By Demons Driven

Dear readers, first, a little background on the Aussie education system… Now, this does vary a little from state to state, but most states have caught up to one another, sort of! School starts with prep (aka kindergarten) which is full-time and leads into grades 1-6 which is classified as primary school. Secondary (or senior) school is years 7-12. Years 11 and 12 are senior years, sometimes on a different campus, but not always, and at the end of year 12 you get some form of certificate of education and can take a path to get a university entrance score or do more trade-based subjects. But again, this varies from state to state! The school year starts in mid-January. Term 1 ends at Easter. There are usually 2 weeks of school holidays at the end of each term with 6-8 weeks over Summer (December/January.) Most school terms are 9-10 weeks long.

This story takes place over the Fourth Term, which usually starts the first week or so of October and ends early to mid-December. It’s set in a school, but all sexual activity is between adults 🙂

As always, thanks to those who have offered suggestions and advice and helped improve my writing. You rock!

~*~*~*~*~

“If you’re not going, then I’m not going either.” I knew this was a lie as I talked to my friend and colleague, Diana, because I had spent an hour straightening my hair and getting the right wings on the liquid eyeliner that she had convinced me to try.

“I’m sorry, Dylan says it’s fine, but with Judy taking leave to be with her sick mum, I’ve been thrown into the deep end with this writer-in-residence thing she’d arranged.”

“Who is she again?”

“Not she, he! He’s Makenzie Beaumont, the biggest-selling young adult author in the country. He writes about supernatural stuff, but it’s so well written I can see why the kids love it. It’s a huge coup that Dylan and Judy got him to agree to spend a month with us. Judy’s done heaps of prep, but I must get my head around it all. Plus, Cara’s been on nights and, well…”

I laughed at my friend. We were the odd trio一she the lesbian humanities teacher with a huge hippy streak, me the more subdued biologist and science teacher who had sworn off men for good, and Judy the conventional one who believed her Mr Right was still out there.

“Well, I’ve only ever taught female Makenzies and I’m not into young adult fiction. Give me Tolkien any day of the week.”

“If that cute barman’s there tonight, you should take him home; I mean, he was so into you at end-of-term drinks.”

I thought back to that night. The barman was cute. Diana and Judy both tried to hook me up with him, and I considered going there until another gorgeous young thing caught his attention with her micro mini dress. There was no way I could compete with that.

“You know I’ve sworn off men.”

“Not men, you’ve sworn off relationships! Pick up a man or a woman; just get laid! Do it for those of us who are happily partnered who will never experience the thrill of a new lover again!”

“Shut up! Have fun with Cara, and I know you won’t be doing any work until at least tomorrow. I’ll see you at school on Monday.”

“Ciao, bella, just remember don’t equate sex with relationships. Pick up a guy and get your rocks off; it will make for a better start to the term, at least!”

I laughed as I hung up and applied the ruby red lipstick to my mouth. Dylan Yeo was our principal, and tonight, we were heading out to celebrate his forty-somethingth birthday. He was a great boss. The students loved him and appreciated his fairness. He had created a culture that demanded respect. His wife, Amanda, was an amazing woman who ran a centre that helped teenage parents get ahead in life. Their eldest child, Megan, was in my year nine general science class. Their twin boys would be joining the school the following year.

As always, Dylan had demanded no presents, but had hinted we could donate to his wife’s workplace and get a tax receipt. If I hadn’t spent the last week of the holidays with my teenage nephews, I would have stayed at home, but I also knew I needed some adult company.

“Emma!” Dylan greeted me with a huge hug, “Have you had a relaxing break?”

“Sort of. Tim and Daniel were here for the week, and I put them on a plane home this morning.”

“Sounds like you need a drink!”

“Thanks, boss, oh, and happy birthday. Sorry Diana couldn’t make it.”

“All good. There’s some tables out the back一Amanda’s out there, just grab a drink; it’s all fairly casual.”

The Crown and Anchor was a great venue. It was a gentrified old Aussie pub that kept some of the old character but had a contemporary food and drinks menu. There was a live band off to the side where we had some tables, but they had not yet started their first set.

“What’ll it be, beautiful?”

“Gin and tonic, thanks; house gin’s fine.” The barman was not the same one who had been there a fortnight before as we had celebrated the end of term.

Gathering my drink, I headed in Amanda’s direction, smiling and nodding greetings at colleagues, most of whom were there with their partners.

I had never dated a colleague and refused to, having seen too many staff room romances sour and bring the school culture down. I was one of the more experienced younger teachers, having been teaching for almost ten years. There were a couple of new teachers in their mid-twenties who made me realise how much I had changed since I was their age.

“Emma! So glad you could make it.” Amanda greeted me with a kiss on both cheeks. “The other two musketeers have pulled out on you tonight. I hope Judy’s Mum’s ok一have you heard anything?”

“No, I was speaking to Di earlier, and she said it’s definitely breast cancer, and it looks like it’s spread.”

Amanda and I made some more small talk before I joined in listening to another colleague talk about his holiday hiking in Tasmania. Diana had told me before that I was too reserved, and perhaps I did need to take her advice and just get laid. It had been months since I’d had sex with another person, and I wasn’t averse to one-night stands per se, but I needed to be comfortable with the partner in question.

“I’m getting this round, Em; want a top-up?”

“All good, thanks, I’m driving.”

Wandering over to two of my science teacher colleagues, I soon got bored of their conversation about astronomy, one of them having bought a new telescope over the holidays. I silently cursed Diana for pulling out on us. It had been ages since I had caught up with Cara, her partner, who worked as a police officer. Usually, I survived these staff get-togethers with Diana and Judy there to laugh and joke with, but without them, I realised I didn’t have a lot in common with many of the other guests, despite our collegial status.

Excusing myself from the talks of telescopes, I made my way back to the bar to grab a glass of water.

“You’re not drinking water, are you? You know fish have sex in it.”

“Well, this water’s got bubbles in it, and as one of my nephews told me this week, they get there by the fish farting.”

I looked over at this stranger who was laughing at my lame excuse for a joke. Biting my lip, I took in the most soulful brown eyes I had ever seen. Flecked with gold, they simply lit up his face.

“I’m Jay. Are you here with friends?”

“Not really,” I looked over at my colleagues who were all in groups chatting away, “If we are using initials, you can call me Em.”

“Mmm,” Jay purred. “Short for mysterious?”

“I’ve never met anyone called that before. So, are you here with friends?”

“Not really.” Jay took a sip of his beer, the froth catching in his moustache. “You?”

“My friends bailed on me.”

“So, what is a sexy-looking woman doing in a place like this?”

“I think you need the water. You’ve had too much to drink already!”

“I’m serious! You have the most stunning smile. I noticed it from across the bar.”

“Oh right, from across a crowded bar he was mesmerised by her smile, knowing he needed to check out his pick-up lines on some poor thing who might take pity on him!”

He laughed. “So, what do you do, Em for mysterious?”

“I’m a scientist.” I stretched the truth a little.

“Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever had an in-depth conversation with a scientist. This could be an interesting experiment.”

“I see what you did there, Jay for joker. So, what about you?”

“Marketing.”

“Figures.”

“Ouch! Now that you’ve finished that sexy fish fart you were drinking, can I get you something else?”

“I’m capable of buying my own drinks, thanks, Mr Marketing.”

“I don’t think I’m doing a good job of marketing myself tonight.”

“No, I’d have to agree with that.”

“At last! She agrees with something I said! Hey, the band’s starting up, want to go out front to chat?”

There was something about Jay that grabbed me. He was corny, but the eyes just drew me in. He had a huge mop of brown curls on his head and a beard that would make a lumberjack jealous. There was nothing overtly hipster about him, however, apart from his facial hair. His jeans and baggy Henley shirt did not scream ‘player’ and yet, here he was wanting to talk to me.

We sat outside and conversation flowed freely. Jay was here for business, he told me. I thought back to my conversation with Diana and recognised that a night of passion with this out-of-town marketing man would not be the worst thing in the world.

“Where are you staying?” I asked after half an hour or so of idle chatter about nothing in particular.

“In an apartment a block away. Want to see?”

I smiled as Jay rose and placed his arm around my shoulder, bringing me in for a kiss. This guy could kiss. I could taste his beer and smell cedar and citrus on his beard. I could feel my nipples harden and heat spread down to my pussy. The look of desire in his eyes was matched in mine.

