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Love Flavored Latte - Chapter 10
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That red scarf, it was indeed not normal. It was something his professor that had given to Matt, something that was then exchanged between them with their hands indirectly touching through it. It had become the symbol of that significant event, and there it was once again, wrapped around his professor’s neck and flowing as elegantly as how its owner flipped the pages of his book.
It was the beginning of November and the weather was cold. Matt could feel the chill everywhere, from the winds to how trees were beginning to shed their leaves. Even if it was still a little early, some shops had already started to hang up Christmas decorations for sale. It really brought a cheery holiday feel, making a smile bloom on his lips as he walked through the peaceful park.
Looking at the tall trees in his surroundings, he let his mind freely wander as he thought about what he should do on Christmas this year. There was so much he could think of, but all of them was soon forgotten when his eyes caught something magnificent, making his feet stop leaving trails of footprints onto the newly formed thin layer of snow.
Sitting on the bench was an attractive young man, but it wasn’t just any man. It was his professor, his crush, a certain brunet who always made his heart beat fast with his presence, someone who had been making his mind restless ever since the first day they made their appearance in each other’s life. The way he dressed was still as stylish as always with his comfy black coat and, the most importantly, that crimson red scarf. Time seemed to have stopped as Matt took in the beautiful sight before him, the sight of that man indulging in his book, eyes carefully reading each line.
He thought he had frozen until a warm voice made his body jolt upward.
“Ah, it’s a surprise seeing you here, Matthew.” Professor Angevine greeted him with a smile.
“G-Good morning, professor! I, uh, I was out to get some groceries.” Matt had almost forgotten about the said groceries he was holding, and he didn’t know what or who to blame. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“The weather’s nice today, so I decided to have a read outside.” His professor paused, glancing away for a short while before turning his eyes back to him. “Care to sit here with me for a while? Having someone’s company right now would be nice.”
It would be someone’s dream to be offered a seat next to their crush, but Matt wasn’t so sure in this case. He kept telling himself that he shouldn’t be so afraid and that he should take every opportunity he could to be close to Professor Angevine. But he always had the feeling that it probably wasn’t a good idea to be alone with his professor. Again, the fear of creating awkward moments, it was the cause, and he was aware of it. If only he had known exactly how to avoid it.
“Thank you professor, but I’d have to decline right now. Have a nice day, professor.”
He would probably regret saying goodbye later, but he was too busy trying to walk away as fast as possible to worry about it. At least that was he had planned to do before he heard his professor speak up, and what he said wasn’t a goodbye.
“Don’t you want to know what I’ve promised to tell you?”
Matt had turned his heals and was ready to flee, but he unfortunately hadn’t managed to walk an inch away, not with that drastic change in Professor’s Angevine’s tone. It was difficult to describe, but it definitely sounded… challenging.
The moment he turned his head back was when he caught that wide grin on the said professor’s face, an evil one on top of that. That bold man, he knew damn well that Matt had been dying to hear what he had to say about that little secret which had been hidden for months. In fact, it always managed to kill the blond student a little on the inside everytime he suddenly remembered about it.
Yes, maybe that was one of the reasons the red scarf felt so special to him. It reminded him of the secret he desperately wished to know. That mischievious man, he was sure of the fact that Matt didn’t have any class today, not on a Sunday, so the excuse of having to attend classes had already been crossed off the list from the start. Not having any reason to say no, Matt decided to accept his defeat and sighed.
“Alright, you win.”
“Great!” His professor had a very innocent smile, acting as if he didn’t just get him at the exact right spot. “Have a seat, Matthew.”
Professor Angevine patted his hand onto the empty seat next to him, signaling his student to come. Matt sat down, feeling a little helpless that he had lost so easily like that, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t like it. It made him realize how nice it was to be close to the man he admired so much. He had a tingling and cozy feeling every time they were together.
Professor Angevine was beaming so brightly that Matt found it hard to resist smiling a little, his heart beating rapidly. His professor seemed excited to finally say it too, so maybe it wasn’t just him who was eager for this moment. The other man looked cute that way, kind of similar to the way he was acting so adorably childish at the library a few weeks ago.
“Are you ready, Matthew?” Professor Angevine asked in delight.
“Yes, I’m ready, professor.”
“Please say it already, you’ve been torturing me enough as it is”, that was what he would have said if he hadn’t suppressed himself. He saw his professor taking in a deep breath, and it was then he decided that the suspense had gone on for longer than it was bearable. Professor Amgevine then turned over and spoke slowly, trying to get every word out properly without stumbling over them, leaning a little closer to his student in order to do so more easily.
