"Strangers in a Strange Land" (m, f- later) *has link to audio 9/21/13* (at end of thread)

[tma]

**Note- I wrote this story Quite a while ago but it is no longer here- I did some recent additions. Let me know if this story if of interest- I have 7 more completed chapters and one in the works. If this is of interest-great; if not I will just keep it to myself. ** BTW- if anyone can come up with a better title "The Professor Story" is Lame!! I will make cheesecake for the person that will give me a better subsititue. ** Anyway- onto the story... hope you like it.

And So It Begins

I remember the first time I ever saw him. He was tall and lean, reminding me of a basketball player. Except for the thin wire glasses that he wore over his keen blue eyes. He had a mass of curly reddish brown hair that sat upon his head, always in a slightly “askew” fashion, never quite submitting to be tamed. He spoke passionately about history and the consequences that could be gleaned from analyzing it. There was always just a note of sarcasm, just a hint of a quip in his manner. He was very methodical. Each day at the start of the class period, he would step up behind the lectern, take off his watch, look at it carefully, and gently lay it down next to his notes. Then, he would turn on the microphone and begin class.

I enjoyed his class. He was passionate about his topic, and really pushed us to think for ourselves on things. He’d rather have a well reasoned argument that he didn’t agree with than someone weakly defending a position, just trying to tell him what he “wanted to hear”. He always wore the “traditional” tweed jacket with a white shirt, a tie and dress slacks. And always seemed to be very in control of both his class and himself.

One day at the beginning of class, I could tell that something wasn’t quite right. His step seemed less deliberate and purposeful. He stepped behind the lectern and started his lecture. Wait a minute I thought, that isn’t right. He plowed through the material diligently though. Except for the occasional subtle sniff, everything seemed fine.

“Now who do you think was the more effective dictator, Stalin, or Hitler? Miss Martin, we will see how closely you’ve been paying attention.” He said with a quick sniff that might have been interpreted by others as derision (although I knew that it wasn’t).

“I would say that the most effective dictator style would be a cross between the two.”

“How so?” I had caught him somewhat off guard, but he was intrigued.

“Well, Stalin had very effective control of his inner circle and with the purges, I am sure that no one would have openly plotted to kill him, and if they had, they wouldn’t have gotten away with it.” He nodded and sniffed again, fixing his blue eyes on me intently. “However, his image with the commoners wasn’t as persuasive as Hitler’s was. He didn’t rely enough on propaganda to win the affection of the masses.” He nodded, but his gaze seemed a little unfocused. “To be an effective dictator one must have control of both the general masses and the inner…”

As I was speaking I heard a small gasp, that seemed to come from the professor’s mouth. “Huh… Heischoo, Huratchoo, Hitchumf.” The sneezes at bent him at the waist; he had managed to partially stifle the last one in the folds of his handkerchief. Several people in the classroom blessed him, and he murmured a soft, “Excuse me.” He looked up at me, his eyes still a little moist from the sneezes and his cheeks a little flush with embarrassment. “I’m terribly sorry, please continue.”

I was a little flustered, I confess. I suppose that I had always found him rather attractive, in an unorthodox fashion. I had never heard him sneeze, and the loss of control that he had just displayed sent shivers down my spine. I heard a small cough, “Um.. Miss Martin. We’re waiting.”

I started at those words. “I’m sorry, I was just re-collecting my thoughts. One must have subtle but clear control over both the general masses and the inner circle to be an effective dictator.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Very good. Mr. Stanick, you have a question?” He queried with a raised eyebrow.

“Um, why do we have to learn about effective dictators, are you trying to train us to run, like a dictatorism?”

A few of the students chuckled, although I wasn’t certain if they were chuckling at the professor’s lecture or the student’s question. I myself thought the question was rather amusing.

He rolled his eyes, and said, “First of all if there was such a thing as a dictatorism, I am certain that you would be a spectacular failure. Sec… ond dof … all” his breathing was getting shallow and I could tell that he had to sneeze again. I shifted in my seat, and hoped that my cheeks were not starting to turn pink.

He scrubbed at his nose with his handkerchief for a minute, then continued, “Second of all, we learn about his… story so as nah… huht to ree… pt EISHOO, huh… uh Ishoo, huhAtchoo.” Several of the students blessed him again but I could tell that he wasn’t through. He breath was coming in short little pants, and he held up a hand, then resumed the “praying” position. His nose was flaring and his breathing was ragged. I was starting to feel like my breathing could get ragged as well. “Come on” I yelled in my mind, “just sneeze already.” It was as if he had heard me, his eyes opened wide and he threw his head back and gave a harsh, “HuRETCHOO” which just about bent him in half with it’s force. He wiped his eyes again, and apologized. There was a slightly weary look to his eyes now. “Excuse me, so as not to repeat it.”

