Her Favorite Teacher

Lara pushed her brand new gold key into the auditorium lock. With a little "new key" hesitation it went in and turned heavily to the left and the door swung open.

Lara stepped into the darkened theatre and the familiar smell filled her nostrils- a mix of sawdust, paint, and teenage actor BO. She set down her purse and found the house lights. She approached the stage and remembered that last time she'd been in this room-8 years before.

~~~~~~~~~

Lara heard the thunderous applause as the lights dimmed and the curtain fell. The last performance of her last high school play was done. She knew she had delivered a fantastic performance as Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." She stood and found her place for the curtain call as the lights came back up and she took her final bows. She saw her parents faces and her classmates and finally the face that she had longed to see the most, Mr. Daniels.

Mr. Daniels, the high school play director, and Lara's secret crush was clapping and beaming up at her. He stood partly in shadow, but the light shown off his one earring through his shoulder length brown hair. He wore the typical button shirt and novelty tie with Elmer Fud on it that he wore to teach his classes and direct rehearsals. Lara did her best to not look down the row at Mr. Daniels wife and two young daughters who were with him.

The lights came up and the applause finally died down. Lara headed to the dressing room to take off her costume and pack up her makeup box. She hugged her castmates who were also packing up and sharing murmurs of the cast party happening in Troy Harper's basement. The rumors of multiple kegs were most likely exaggerated, but getting totally wasted was a guarantee. Troy always threw dramatic parties.

Lara hugged her parents in the lobby and told them she was going to a cast gathering at Troy's.

"Have fun" they said hesitantly, knowing more than they tried to let on. " But be safe."

"Of course!" she laughed and left the school.

She climbed into an already full car and got across town to Troy Harper's house. His parents were upstairs, but they were the kind of parents that cheerfully turned a blind eye to their son's antics as long as he didn't leave the house.

The beer was already flowing and the music was loud. Lara chugged more than she could count and was quickly beyond any chance of coherent thought. The group, having reached a general state of drunkenness had settled into a circle for a game of Truth or Dare. Shirts were coming off, drunk calls were made, and Brittany Hansen had made out with Brandon Dennis for four whole minutes when it was finally Lara's turn to be asked.

Troy turned to her, "Okay, Lara truth or dare."

Lara feigned a coy look then answered "One of each."

Everyone laughed and Troy continued, "Perfect! Well then truth first...on a scale of one to ten, how bad to you want to fuck Mr. Daniels?"

Lara's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Oh come on," Amber rolled her eyes. "Like you really thought it was a secret? Everyone knows you're like obsessed with him."

Lara pursed her lips and finally answered, "...eleven."

The group erupted in hollars and laughs. Amber whispered something in Troy's ear and his eyes lit up.

"Okay, Lara, then for your dare, we dare you to go down to Mr. Daniel's house and throw pebbles at his window."

"What!?!?"

All the other students were laughing and agreeing.

"Guys, I don't even know where he lives!"

"He only lives a block and a half from here!" Troy smiled.

"Okay, but how the hell am I supposed to know which window is his?" she asked.

"I know," mentioned Tracy Peterson from a corner of the room. "I babysit his daughters sometimes, so I know the layout of the house."

"Lucky you!" added Troy.

"But what if I wake up his WIFE instead of him?"

"Honey," said Troy. "That's why it's a dare! There has to be a little risk involved!"

About half the group left Troy's basements and started walking down the block to Mr. Daniel's house. The other half was either too drunk to walk, or had already paired off and was anxious for some time in dark secluded corners to exchange sloppy oral favors.

At the end of the first block, Mr. Daniel's house came into view. It was a old, white, two story house with two gables on the front. Lara knew it must be his place, because his ugly, orange SUV was in the driveway. Tracy Peterson pointed, "The one on the right is his daughters' room, and the one on the left is his and his wife's room."

Lara nodded and felt her stomach clench.

Troy handed her some dime sized rocks from the road, something that could make a small noise, but wouldn't cause any damage. Lara stepped up to the curb and threw her first pebble. It fell short of the house by at least five feet and landed in the bushes.

"We're not leaving, til you land at least three of those rocks right on his window!" Troy whispered loudly.