Grabbing my hand, we made our way through a side exit. I was glad none of my colleagues could see me leave.

“You are incredibly sexy, I really mean that,” Jay said as we stopped and waited for the pedestrian lights to change.

“Why thanks. You’re pretty hot yourself. I’m, um, not in a habit of doing this, but fuck, I’m feeling it tonight.”

“Me either, but your smile went straight to my cock.”

Waiting for the lift at the apartment block, we continued our kissing. His manhood pressed against me and I yearned to have him inside me. Giggling as he fumbled with his key, we were soon inside. I lifted his shirt straight over his head as he undid the zipper on the back of my dress.

Jay was ripped. He had muscles inside his muscles and his chest was covered in a thick mat of hair. I was still unsure as to why he had chosen me. I was not beautiful by society’s standards of beauty. Rubenesque was how my mother described me. I kept fit by walking and doing a couple of classes at the gym each week, but I was not in the same league as Jay.

We didn’t speak as he led me into the bedroom, unclasping my bra and moaning as he saw my breasts for the first time. No words were needed as he simply worshipped them, his mouth taking in one, a hand massaging and caressing the other.

He lowered me to the bed as he slid my panties down my legs, leaving my thigh-high stockings on. The gold flecks in his eyes sparkled as he ran his fingers up my legs, all the time gazing deep into my eyes before dipping his head and placing the gentlest and tenderest kisses on my sex.

I could feel the small breaths that teased as they hit the moisture that had gathered between my legs. I was not ready when Jay suddenly swept his tongue from my hole to my clit. However, the moans that escaped my mouth showed he could definitely keep going.

His technique was amazing. I had never had a lover who knew their way around a pussy as Jay did. I knew I did not have a large sample size to liken him to, especially compared to many of my friends, but I recognised that if this was the last tongue to lap at my pussy, the memories alone would sustain me for a very long time.

My climax surprised me. I felt my pussy muscles clamp down on the finger Jay had inserted into me, but the reverberations carried on and on as he adjusted his technique and tenderly caressed my clit.

“Please, Jay, please, no,” I moaned as I tried to push his head away when it all became too much. “I need a break.”

Jay wiped his beard on his hairy arm, a huge smile encompassing his entire face as he leant in to kiss me again. I reached for his belt buckle and undid it and the buttons that held up his jeans. He got the message when I pushed to roll him onto his back and stood and removed his jeans from his legs. His cock strained against his briefs, desperate to be freed. Ever so slowly, as I bit my bottom lip, I dragged the waistband down his legs, his cock popping free and pointing straight into the air.

If his tongue had brought me to my knees, I wondered what Jay’s amazing cock would do. It was thick and meaty, the veins bulging down the sides as the purple-headed tip coated itself with precum. I was drawn to it like a moth to a light, my tongue yearning to taste him and my mouth aching to be filled.

I had never enjoyed going down on a guy until now. I wanted to explore all of him with my mouth, planting kisses from tip to base and all over his hairy nut-sack. I loved the way his cock twitched as I kissed my way back to the tip, eventually swirling my tongue around it before sucking it into my mouth.

Jay ran his fingers through my hair, again showing a gentleness and tenderness that appealed to me. Grasping the base of his cock with my hand I stroked it as my mouth focussed on the tip.

“So, so, Em, so…” Jay erupted into my mouth, thick ropes of cum spurting and making me cough and splutter. “Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t…”

“All good.” I smiled after swallowing his amazing nectar, licking up the single drop that had landed on my hand.

Again, Jay pulled me in for a kiss, not seeming to mind his cum on my breath. I was amazed that his cock had only deflated slightly. The worship of my breasts continued. I was glad they brought Jay joy, as to me, they were too large and heavy.

I lay next to him on the bed, my fingers tracing his cock, still firm and heavy. Jay reached for his jeans, pulled out his wallet and removed a condom, ripping it open with his teeth before rolling it down his shaft.

“I want you on top, Em, I want you to grind that pussy into me.”

And did I ever. No sound escaped my mouth, yet it was wide in a circle as my vaginal walls enveloped his cock. I could feel every veiny protrusion as it slid deep inside me until our pelvises locked together. Jay continued to play with my breasts, twisting my nipples, before bringing his mouth to one and then the other, and then leaning to my mouth, as I ground against him, rocking from side to side as we danced together on the bed.

I thought I’dhad good sex in the past, but this was something else. Although I could count on one hand the number of one-night stands I had had, this was something totally different. I knew it was lust, pure unadulterated lust. I was not drunk, and neither was he, but our bodies were in sync, moving together knowing this was what they were designed to do.

Jay could sense my body build up again, and his eyes almost demanded I come for him. It was a different orgasm to the one produced by his tongue, my nerves sending messages from the tip of my head to my toes as my pussy clamped around his cock and I screamed out his name. Jay was not far behind me, grunting as he unloaded in the prophylactic, before pulling me down to his chest and enveloping me in his strong arms.

After several minutes of lying on him and running my fingers through his chest hair, I rose and climbed off. Jay removed the condom and I started getting dressed.

“Stay?” Jay almost pleaded as he lay there.

“No. I am going to carry this memory for a very, very long time though. Good luck with your business next week.”

I yearned to give him my number, to stay and have breakfast with him and even spend the weekend with him, but I also recognised this as simply the most amazing one-night stand I had ever had. Jay was still lying on the bed smiling when I simply left the room, put on my dress, and managed for the second time that night to get the back zipper done up, before stepping back into my heels, grabbing my bag, and closing the door behind me.

~*~*~*~*~

“How was Friday night?” Diana and I had arrived at the coffee shop across from the school at the same time on Monday morning and were leaving with our brews.

“Ah-ma-zing!” I was still on cloud nine and had been all weekend. “I’m so glad I took your advice!”

“Barman?”

“Nah, Jay. He’s in marketing and in town for business. I left after the deed too, not hanging around for anything, although if it had been a fortnight before I think I would have kept him for the school holidays! How did you go with the writer-in-residence stuff?”

“Good. It’s a Halloween theme which sounds different. Makenzie wants to look at myths and legends surrounding the creatures we associate with Halloween and help relate it to the lives of a teenager.”

“Bloody arts faculty一it sounds complicated.”

“Yeah right Ms Biology and her black and white thinking.”

“It’s not all black and white.” Diana held the staffroom door open as we walked into our staff briefing and sat together.

“Ok, team,” Dylan had appeared at the front of the staffroom, and I spat my coffee down the front of my shirt before dissolving into a coughing fit, “I’d like to introduce you to an old friend of mine, James Makenzie-Beaumont, better known by his surname, the amazing author who is spending the next four weeks with us. Thanks so much, Diana, for jumping in at the last minute and taking over from Judy; she’s having the term off.”

“You ok?” Diana patted my back as I bent forward in my chair.

“No! It’s him. Mr Marketing. Turns out he’s a bloody author and here for a month.”

~*~*~*~*~

I had tried to clean the coffee out of the front of my blouse in the staff toilets but only made things worse. I was glad Diana had helped me escape from the staffroom, and I was fairly certain Jay, or whatever he was going by this week, had not seen me. I knew I had an old lab coat in my office and simply put it on and buttoned it up, hoping the students would not notice the coffee stain.

“Hey, Ms Duncan, did you have a good holiday?” Year nine science was first up with Megan, Dylan and Amanda’s daughter sitting at the front of the class.

“Hi Megan, I had a lovely time with my nephews, thanks. How about you?”

“Yeah, grandparents.” Megan rolled her eyes and I tried not to laugh.

The morning classes went smoothly, and I decided to stay in my office instead of heading to the staff room for the first break. I thought of texting Diana to bring me a coffee, but I also knew she was looking after our writer-in-residence and did not want her to bring him to my classroom or office. I sat and scrolled through my phone as I ate my tub of yoghurt. Googling James Makenzie-Beaumont I discovered that he kept his private life very private and there were many more hits on Makenzie Beaumont without the James.

He was clearly a talented author and his books featuring Magda the Magnificent seemed to resonate with many people, a series that featured a woman with the power to calm evil spirits and make them reflect on their behaviour.

I was amazed that my year seven class after the first break was excited when I told them we were looking at life cycles this term. I hooked them by talking about regeneration in video games and how realistic regeneration was. This led to a lively discussion about time lords and the supernatural.

