**Sara**
I flopped onto my couch, exhausted from the day's events. After all the drama with Tom—I mean, Professor Blackwood—my brain felt like mush. Ugh. Even thinking his name made my stomach do little flips.
"Get it together, Sara," I muttered to myself.
I needed something to calm my nerves. Tea. That's what I needed. A nice, soothing cup of chamomile to wash away the awkwardness of the day.
I dragged myself off the couch and shuffled to the kitchen. Opening the cabinet, I stared at my sad collection of mismatched mugs. My hand hovered over my favorite - a chipped "World's Okayest Student" mug Jessica had given me as a joke. But no, that felt too on the nose right now.
Instead, I grabbed a plain white mug and plopped it in a tea bag. I poured the steaming water over the tea bag, watching as tendrils of golden brown swirled through the mug.
"Okay, tea. Work your magic," I said, lifting the mug to my lips.
I took a sip and immediately regretted it. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" I yelped, nearly dropping the mug as I frantically fanned my burnt tongue.
Great. Just great. I couldn't even make tea without screwing it up. I set the mug down with more force than necessary, sloshing some of the scalding liquid onto my hand.
"Ow! Son of a-" I bit back the curse, shaking my hand.
This was not how I'd envisioned my relaxing evening going. I grabbed a dish towel and dabbed at the spilled tea, muttering about the unfairness of life and temperamental beverages.
I plopped back onto the couch, carefully cradling my mug of tea. This time, I blew on it before taking a tentative sip. Much better. I let out a contented sigh as the warm liquid soothed my throat.
As I was relaxing, my phone buzzed on the coffee table. I glanced at the screen and groaned. Jessica. Of course.
I debated letting it go to voicemail but knowing Jess, she'd just keep calling until I answered. With a resigned sigh, I swiped to accept the call.
"Hey, Jess," I said, trying to inject some enthusiasm into my voice.
"Sara! Are you ready yet?" Jessica's voice was way too chipper for my current mood.
I frowned, confused. "Ready for what?"
"For our night out, duh! Don't tell me you forgot!"
Oh crap. I had completely forgotten about our plans. Between the drama with Tom and my failed attempt at making tea, it had slipped my mind entirely.
"Uh, about that..." I started, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. "I'm not really feeling up to going out tonight. Maybe we could raincheck?"
Jessica's dramatic gasp made me pull the phone away from my ear. "Don't you dare bail on me!"
"Jess, I'm serious. I've had a rough day and-"
"That's exactly why you need to come out!" she interrupted. "A little dancing, a few drinks, maybe meeting a cute guy who isn't your professor..."
"Jess!" I hissed, glancing around as if someone might overhear.
She laughed. "Oh, come on. Live a little! You can't mope around your apartment forever."
"I'm not even dressed," I protested weakly.
"Perfect! That means you haven't yet committed to a night of Netflix and ice cream. Get your butt in gear, missy. I'll be there in an hour to pick you up."
I opened my mouth to argue, but the line went dead. Jessica had hung up on me.
"Unbelievable," I muttered, tossing my phone onto the couch.
Part of me wanted to ignore Jessica's demands and curl up in bed with a good book. But another part - a tiny, traitorous part - whispered that maybe going out wasn't such a bad idea. At the very least, it would distract me from my Tom-related woes.
I sighed, resigning myself to the inevitable night out. With a groan, I hauled myself off the couch and shuffled to my bedroom. My reflection in the mirror looked about as enthusiastic as I felt - which is to say, not at all.
"Alright, Sara," I muttered to myself. "Let's get this over with."
I stripped off my comfy clothes and headed for the shower. The hot water felt heavenly, washing away some of the day's stress. I lathered up, humming off-key to myself.
"Ow! Soap in my eye!" I yelped, frantically rubbing at my face.
After my less-than-graceful shower, I wrapped myself in a fluffy towel and stood in front of my closet. What does one wear to forget about their professor-slash-one-night-stand?
I pulled out a lacy black bra and matching panties. "Might as well feel sexy, even if no one's gonna see it," I muttered.
As I shimmied into the lingerie, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and burst out laughing. "Look at you, all dolled up with nowhere to go. Well, nowhere except a loud pub with Jess."
Now for the dress. I rifled through my options, tossing rejects onto my bed. Too casual. Too formal. Too "I'm trying to seduce my professor." Finally, I found a slinky red number that hugged my curves in all the right places.
I slipped it on, feeling a little thrill as the fabric settled against my skin. "Damn, girl," I whispered, giving myself a little twirl. "You clean up nice."
Just as I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup, the doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock and groaned. How was Jess already here?
"Coming!" I called, hobbling towards the door as I tried to slip on my heels.
I yanked open the door, slightly out of breath. "Jess, you're early-"
But it wasn't Jessica standing there. It was Matt.
I froze, my mouth hanging open in shock. Matt stood there, a ridiculous bouquet of flowers clutched in his hands like a shield. We just stared at each other for a moment, the silence stretching out awkwardly between us.
"Uh, hi?" I finally managed, my voice coming out as a squeak.
Matt's eyes roamed over me, noticing my dressed-up appearance. "Wow, Sara. You look amazing."
I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling exposed. "What are you doing here, Matt?"
He thrust the flowers towards me. "I wanted to apologize. Again. I know I messed up, but I can't stop thinking about you."
I didn't take the flowers. "Matt, we've been over this. It's done. We're done."
"I know, I know. But I thought if we could just talk-"
"There's nothing to talk about," I interrupted, my patience wearing thin. "You cheated. End of story."
"It was a mistake!" he pleaded. "A stupid, one-time mistake. Can't you forgive me?"
I let out a humorless laugh. "Forgive you? For what, exactly? The cheating or the pathetic attempts to win me back?"
Matt's face fell, and I almost felt bad for him for a split second. Almost.
"Look," I said, softening my tone slightly. "I appreciate the gesture, but this isn't going to happen. We're over, Matt. For good."
He opened his mouth to argue, but I held up a hand to stop him. "No, don't. Just... go home, okay?"
Matt's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Can I at least give you these?" He held out the flowers again.
I sighed, taking pity on him. "Fine. Thanks."
As I reached for the bouquet, my heel caught on the doorframe. I stumbled forward, crashing into Matt and sending us both tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and crushed flowers.
"Oof!" Matt grunted as I landed on top of him.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay. At least I finally got you to fall for me again."
"Seriously? You're making jokes right now?"
"Well, you have to admit, it's pretty funny."
"Yeah, hilarious. Now let me up." I started to push myself off him, my hands pressing against his chest. Suddenly, Matt's hand cupped the back of my head, and before I could react, he pulled me down and kissed me.
For a split second, I froze in shock. Then, rage bubbled up inside me like a volcano, ready to erupt.
SMACK!
My hand touched his cheek before I realized I'd moved. The sound echoed in the hallway, and Matt's eyes widened in surprise.