Lara glared back at him and them braced herself for another throw. Her second rock overshot and pinged against the gutter above the window sending a metallic sound ringing down the block.

She looked around for signs if it had awoken anyone, but the block was still dark and silent.

She grasped another rock and threw. This rock landed perfectly center of the window of Mr. Daniels' room.

There was a tempered cheer from the kids behind her and Lara smiled back at them. Five seconds passed and no movement came from the house so threw again. Again the rock hit right on the window with a soft 'click.' Lara grasped one more rock and prepared to throw her final stone when the light in the room came on.

"Good enough! Let's go" shouted Troy and the students took off back down toward his house. Lara followed them but realized she no longer felt her cell phone in her pocket.

"Shit" she murmured slowing down. Her castmates were already half a block ahead of her so she turned back by herself. She came back to the house and stopped behind a small tree. The light up in the bedroom was still on, but went off after about 30 seconds. Lara crept back to where she had stood to throw the rocks and peered at the ground. She saw her phone sitting on the edge of the yard in the grass and she knelt to grab it. She checked that it turned on and with a sigh of relief she turned back toward Troy's house.

She had gone only a step when she heard, "Lara?"

Slowly, she turned around and saw her drama teacher and crush Mr. Daniels standing on his porch in a white v neck t-shirt and red cotton pajama pants.

"Heeeey Mr. Daniels," Lara waved awkwardly.

"Was that you throwing rocks at my house?"

"Uh...yeah" she admitted.

"Um, why?"

"Just a stupid game of truth or dare" Lara answered blushing. Mr. Daniels came to the steps of his porch and motioned Lara to come up.

"I'm really sorry if I woke you or your family" she said ashamedly.

"Thankfully my girls never woke up and Sherry is already sleeping again."

Lara nodded.

"I was not asleep. I can never sleep after the final show, I'm too busy worrying about my cast doing stupid stuff and getting in trouble or getting themselves hurt...or worse."

Lara looked up, "None of us are driving. We just walked here from Troy's house-oh shit. I shouldn't have said that."

Mr. Daniels laughed softly, "Don't worry Lara, your secret is safe with me, as long as you promise me that neither you or any of your friends are going to be going anywhere else tonight."

Lara saw Mr. Daniels earnest plea clearly in the porch light.

"I promise." She said nodding.

"Okay," he said slipping his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants. "You'd better get back to your friends before they think you were arrested."

Lara smiled, "Okay, thanks Mr. Daniels. Sorry again." She turned and started back across the front yard, but in her drunkenness and the semi-darkness she didn't see the raised edge of the front sidewalk. She went down hard, barely catching herself with her hands. One hand landed in the soft, dewy grass, but the other landed on the cement sidewalk and skidded a couple inches scraping the skin thoroughly.

Lara rolled over and wiped the dirt from her safe hand before looking to her scraped hand, already bloody and full of tiny rocks and dirt.

"Lara, are you alright?" Mr. Daniels had run over from the porch and knelt beside her.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Lara answered attempting to pick rocks from her bloody palm.

"You need to clean that out, hold on" Mr. Daniels ran back to the porch and grabbed a bottle of water from a cooler near the door. He came back to Lara and took her bloodied hand pouring the water slowly to wash the rocks from the scrapes.

Lara winced at the burning sensation of the water. When the bottle was empty, the blood was still oozing from the cuts. Mr. Daniels looked around, but then pulled white t shirt up and over his head. He folded the shirt into a wide bandage and wrapped Lara's hand.

Lara's breath caught in her throat when she saw his bare chest for the first time. He was a thirty something dad of two but he hadn't let himself go. He didn't have six pack abs, but he had some definition.

Mr. Daniels sat down in the grass next to Lara and neatly tucked the tails of the shirt into a tight hand wrap. He squeezed her fingers to make sure it wasn't too tight.

He looked at Lara who was still breathlessly looking at her teacher's bare chest.

He cleared his throat softly and she looked up quickly, blushing.

"I'm sorry I uh-I mean thank you."

"You're welcome, Lara. It's a good thing you're one of my favorite students. I wouldn't take my shirt off for just anyone."

