Claire woke up to the sound of a deep, even, thudding beneath her ear. She could feel his breath falling above her head, gently scattering loose curls his fingers caressed, even in his sleep. Despite being on a couch half laying on another human being, she’d never been so comfortable in her life. Part of her wanted to move, to leave the comfort of his arms and make sure she hadn’t completely flattened him. But the moment she shifted, his hand tightened on the small of her back, nearly in the fabric of her shirt. He was alive. That was a good sign, at least.

    “Claire?” he asked, his voice deep and laden with sleep. He took one look at her, smiled and held her tighter. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It’s always good to see you’re still here when I wake up.”

    “Do you dream about me often?” she asked, propping her chin up on his chest so she could look him in the eyes. His smile deepened, his dimples flaring to life. 

    “Honestly, no. But that’s because I don’t sleep often. Do I daydream about you often? Yes, every moment of the day.” 

    “You’re a rotten liar, you know that?”

    “It’s not nice to call people names, Claire,” he said, closing his eyes once again as if he were going back to sleep. And for a second she considered letting him. If it weren’t for the faint sound of her alarm clock blaring from the bedroom reminding her that she had to be at work in less than an hour, she would have been just fine to stay on that couch all day. Claire wiggled out of his grasp, ignoring his whine of frustration when she got to her feet. “You’re so warm, come back.” 

    “I have to work, Daniel. And you have morning classes to attend. You should head home and at least change your clothes,” she said. He opened his eyes and sighed as he propped himself up on one elbow. 

    “I can’t. I left my car…somewhere. Drive me?”

    “Are you insane? Do you know how bad it’ll look if I show up to campus with you in my car? And what do you mean you left your car somewhere? What if it was stolen? What if someone broke into it?”

    “This is Chesterfield Pennsylvania, Claire, not Compton. I highly doubt it was stolen. And if it was, my insurance will cover it,” he said, pushing himself into an upright position. “No one will see us.”

    “You really are a spoiled little brat. And you can’t promise me that no one will see us. Call a cab and go back to wherever you abandoned that seventy thousand dollar vehicle and get your to campus.”

    “If I do that I’ll be late for class,” he sang, a sly smirk on his lips. She suddenly found herself wanting to punch him again. He had a point. As his teacher, she didn’t really want him to miss any time in class, but at the exact same time she knew how horrible it would look if she pulled up to St. Lucia with a student in her car. It was almost like he went out of his way to get her in trouble. And abandoning his car? What was that about? “Drive me to campus, I’ll run to my dorm and get changed and be in class before you know it. I have Professor Cole this morning anyway. She won’t mind me being a few minutes late.” Daniel jumped to his feet. 

    “Then why not go get your car?”

    “I said a few minutes, not a few hours,” he said, snaking his arms around her waist and giving her a perfect puppy dog face. “Please?” How was she supposed to say no?

    “Fine,” she sighed, “but you’re way too good at this.” He grinned back at her. 

    “Good at what?”

    “Getting your way. Now move, I have to shower and do something to my hair so I won’t be fired for looking like a scarecrow. Not to mention dating a student,” she grumbled, wiggling her way out of his embrace and heading for the bathroom. Daniel just smiled to himself as he watched the door close behind her, his happiness draining as he remembered just why he’d abandoned his car in the first place. His father was in the States. And obsessed with making him run away and leave his new life behind. He’d found his way to her house by accident and had convinced himself to break up with her before things got even more serious. And now? Now he was contemplating taking her and just running. How could he willingly leave someone who made his entire world sparkle? He kept reminding himself that things could dangerous for her the longer she was involved in him. But would common sense outweigh his own selfishness? 

    Daniel sat back in his seat, watching Claire go on about Plato as his classmates sighed disinterestedly around them. It was finally the end of the day and he could hear the stray thoughts of his peers as they filtered in and out of his unguarded psyche. He was unfocused, his brain muddled and unclear. He tried to pay attention, really he did, but despite how hard he tried the more distracting she became. Now that he knew how she felt in his arms, that her lips were sweeter than honey and he couldn’t wait to taste the rest of her. He found himself glancing at his watch, praying for class to be over so he could return to her side. So he could talk to her in private, without the prying gazes and the interruptions, without her being afraid that they would be caught. He never considered himself the type of man to live dangerously, but the more he thought about his budding affair with his beautiful, timid professor, the more anxious he became. She was his now, and that thought alone had his blood pumping and his powers magnifying with his excitement. Regardless of their relationship, he had to be even more careful with her. It was obvious that she wasn’t as comfortable with their intimacy as he was and the last thing he wanted was to scare her away. Though the night before was magnificent, it served as prime example. They’d spent their time talking and teasing until she’d fallen asleep against his chest. It had taken every single iota of his being to control himself, to keep his hands off of her when he really wanted nothing more than to spend the night showing her just how much he needed her. Her added, new-found forwardness hadn’t helped either but, he’d managed to behave himself throughout the night. God, how did the universe create a woman so special, so spectacular he’d risk everything just to know her? Just to be beside her? He didn’t know much about love, but he loved Claire Lanh. His world was consumed by a yellow haze when he was in her presence; overflowing with sunshine, warmth and honey. It made him high and it was an intoxication he never wanted to live without.

    “Alongside Plato, Aristotl