6- Jame´s Secrets
All day Vicki spent the time thinking about her new romance. My silence only hid the reality in front of her friend, Jessica. I felt really happy and excited, but another part of me felt guilty for not being able to tell Jess the truth about my new love. I always dreamed that the day I fell in love, she would be the first to know, but I never imagined that I would fall in love with her father.
After class, we had swimming during the last hour. While we were getting dressed in the locker room, I was talking to Jess. She took a shower, and I waited for her, checking my phone. I had messages from James.
"You looked beautiful this morning."
"Kissing you drives me crazy, you're so sweet Vick."
"You're the only one who makes me happy."
I smiled and responded to his messages.
"Are you talking to someone new?" Jess asked.
"No, no one important," I replied, "just my mom who wants to make a chocolate cake tonight."
"Cake?" Jess asked. She was naked, her body wrapped in a white towel, her skin looking radiant and fresh. She let her hair down behind her back as she took another towel to wrap her hair.
"You have to promise to bring me cake as soon as you're ready," she said. "I love chocolate marquise."
"Okay, Jess," I said with a smile. Jess got dressed and put on a loose, burgundy dress, and her panties. She grabbed her purse.
"I have to tell you something," she said.
This morning when I was with Cameron, I'm not completely sure if he finished outside of me completely.
"What are you saying, Jess?"
This morning when I went to the bathroom, I saw a little bit of semen.
"Are you in your fertile days?"
My fertile cycle starts in two days. It's not certain, but it's not completely unlikely that I could be pregnant.
Okay, Jess. Maybe you should talk to your dad, don't you think?
You're crazy. Dad would never understand. How did you come up with that idea, Vicki? I never talk about sex with my dad.
I know, it's just that maybe he would want to be involved in your life, I say sweetly.
No, friend, that's not going to happen," Jess says in a curt tone. "Everything will be fine, I just have to wait for my period to come."
"Alright," I whisper.
"Come on, I parked the car by the entrance to the nurse's office," Jessica says, walking through the parking lot.
"Okay, I think I'm going to stay in the library. There's a book I want to borrow."
"Perfect, then I'll join you. What book is it?"
"No, Jess, I think I'm going to stay and read. I need some distance from my mom. But don't worry, as soon as I make the chocolate marquise, I'll come to your house and bring you some."
"Great," Jess says with a smile. She says goodbye to me with two kisses on the cheeks.
I watch Jessica walk away and go back into the school. I walk through the long hallways, in my pastel pink sandals, tight jeans, and a yellow crop top perfectly fitted around my waist and chest. Then I see the library and pass by, heading towards James' office, the literature teacher and academic coordinator.
I enter his office, he is sitting behind his desk. He is reading a book on Anthropology. I walk up to him, with firm steps, and lean on the edge of his desk with the edge of my hands. He sets the book on the desk, and when his eyes fix on me, a fire runs through my body.
"I couldn't wait another second to see you," he says. He gets up from the desk and takes my chin. I lean in and kiss his lips, smiling sweetly. "I also wanted to see you," I reply.
"We can go eat pizza at a restaurant, but it would be risky for someone to see us," James says.
"Or we can order pizza and eat among books, lying on the carpet," he suggests. I look at the carpet in front of the fireplace, now lit alongside the heater.
"Well, that sounds like a great idea, on the carpet, but barefoot," I say. "How dare you think I would defile the carpet with my shoes?" he says, and at that moment he takes off his loafers. He wears dark brown socks. I let out a light laugh, and he takes advantage of that moment to kiss me, and I kiss him passionately amidst smiles and joy.
I spend the whole afternoon watching an old movie with James, Troy, while we search for passages from The Iliad and engage in a deep discussion about whether Achilles truly loved Briseis in the book written by Homer, or if it was just a romance fabricated by Hollywood. I maintain my stance that Briseis was deeply loved, but James insists that Briseis was not important to Achilles, further deepening the discussion that annoys me.
"Why does it bother you so much that Achilles didn't love Briseis?" he asks, smiling. His hand on my leg makes my stomach burn with desire, but I won't give in.
"Yes, he loved her. I don't know why you insist on saying he didn't."
"Darling, do you somehow identify with Briseis?"
"Maybe because she was beautiful, innocent, and pure, and she brought peace to Achilles. Just like I would want to bring you peace because I feel beautiful, innocent, and pure," I say, embarrassed, my cheeks burning.
"Oh Vicki, my love, but we are not Achilles and Briseis. Of course, I love you. If Homer wrote about us, I would love you deeply."
"Okay, that doesn't disapprove of my theory. I'm sure Achilles did love Briseis," I say with an irrevocable tone, and then James bursts into laughter and kisses me all over my waist. We order vegetarian pizza, and it was the best afternoon I had in a long time.
Both of us leave James' office and walk together through the halls of the school. No one seems to look at us strangely, after all, Jessica is my best friend, and I am practically part of her family.
I get into James' car, and we drive while listening to music. James plays jazz, and I enjoy listening to the music. He parks at the entrance of my house, and I get out of the car. Before closing the door, I look at him intently, his deep and tender eyes tell me much more than the tender and warm silence between us could say.
James arrives home and tells Jessica that he has already eaten. Jessica had been waiting with rice she had cooked with pork chop and vegetables.
"I had cooked for you, Daddy," Jessica says disappointingly, as she sits on the couch reading a book.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I had lunch with some colleagues from work," James says, greeting his daughter. He walks up to Jessica and kisses her on the forehead. He looks at the book his daughter is reading, who is dressed in short shorts and a light blue blouse. James reads the title "Jane Eyre" on the cover.
"Well, you're reading Charlotte Bronte," James says.
Jessica shrugs.
"It's Vicki's, she left it at the house the other day, but she loves reading these old novels so much that I decided to take a look," Jessica says resolutely.
"You're doing well, sweetheart. It's a true work of art."
"Vicki has great taste in literature," James adds, leaves the car keys on the glass table in front of the couch, and walks towards his room.Jessica sighs deeply.
"He was probably having lunch with his new woman, and he lied to me saying he was eating with a colleague," Jessica thinks maliciously.
"Father, maybe we can watch a movie together," Jessica says.
"Sweetheart, we can do it tonight, I'm meeting a friend in a while," James explains, his voice can be heard from the hallway as James loosens his tie and hangs his coat on the coat rack.
Jessica picks up the phone and calls her best friend Vicki.