“It had a thrill of its own too: a queer vibrating thrill inside the body, a final spasm of self-assertion, like the last word, exciting, and very like the row of asterisks that can be put to show the end of a paragraph, and a break in the theme.”

Upon reading the excerpt, Professor T looked around at her students with a gleam in her eyes.

“Does anyone know what D.H. Lawrence is talking about here?”

A few hands went up.

“Yes, Liz?”

“Anticipation?”

“A reasonable guess, but that is not what he is describing.” Professor T smiled at her students. “Anyone else?”

One hand was raised.

“Pierre?”

“Er, could it be . . .”

“Go ahead, don’t be shy.”

“An ?”

“Yes!” Professor T exclaimed and threw her hands up, clenching them into fists. “An . How incredible it was for a man of that time to make such an attempt at describing what is innately female. Would you say he described it accurately?”

There were a few subtle nods from the female students seated at the back, but most of them remained still.

“A queer vibrating thrill, a final spasm of self-assertion.” Professor T sighed and leaned back against the desk. “And trust him to use punctuation as a metaphor—a truly writer-isque thing to do.”

Arching her back to reach for the notes behind her, Professor T picked them up and smiled at her students. “What do we need these for, when the content can be experienced by living life itself?” She pushed off from the desk and took a few steps forward. “These notes can go out—” she tossed them into the air and they floated down around her, “the window. D.H. Lawrence’s stories must be experienced in real life.”

“Are you suggesting we . . . have an ?”

“With someone you love, in the privacy of your own space, of course. I’m not asking you to have an right here and now,” Professor T finished with a wink and her students erupted in laughter.

~z

“Hi, Professor T,” Professor Tae greeted when they met in the hallway as Professor T was returning to her office.

“Hi, Tae.” Professor T flashed a charming smile and dragged a finger down Professor Tae’s arm. “We’re not strangers anymore. Drop the ‘professor’ and just call me T. Are you going back to your office too?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Had a good time during your lecture?”

“Oh, yes.” Professor Tae’s eyes sparkled. “Thanks to you, I decided to discuss Schumann’s Romance Opus 28 No.2 in class today and the students have never been more engaged.”

“Is that the piece you recommended me to listen to?”

“Yes, it is. Have you listened to it yet?”

“No, I haven’t. I need a companion to listen with but there’s no one,” Professor T said with a pout and went the extra mile to bat her eyelashes at Professor Tae.

“Well, if you have an hour to spare, I can be your companion for Romance Opus 28 No.2.”

Professor T pulled a broad smile. “I have way more than an hour for you, boo.”

“B-Boo?”

“It’s a term of endearment. It means you’re such a dear to me.”

Professor Tae’s cheeks and ears turned pink. “Ah, I see.”

In one swift move, Professor T pulled Professor Tae closer and linked their arms. “I’m yours for the day. Take me to your office and drown me in romance.”

“Romance Opus 28 No.2.”

“With or without the Opus.”

Professor Tae adjusted her Harry Potter-isque glasses. “It has to have the Opus. It’s very important,” she said, her tone firm and serious.

“Sure,” Professor T purred. “Have the Opus. Show me the Opus. Teach me the Opus.”

“Here, have a seat on the couch.”

“What a cute little couch you have in your office.” Professor T ran her hand over the velvety royal purple fabric on the couch and moaned. “Oh, it feels so good.”

“Are you alright? You sound a little weird.”

“Oh, I’m alright,” she purred. “More than alright.” Professor T sat on the couch and stretched out across it like a cat. “This couch is socomfortable. I love it. Come sit with me.”

“I’ll put on the music first.”

“Mmm, sounds good already.”

Lush yet light sounds of the piano filled the space around them and Professor T smiled when Professor Tae joined her on the couch. It was a tight squeeze but that was exactly what she needed.

“I’m sorry you have to squeeze.”

“I’m not sorry at all. I’m more than happy to squeeze in here with you.”

“This is great music, isn’t it?”

“Listening to this makes me feel like taking off my clothes and rolling around in bed.”

“Does it? That’s interesting. It has never made me feel this way. When I listen to it, I feel the tender love Schumann had for his wife, how sweet their love was, how—”

Professor T sat up, undid two buttons on her half-ed over-sized boyfriend shirt and let it slide down her arms to her elbows. Looking at Professor Tae over her shoulder, she winked. “Is the door locked?”

Professor Tae blinked fast and furious. “N-No, I didn’t lock the door. W-Why—”

Professor T was already turning the lock as she stuttered. “Because, it’s time to let the music wash over my skin. My completely bare skin.”

~z