He wrapped up class with the excuse that we evidently could use some extra time to study for the final. He asked to see me after class. That was surprising. I thought that he only met with students that were having problems in his class, and as far as I knew, I was doing well.

Once everyone had filed out, I went down to the lectern where he was putting away his papers and sniffing occasionally. “Sir, you wanted to see me?” I timidly started.

He looked up briefly from what he was doing. “Umm yes, I sniff wanted to talk with you aba… out yah..Ischoo, Eischoo,”he sighed

“Bless you sir”

He murmured, an “excuse me” directed mainly towards the floor, and then said, “I wanted to talk to you about how you are doing in my class.”

“Yes?” I queried, not certain what to make of that. Was I doing so poorly that I was unaware of how poorly I was doing? If so, what would I need to get on my final in order to pass?

“Well, you are an extremely bright young lady, and thus far in the class you have been doing extraordinarily well.” He seemed to be “hemming and hawing a bit though”. I wondered if there was a “but” to this sentence, and if so, how big?

He started fidgeting with his papers and I could have sworn that his ears had started turning a dull shade of red. “I was just wondering, Miss Martin. I had a position open up. A student transferred, and I was wondering if you would consider being my T.A. second term?”

I was speechless. Wow! Normally the TA’s were further along in their studies than I was. I was beyond flattered. Plus, I must confess, I was not exactly “repulsed” by the idea of working with him on closer terms.

He misread my silence. He rubbed at his nose and sniffed, “I mean, I’m sure that you have a very active schedule, and it’s not the most exciting pra..Eichoo, heitchoo, Ishoo” he turned away suddenly as he began to sneeze again. Now his ears were scarlet.

“Bless you. No sir, I am extremely flattered and would be honored to be your assistant.” I’m sure that I sounded almost giddy.

He smiled and chuckled quietly. “Good. But one thing that you have to promise me.” He said with a serious look.

“What?” I quarried.

“You can’t keep calling me “sir” you make me feel ancient. Call me Erik, it’s much more comfortable.”

I grinned, “I suppose I can manage that, but then you need to remember to call me Theresa, and not “Miss Martin”, it makes me feel like a dried up old spinster.”

He chuckled, “Well… I suppose that I can try, at least outside of class. What do you say about meeting over coffee and going over some paperwork to get this thing in order?”

Suddenly his face fell, “Hitchoo, Ishoo” they had caught him off guard and he turned and sneezed to the side.

“Bless you. I would, but I think that you probably should go home, you sound horrible.”

He shook his head, “I’m fine. I must just sound worse than I feel. But if you have other plans, I could see you tomorrow during office hours.”

Hmmm…. Other plans? Plans involving doing homework and straightening out my dorm room. Gee… I think I could put those on hold to spend more time with an intelligent, attractive professor who is obviously coming down with something that elicits many breath-taking sneezes. What a choice. I chuckled to myself.

“No, I didn’t have any other plans, coffee sounds nice actually.”

“Great. Well, I’ll just stop back at my office and grab my coat and then we can take off.” He said.

As we stopped by his office he pointed to a little room just off to the side. “That’s where your office will be. Nothing impressive, I know. I think they worried that if your office was any bigger, it would be the same size as mine.” He said with a chuckle, gesturing around his rather small office. There were books crammed in every nook and cranny. I glanced at the titles. There were books from a wide array of cultures, concerning numerous time periods. While most were definitely “scholarly tomes”- there were several- “popular” style history books. I wondered about that. Light reading, keeping up on “popular” literature in his field, or books to recommend to students interested in a certain topic? I was curious. Maybe I’d have to ask him about that over coffee.

As I stood gazing at all the titles, he had put on his trench coat and was waiting for me. A slight cough from him awakened me to my surroundings. “I’m sorry.” I stammered.

“It’s perfectly acceptable. I take it that someone is a “bookworm”?” he questioned with a grin. His blue eyes now seemed to be sparkling. Evidently, I had hit upon another “passion”. I nodded.

“I love books. Always have. In fact the biggest punishment that my folks could dish out was to take away all my books.” I said with a shy smile.

He nodded, “You probably didn’t try the trick of trying to read by the light of the alarm clock when you were supposed to be in bed sleeping.” He said tapping his glasses, and glancing at my hazel eyes, unencumbered by glasses.

“I must have just managed it better than you did.” I said with a smile.

