All characters 18 years of age or older.
James (or Mr. James, as he was known to the younger girl) relaxed into his chair and ran his fingers through his short dark hair. He had previously been incredibly tense, but he was trying to change that. It's not like he was doing anything illegal, but he always felt on edge meeting alone with Sophie. He respected her more than any other student, but even at her least gorgeous she was still an inadvertent temptress.
"Sorry, I must've been zoning out for a second there, where were we?" He suddenly snapped back to reality.
Sophie giggled and covered her mouth. "Nothing much at all, I just wanted someone to hang out with before heading home. I don't exactly have an exciting weekend to look forward to or anything." She sighed. She had transferred to this high school just for senior year and her best friend so far was the assistant vice principal. They had met during all the logistics, but things did not click until he had to substitute one of her classes for a week straight. He had quickly become her most trusted person in this unfamiliar environment.
"Well, like always, you're welcome to stick around as long as you want, although as always I encourage you to go out and make friends." Mr. James was referred as such because of his relative youth for the position. He was only in his thirties and even then, of above average fitness. He kept his hair cut short and his face clean shaven. He always dressed in a button-down shirt and tie and slacks, and today was no exception.
Sophie groaned. "I could make friends if I wanted to, I just can't be bothered. All my peers do is let me down, I'd much rather spend my time with someone cool like you." She looked down a little as she let out a rare direct compliment. She was dressed in a form fitting purple sweater made of thick material and blue jeans. The outfit did nothing to hide her thick curvature. She was not a thin girl by any means, just shy of overweight. Her frame benefitted from the weight in the chest, hips, and thigh areas. A black bra strap was visible right where her straight blonde hair ended. Students at this school sometimes dressed much more revealing, but students at this school usually appealed to the assist vice principal much less than she.
James racked his brain for what to do. He worried that she had been spending too much time with him and that it might appear suspicious. He did not mind at all, as he was always interested in what she had to say, but he did not want any harm to his career and he especially did not want any trouble for her. "Look, I think it might be viewed as a problem. I mean, how much time we spend together. Does that make sense?"
She turned her head, confused. "I don't see why...oh...." she nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I can see that. But I mean, we would not, that would be..." she laughed nervously, averting her eyes.
He laughed with her, also feeling nervous. "Anyways, I thought maybe we should instead try to meet over the weekend sometime, what do you think?" He held his breathe as he waited for a response.
Sophie was floored but tried not to show it. She completely locked up for a moment. Did she want to meet him over the weekend? Of course, she did, who was she kidding, but she did not want to seem like a desperate kid. She wanted to seem like a fellow adult interested in platonic friendship. She chose her words carefully and spoke slowly. "I'd be honored, what did you have in mind?"
He also had to be careful with his words. He did not want to seem overly excited to get more alone time with this stunning, busty student. "I know you trust me, but something safe, somewhere public. Would dinner be inappropriate?"
She bit her lip in contemplation. Dinner was most certainly not appropriate, but no one else would be there to say otherwise. "Sounds fine to me, anywhere you want is cool." She smiled sweetly.
He smiled back. "Sounds great, I'll pick you up at 6?"
She nodded in the affirmative. "Does that mean I should head home now?"
He hummed for a moment in deliberation before responding. "I think that would be best, don't want you to get sick of me before our big, uh..." He struggled to not say 'date'. "...event...tomorrow. Alright?"
She stood up and grabbed her things. "Yeah, totally, I can't wait!" She let slip, almost unintentionally. She was trying to keep it cool but failed for a moment. Embarrassed, she waved goodbye and ran out of the room.
Both the assistant vice principal and the senior girl were left with a lot to think about. They weren't strangers to being alone together, but they had never been around each other outside of school grounds. Neither of them could think about anything else in the lead up to Saturday night. Sophie worried that she would get him in trouble or make him feel uncomfortable. James worried that he was being unprofessional or that they were not on the same page. Neither went into this 'event' with sexual intentions or expectations, despite their obvious physical chemistry. Other teachers already whispered rumors about them behind their backs.
He arrived at her doorstop four minutes early. He was dressed more casually than normal, wearing jeans and a blue flannel shirt. He walked up and knocked on the door, his eyes widening when he saw her. She was wearing a loose fitting but relatively low-cut green blouse and black skirt with dark leggings. She was not showing off a ridiculous amount of cleavage, but it was more than the older man was used to seeing from her. She was also wearing more makeup than she did on a day-to-day basis. Not a crazy amount, but a lot of subtle work went into preparing for this night. It helped make her seem even older than she was, easing the older man's concerns but making him feel the nerves of a first date instead of the nerves of essentially taking out a student.
"Wow, you look amazing, I mean, you, let's go..." James was stunned. He tried to push the momentum forward so that he did not linger on the dirty way she made him feel in that moment.
"Thank you so much! S-sure..." she nervously followed him to his car, hopping in the passenger seat. She clung tightly to her purse. They were both acutely aware of the precarious position they had placed themselves in.
The ride to the restaurant was a little stilted, but they eventually got back into their normal rhythm. She would complain about one of the other students and he would try to stay partial but enjoy the impassioned way she vented. This time though, he felt freer to take her side when she griped to him.
They were both smiling and laughing as they stepped out of the vehicle. Concern swept over Sophie's face however once she saw their destination. "Mister James, I don't think I can afford this place..."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Nonsense, I'll pay. If I am gonna risk hanging out out with extracurricularly, I'm not going to half-ass it." It was out of character for him to swear, especially around a student, but he felt strongly about deciding to treat her like this.
They were just a touch out of place in their casual wear together at the high-end restaurant. He had wanted to surprise her, but not leave her as the only one underdressed. He had even gotten their table reserved prior. She had never been treated this well before in her life, despite her kind nature and cute appearance.
They continued to chat as they ordered their food. It felt natural. In the eyes of their peers, they were committing a heinous crime, but neither felt the effect of the age gap. He treated her like an adult and she acted like one in return. They both got what they wanted. For her, she wanted to feel respected and taken seriously by someone with authority. For him, he wanted to feel appreciated and hold a meaningful conversation with someone intelligent. He didn't get this far with her because she was pretty, it was because she put a lot of thought behind her words and actions, and it showed.
The time passed quickly. She could not help but be aware of the slight way his shirt tightened around his upper arms, and he had to self-impose tunnel vision to keep from looking where he shouldn't. Of course, it was impossible for him to not notice every inch of her body when his subconscious was screaming for him to take it all in. Neither of them was mentally satiated even after finishing dessert. "I guess I should be driving you home now, huh?" He did not want the night to end, but he also didn't want to cross any lines. This was already probably wrong.
She rubbed her upper arm and looked down. "Actually, I'd rather not..." She paused before continuing. "I mean, wait, not like that! It's just... you know how I don't let you ask about my parents?" She bit her lip and looked like she was about to start sobbing any second now.
Physical touch was not the standard for them, but he put his hand on top of hers gently and looked her in the eye with a calm expression on his face. "You don't have to say anything, I understand. I do not mind taking the couch, we do not have to talk about it. Obviously, I will not tell anyone, you're good." He sighed empathetically.
They barely spoke on the way to the car and the ride back to his place. He kept his eyes forward on the road. After several minutes, she looked over at him. She stared for several seconds before uttering, "Thank you..." and resting her has not softly on his thigh. He did not reply but he smiled and allowed her hand to stay. They stayed like this the rest of the drive home.
Wordlessly, they got out of the car and he walked her up towards his front door. They both wanted to speak badly, but neither knew what to say. "Hey, thanks for letting your female student stay the night, hope you don't go to jail!" she thought to herself, feeling stupid for putting him in danger.