“Miss, miss! It’s like what Mac was saying in English about how people change and like…” One student was excited about something.

“Mac?” I asked

“Makenzie Beaumont, Miss! He’s amazing. We’re talking about how characters change and how the person we are today is not necessarily going to be the same person we are tomorrow, which is good, because I think you know my big sister!”

I did know this student’s older sister and tried not to laugh.

“Well, we’re going to look at reproduction, no, don’t groan, you were excited before! It’s not sex ed. We’re going to look at how plants reproduce and learn about cells. Now, before we finish一homework. No, it’s fun homework. Before the next lesson, I want you all to bring a leaf to class. You can collect it from home or on the way to school, or outside, but we are going to use the microscopes again and have a look at some leaves. Ok. Bell’s about to go, now skedaddle!”

I knew leaves would not overly excite year seven, but it was part of the curriculum and we needed to cover it before we got into the study of reproduction.

The lesson before lunch I had a spare, but it also meant I would be on yard duty for half of the lunch break. Making my way towards the staffroom I heard raucous laughter coming from one of the humanities classrooms. I slowed and glanced through an open window to see Jay standing on a desk reciting different lines from the witches in Macbeth.

“…By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. So”一he jumped down from the desk the students engrossed in his lesson一”throughout Macbeth the witches tend to foretell some of the story. As we read through it, I really want you to think about the role of the witches and whether they are independent agents toying with human lives or agents of fate. Ok, from the top, yes you. I think you were reading the lines of our first witch. And action.”

Diana saw me pause and waved at me, a huge grin on her face. I thought back to my high school days and how I remembered little from studying Shakespeare.

“Emma, glad I caught you.” Dylan had found me heating leftovers in the microwave in the staffroom. “Are you ok? You seemed to have a bit of a coughing fit in the meeting this morning.”

“I’m fine, boss, just coffee going down the wrong hole.”

“Good. Thanks for coming along Friday night. I hope you enjoyed yourself. Did you get to meet James, I mean Mac? I have to keep remembering to call him that.”

“Sort of, no, not really. Why Mac and not James?”

“Our families go way back. I used to babysit James when I was a teenager. When he started writing, he dropped the James trying to remain a little mysterious. Even back then he was known as Mac and only as Jay or James to those close to him. Anyway, Amanda and I are having an informal dinner Friday night with him. Diana and Cara are coming; can you make it too?”

“I’ll have to check my calendar. I’ll get back to you.” I tried to smile as Dylan left the room.

There was no way I was going to dinner with Dylan’s family, Diana and Cara, and, well, him. I figured for the next four weeks I would simply hide in my office or classroom and have nothing to do with the humanities department. My senior students were busy preparing themselves for the end-of-year exams and I would make myself available to them in breaks. Earlier in the year, some of my colleagues had helped by taking some of the sessions I was rostered on for science drop-in during lunchtimes, and I would return the favour now.

After finishing my lunch, I rang Judy to see how things were going. There was no answer, so I left a message hoping things were ok and letting her know I was thinking of her. I’d never thought a lot about death. My father’s parents had died before I was born, my mother’s parents died when I was young, and I never really understood any of it at the time. I had few ideas of how to support my friend and figured that messaging her and trying to call might be appreciated.

Grabbing my water bottle, I made my way outside, waiting for the bell to signal the start of lunch. I was to watch the year nine and ten courtyard areas. Often students would just ignore those of us on duty, but sometimes they sought us out for a talk. I enjoyed this time and had built up a reputation as a teacher who was approachable to all students, even those I didn’t teach.

“Ms Duncan, have you met Makenzie Beaumont yet? He’s so dreamy.”

“Elise, almost everyone has Makenzie Beaumont fever it would seem. Perhaps I should investigate if there’s a cure. My guess is it would require some scientific investigation, which you could have done had you taken biology this year.”

Elise had been one of my finest students the year before but chose to study humanities and music instead of science.

“Ms Duncan, you should have seen him just before lunch doing Macbeth. He just brought it to life.”

I did not mention I had seen some of it, but I simply smiled and kept walking.

“There you are. I missed you at the first break.” Diana had come at me from behind. “Emma Duncan, have you met Makenzie Beaumont?”

His face went white as he saw me.

“Hi, Makenzie, was it? I’m Emma. I’m in the science faculty so I don’t think we’ll cross paths very much this month, but I hope you enjoy your time here.”

“Thanks, Emma. I’ll know where to go if I need help with any experiments or anything.”

I could see him flinch as the words left his mouth and Diana had a huge grin on her face.

“Well, I’m on duty, so I’ll leave you with Di here. See you.”

“Nice lab coat, Ms Duncan.”

“I’d shut up, Ms De Vries, if you know what’s good for you.”

“You doing pump class after school?”

“I was planning to, yes. I need to get back to yard duty.” I was getting more and more embarrassed and just wanted Diana to leave and take him with her.

“Cool. Cara and I will see you there. Let’s grab dinner together.”

I had no chance to respond as Diana and Jay headed towards the staffroom.

~*~*~*~*~

“OK, Emma, spill the tea.” Cara, Diana, and I were leaving the gym together after our exercise class.

“Long story short, your girlfriend bailed on me Friday night and urged me to pick up in the pub for a one-night stand. Which I did, thinking I was picking up Jay the marketing man, only to arrive at school today and find out I slept with James Makenzie-Beaumont, the writer-in-residence for the next four weeks.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s hot as!” Diana butted in, “And I think he likes Ms Duncan, and I also think Ms Duncan likes him.”

“Of course, I like him, I mean, he’s a pleasant enough sort of bloke一”

“What did you say over coffee this morning, I think it was ‘Ah-ma-zing.'”

“Yeah, so the sex was pretty good.”

“Pretty good?”

“Well, it was better than that. It was phenomenal. He took me to places I’d never been before.”

“But it was a one-night stand?”

“Exactly.” I was glad Cara could see my point. “And that’s all it was going to be. It was lustful and it was fantastic, but it was Em the scientist and Jay the marketing man. And you both know I don’t do relationships.”

“No, the thing is you do do relationships, but it’s always been with the wrong people.”

I wondered if Diana had a point. It had been almost two years since I had broken up with Marius, or rather, two years since Marius had broken my heart and told me that he had found someone else.

Positive male role models had eluded me thus far in my life. My father had left my mother when I was in primary school and taken up with a lady from his work. It hadn’t lasted. He’d married and divorced twice more since then and now lived on the other side of the country. My brother, Billy, was older than me but had left his wife, Susan, when his sons were similar ages to Billy and me when our father left.

I had maintained a better relationship with Susan and loved having the boys stay in the holidays, despite them living interstate. I only hoped that Susan and I could be a better influence on Tim and Daniel than their father or grandfather. I was furious with Billy for refusing to have anything much to do with his sons but also wondered if this might be better for them in the long run.

“You’re coming Friday night, aren’t you, Em?” Diana asked me as we loaded the dishwasher after dinner.

“I don’t think it would be a good idea.”

“You can’t just avoid him for four weeks. You handled it well at lunchtime.”

I told Diana I’d think about it.

~*~*~*~*~

“Emma! How wonderful to see you again. You slipped away last Friday night and I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.” Amanda greeted me with a kiss on each cheek as was her custom.

“It was lovely, I just had, um, things to do. Here.” I handed her a bottle of wine.

“Come in, come in. Dylan and Mac are out the back, and Di and Cara are still on their way.”

Megan and her brothers, Jack and Freddy were enthralled in a tale Jay was regaling them with as I walked into the family room.

“Emma, I’ve hardly seen you all week. Is everything ok?”

“Yes, boss, I’m just trying to offer more drop-in times for the senior students. They’re worried about their exams.”

“They are or you are?”

“You know me too well.”

“You’ve met Mac, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Hi.” I forced a smile and a little wave.

I was glad once Diana and Cara arrived, and I was able to slink into the background. The boys loved catching up with Cara and quizzed her on all the ‘baddies’ she had arrested that week. Cara always invented stories, but the boys weren’t to know.

“Ms Duncan, you can sit next to Mac.” Megan pulled a chair out for me as we went into the dining room.

“What have I said about outside of school, Megan? It’s Emma, remember? I can sit next to Cara or Diana, split them up or something.”

