Page 70 of Jain

A victorious bitch who had shagged her boyfriend months before whilst becoming engaged to said woman’s cousin.

Oh god, I was going to Hell.

“Right. Anything else?” Vada asked coolly, and I shook my head. She gazed at me for a second before turning back to her desk. I was pretty sure Vada was going to say something but thought better of it. Curiosity toyed with me as I walked away, wondering what she was going to say.

Had Evan mentioned me?

Surely not.

I eventually found the staff room and was relieved to see many new faces. Younger and hipper than I recalled teachers being when I grew up, except for one, of course. Mr Allen, the new headteacher, introduced me to my colleagues, and I smiled shyly. Evan didn’t even lift his head when Mr Allen mentioned his name.

“Evan?”

Evan looked up, avoiding my gaze the entire time. My heart ached for him, his usual shirt and tie, the thick-rimmed glasses, and the tousled hair. He sat back and threw one arm across the sofa before smiling lazily.

“Sorry. Oh, hello, Miss Martin. Welcome back. If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask.”

His words were friendly, but his gaze was not. He dropped his eyes back to the book on his lap, and my body shook with disappointment.

What was he doing?

Why was he behaving this way?

I smiled politely, moving on as Mr Allen continued to introduce me, stopping when we neared his office. First, he went through the relevant paperwork and the safeguarding expectations. Then, he explained that as my class was new to this school, he would be giving me a small room by the library to help students on a one-to-one basis with their studies. I was pleased, as I knew I could do more in a one-to-one than a full class anyway.

We spent the next hour going through which students could benefit from seeing me before Mr Allen told me to grab myself a coffee and make my way down to my new classroom as such. I wandered down the old corridors, smiling at the nostalgia as I remembered my days here. As I neared my old English class, my heart began to hammer hard in my chest, trickles of sweat running down my back as I remembered him pushing me against the door, his tongue dancing with mine as I groaned against him.

“Alright, Miss? You lost? I can direct you to my bedroom if you like...” I blinked back to reality, noticing a scrawny boy gazing at me hungrily, and I grimaced.

“She’s not lost. She was here when you were still learning how to hold a knife and fork. Speaking of which, it’s lunch. Go.”

The voice stopped me in my tracks, and I turned to see Evan watching me from his doorway.

“Evan.”

He walked away from the door, and I followed him in, closing it behind me as he stared at me with a stony expression on his face.

“If this is the ‘can we move forward as colleagues’ speech, yes—we can. If this is a ‘would you like to come to my wedding invite,’ no—I wouldn’t.”

His voice still managed to send shivers down my spine. My eyes fell to his desk as more memories flashed before my eyes.

“It’s strange being back here,” I whispered, almost to myself.

Evan adjusted his glasses before sighing. “It’s surreal seeing you in here,” he confessed as silence descended.

I had to deal with this like a mature adult.

But how?

I cleared my throat as Evan studied me expectantly. “We need to talk properly. We have to work together, and I feel like I need to explain a few things.”

He continued to stare at me before waving his hand. “So, talk.”

“Here? Now?” I squeaked out as he chuckled softly.

“Or in my bed later, would you rather that?”

My mouth fell open as he laughed. The same dirty laugh I loved so much.