But then again, when did anyone in this town ever give me the benefit of the doubt?
“Kyle, right?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“You guys are lucky,” he said, addressing the class. “I had a tumble into a puddle this morning and learned just how see-through this shirt was. Was close to you guys calling me Mr. Nipples throughout the rest of the semester.”
The class laughed, and we caught each other’s gazes.
He wore a friendly smile.
I was shocked.
Any other teacher might have been too proud to mention it, but not James—Mr. Warner, according to the schedule. That he’d acknowledged it made it easy for me to breathe a sigh of relief, even though nothing made me cringe more than being made the center of attention during class.
He delivered a syllabus to me before moving right along with his introduction, surely having won the class over with his Mr. Nipples remark. Although, as he went on, I learned right away that he was all about a cheesy joke as he made comments about plans and projects for the semester. He was doing his best to win us over, and I would have been lying if I’d said it wasn’t working on me just as easily as it had in the restroom, with his adorable dimples and those beautiful brown eyes behind a pair of glasses.
He looked like a real fucking nerd.
In the best sort of ways.
And that same charm he’d shown me earlier seemed to be working on the other kids too.
After that comment, he only looked my way occasionally, as we both seemed to silently acknowledge our initial exchange.
When the bell rang, I intentionally lingered behind so that, if he wanted a moment to discuss our encounter, we would have a little privacy.
“So,” he said as I passed his desk, fully prepared to keep on walking if he hadn’t said anything.
“Yes, James?” I teased with a wink, hoping he would take it in the playful spirit I’d intended.
“Apparently, I was making a bigger idiot of myself earlier than just falling into a puddle.”
“It looked a little more like rolling into it.”
His cheeks turned pink, and he lowered his head, looking up through his glasses, his beautiful brown eyes set on me. His dirty-blond hair was styled in a fresh crew cut, the slightest of cowlicks poking out at the crown of his head. The bangs were a little longer than the rest of the cut and somewhat disheveled—I couldn’t tell if it was from his tumble earlier or from how he’d run his hand through his hair occasionally, a nervous tic I’d noticed while he was going over the syllabus. A thin layer of scruff accented his jawline, clearly as well cared for as the body I’d seen on him earlier. A man didn’t have a bod like that without spending some hardcore time at the gym.
I couldn’t help admiring the way he filled out the shirt he wore, certain several of the other students had appreciated this whole beefy nerd look he had going on. Like a dirty-blond Clark Kent. Mmm…
No, I didn’t have an issue admiring a sexy man. Or fucking one for that matter.
“It’s all good. Shit happens,” I said. “I was meeting up with my boy Ben—”
“Another student, I’m guessing?”
I laughed. “Yeah, that’s right. He was supposed to be helping a teacher, so I showed up to give them a hand. But looks like it worked out. Maybe the universe sent me to save the day.”
“Still, I should have been a little more mindful and considered that.”
“Don’t worry. You aren’t the first person to mistake me for a teacher. Miss Kritch did the same thing last year at a town hall event, and it was a little more…inappropriate, if you get what I mean.”
He laughed, but then made a face like he knew he probably shouldn’t have.
“Well, since we are now teacher and student, do you mind if I ask why you were tardy to class?”
“Oh, yeah. I was taking a cigarette break.”
“What?” His entire demeanor transformed in an instant.
“Man, that was a joke. I just sort of spaced at lunch, and then I wound up being a little late. And now I’m here.”
He appeared viscerally relieved.
“Sorry. Not everyone can read my sense of humor. Gets me into trouble sometimes. And you can see why.”
“I really can,” he said with an uneasy chuckle. “I saw a Kyle on the roll, but honestly, I was so busy that the most I thought was, Hey, like that guy who helped me earlier.”