“Well, one can’t be a scholar…” he paused and blinked a few times, then he shook his head as if to clear it. “Without the glasses” he said with a wink. It looked like the sneeze was returning. He drew his handkerchief out of his pocket and unfolded it. I could tell what was coming and for some strange reason, my heart sped up. His prominent nose started to twitch and he held up a hand and said, “Ex.. huse… be..Heh Eishoo, Eishoo, huh huh Heratchoo” He turned away to blow his nose.

My mouth felt a little dry. “Bless you.” I breathed.

He nodded an acknowledgment and we started toward the coffee shop.

[Sapphire]

Please, please share!! I love it.

[Sapphire]

very hot!

[vatergrrl]

Yummy, yummy indeed! Reminds me of a prof I had as an undergrad, whom I had a mad crush on (and even more so after I saw him sneeze).

I think there's something inherently tempting about seeing such an authority figure as a professor caught being vulnerable, especially during lectures. The way you set up the professor's authority through lecture, then subtly undercut it by describing his hair (mussed and out of control) in contrast to his "controlled professor costume" (tweed jacket, slacks, white shirt) is what makes the story, I think.

And good on your female protagonist to be able to toss out the necessary "Bless you's" in the story. I was always a meek little thing at that age (am now a meek, bigger thing) and could never bring myself to bless anyone -- still can't, unless I'm joking with someone.

BTW, I think you meant to spell "queried," not quarried. But, that's just the nitpicky English professor in me. If you want a beta for the next installments, you know where I am, and I promise to be gentle.

Agreed with soveryshy: more, more! Brava, my dear!

VATERGrrl (who had to edit her own post for typos...)

[tma]

*blush* thanks- I will correct. I Thought I spell-checked, but perhaps not. I am Always looking for ways to improve, and am the First to admit that I am Not good at proofing my own text. So thanks.

And thank you both very much for the compliments.

[hellagood]

Love it. Reminds me very much of a certain former professor I've been crushing on. Can't wait to read more!

[Aljana]

MMMM! I always go for the professor types! A very well written story, thanx,

Aljana

[tma]

Thanks so much I am Really glad that people like it- am having chapt. two looked over by vatergirl- *since I am No good at proofing* and will have more soon.

I decided that I wrote "quarried" (spelt wrong) FAR too many times. So I changed the verb in a few places. *Now to change it in the original (lol)*

[xfilesgurl]

I remember this story from when it was posted before! DEFINITELY one of my FAVORITES!!!!! Keep it coming, please

Xfilesgurl

[Guest snzlvr]

love love love love it!!

[tma]

Alright.... here is chapter two.

Coffee and Me

We made our way over to the little shop. Erik looked like he was clutching his coat tightly to himself to keep warm. It was pretty chilly, and the wind whipped at our faces.

We got inside and I ordered while Erik cleaned his glasses, then he ordered and we sat down at a little table by the windows. That coffee mug sure felt good in my chilled hands. I noticed that Erik had remembered to wear gloves. They were a nice pair; black leather, and they looked like they were lined with wool. He took them off and rubbed his hands together for a bit before reaching out for his mug. He looked over at me for a moment.

“No gloves, Miss Martin?” he queried with a raised brow and a shake of his head.

I shook my head, “Left them in the apartment, sir.”

He made a tsk-tsk sound, “That’s not good. By the way, what did I tell you about that?” he asked with a sniff.

“Nearly the same thing that I told you in regards to using my first name.” I countered with a bashful grin.

He chuckled, “I suppose you did.” And then he sniffed again.

He brought the mug of steaming coffee towards his mouth. Suddenly, he halted, nostrils flaring. As his eyes closed and his breathing hitched, he tried to put the mug down. I knew he’d be unsuccessful, so I took hold of it and gently set it down on the table. He’d managed to pull out his handkerchief in time to meet several harsh, wet sneezes. “HuhRetchoo, Atchoo,… huh… huh Eichoo, Eichoo, ah Hutcumft.” He sighed and looked over at me, his blue eyes looking misty and weary. “Thak you. Sniff ‘cuse be.” He said congestedly, his cheeks looking a little flush. He turned away and blew his nose.

“Bless you. No problem.”

He cleared his throat and pulled out some papers from his briefcase, “These are the forms. Most of them are just so that the college knows what department to bill the hours to, and who to pay. I also made a list of my basic expectations.”

“All right,” I said not quite ready to get “back to business”. When I reached for the papers, our hands touched, and I could have sworn that I had gotten “zapped”. Startled by my own reaction, I drew back and dropped the papers.

“Here, let me.” He said, bending down on one knee, and scooping them up. He put them in a tidy pile on my side of the table.

“Thank you” I murmured, rather embarrassed. I looked through the papers, and Erik lent me his pen to fill out the forms. I didn’t know if he thought I was taking too long, or what, but I caught him looking over at me several times while I was filling things out.