“No, you sit next to Mac. Good idea, Meg.” Amanda walked through with a large lasagne.

I let the others steer conversation over dinner. It was what I usually did. It was interesting to note he did too, despite Dylan and Amanda trying to draw him into things.

“And I do cook more than pasta, Mac,” Amanda said as she handed him a plate, “Poor Mac came for dinner last Saturday and had pasta then too.”

“It’s all good, Amanda. I’m not a fussy eater at all.”

“Did you two manage to meet last Friday night? I think you both left early.”

I picked up my serviette to try and hide almost choking on my food.

“Sort of,” I mumbled. “I, um, didn’t know who he was.”

“Are you growing your hair, Mac? It’s different from the back of your books,” Megan asked as the conversation went on, fortunately oblivious to the things Mac and I got up to the week before.

“I might cut it again soon, but I like the beard.”

“Have you read any of Mac’s books yet, Em?” I wished I could have kicked Diana under the table.

“Um, no, I’ll grab one from the library on Monday.”

“I’ve got spares, I can give you one if you like. Um, perhaps tomorrow or Sunday we could meet for a coffee or something?”

Oh, that the ground would open and swallow me whole. I glared at Diana and noticed Cara giggling behind her napkin. Amanda seemed to have a grin on her face too, and I wondered if perhaps Diana had broken my confidence.

“I’m busy this weekend with planning and stuff. I’ll grab one from the library, but thanks.”

He did not push it and I was glad that he was sitting next to me, and I didn’t have to glance over at him as we ate. My body was reacting to his presence in a way I should not have been surprised by. Our hands brushed as we reached for the salad, and it felt like a spark went through me all over again. Still, there were only three more weeks until he’d be gone.

~*~*~*~*~

“It’s around here off the side of the classroom; it can be hard to find.” I heard Megan’s singsong voice early on Monday morning as I sat in my office doing some lesson prep.

“Thanks, Megan. I’ll find it from here.” Mac’s voice was calm as he tried to find my office.

“I’m through here, and I’m still not sure what to call you.” I called out to try and give directions, as I was happy sitting behind my desk and did not want to get too close to this man.

“Jay is good. Or James. Or Mac. Whatever you feel comfortable with, mysterious one.”

“Yeah, that’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

“If I’d known you were a teacher, I would never have…I didn’t realise you were there with Dylan’s party at the pub.”

“I did stretch the truth simply positioning myself as a scientist.”

“You were more honest than me.”

“So, you don’t market your books then?”

“Touché.” He smiled. “I was serious though about catching up for coffee sometime. I’d like to get to know you better.”

“That’s not a good idea. I don’t do relationships. You’re only here for a few more weeks, and I don’t want to make things awkward at school or get a reputation or something.”

“Ok, I’m just, no, look, well… Geez. I’m really just asking you for a coffee, not proposing or anything. I’m just… I wasn’t lying when I told you your smile captivated me.”

Looking at those eyes and knowing what that body did to mine, I fought hard to resist his coffee offer.

“Compromise? I’ll come to the staffroom on breaks this week when I’m not busy.”

“I look forward to it.” A smile crept across his face.

My phone beeped with a message from Diana letting me know she had grabbed me a coffee and was in the staff room waiting for the Monday-morning briefing and wondering where I was.

“Well, I’m heading there now. You coming?”

“Yes, but first, here.” Jay handed me a copy of the first in the Magda the Magnificent series.

“You know I’ll be comparing you to Tolkien, so this had better be good.” I smiled, placing the book on my desk.

“I’ll let you in on a secret then, Magda was inspired by Eowyn.”

Our conversation carried on for our walk to the staffroom. He was easy to talk to and made me laugh, just as he had done at the Crown and Anchor. We snuck in, just as Dylan started speaking, but I was glad when Dylan did not call us out on our tardiness.

Diana’s wink as she handed me the coffee she had bought me was greeted with an eye roll.

“Did you arrive at school together or something this morning?” She whispered as Dylan explained something about sports trials that week.

“Shut up. He came to my office to give me a book.”

“They’re good. I think you’ll like them.”

“Ms De Vries and Ms Duncan, is this a conversation you’d like to share with the whole room, or can it wait until lunchtime?”

“Sorry, boss.” I blushed as Dylan called us out in the same way we would call students out in our classes, despite the rest of the staff laughing.

“I’ll come to your office first break if you won’t come up here.” Diana and I walked out of the staffroom together after our briefing.

“Nah, I’m coming up to the staffroom. I told Jay I would.”

“Jay?” Diana raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“Mac, Jay, whatever. That guy has more names than a European prince!”

~*~*~*~*~

I survived breaks in the staffroom and discovered Mac was both witty and smart. One day I discovered he had not been to university at all and started writing at the encouragement of his grandmother after coming home from working in a canning factory during the day.

“Where’s home then?” one of the other teachers asked during one lunch break.

“I grew up all over the place. My dad was military. The closest place to home would be my gran’s place in rural Victoria.”

“Is that where you know Dylan from?” I knew Dylan had roots in that area too.

“Yep. He used to be my babysitter. Well, Gran would tell me she was going out and Dylan was going to come and hang with me. I thought it was sophisticated, and I never realised he was actually babysitting me.”

“So why all this Halloween stuff then? Are you secretly American?” I asked.

“Not at all.” He gazed at me with the eyes I had initially fallen for at the pub. “It’s more about helping the students realise that fear is normal and something to work through. If you read Magda, you might understand a little more. I suppose my philosophy is that until we can explore the shades of grey, we will never be able to see the complexities in so many situations. I’ve just chosen to use the supernatural to explore this, I suppose. Plus, Halloween is fun and it involves sugar and chocolate.”

I smiled as I listened to him. It was obvious he was passionate about his work and writing, to him, was a means to get a message out there. At the end of the day, I slid his book into my satchel and decided I might as well read it.

~*~*~*~*~

To the mysterious Emma, I only wish I was better at marketing myself. May your demons be few and may Magda help them metamorphose. Yours, J x

As I lay in bed I read over and over again what he had written in flowing script on the cover page of the book he had given me that morning. I tried to work out what he meant. It was a message in two parts, an appeal as such and I was not sure if he meant it. I thought I had been clear and told him that I did not do relationships and that our night together had been a hook-up, a very lovely hook-up, but a hook-up all the same. I figured it would be better if I ignored it and simply read a few pages to get more of a sense of what James Makenzie-Beaumont really was like.

Chapter 1

Magda had not always been magnificent. At first, she was meek, then her meekness morphed into a mettle allowing her to transform into a person that was not like the other Phyniacians she had grown up with. An only child orphaned when she had seen eleven summers, she had been cared for in a fairly loving way by her governess, Arnelia.

Whereas the death of Arnelia’s parents, three winters before Magda’s, saw her enter a life of servitude, Magda’s parents left wealth that allowed their young daughter an existence Arnelia only dreamt of. Living vicariously through her charge, Arnelia longed to see Magda married to a prince and believed that love and marriage was the pinnacle of any Phyniacians success. Magda, however, had other ideas.

So, it wasn’t Tolkien, but it was believable, and I did not hesitate to turn the page. Before I knew it, it was way past my bedtime and yet I needed to find out how Magda and Bryce, the urchin Magda had convinced to join her on her quest, dealt with the evil spirits that had come on the winds of each season, in this case, the Syvodior, the Wind of Summer.

I laughed at Magda and Bryce’s antics on their journey to the Whirlwind Mountain, and cried as Tibble, one of the tree elves who had protected the Phyniacians on their journey, sacrificed themselves allowing Magda to convince Syvodior that fire could be used for good instead of evil.

There were elements to the story that reminded me of the child psychology I had learnt at university, and the resilience that Magda and Bryce showed was commendable. I could see how the students could be drawn in by the tale and figured if I was reviewing it, I might give it four stars out of five, recognising I was being overly harsh at the same time.

My dreams that night were of whirlwinds and tree elves, with Jay screaming at me as I controlled the whirlwind, telling me to breathe, and that a calm breeze of biology could take in a marketer’s message.

The sound of my alarm saw me wake with a start. I was in no way a whirlwind, but rather a calm stream that meandered along, trying not to cause any disturbance to the status quo.