Lara assumed he was joking but the blush in her cheeks grew deeper as Mr. Daniels realized how his words could be taken.

"I'm sorry," now it was his turn to blush.

"It's okay," Lara giggled. "I don't mind. You're my favorite too"

Lara placed her unbandaged hand on Mr. Daniel's knee and felt the thin cotton of his pants over the warm leg beneath. They both looked down at her hand on his knee and when Lara looked back up Mr. Daniel's' face was just inches from her own. Lara breathed deep and placed her lips on his. She felt his long, curly hair against her own cheek and his fingertips on her shoulder.

Lara opened her mouth and felt Mr. Daniel's tongue slide along her lower lip. She moaned and felt a growing warmth between her thighs. He hand still on his knee inched upward until she sensed the thin fabric of his pants growing tighter. Suddenly Mr. Daniel's hand was on top of hers stopping her progress. He stopped kissing her but didn't pull away. He rested his forehead against hers. She smelled his scent of cologne.

"You should go," he whispered.

"Yeah..." Lara cleared her throat and stood up. Mr. Daniels stood and Lara tried not to notice the bulge in his pants. "Um, have a good night Mr. Daniels." She walked away, only looking back once to see him watching her from his porch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The memory of that encounter had gotten Lara through many a lonely night. Lara had seen Mr. Daniels at school after that night and then a handful of times when she come home for holidays after she graduated. She had grown up since then. She had gone to college had a few boyfriends and a handful of what she called "reckless moments" so her school girl crush on Mr. Daniels was the remnant of the past.

Lara had tried to make it as an actress after college, and she had gotten a few minor roles in regional theaters but came to realize it wasn't her life goal anymore. When her mom got sick it seemed like it was time to move home and the opening for a new assistant theater director at her old high school made the timing even more perfect.

She hadn't seen Mr. Daniels in probably four years when she walked in for her interview. He sat next to the principal and the school superintendent. He had cut his hair, the glorious brown curls that had hung to his shoulders were now cropped to just above his ears. He had grown a beard. It made him look older and Lara did some fast math and realize he was probably now in his mid-forties. But he still wore the one diamond stud in his right ear. Her heart gave a pitter-patter as she remembered the feelings that that little earring had elicited in her as a teenager.

Laura had gotten the job and had pust picked up her theatres key. She sat down in the auditorium I waited for Mr. Daniels. They were going to have their first production meeting for their first show together.

He arrived a few minutes later. He wore a loose-fitting button down shirt and today's novelty tie featured Bugs Bunny.

"Lara, good to see you."

"And you Mr. Daniels."

He laughed, "You know, now that we're colleagues you can probably call me Scott."

"That might take some getting used to... Scott."

If either of them had felt any awkwardness, they didn't let it show. Lara had long charlked up her behavior that night long ago to too many beers and his to the late hour of their encounter. She knew that Mr. Daniels was a devoted husband and a loving father to his two girls who are now about to enter high school themselves.

The production meeting went well and they decided that Mr. Daniels would be in charge of the set and lights and Laura would handle the costumes and the marketing. Auditions would be the very next week they both were excited to get to work.

After their meeting they walked out to their cars together.

"It's really great to have you back in town," said Mr. Daniels

I'm really excited to be here. I hope I can be some help."

"I know you will be," Mr. Daniels hugged Lara and she smelled that cologne he'd always worn. She remembered the interesting fact she'd always heard that scent was the sense most closely tied to memory.

That scent mixed with a sensation of his arms around her brought the butterflies back to her stomach that she remembered so well from being 18 years old. She got in her car and he got in his and she watched him drive away. I had better be careful she thought or I could be just as obsessed with him now as I was back then

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next 10 weeks flew by as Lara and Mr. Daniels prepared for the spring play. Lara's eyes may have lingered just a tad too long on Mr. Daniels a handful of times and maybe a couple of their conversations could be called flirting, but nothing salacious had happened between the two of them.

Lara even got to know Mr. Daniels two daughters who are now 12 and 14 years old. They would join him at rehearsals after school until their mom could pick them up. Sherry Daniels turned out to be a really wonderful woman as well. Lara could see they were a beautiful happy family.