After I was done, sat back and slowly savored my coffee. Not as good as the stuff at home, but still very satisfying.

“I take it that you enjoy a good cup of joe” Erik said with a chuckle.

“Yes, although I miss my favorite shop back East,. I’d always get a white chocolate raspberry latte with whipped. That’s a little complex for out here.” I sighed.

“Yes, even though this stuff is pretty good. It is really hard to find good coffee out here in corn country. You know what else I miss?” he asked conspiratorially, leaning toward me.

“What?” I asked, grinning.

“Ben and Jerry’s. Anytime I visit the East Coast, I have to get my “fix”.” He said with a wink.

“Me too! Well that and a Real calzone.” I said excitedly. “I hadn’t realized that you were an East Coaster as well.” I was pleasantly surprised. Although I enjoyed college life, being in a small rural community was really a hard adjustment sometimes. I felt like a square peg. I realized that he was able to understand parts of my life that nobody around this rural college town seemed able to.

“Oh yes. Studied in D.C. and lived for many years in New England.”

“Beautiful country up there.” I commented appreciatively. I hadn’t been up there much, but I remembered the rolling hills and breathtaking fall colors. So different from the endless flatness and dearth of trees around here.

“Yes” he said wistfully. “I admit sniff occasionally I do feel sniff rather nos… tall… gi Hureichoo, Hatchoo, Heichoo.:” he shuddered a little.

Although I somehow enjoyed watching Erik sneeze- the look of anticipation, the loss of control; I really didn’t want him to feel miserable. I was really starting to feel bad for him.

“Sir… er Erik” I corrected, “I was thinking. I do have all the paperwork done if you need to go home.”

“I’m fide” he cleared his throat. “Fine. Maybe I’m coming down with a bit of something.” He conceded, at a look from me “but I’m really all right.” He looked outside, the sky had grown darker. “You might want to start heading back though, looks like it might start to rain.”

I nodded. He stood up and helped me into my coat. That was definitely a treat that I wasn’t used to. He accomplished it with such practiced ease, I could tell that it was a long ingrained habit.

“Thank you for joining me, and getting the paperwork out of the way. I’ll see you in class on Wednesday, for the final, and in the office on Thursday. We'll probably just go over a few things with grading essays, I'll probably have you take a look at a few past essays and such."

“That sounds terrific.” I smiled. “Thanks so much for the coffee.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As I walked outside, the wind hit me full force. I put my hands in my coat pockets to keep them warm. There was something in them though. I pulled out, to my astonishment, Erik’s leather gloves. I turned around to find him and protest that he needed them more than I did, but he had hurried off in the other direction. Too far to catch him. Well, I thought, I guess I’ll be visiting the office sooner than I anticipated.

[Geist]

Oh, TMA! Erik is absolutely adorable! I love the way you describe his sneezes....they are just TOO yummy!

Please, please post some more! I totally ADORE the story so far!

~Frack

[Grneyes1981]

TMA, i LOVE it!!! please please keep sharing! it's fantastic!!

[tma]

Ok- here's more. I'm glad that people are enjoying this. Thanks!

The Gloves

The next day I stopped by Erik’s office to drop off the gloves. I knocked on the door, firmly enough to be heard, but not obnoxiously loud. I waited; nothing. I thought that maybe I’d just leave the gloves on his desk. I tried the door and it was unlocked. I quietly went in and set the gloves down on the desk. I was about to leave when I heard a congested snore. It took me by surprise, since I thought the office was empty. I yelped.

“Whad? Who’s dere?” Erik said sleepily.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” I stammered.

He adjusted his glasses and focused his eyes and looked at me in confusion, “Whad are you sniff doing here?” he asked in a puzzled and congested voice.

“I knocked, but nobody answered. I just opened the door to drop off your gloves.”

“Gloves?” he questioned with a congested sniff.

“From yesterday, after the coffee shop.”

“Oh yes.” He chuckled, which turned into a coughing spasm. I opened my bottled water and handed it to him. He drank it, then sighed. “Thank you.” Then his reddened nostrils began to flare and he reached into his back pocket, for his handkerchief “huh, huh Eichoo, Eichoo, Huretchoo, Hutchoo.” He sighed again and leaned back in the chair, looking exhausted.

“Bless you. Not feeling well?” I asked. I know, dumb question, but I didn’t know what else to say.

He sniffed and ran his hand down the length of his face. “I suppose I’ve felt better.” He coughed into his fist; a harsh barking cough. Then he carefully took another sip of water.

“I know that I’ve seen you looking better.” I confirmed.

“Gee thanks.” He said with a sniff.