I was grumpy through my first two classes. My senior class recognised this and got on with their independent studies. Year nine were a handful. We were investigating the theory of evolution and how many scientific theories can be linked to technological advances of the time. Although some members of the class seemed a little disinterested in the conversation, others joined in. Detention was threatened to a group who would not stop talking, but the bell went before I needed to follow through.

Retiring to my office off the science lab, I texted Diana and asked her to bring me a coffee.

“Are you hiding again?” Diana appeared with a cup of caffeine for me.

“No. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Everything ok?”

“I read the book, and then dreamt about it.”

“The book or Mac?”

“Both. Look what he wrote in the front.” I handed the book to my friend.

“He likes you. Despite what you may think, you’re a likable person. Was it a sexy dream?”

“No! I was the whirlwind, which is not me. I’m the calm one here, remember.”

“You’re not evil.”

“I feel like it sometimes.”

“Ms Duncan, you are a wonderful person who deserves happiness and love. I’m not saying Mac’s the man for you, well I am, but you won’t listen to me if I say it too much, but give him a chance. Practice getting to know someone.”

Thanking Diana for the coffee I sat and drank it reflecting on our conversation. Marius had told me over and over how many things I had going wrong for me and how that impacted him. I wasn’t a good enough cook. I wasn’t good enough at separating laundry一foolish me had thought I could wash our underwear in the same load, but no, I might have contaminated some of his jocks. I wasn’t good enough in my career and yet he criticised me for every hour I spent working over the weekends or in the evenings telling me I shouldn’t bring work home from school. He had no idea what it was like being a teacher.

Diana and Judy had disliked Marius from the first time they met him, but we’d been together for four years, and I thought they just misinterpreted him and his actions. His final act of leaving me for his PA when I was in the midst of writing reports and telling me how much better a lover Crystal was, saw my self-esteem plummet. Diana and Judy had been there though and helped me pull myself together.

From that time onwards, I had never sought out male attention. At the end of one term, I had had far too much to drink at staff drinks and gone home with a guy I’d met at the pub. He’d told me how great I was, but he hadn’t made me cum at all, and I had wondered if Marius had been right, and I was indeed a dud root.

That was one of the reasons I was so jubilant after my time with Jay. The sex had been incredible. I’d never had more than one orgasm in a session before and he saw I had two, including one when I was riding his cock. I could not even remember ever having had an orgasm from penetrative sex. I thought it was just me, and I was not built like other women, but at the same time, I wondered if perhaps there was more to it than I was letting on.

~*~*~*~*~

“Thanks, Dylan.” Mac had been introduced as leading our staff meeting that week. “I, um, well I feel like a bit of a fraud一I’m not a psychologist. I’m not a teacher. I just write books. I’ve been here for a week and a half now at the school, and, well, you’re all doing such amazing work. I know I’m mainly in the humanities department, well, and the drama department too, but I’ve had students talk to me about learning about change in leaves and chemical bonds and relate that sort of stuff to themselves. And it excites me.

“Change is inevitable. It’s the only constant. I’ve had several changes in my life over the last decade or so. If you’ve read Magda, you’ll know she was orphaned when she was eleven. I was eighteen. My mum had cancer. I, well, dropped out of school to help because my dad wasn’t coping. Mum died after eleven months and I watched my dad just stop living. He died a few weeks after my mum, of a broken heart.”

Listening to Mac, my heart went out to him. My father had chosen not to have anything to do with us, but I was still close to my mum and was glad she was living near Susie and helping with her grandchildren.

Mac continued to explain how he felt lost without his parents. Although he’d lived with his grandmother throughout his secondary schooling as his parents were posted around the country with the Air Force, he found himself an adult, but he had been sheltered. His gran encouraged him to work at the cannery.

We broke into small groups and talked about how change impacts our teaching, just having a general conversation. I was in a group with one of the older teachers at the school who talked about the changes he’d seen in the curriculum over the forty years he’d been teaching.

“And this then leads back to Halloween,” Mac told us at the end of the meeting. “When Mum was sick, Gran helped us celebrate the spirits and made me realise that some had had a bad rap throughout history一witches for instance. I mean, witches were the women men could not dominate so they killed them. I’ve been talking with the students about Halloween a lot and we have the Halloween events coming up一the disco for the younger kids and the costume party for the older years where they must dress as their fear.”

I had never celebrated Halloween. I was not against it and did not mind buying lollies to hand out to neighbouring kids when they knocked on my door, but I also recognised this was an innovation, a change over the last few years.

“Um, Mac, do you have a minute?” I asked as we were dispersing after our meeting. “I, um, well, I was wondering if, well, seeing you’re all alone in an apartment and all, well, would you like to come and have dinner at mine? It won’t be flash and I’m not a good cook, but I can boil pasta and cook sauce.”

“I’d really like that. Thanks.” Once again, his eyes lit up his face. “Dylan was going to drop me back where I’m staying–”

“Well, why don’t you come with me? I’ll drop you home after dinner.”

In the car, he had a way of asking questions that drew things out of me. I’d explained about my parents, my brother and sister-in-law and nephews by the time we pulled up at the supermarket.

We laughed as I pushed the cart around the aisles grabbing what I needed to make spaghetti bolognese. I joked that he might have canned the tomatoes I grabbed from the shelf until he said that he had been involved in canning fruit. I suggested canned peaches and cream for dessert as a joke but settled for a tub of ice cream.

He perched himself on a chair in my kitchen as I prepared the sauce.

“What do you need vegemite for?” Mac asked as he glanced at the ingredients in front of me.

“I always add a teaspoon. It’s what Mum always did so I just do as I was told.”

“No! You add a pinch of curry powder to give it that je ne sais quoi!

“I don’t think I’ve got any curry powder.”

“Seriously, Em, it’s fine. It smells great already.”

“As I said, I’m not a good cook.”

As the sauce simmered, we moved into my courtyard area.

“You’ve got a beautiful space here, you know?” Mac took a seat at the small table for two I had placed out here.

“Thanks. I, um, moved here last year. I’m only renting.”

“Is that when you joined the school?”

“No, I’ve taught here for six years now. I, um, had a bad breakup and needed to find my own place.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, well, shit happens, as they say. You sound close to your gran. Does she encourage your writing?”

“Yeah. She was really supportive.”

I heard the past tense in Jay’s statement and did not know how to respond.

“She, um,” he continued. “Well she died in January. She was 89 and had had a great life, but it was still a shock.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Dylan was around visiting his folks at the time, and he was a great help. He suggested this writer-in-residence thing as something to look forward to. It was my idea to do it now and incorporate Halloween.”

“I’ve never been anti-Halloween, but I’ve also never really understood it apart from handing out lollies to kids and dressing up and carving pumpkins.”

“It’s a lot of fun, but it also has a message that kids can relate to, and it can help us face our fears.”

“Yeah, well I’m facing one inviting you to dinner.”

“I did wonder…”

“Let’s just say my ex left me with a few issues.” I didn’t really want to go into Marius with Mac.

“They have a way of doing that, don’t they? Look, um, speaking of issues, things went really quick when we went back to mine that time and, well, um, I never got to apologise for not shaving.”

“Sorry?”

“My chest, arms, legs… they’re pretty bloody hairy.”

“It didn’t worry me at all. If you remember, I did enjoy running my hands through your chest hair.”

“I’ve just, well, I’ve had comments in the past.”

“You mean multiple?” I was honestly shocked that anyone would have this reaction.

“Yeah. It’s hard when you’re in your early twenties and a woman freaks out over your rug. Ever since then I’ve always shaved before a date.”

“But what about hook-ups and the like?”

“Truth? You’re my first ever.”

“Get out of here!”

“I’m serious. I’ve only had a couple of semi-serious relationships and none that have lasted for more than a month or so. It’s sad, I know. A thirty-three-year-old man who seems to turn women away after they know him for any length of time.”

“I’m honestly surprised. I’d have thought you’d be an amazing catch. I mean, you’re great with young people, you’re built like a brick shithouse, you’re kind, you’re considerate. I could go on.”

“Please do! No, seriously, living in a small regional town has not been good for me. Now that Gran’s gone I’ve been looking for something different.”

“I suppose you can write wherever.”

“Yeah, there’s one book I want to finish in the Magda series, but I’m wanting to focus on some other things for a bit after that. I’m, um, only Dylan and Amanda know this at the moment, but I’ve enrolled in uni up here for next year.”

