Ugh. Mona was at the library again today and Eric couldn't stop himself from staring if he tried. Not that he did try. He had such a crush on his old TA that it almost hurt. She wasn't his usual type: almost as tall as him, skinny, nerdy, and kind of flat up top. She wore cute skirts, so that was a plus.
Eric couldn't help that he crushed on every female teacher he had. Even Professor Lande, the instructor that Mona had TA'd for. Now, she was definitely not his type, but damn if he wasn't totally infatuated by the end of the semester. Something about the way she held the class's attention and knew so much about materials science was powerfully attractive.
"You know, you could just take a picture. It'd make the creeping less obvious."
Eric almost fell off his chair, startled from his reverie. "Oh, shit, uh.."
Mona looked down at him through her glasses and started laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Eric, right? You stopped by my office hours a couple times last semester. Come on, buy me a coffee."
Mona walked off, and Eric scrambled to follow. When she stopped at the door, it took him a moment to realize she was waiting for him. He opened it for her, and they walked to the coffee shop next to the library. Eric opened the door and bought her a coffee.
It was great. They sat and talked for over an hour, learning that they had much in common. They liked the same kinds of music and tv shows, bonding over their love of anime and Dr. Who. Like Eric guessed, she was a few years older, getting her PhD in Chemical Engineering. She didn't seem to mind that he was only a Freshman, and he desperately wanted to ask her on a date, but couldn't work up the courage.
Mona looked at her watch and frowned. "I have to go to a lab session, so I'll cut to the chase. Do you have a girlfriend?"
Eric, shocked at her forthrightness, stammered out a no.
"Thought so... have you ever?"
"I've hooked up with a couple girls at parties, but no. No girlfriends."
Mona cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Hooked up at parties?"
"Fine, I kissed two girls at two different parties." Eric blushed deeply, embarrassed at his overly honest answers.
"Mmhmm." Mona hummed as she thought. "Well, you're cute, but it sounds like you need some additional tutoring. What do you think? I could teach you how to be the perfect boyfriend."
"Uh, haha," Eric laughed nervously. He fidgeted at the sudden growth in his pants. "Yeah, that, uh, sounds good."
"Are you sure? My pedagogical methods are a bit... unconventional. You think you can handle it?"