I happened to look down at the desk and I noticed that Erik’s hands were trembling. “Are you cold?” I asked, concerned. His cold definitely sounded worse.

“A lit- ttle bit.” He said, teeth chattering slightly. "It's just the heating, or lack thereof in the building."

I didn't buy that line, but I decided to let it go. ”I could make some good chicken soup” I offered.

He shook his head and sniffed, “oh do, I woddent wand do pud you oud. Sniff” he blushed and turned his chair to the side to blow his nose.

I thought that it was kind of cute, the way his voice, normally strong and crisp, softened and was made more "rounded" while congested. I could tell though that it embarrassed him to no end.

“It definitely wouldn’t put me out.” I insisted. “Particularly after you were so nice as to lend me your gloves yesterday.”

“Ah, but I only did that for my own selfish reasons.” He said with a little smirk. “If you had gotten frostbite, you wouldn’t have been able to type for me.”

“I see. So purely mercenary reasons?” He nodded.

“Well, I suppose that will make me rethink as to whether to thank you or not.” I said with a grin, then asked. “Did you bring your car to campus? I brought mine, and I could at least offer you a lift home.”

I could see that he was mentally weighing the options, and was realizing that he had taken too long for me to buy into the idea that he had brought his car. He shook his head. “I’b fid” he insisted with a congested sniff.

“You definitely are not ‘fid’” I insisted.

A spark of annoyance flashed in his blue eyes and I could tell that he wanted to respond. He started to open his mouth, then blinked a few times, threw his head back and succumbed to a sneezing fit. They kept coming, barely allowing him time to breathe in between. I had a pack of tissues in my purse. I grabbed a handful, and pressed them into Erik’s hands, in between sneezes. Erik shakily accepted them, holding them up to his face as he finished sneezing. Then he quickly blew his nose, and tossed them away.

“Bless you!” I exclaimed, startled, and yet strangely excited. “You were going to say?” I asked, head cocked to the side.

“Umm… cough Thank you.” He murmured softly. His ears had turned scarlet for the second time in as many days.

“You’re welcome. And the other part of what you were going to say I am certain was, ‘Certainly, I would love a ride.’” I was a little worried that I was “pushing” it, but he sounded awful and I knew that he generally walked to classes.

He started to chuckle. “I was, was I?” he queried with a raised eyebrow, and a little smirk. “And here I thought that I would have added something about that being a very thoughtful offer.”

My face felt like it was on fire. I’m sure that I was starting to blush.

He continued with a twinkle in his eyes, “But evidently, that wasn’t what I had been about to say. Evidently, I am not quite as polished as I thought I was. I guess I’ll just have to work on that.” He said with a wink. “Let me sniff just get a few things together and sniff I’ll be right with you.”

“Not a problem. Let me know if I can help at all.”

He started gathering up his papers, sniffling softly every so often. Then he suddenly took out his handkerchief. His breathing had started to become unsteady. He lifted the handkerchief up toward his face, and closed his eyes, and seemed to be waiting expectantly. I knew that I was. He stood frozen like that for several seconds that stretched out indefinitely for me. Then he shook his head as if to clear it, and continued to gather up papers. Suddenly, he looked over at me. “You do realize that I do appreciate this? You really don’t ha… hav…” The sneeze seemed to be returning. He barely managed an “exhuse be” before four harsh, wet sneezes overtook him. “Hureitchoo, Eishoo, Eishoo, HuhReitchoo” He mumbled an apology.

“Bless you. Thank you.” I said hoping that it wouldn’t come out sounding odd. “It’s really not a problem.”

“Thanks. I’m about ready here, so if you are certain that you don’t mind, I can head out whenever you are ready.” He said closing his briefcase and grabbing his coat.

“I don’t mind at all. Let’s get you back home.”

The directions to Erik’s house were basic and I found the simple white colonial with hunter trim around the windows in no time.

“Well here we are. Sorry to be a Ba.. Eishoo, excuse me, bother. Thank you.” He said, hurrying out of the car and scurrying into the house. I had barely gotten out “Bless you. No problem. You’re welcome.”, before he was ensconced inside the house.

As I drove away I felt a little deflated. I don’t know what I had expected. I guess I had really been half- hoping to be invited in for a bit. I knew the chances of that were slim to nil, but still I had thought that maybe… All that I knew was that I enjoyed his wit and his company and today's visit had seemed far too short.

I decided to make some chicken soup anyway, once I had finished the rest of my classes for the day, and some studying. I thought that I’d just “drop and run”. I figured that it might help, at least a little. Besides, I was sure that he wouldn’t refuse it after it had already been made.