“Good for you. What are you studying?”

“Psychology. I know a bit already, but I want to know more.”

“Well, I find you very easy to talk to.”

He smiled as I went and continued with dinner preparations. I was surprised at my internal reaction when he mentioned he was planning on moving here and the way I could feel my heartbeat increase. I needed to remind myself that I did not do relationships and that simply because he was moving here did not mean that we were destined to be together.

Jay praised my cooking. He told me it was the best bolognese he’d had in ages.

“You must think pasta’s all we eat up here, what with Amanda and me cooking it all the time.”

“I hadn’t even thought about it, but I love a good pasta so I’ll never complain. I was thinking, I was going to see if Di and Cara wanted to come over this weekend and grab a bite to eat and I’d like it if you could come too.”

“Um, thanks, but Cara’s on lates this week and it’s probably not a good idea. I, um, I don’t do relationships. I’m happy being an auntie and a teacher and whilst the sex we had was pretty phenomenal, I just…it’s not a good idea.”

“That’s ok. I understand.”

I was glad he did because I knew I most certainly did not. Here he was talking about facing fears and overcoming them and here I was pushing him away. Yes, he ticked the right boxes, but I could not trust that somewhere down the line he would find too many faults with me, and I believed it was in his best interest to not get too involved with me.

~*~*~*~*~

“How was dinner last night? Or was it breakfast this morning too?”

“No! I dropped him home at a very reasonable hour. We’re friends; that’s all.”

I couldn’t tell Diana that, when he kissed me on the cheek as I pulled in front of his apartment complex and we said our goodbyes, I almost reneged on all my declarations of the evening and desperately wanted to follow him inside and relive the passion we had experienced the first time we met. I could not tell Diana that again I had dreamt of him telling me to let go of my fears and jump into a waterfall with him. I had no idea where the waterfall had come from, but it must have meant something.

School carried on and slowly became a Halloween playground. The art department ran a pumpkin carving competition and so-called spooky music replaced the usual bell sound to start and end lessons.

On Mac’s last day as writer-in-residence, we had a costume day where students could dress in anything that reminded them of Halloween. This led to a disco after school for years seven to nine. The windows in the gym were blacked out and for a couple of hours the students danced away. There was apple bobbing in one corner and the carved pumpkins were scattered around the auditorium with battery-powered candles offering illumination.

After filling the students with pizza, we sent them on their way and cleared up the gym ready for the senior students’ party. This was the fear party where students were encouraged to come dressed as their fear. Diana and I had been talking about costumes for a while. She had admitted to me that she was afraid of commitment even though she and Cara had been together for seven years and had bought a house together.

With Cara at work, we got together and made her a costume consisting of gold rings. It was clever, but I doubted many of the students would understand. I had a much harder time coming up with a costume.

Most of the ideas I had would not translate well to a school context. I thought about my fear of snakes and how I could just attach rubber snakes to a dress or something, but I also overheard another teacher talking about something similar and thought it might be strange for a biology teacher to admit they had a fear of something in the natural world.

My idea came to me two evenings before after talking to my mother on the phone. She had reminded me how amazing I was and how I got inside my head a lot of the time.

Diana and I had arranged to change in my office. I helped her into her costume, and we laughed and joked about it.

“So, what did you decide to go with, Ms Duncan?” Diana asked as I applied make-up.

“It’s stupid. I might just throw that witch’s hat on again.”

“No, tell me. Hey, is this that sexy red dress you usually refuse to wear? Are you going as a sexy woman? Is that your fear?”

“No, well, sort of…”

“What? Now you’re afraid of women?”

“No. I’m going as me.”

“He still likes you; you know.” Diana gave me a huge hug and took over doing my make-up. She did liquid eyeliner better than I could anyway.

~*~*~*~*~

“OMG, Ms Duncan! Who did your make-up?” One of the senior girls stopped me as soon as we entered the gym. “Those wings are perfect!”

“Ms de Vries gets the credit. Now what in the heck are you?”

“It’s silly, but I’m meant to be a loaf of bread. I’ve been scared of carbs for so long, but until you explained about calories and stuff that day at lunch break, I’d never really understood it.”

It was not an uncommon question from the students about the effects of carbohydrates on the body. I explained that a calorie is a calorie, and a balanced diet is what a healthy body needs.

Dylan entered and the students all started applauding. He was dressed as a large black spider. Fortunately, none of the students asked me what I had dressed as and simply assumed I had not bothered to dress up at all.

Some of the students had put a lot of thought into costumes一fear for the environment was a theme of several students whilst others had dressed as clowns and one as a dog. I was glad I was not a psychologist. However, the atmosphere was jovial and lively conversations were happening amongst the students who chose not to dance.

“Wow, Emma, I never knew you were afraid of beauty.” Mac sidled up behind me.

“Ha-ha. Wow indeed though, I see you’re afraid of dresses?”

“No, I’m dressed like this in solidarity with Mitchell Tang一he told me he was scared of women so we both decided to wear a dress, except he has been swamped by the women all night and I’m still一”

“Nice legs, Mac!” Diana had returned with a bottle of water for us both.

“Oh, Di! I get it一the rings, you’re scared of commitment一very clever.”

“Oh, so you get her costume, but not mine!” I pretended to pout.

“I think I get you more than you realise.” And Mac walked away from us.

I did not know what to make of our conversation. Diana was cornered by some of her students, so I wandered over to where some other colleagues had congregated. I’d told him over and over that I didn’t do relationships, that I didn’t trust myself, and yet I was not prepared to face my fears, choosing instead to live in the past and remember the acerbic comments of an ex who was never right for me.

“Yeah, not many people get it, but I’m afraid of turning into my father and if you ever see me wearing long socks with sandals and it’s not a fancy-dress party, shoot me, please!” One colleague explained to raucous laughter.

This was a side of so many people I had not seen before. Dylan got up to make a speech and thanked everyone for making the evening and the previous four weeks such a resounding success. The school leaders gave Mac a book voucher and asked him to share a few words.

“Thanks, um, wow. When Mr Yeo approached me about spending some time at the school here, I told him that I would only do it if he let me do a Halloween theme. It’s not because it’s American or commercial or whatever lots of people complain about, and I get it. It can be commercialised, and it can be made into something that isn’t necessarily part of our culture, but we need to remember that things change, and we live in a multicultural society.

“Every single one of us here has fears. So many of you have been so brave in showing your fears to us all tonight and for all the snakes, dogs, and ghosts that I see when I walk around the room, I see people scared for our environment. I see people scared of what others will think of them. I see people scared of being someone they aren’t or even someone they are.

“Thank you all for the amazing month we’ve spent together. I’ve agreed with Mr Yeo to come back for the presentation evening at the end of term and give a little speech, which will have nothing to do with Halloween. Well, it probably won’t, but I won’t promise. Anyway, thank you all, and if you are going trick or treating over the weekend, go in a group and stay safe.”

It had been a great evening. To me, it cemented what a great school I worked at. Sure, there were some troublemakers, but there were also friends and people I was so glad to be associated with.

“Hey, Ms Duncan, Mr Yeo suggested we head to the Crown and Anchor for a quick bevvy. Cara’s meeting us there.”

“Well, if Cara’s going…”

“Lucky I don’t feel threatened by you and your hotness tonight, but please remember, she’s mine, all mine!”

“You dag! So, you’re finally going to put a ring on your fingers?”

“We’ve been talking about it, yes.”

I smiled and was so happy for my friends.

~*~*~*~*~

“Are you really afraid of women, or is this costume all for Mitchell’s benefit?” I asked Mac as we propped up the bar and sipped on our gin and tonics.

“A bit of both. I’ve been burnt in the past. What about you, what are you going to do about your fear of being the real you?”

“You did get my costume!”

“I’m a smart guy, what can I say?”

“When do you head home?”

“I’m, well I’m actually between homes. I’m, um, hoping to buy in this area. I like it. It’s not inner city, but it’s not too far from the big smoke.”

I was surprised to feel the smile creep across my lips with his declaration and the associated feeling of generalised warmth that crept across my body. It was more than a mere physical attraction to this man, as much as I had to admit to myself that was still there but was also a feeling of pleasure that this could be more than a fling.

Who was I kidding though? I was talking again in relationship mode, and I did not do relationships. I glanced across the room and saw Diana and Cara snuggled together at a table, whispering in ears, and gently touching and caressing each other.