Lara had started dating a guy from town as well. Phillip had graduated a couple years before her but also recently moved back to town to take over his father's law office. Over the course of rehearsals Lara had spent more nights at Phil's place than her own.

Lara was happy that she and Scott have struck such a platonic working relationship and nothing risque had happened, until the final week of rehearsals. Lara and Scott had both stayed at the theatre late one night to work on the set. Scott was hanging a faux brick wall paper to look like the streets of London and Lara was cutting the sheets to hand up to him. Scott had removed his dress shirt and tie leaving him in only a white v neck t-shirt. Lara was having flashbacks to the last time she'd seen like that.

It was getting late and Lara was tired and distracted so she was paying less attention to what she was doing and the scissors slipped from the wallpaper and right across her hand.

"Oh shit!" she yelled grabbing her hand.

Mr. Daniels jumped down from the ladder he was on and ran to her.

"What happened?"

"I wasn't paying attention and I totally sliced into my hand," Lara was fighting tears and the blood started seep out of her closed fist.

"Let me see it," Scott said.

Lara slowly opened her hand that had already pooled with blood.

Scott looked around the stage and seeing only costumes, he swung his shirt off his body. He pressed the shirt to her hand and added pressure to slow the bleeding.

"Hold that there. I'm gonna go grab the first aid kit." He ran off the stage and was back a couple minutes later with the giant, metal first aid kit.

He pulled the T-shirt back from Lara's hand and the cut was deep but manageable. He pressed the T-shirt down again and prepared a bandage and gauze with antibacterial ointment.

The bleeding continued a few more minutes then we were able to wrap her hand. Lara was acutely aware of her long time crush, now co-worker shirtless and only inches from her. It had been eight years, but the body had only slightly changed. She felt her stomach flip flopping as she watched his chest move.

When he finished, Lara looked at the bloody t-shirt next to them.

"I ought to get you a package of those since I keep ruining them," she laughed.

He laughed along, "Eh, don't sweat it. It was time for some new ones anyway."

They fell into silence for a moment or two.

Lara realized that Scott's hand was still on hers and she felt the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"We should probably call it a night and finish this when we're not so tired," Lara said softly.

"Definitely" he agreed without moving his hand.

Lara hesitantly started to pull her hand away but Scott tightened his grip. She looked up to find his eyes on hers and almost as quickly his lips on hers.

She put her hands on his shoulders to stop him, but was overcome by how badly she too wanted this. Her mouth accepted his tongue and she felt his hands at her waist. Lara's injured hand rested on Mr. Daniel's shoulder and her free hand raked through the soft brown curls. They both moaned softly and his hand moved up to cup Lara's breast through her shirt.

The movement snapped Lara back to reality and she pulled away. She stood quickly and straightened her shirt.

"I need to get going" she blurted awkwardly, not daring to look directly at Mr. Daniels. She straightened the pile of tools she'd been using and loaded her purse. Scott slowly stood and grabbed his button up shirt that he'd taken off to paint. He pulled it on and grabbed his own wallet and phone.

In silence they gathered their things, turned out the lights, and headed to their vehicles. They lingered between their cars, knowing that something needed to be said to clear the air.

Lara looked down at her feet and played with the zipper on her purse, "I'm sorry... I really had convinced myself that it was just a teenage crush. I didn't take this job to seduce you."

"I know" he nodded. "I never wanted to take advantage of you."

"You didn't!" she interrupted. "You didn't do anything that I didn't want you to...I just mean don't worry about it."

"We should probably work on the set separately or only when there's other people around from now on."

"Agreed" Lara nodded.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment more and finally he moved to his car, got in and drove away. Lara watched him and sighed. She got into her own car and drove straight to Phil's. He hadn't expected her and was already in bed when she crashed into his place. He was more than happy to accept her pent up sexual feelings that evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The show opened successfully and without any other incidents. The show closed a few nights later and both Lara and Mr. Daniels were given gifts from the cast and posed for what felt like a thousand pictures with the students. The kids cleared out and Lara began to sort costumes into piles to take to be laundered the next day. She remembered the drapes that hung on the set and she went to the stage to take them down to add to her pile-one less this to do in the morning.