[Geist]

Oh, what a wickedly delicious place to leave us hanging, darling! I'm dying to know what happens next!

I adore stories written from first person POV, btw. They are the best insights into the character's mind!

~Frack

[Kitty]

Oh TMA - really well done! Thank you - I remember this story and you have done an incredible job!

Made me warm all over again!

Kitty

[SeaHeart]

Very nice! Loving it, Tma. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Evie

[tma]

Thanks Sooo much for the positive feedback!

The Inner Sanctum

I drove back to the house that evening. I was a little nervous as I went up the walk and rang the doorbell. Erik answered the door. His hair was a little tousled, and he was wearing a navy cable knit sweater and a pair of khakis. Evidently this was “dressed down” for him, I thought with a smile. “Come on in.” he said with a grin. I was a bit confused at the response, but delighted nonetheless. I handed him the container of soup. Erik thanked me and grabbed a couple of soup mugs. He paused to sneeze, “huh Eishoo… ah Ishoo… Eishoo” They weren’t nearly as harsh as they had been earlier. At least that was good.

“Bless you.”

“Thanks.” He poured the soup into both mugs. “I was just sitting down to watch an old Bond flick, but I can put something else on, if that’s a bit chauvinistic for you.”

I thought that his voice seemed a little lilting and a little faster than normal, but I wasn’t quite sure why.

“No. I'm sure it probably sets gender roles back a couple of decades, but I love to watch Bond films. Cool cars, fast chases, and nifty gizmos, what’s not to love?” I grinned.

He placed a mug and spoon on either side of the coffee table. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Just point me to your glasses, and I’ll grab some water. Are you going to have anything?”

Erik chuckled. “I’ll just finish what I have, but thank you.”

We sat down to watch the movie. I noticed that he seemed less congested. Guess the soup wasn’t necessary. I was still shocked at the fact that I had been invited into the inner sanctum, let alone invited to watch a video.

As we were watching the movie, Erik started to sniff, then stifle a yawn. A little later he got up, grabbed his handkerchief and started to walk away. “Huh Reichoo, heichoo, heichoo, huh ah Reichoo” I felt bad, I knew that he only walked away to try to “keep it down” for me to be able to watch.

“Bless you” I called.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” He stammered, starting to flush.

“It’s all right. I’ve seen this one before. Besides, it’s your house, and you’re sick. You don’t need to put yourself out for me. Honestly, don’t worry about it.” I said with a reassuring smile.

“All right.” He meekly sat back down on the sofa.

It seemed as though Erik kept glancing over at me during the movie. Maybe gauging my reaction to see if I had been lying about liking the movie. I knew why I kept looking over toward him. But those reasons were my own. Toward the end of the movie, Erik said, “I think the movie and the drink are starting to get to me.” He sighed and sniffed congestedly.

“What do you mean?” I questioned anxiously “What are you drinking? I can leave if you need me to. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Erik moved closer and smiled slowly. “First of all, you are not a bother. You may leave whenever you wish, but I am certainly not anxious to see you leave.” His smile broadened, “And as for what I’ve been drinking; hot toddies, which I’ve just realized may not have mixed well with the cough syrup that I took earlier.”

That explains a lot, I thought. I was about to say that I would go, but Erik held up his hand and said, “Don’t get me wrong. I am not drunk, just a little buzzed.” He sniffed and drew closer to me. His voice was husky and was it my imagination, or was he staring at my lips?

“However, I must confess that my will to resist beautiful, intelligent undergrads is fading sniff rapidly.”

I had to remind myself to breathe. This couldn’t be reality. His hand gently caressed the side of my face, and drew me close to him. I could feel his breath, warm and ragged on my face. Then he drew in and tenderly kissed my lips. His lips were full, warm, and sensual. He drew closer, looking to kiss me again, when suddenly he closed his eyes, threw back his head and sneezed, “heEichoo, Atchoo, huh Reichoo” he had tried to turn his head completely away, but a very light, dry mist grazed my arm.

His face was scarlet. “I’m terribly sorry. Excuse me. I didn’t mean… that is… I’m really very sorry.” He stammered, grabbing a towel and “drying” me off.

“Bless you. It’s all right. You're sick. You couldn’t help it.” I thought that Erik couldn’t look more adorable if he had tried. His reddish brown hair was dishelved, his blue eyes were a mix of desire and embarrassment. His cheeks were flushed and his nose was slightly pink. He was sniffing occasionally, and his breathing was rather ragged. He ran his fingers through his hair. I could tell that he was trying to pull himself together. I just wanted to pull him close and not let him go.

“I can’t.” he whispered; though to what he was referring to I wasn’t sure. He shook his head, and then he started to shiver slightly.