“Did you always want to be a teacher, Em?” Mac asked me, forcing me to drag my eyes away from my friends’ PDA.

“No, I did two years of medicine before I realised it wasn’t for me.”

“You’re an amazing teacher, you know. I mean, not that you wouldn’t have been an amazing doctor too, but…”

“It’s ok. I would have been a lousy doctor! You know for someone who pretends to fear women, you seem very easy to talk to.”

“Perhaps it’s one of your skills, helping me open up a little more?”

Our glasses were empty. At the start of the day, I had figured this would be the last I would see of James Makenzie-Beaumont, but his revelation that he was hoping to move to the area had caught me off-guard.

“Mac一” We had both started talking at the same time.

“No, you go first.” he offered.

“Well, I was thinking, since you’re hanging around a bit, perhaps we should grab that coffee over the weekend.”

His smile caused a physical reaction in me that made me wonder if perhaps he was different to other men.

“Is ten too early for you tomorrow?” he asked a little too eagerly.

“I’m up with the birds most mornings. That sounds good.”

We arranged where we would meet. Cara and Diana came and said they were heading home, and I joined them in leaving the pub, but not without sharing a smile with my would-be coffee companion of the following morning.

“He’s hot.” Cara laughed at me as the cool evening air hit us.

“He’s not bad, is he?” I replied, still smiling.

“Shut up! Is there something going on between you two?” Diana asked, her mouth held wide.

“No, well, I mean, I don’t know. We’ve agreed to have coffee together tomorrow.”

Diana’s hug was special. She knew that it was unlike me to accept invitations to spend one-on-one time with someone and she seemed genuinely pleased for me. Little did she realise however that I was the one doing the inviting.

At home in my bed, sleep eluded me. Not only was I worrying about why I had agreed to coffee, despite Diana and Cara’s joy that it was happening, but I wondered what would happen when he discovered the real me. The me that had turned off men in the past. The me that was as boring and untalented as Marius had reminded me.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, Judy, is everything ok? How’s your mum?” I was surprised to see her name appear on my screen when my phone rang just after nine the following morning.

“Mum’s going quickly. It’s a vicious disease, it sucks.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It is what it is. Anyway, I was ringing to see how the Halloween parties went一Diana’s not answering her phone.”

“They were great. I know the older kids especially got a lot out of facing their fears. There were some amazing costumes and so much thought from so many of them.”

“Excellent! And how’s Makenzie?”

“He’s, well, he’s good. I know lots of students got a lot out of his writer-in-residency.”

“Just the students?”

“Have you been talking with Di?”

“Maybe a little. I had planned to push the two of you together, you know, this month. When I met him last year at that conference, I knew you’d both get on well.”

“I’m meeting him for coffee in an hour or so.”

“Good! I want to hear all the juicy details.”

“Not sure about that! What about you, though? I thought he’d be right up your alley?”

“Nah, too hirsute! Plus, I bumped into an old school friend just after I arrived here and, well, let’s just say it’s a silver lining to me being here as Mum deteriorates.”

“You know I’m thinking of you.”

“Thanks, hon. Now shoo一you don’t want to be late for your date!”

Date? Even during my night-time ruminations, I had not even considered this was a date. It was coffee with someone whose conversation I appreciated and who caused butterflies in my stomach when he smiled. Thinking back to the first night I met him, I wondered if the lust of the sex we had enjoyed shadowed my judgement?

I was so confused. I had spent so long convincing myself that I was not relationship material that I had forgotten what it was like to get to know someone. Judy had had several relationships in the time I’d known her and had no trouble brushing herself off and putting herself back out there when she realised that things were not right. She knew what she wanted and if there were red flags, she would call them out and move on.

Marius was never right for me. Regardless of how it ended, it would have ended sooner or later, and if I had listened to my first thoughts of my ex, I might have realised that there was so much about him that I did not like. I carried on with the relationship because I wanted to be in a relationship, not because it was a good relationship. I was just glad we had never considered marriage, which again, should have been a concern.

“So sorry I’m running late, but I’ve had a bit of an epiphany.” I texted Mac as I flew out my door on the way to the coffee shop.

Diana had told me repeatedly that it wasn’t that I didn’t do relationships, it was just that I did them with the wrong people. Judy had taught me to look out for the red flags, as she termed them, the things that I could never put up with in a partner.

The three of us had sat together with a bottle of wine and talked about the things we liked in a companion many times. Marius ticked none of the boxes of the traits I had named. Neither did my father or brother. The fact that my relationship with Marius had ended around the same time as my brother’s marriage made me question men as a whole, and while Judy had been able to brush herself off and keep hunting for Mr Right, even if he was simply Mr Right-Now, I had stopped myself from entertaining the notion that perhaps there might be someone out there for me.

Diana and Judy made it clear, and Cara readily agreed, that I was a good friend and easy to get along with. Perhaps I had been overthinking my flaws, and if my female friends could see I was an ok sort of person, then perhaps a male friend could too.

~*~*~*~*~

“I am so sorry I’m late.” Mac had finished a cup of coffee and was scrolling through his phone when I finally turned up. “I, well, Judy rang, and we had a conversation and things just, well, fitted together. Here, let me grab you another coffee?”

“Emma, calm down,” He was laughing as he reached over and took my hands in his, “You’re like a whirlwind this morning. I’ll grab us a coffee, flat white?”

“Yes, thanks.”

He walked over to the counter to order, turning back and smiling at me every few seconds. I had not felt this euphoria about discovering something since I had thought about new ways to teach scientific concepts and saw them come across well in the classroom. My mind was spinning.

“I’m so happy to see you so excited.” He sat down opposite me again and took my hands in his. “What’s this epiphany? Or, you don’t have to share if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to try and explain, but please, bear with me. It’s a little bit, I don’t know…”

He simply looked into my eyes and smiled as he waited for me to find my words.

“Well, the sex we had was pretty good, like amazingly good, like…”

“It wasn’t bad, was it?” He again smiled back at me.

“And then, there you were at school. And not once have you pressured me. You, um, gave me a book, and I spent so long trying to make out what you were trying to say in your message to me and then I spent half the night reading it, and then later I dreamt about us, and I’ve never felt threatened by you.”

“How so?”

“My dad and my brother, well, they don’t treat women well. My ex, he was a bit of a bastard too. You’ve been gentle, calm, and patient and, although you’ve had nothing to do with my classes, your staff in-services on facing fears and then last night, it’s helped me more than you will ever realise.”

The waiter came over with our coffees and I took a sip before continuing.

“I didn’t sleep well last night. I ruminated about why I was meeting you for coffee. Judy called it a date on the phone to me this morning, and I tried to downplay it because I thought I was catching up with a friend for coffee. Then I realised, I enjoyed your company and if I perhaps didn’t keep pondering about what might happen, I might enjoy being in the here and now, with you.”

“You’re pretty amazing, you know?”

“I think that’s the thing一I don’t know. Dylan’s different because he’s my boss, but my father, and my brother, and my ex, they’ve never thought much of me. I spent four years with a man because I was afraid to not be in a relationship in my late twenties, only to flip spending almost two years afraid again of committing to anyone.”

“Can I be honest?”

He stroked my hand with his thumb, and yet my face fell, waiting for him to tell me that it had simply been a night of sex, a hook-up, a one-night stand, and that I had misinterpreted his intentions.

“I’m sorry. Of course, you can.” I pulled my hand away from his and laid both of them in my lap, my head hung low, “I’m so sorry. I should have kept quiet.”

“Emma,” he whispered, kneeling next to me, and again gripping my hand, forcing me to look into those amazing eyes. “Your smile and your eyes and your beautiful, caring nature, I’m trying to not pinch myself to see if what you said was true! When you left that night, I knew it was a mistake. At dinner the following night with Dylan and Amanda, I kept asking questions about scientific labs in the area, all because I wanted to see you again.”

“Because the sex was so good?”

“No, well, I mean, part of it, I suppose, but because you laughed at my lame lines when I tried to talk to you. I mean, who says to a woman that they shouldn’t drink water because fish have sex in it? I slapped myself so hard in my head thinking you would just turn and walk away, but you never did. You laughed at my lame jokes.”

I was crying by this stage, giggling, as tears streamed down my face.

