations" Abir stood, "Are the foundation of learning, it is vital to ensure you do not accept one and dismiss the others, an interpretation is not a fact it is a view". He supposed he should begin to take his own advice, accept that Kuhu wasn't all bad, just bad for him, but this was something even he couldn't do, he couldn't pretend the heartbreak she'd delivered wasn't evidence that she was cold, cruel and vindictive, he also couldn't pretend that he didn't have a soft spot for the mouthy woman arguing with him daily over text messages.
"Taming Of The Shrew" he began, leaning on his desk as he did, his ankles crossed and his index finger delved in between 2 of the pages. "Was the shrew tamed?"
Sammy rose her hand, lashes batting flirtatiously as she did "Yes, a strong man can always tame a woman".
"And Petruchio is a man you deem strong?" His brows joined and eyes narrowed as he stared her down.
"Yes" she nodded.
"So, a strong man in your eyes is a man that starves her of sleep, of food, who is sexist and believes men are above women?"
"Well, well no, I" she blushed.
"I think that's enough" he raised his hand, "A volunteer please?"
Far too focused on rolling her eyes at Sammy's stupidity while stretching her aching limbs, Mishti jumped as his eyes met hers and a smile drew across his lips. "Wh-what?"
"Thank you for volunteering" he held out the book, "Go through this passage with me".
The one time she didn't pay attention in class had to be the one time she'd been called to the front, of course, why would the world ever be kind to her? As if her cancer revival wasn't curse enough! Scoffing as she stood, she snatched the book, cleared her throat and looked up at him.
"Come, come, you wasp; i' faith, you are too angry" Abir coughed behind his hand to hide the emotion suddenly brought forth by the words, sure he'd never wish to be Petruchio but his smartass student who now stood before him with no clue he sat on the other side of her screen was definitely Katherine.
Her brown eyes honeyed as her lips lifted "If I be waspish, best beware my sting".
Stepping closer, he towered above her "My remedy is then" his voice became a tad huskier, "To pluck it out".
"Ay" she nodded, "If the fool could find where it lies" humour laced her voice at the thought of repeating this very line when she later spoke to the fake professor who she loved to wind up.
"Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting? In his tail".
"In his tongue" she corrected modestly.
At her words, he smirked. "Whose tongue?"
"Yours" she spat, if you talk of tails: and so farewell" she turned to return to her chair, not expecting her teacher to say the last part.
"What, with my tongue in your tail?" He chuckled as her eyes widened, spinning on her heel so fast she almost teetered. "Nay, come again, Good Kate; I am a gentleman".
Sammy clapped her hands quickly, a wide grin on her face "That was amazing, Sir".
"Thank you, Sammy" he smiled kindly. "Now, can we infer what this discussion was about?"
"The taming of the shrew?"
"That's correct, and what would we infer about their relationship from this piece of text?"
"Wait" some guy from the back stood up, "Wasn't the entire conversation about kissing her a*s?"
Mishti groaned "No, it was a s*x joke" her head shook.
"Oh and you know about that do you? The twenty-something virgin" he laughed causing the boys around him to join in as they nudged eachother mockingly.
"Enough" Abir shouted, his hand up, "Class dismissed, Nikolai, you stay right there" he warned. His eyes scanned the class in the rush of students only to find his favourite student had disappeared as quickly as she came.
~•~•~
"Hey" Sammy's voice was soft as she rounded the corner. She didn't know if this was something she should do, but she did know that she couldn'thave another woman feel how she felt every day. "I know we don't really talk but um" she tapped her foot, "Ignore Nikolai, he's a b*stard and there's, there's nothing wrong with being a virgin, better than being the class sleep around" she muttered sheepishly.
Mishti looked up with tear filled eyes "Thanks, Sam, but you know you're more than some dumb label, right?" Then suddenly it all made sense, her view of a strong man being a violent one, it seemed that was all she knew.
"Thanks" she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "This may be weird but me and a few girls are going up town, if ever you want to just I dunno, sleep with a stranger then that's the place to do it, just text me, okay?"
"I" her cheeks heated up, "Thank you". It wasn't like she was a conformist and she never bent to the will of peer pressure, but she couldn't deny wanting to give herself the opportunity to have a one night stand since her illness had never allowed her to try before. "I'll be there".
•~•~•~
Abir downed his shot, a weary hand rubbing his face as he looked down at his phone. Accuse me of being a cynic but this world is nothing but a selfish place with selfish people, why oh why would anyone chose to reside in it? Unfortunately for him, he couldn't just message asking how she was because, A, he never did that and B, he wasn't meant to know who she was.
Leaning into her hand, she sighed loudly. Selfish is as selfish does, but the world wouldn't operate on pure selfishness, don't discredit the unselfish.
And are you?
Am I what?
Unselfish?
Sometimes.
"All the time" he corrected aloud. So, you're not the type to, I don't know, end your life in sadness?
No. Where is this coming from? Are you okay?
Oh god, he was a fool, an absolute idiot. What kind of guy asked a woman if she'd commit suicide if she was too sad? He'd wanted to know if she had a support system but didn't know any other way to ask without being obvious, that and he hadn't spoken to a woman he'd found attractive in far too many years. I'm fine. Fine. It's just something I wondered after what happened today in class...
You mean what Nikolai said? Her breath caught in her chest, did he know who she was? God, he must've thought she was an embarassment but how could she explain why her teenhood was spent in and out of hospitals rather than in and out of hers or someone else's bed?
Yes. It was disgusting. Abir huffed loudly, he really shouldn't say this, it broke every rule, but he knew she needed to hear it.
You think so? She almost grinned at that.
I know so.
Throwing her phone, she brushed her hair into a high bun and grabbed her foundation. Tonight was the night she'd finally be a woman, unfortunately there was only one man she wanted to get her there.
~•~•~
"So" Sammy turned her phone, "If you want a certain kind of guy you can pick from these lists of personality traits and physical traits".
Mishti gulped "Isn't this prostitution? That's illegal!"
"No, it's an escort service, you don't pay for s*x, but you could always, I don't know, proposition?"
"Right, so this isn't-".
"Illegal?" She completed, "No, but you should use a fake name and maybe change how you look, hold on, fill this out, I have the perfect thing!"
It wasn't hard to see that Mishti had somehow decribed her professor, but she chose to ignore that fact, it wasn't worth dwelling on. Glancing up at Sammy, she raised a brow at the short wig and contact lenses in her hands.
"It's showtime, baby!" She giggled cheerfully.
~•~•~
Abir yawned, jumping as his phone pinged.
REQUIRED ESCORT AT BLOOMINGDALE ROAD, 2247 INC.
Sighing, he rubbed his eyes, hoping upon hope that maybe this woman would be nice enough to make the time go faster. He loved his job as a teacher, but he hated his job as an escort and if he wasn't in debt upto his eyeballs because of his ex flame then he'd have packed up, gone and started afresh now where his skin didn't itch with the dirt of another woman's touch.
Hey, hey, hey. I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, unfortunately my life took a turn for the worst and I'm caught up in some not so nice family issues which aren't sorted yet. I do appreciate your kind messages and comments and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but hopefully I can update more regularly now.
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