“Here.” Before he had realized what I was doing, I gently laid my hand on his forehead. “You’re really warm. You need to lie down. Let me get you some aspirin. When’s the last time you took anything?”

Erik chuckled at my concern, and ending up having a coughing spasm. When he finished, he took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. Since he hadn’t had anything with aspirin in for several hours, I got him some aspirin and water. When I brought the glass and pills over to the couch where Erik was bundled up under a couple of blankets, he had already taken off his glasses and was lying back against a pillow.

When I neared the couch, he turned toward me with a smile. “Thank you.” As I went to hand him the glass, he held up a hand, the other reaching desperately into his back pocket. He shakily brought the handkerchief to his face, “Eichoo, huh.. huh Eishoo, Hatchoo huh Reitchoo.” After the final harsh sneeze had rocked his body forward, Erik paused to wipe at his watery eyes and blow his nose. Then he sat back and sighed.

“Bless you! Here you are.” I said, handing him first the pills, then the water. He carefully sipped at the water and gingerly swallowed the pills. I knelt down next to Erik as he lay back against the pillow.

“Thank you.” He said, grabbing hold of my hand with his, “for everything.”

I nodded, and swallowed hard against the lump forming in my throat. I slowly leaned over and gently kissed his still warm forehead, and went to get my coat. Erik stifled a yawn, and made a move to get up.

I shook my head. “Don’t even think about it. I’ll be fine, and I’ll see you tomorrow. It will be my last official day as your student.”

Erik looked confused; then he got a panicked look on his face. “That’s right. The final is tomorrow. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you from your studies.” He said apologetically.

“That’s all right. I figured that I’d do this for the automatic A.”

The look on his face was a mix of puzzlement, hurt, and anger. He was about to say something, when he noticed my wink.

“Gotcha.” I said with a smirk. “That was for the remark about lending me your gloves to keep me typing.”

It took a minute, then his blue eyes cleared, and he shook his head, a bemused smirk on his face. “I suppose I deserved that. Rest assured, I will be ruthless.”

I smiled, and started to leave. “Have a pleasant evening Miss Martin.” He said with a wink. I almost corrected him, but instead I shook my head and walked back to the car.

I could still his lips on mine. Warm and slightly raw. How could such a brief, chaste kiss seem to elicit such a response from me, and make me warm all over. I would be glad when I was official no longer his student. I sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the gods of alcohol for providing enough leverage of Erik’s inhibitions so as to make tonite possible. I knew that completely stone cold sober, this never would have happened.

Beautiful… he had said I was beautiful. And intelligent. I almost soared home, heart doing somersaults, mind replaying the events of the evening. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

[Empathic Mystery]

Oh, TMA, I love this. I remember it from before, and how much I loved it then. I've only grown more attached to this story in reading it now. Thank you so much for posting it, sweetie.

~Me~

[Geist]

TMA! That was SO endearing! I just loved it! Please keep posting!

(minor thread jack approaching...)

Skada! I LOVE your avatar! Is my rainbow showing?

~Frack

[Sapphire]

Beautiful, Beautiful!

[SusieQusie]

Wow...memory lane. I've always liked this story, tma...nice work

[tma]

**"warning": for those not into it- there is female sneezing in this chapter and in ones following. For those that like it- I will warn you that as it is not my "thing" I don't do a whole lot of discription. It was put in more because that is how the story flowed.**

Thanks very, very much for all the positive comments. And I agree Frack in re: to Skada's new avatar.

*minor side comment- I enjoyed coming up with the title for this chapter. hehehe*

Anyway- here is Chapter 5

Finals and Other Things that Make One Feel Unwell

Evidently I spoke too soon. I woke up the next morning feeling horrible. I popped a couple Halls into my mouth and discovered that I needed a decongestant as well. I blew my nose and took my pills. I threw on some sweats and glanced in the mirror as I pulled back my long wavy brown hair into a ponytail. After last night I had been hoping to look nice, but the way that I was feeling, I’d settle for comfortable.

As I walked to his class, I wondered if I would notice if anything had changed between Erik and myself. As I walked over to him to pick up my test, I felt the tickle in my nose, intensify. I raised my hand to rub my nose, when they suddenly hit, “ishoo, huh Hitchoo, Eishoo” I didn’t have time to get my tissues out of my purse, so I had sneezed into the crook of my arm. I glanced up, through slightly watery eyes to see Erik handing me the test.

“Bless you, Miss Martin.” He said evenly as he handed me the paper.