“Would you like to be my TA?”
This was the second time in the day where Matt’s surroundings stopped moving completely, and it was more intense than before.
Matt’s heart started beating so fast that it could possibly jump out of his chest at any second. His hands were shaking. His cheeks were hot and his blush was a dark red. His eyes widened as much as they were physically able to and his lips couldn’t hold back a big smile from forming. The happiness rushed over him in the matter of second, almost making him unable to talk clearly.
“T-T-TA?!” He might have exclaimed a little too loudly but he didn’t care about it right now. Not when he literally was on cloud nine. Not when he was utterly overwhelmed with joy and pride.
And he also didn’t care if he was speaking like a newborn baby who was learning how to talk for the first time.
“P-P-Professor, you’re, you’re not joking, r-right? P-Please tell me y- you’re not—”
A pair of hands were placed on his shoulders, and his professor was shocked by how Matt felt on his skin.
“Matthew, you’re shaking,” Professor said as he patted Matt’s shoulders gently. “Calm down, calm down…”
Matt took his advice, breathing in and out steadily until his heartbeat returned to normal. “I’m sorry, professor. I, uh, got a little too excited there.”
“It’s okay, Matthew.” Despite his collected tone, his professor also seemed to be incapable of holding his happiness in. “So does that mean you agree to do it?”
“Absolutely!” Matt beamed. “I’d love to be your TA! I’m honored to do so!”
Professor Angevine let out what sounded like a sigh of relief. Maybe he had been nervous about it. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Matt was really in heaven right now, he really was. But even in what seemed like the best moment of his life, a certain question came up in Matt’s mind in a way that made him put aside all the excitement.
“But, professor… why me?”
“Huh?”
“Why is it me that you chose?” Matt raised an eyebrow slightly. “I mean, I’m happy that you chose me, but I want to know why. I doubt you can just randomly pick anyone.”
Professor Angevine must have prepared for this question, as he quickly replied without hesitation. “Matthew, you’re one of my best students so far. You even got one of the highest scores in midterm a few weeks ago, remember?”
“That?” Matt averted his gaze for a brief moment to think. “I thought Tiffany got the highest one. She got an A+, and I only got an A-.”
“That’s true, but…” his professor trailed off, “you see, in the presentation you all did a long while ago, Tiffany was a little shy and didn’t seem very flexible, so maybe she’s not that suited for the job. You’re very fast and confident in what you do, Matthew, so I think you’re the best option.”
“Oh, I see.” Matt blushed shyly. Being praised by his favorite professor was never a bad thing to Matt. “Thank you so much, professor. I… truly appreciate the compliment.”
He wondered how it was possible for a thrilling moment to turn sentimental this quickly, but it was not something to complain about. Quiet it was, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He loved the feeling of each other’s heat warming them up, even if their bodies weren’t directly touching.
Were they?
Matt suddenly noticed something, and when he looked more closely, a light shade of red blush had dusted his professor’s face, and it seemed to compliment his fair skin even more, making him look more ravishing than ever. But on his face was a stunned and dumbfound epxression, which raised many questions in Matt’s mind.
Upon closer inspection, it appeared that his professor were looking down, and Matt followed his gaze to find something absolutely mortifying—their hands were actually touching on the bench. To be more specific, Matt’s hand, without his knowledge, had somehow worked its way to his professor’s and was now placed on the latter.
The realization struck him like a lightning, and every cell in his brain legitimately screamed at every inch of his body to just run. For once, his body listened to his inner plea.
“I’m, I’m terribly sorry, professor!” He stood up abruptly, feeling how his entire body was shaking so intensely. “I, I have to go now. P-Please excuse me, professor!”
Once more, he had been ready to leave before something held him back. This time, it wasn’t the older man’s voice, but rather his action. A light pull made Matt turn around to see that his professor had stood up as well, his hand on Matt’s sleeve, gripping it in a way that secretly begged him to stay.
“It’s okay. It’s really okay, Matthew!” Professor Angevine’s voice sounded rushed as if he was, for a second, afraid that he wouldn’t be fast enough to react. “I’m fine with it, really.”
“B-But still, I, I shouldn’t have—”
“Matthew.” Once again, his professor held his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “You’re my TA now, so no need to be extremely formal with me. Just… relax, okay? Don’t be so tense like that.”
Matt let out a sigh. “Sorry, professor. Maybe I’m not used to it yet.”
A smile then bloomed on his professor’s lips once again, and it completely melted all Matt’s worries away.
“How about you practice right now? Email or phone number, you decide.”