She did not go to the work the next day. Or the day after. Or the day after that.
Heidi was convinced she was fired. Why bother showing up at work at all if she was just going to be forcibly removed from the classroom after James handed her a pink slip.
Heidi groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. This whole thing was stupid. Her cell phone vibrated but she ignored it. She was taking a mental health day. Well, a mental health week anyway. She had to be going crazy anyway, with all this professor kissing. Who fucking kisses their professor? Who lets their professor fondle their breasts?
The feeling of James' rough hands against her soft skin roared back to her. Heat pooled between her legs. Heidi groaned and buried her head deeper into her pillow. Her cell phone vibrated again. This time, she grabbed the device and looked down. Her alarm was ringing. It had been ringing for the past hour, every eight minutes. It was eleven.
Cursing, Heidi rolled out of bed and padded toward her bathroom. Her hair stuck up in every direction and her sleep shirt clung to her ass. She didn't bother glancing in her mirror as she passed, flicking on the water. There was no point, why even bother with her looks anymore? She was a vile temptress making old men fall with her charms. Is that why men always seem to like virgins?
She sighed, pulling her shirt over her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. She was being ridiculous. Of course it wasn't all her fault. They were both to blame for giving in to the sexual tension between them. Heidi grinned, stepping into the cascading water of the shower. Her skin turned pink from the moment the hot water crashed against her. She was pretty impressed that she caused a man of his stature to lose his control. He totally thought she was hot.
The doorbell rang. Heidi groaned and turned her face into the hot spray. Not now. The doorbell rang again. Wasn't this always what happened? Why hadn't people evolved to sense when someone was taking a shower by now?
Grabbing a fluffy white towel from the rack and wrapping it around herself, Heidi crept to her front door. A quick peep out the peep hole showed her that there was a box sitting outside her apartment. There was no delivery man in sight, thank god. Heidi decided to risk it and opened the door wearing only her towel. She grabbed the box, shut the door, and let the towel drop.
The box was clear of any markings. She wondered how it had been delivered if there wasn't a label on the outside. Was this even for her?
She ignored the siren song of the shower and found a scissor to cut the box open. She dug through the papers and ripped open the box. Inside was a flat, wrapped parcel. Heidi's brow furrowed, she hadn't ordered anything.
Carefully pulling back the paper, Heidi flung a hand to her mouth. The black bear Audubon print stared back at her. Her hand shook and she set the print aside, blinking back tears. She flung her hand around the box looking for a note. There. At the bottom of the box a small white card poked out.
Her heart pounded as she pulled out the card, examining it.
"Dear Heidi," she read, "I am so sorry for what happened last week. I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable and I am sorry if you feel I used my standing at the university as a way to overpower you. Quite frankly, you are the first person I have ever encountered that makes me feel at home in a world where I never feel solid. The prospect of having ruined that forever is eating me up inside."
"I've send you the print of the black bears because I saw you admire it when you are at my apartment. I also want you, who makes me feel so at home, to have a piece of something that always makes me feel a little more like I fit."
Heidi ran a thumb over her lips, remembering the way James kissed her. He felt so right against her mouth. She felt at ease with him against her, like this is the way she was supposed to be. Biting her lip, she began to read again.
"I am going on a field study tonight. You are, not only, the only friend I've made on my travels, but also the best lab assistant I have ever had. Please, if it does not cause you too much discomfort, meet me at the entrance to the woods at 10pm. I'll be waiting for you. Yours, James."
Heidi stood and went back to the bathroom. On her way, she glanced in the mirror. She had something to get ready for tonight.