“Dak you sir.” I sniffed, blushing, and took my seat. I took my tissue pack out and blew my nose. Than I started on my test. It was hard to concentrate with my head as congested as it was. Either the decongestant hadn’t kicked in yet, or it was pretty ineffective. I had to stop every so often to sneeze or blow my nose into one of my rapidly disappearing tissues. At least Erik seemed to be feeling a lot better. I only heard a few stifled sneezes that seemed to come from his direction. Although, I will admit to having been distracted by the test.

I sniffed as I studied the essay question. My throat was starting to feel sore. I hastily grabbed for my water bottle, managing to spill some on the few remaining tissues I had left. I shook my head in dismay, and gingerly sipped the water to ease the ache in my throat. I was almost finished with the essay when my nose started to itch again. Great! I tried scrubbing at my nose with a knuckle. No good. I tried looking through my purse in hopes of a stray tissue or two. Nothing. My breathing was ragged and my eyes were being to tear a little from trying not to sneeze. I looked down at my desk in dismay, and there was a clean, white, pressed handkerchief lying on my desk. Hurriedly I picked it up, “huh Huptchoo.. Itchoo huh.. uh Eishoo” I sighed and gently blew my nose.

I finished the essay and went to hand in my test. I was the last one done. Evidently my cold was really slowing me down. Usually I was one of the first ones done with the tests. Erik was busy grading papers. As I came forward, I started to feel a little dizzy, the room got a little blurry.

“Sit down.” Erik barked out.

I looked at him in confusion.

“Sit down before you fall down.” He repeated, more gently this time.

I handed him my paper and shakily took a seat at a desk.

“Better?” he quarried, looking at me intently.

I nodded, my nose itching, “huh Eishoo hit..Choo huh… ah Itshoo” I sneezed into the handkerchief.

“Bless you. Let me get you some aspirin.” He said, going over to his briefcase.

“But… how…?” I questioned. How had he known?

“You’ve been holding your head, and squinting a little. Plus I’m sure that after that final you finished taking…” he finished with a wink, and an amused little smirk.

“Here it is.” He announced pulling it out of his case. He started back toward me, then he slowed down, and blinked a couple of times. I could see it coming, and suddenly I felt a little less miserable. He grabbed for a handkerchief, but seemed to come up empty handed. He cupped his hands to his face, as his eyes closed and head titled back. “eh.Hetchoo.. HuReitchoo..Eichoo” he cleared his throat, “excuse me” he said, shaking his head.

“How are you doing?” I quarried with a sniff.

He chuckled, “Quite a question coming from someone who nearly tripped over a desk and broke her neck.” He said with a raised eyebrow.

“Here.” He said, handing me a couple of aspirin. The warmth from his hand flooded my body.

“Thanks.” I said shyly. I took out my water bottle and gingerly swallowed the aspirin.

“Throat feel raw?” he asked, sympathetically.

I was about to speak, when he said, “A nod or shake of your head will suffice.”

I smiled and nodded.

“Well hopefully you’re feeling a bit steadier on your feet?” he quarried.

I nodded again, and taking that as a hint that I should leave now, I started to get up and gather my things to go home.

“Where do you think your going?”

I stopped, puzzled, “Hob… “ My voice started to hitch, “I been to by ca.. eh Eishoo, Eishoo Hitchoo, Itschoo, Huptchoo” I sneezed wetly into the handkerchief, partly stifling the last one. I felt my face turning red, and I turned away to blow my nose.

“Bless you. I would say that you are not in any condition to drive yourself home. Allow me. That is if you trust my driving abilities.” He said with a little grin.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I said in a small voice. All I really felt like doing was taking more cold medicine and sleeping- for a very long time.

“Not at all.” He assured me. “Just wait here for a minute, I’ll grab my coat, and take you home.”

I nodded.

He quickly came back and we were on our way. Erik was very quiet on the way to my apartment, but I noticed that he would glance over at me every so often. As we were pulling into the driveway, I felt another sneeze coming. I blinked a couple of times; it was still there. I couldn’t pull out the handkerchief in time, so I just threw my head back and sneezed into the crook of my arm. “Heishoo, HEHeishoo, HITchoo, Eishoo” I sighed. And leaned my head against the coolness of the windowpane.

“Bless you. Well, I think we’re here. Get some sleep, all right?” he said. He looked at my intently, some unreadable emotion in his gaze. He swallowed and cleared his throat. Then handed me back the keys.

“Thank you.” I said, “I really appreciated this.” I said looking over at Erik, who was fiddling with his seat belt.

He coughed, then said, “Not a problem in the least. Now you had better rest up, all right?”

I nodded. “ok.”

[Grneyes1981]

TMA, it keeps getting better and better :-D

what a delicious story!

[Guest cagrules]

Thoroughly enjoying! Nice work, looking forward to more

~C