“I’m so sorry, I’ve made you cry.” Mac looked at me with fear in his eyes as I smiled at him, my hands reaching up to cradle his face.

“No, you’ve made me happy. These are happy tears, I promise.”

Leaning in for a kiss, our lips met again, Mac still kneeling next to me in the crowded coffee shop, but we were lost in our own little world.

“Can I get you folks anything else?” A waiter had come to clear our coffee cups away, interrupting our moment together.

“No, I think we’re all good,” I replied with a large smile spread across my face.

From coffee, we carried on our conversation buying groceries. Mac insisted on buying a watermelon to carve as all the pumpkins had sold out. He had agreed to have dinner with Dylan and his family and simply told my boss that he was bringing someone with him.

“Emma! Mac! I’d love to say this is a lovely surprise, but it’s not and as soon as Mac told me he was bringing someone, I was glad that the two of you had sorted things out.” Amanda was her usual jovial self as she greeted us.

“Yeah, this month has been about facing fears and all and, well, let’s just say Mac has been helping me face mine.”

“Come in, come in. Darl, Emma and Mac are here. He’s on the phone, I think.” Amanda ushered us inside where we were greeted by Jack and Freddy.

“Mac, are you coming trick or treating with us tomorrow night? I’m going as the Hulk!” Freddy gave his best Hulk impression.

“And I’m going to be Bryce, even if Megan refuses to be Magda and just wants to be a witch or something lame.” Jack rolled his eyes as Megan entered the room.

“I’m not going with you brats anyway. I’m staying here to hand out lollies.” Megan slumped into a chair.

“Jack and Freddy, I’d love to, but I’ll have to check with Emma and一”

“Oh, my, God! Ms Duncan, is Mac your boyfriend?” Emma’s previously sunken disposition changed into one of excitement. “Selina’s dad’s going to be so pissed, he thinks you’re gorgeous by the way. Hey, is Ms Haidedes still single? I’ll get Selina to tell her dad.”

I was a little taken back by Megan’s outburst.

“Um, wow, Megan. I didn’t know my love life was such a hot topic among the year nine girls. Let me just say that Judy…that is, Ms Haidedes…and I don’t need any help, thanks.”

“Megan, I’m guessing you’re pleased to see Emma, Ms Duncan, so happy, but please don’t think that people need to be partnered off to be happy. Emma and I enjoy spending time together and we are going to see where things go, but remember, Magda made it very clear to Arnelia that a woman needs to be defined by more than who she is in a relationship with.”

“I know, but, well if you have kids, perhaps I could babysit?”

“Um, thanks and, well, if that does happen, we’ll keep you in mind, right, Em?”

I smiled as Mac gripped my hand. I couldn’t tell him that I had daydreamed that afternoon about how cute our kids might be with his curly hair and my freckles.

“Sorry to keep you. I rang Judy to see how she’s going. It doesn’t sound good. Her mum’s gone into a hospice this afternoon. Anyway, Mac, Emma, lovely you could both join us. Freddy helped me make enchiladas for dinner.”

I felt horrible for my friend. She was a few hours away and I wondered if I should drive to see her the following day. I figured I’d message Diana after dinner and see if she wanted to join me.

After dinner, Jack and Freddy wanted Mac to read them a chapter from the book they had been reading with their father each night. As Amanda and I cleared up, I asked her about her feelings towards Halloween.

“It’s new, I suppose. We never celebrated when I was a kid. I suppose I was fairly ignorant apart from American TV and movies and the like. When Dyl told me Mac was coming and it was going to be a Halloween theme I was dubious, but Megan’s loved it and Jack and Freddy have felt a little left out. It’s been good though一Megan’s talked about things over dinner, and we’ve discussed concepts of death and the supernatural as a family.”

“It’s started a conversation, that’s for sure. I think I’m a bit of a convert.”

“To Halloween, or Mac?”

“Both,” I grinned.

~*~*~*~*~

Climbing into my car I didn’t know if I had any expectations for the night that lay ahead. Our relationship had started with a bang quite literally, and yet we had not talked about sex at all during the day.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Mac asked as I drove down the street the Yeo’s lived on.

“I’m trying to work out if I’m driving to mine or if I’m meant to drop you off.”

“Well I thought you’d be driving to mine…” my intake of breath and the way my fingers gripped the steering wheel even tighter did not go unnoticed by Mac. “…But, I’ve been trying to work out if I’m meant to invite you in or not.”

“It’s been such a lovely day, and I’d hate for it to be ruined by, you know, like, average sex.”

“Do you think that much has changed in a month?”

“I just don’t know. I’m like, really attracted to you and, if I was honest, being in the same car as you is, well, lovely, but…”

“If I was being honest, I’d love to wake up with you in the morning, because we haven’t done that yet, but if it’s not tomorrow morning, it can wait. Plus, I’m scared that if you spend more time with me, you’ll see more of my hairiness.”

“You know I like your hair, don’t you?” I glanced over at Mac as we stopped at a traffic light. “Perhaps we could compromise and swing by yours and pick up a toothbrush and some clothes for tomorrow and then I’d like to spend the night with you.”

I had no idea where this boldness had come from. It was unlike me to ask for what I wanted, especially in a relationship.

“I’d really like that.” Mac beamed across at me.

We rode in silence up the lift, our fingers intertwined, but none of the frenzied kissing that had happened on my first trip to Mac’s apartment. I still desperately wanted him, but I also realised we were not pressured by time anymore.

“I think that’s all I need.” Mac had a small overnight bag packed as he came out from his bedroom and flopped next to me on the couch. “I’m excited to spend the night with you, Em, but I’m not expecting sex.”

“Oh,” I replied, again unsure about what Mac’s words meant. “I mean, if you don’t want to, I get it.”

“God no, Emma, I want to, I promise, but I don’t want to pressure you, that’s all. I have packed condoms.”

“Good. And I hope we get to use them too.”

The grin across his face was huge as he leant in and kissed me.

~*~*~*~*~

“And this is my bedroom.” I opened the door and Mac followed me in, twirling me towards him and sweeping me up in a kiss.

“I’ve never started a relationship like this before, Em. I’ve, like, gone on a few dates and then we’ve ended up sleeping together, but, with you, I want you so much. I want to just be with you. I want to kiss you. I want to wake up beside you.”

I did not need to answer his declarations of desire as it was written in my eyes and the way I bit my bottom lip as I smiled at him, my arms wrapped around his neck. Our kisses intensified before I removed my arms and started undoing the buttons on my blouse. He chose to help and undid my bra as I threw the top to the floor, before removing his shirt.

Soon we were naked together, my kisses trailing from his lips to his neck, to his chest, sucking in a nipple before moving across his mat of hair and paying equal respect to the other side. Sure, I caught a hair in my mouth, but I pulled it out and carried on. I planned to head down his abdomen, but he had other ideas.

After rolling a condom down his shaft, I took his face in my hands again and guided him on top of me. As we gazed into each other’s eyes we joined together, small moans escaping from each of us as we felt our closeness. I wrapped my legs around his calves and tilted my pelvis so he could thrust deeper all the while gazing into those gold-flecked eyes.

I had never felt this way before. The emotions of the day and my hunger for this man were new sensations that felt so amazing yet threatened to overwhelm me. His lips found mine and our tongues danced together in a maelstrom of desire that saw me scream as my core convulsed and my entire body quivered as endorphins rushed through it. My orgasm saw Mac experience his own bliss, his cock throbbing inside me as he emptied into the prophylactic.

We rolled to our sides, him still inside me as we held each other and planted kisses all over each other’s faces.

At some stage I drifted off to sleep, only to rouse slightly throughout the night and feel my partner pressed tightly against me, his breathing even with his chest rising and falling against my back.

As the early morning light streamed through the sides of the blinds on my window I extricated myself from my partner and relieved myself in the bathroom. On returning to bed I saw messages on my phone from both Judy and Diana and stopped to read them.

Judy’s mum had died in the early hours of the morning.

“Hey. You ok?” Mac had placed a hand on my back and kissed my shoulder as I sat on the end of the bed.

“Judy’s mum died this morning. It’s been so quick.”

“I’m sorry. Do you want to give her a call?”

“Is that ok?”

“Hey, no need to ask me. She’s your friend and she needs you.”

I gave Mac a small kiss and dialled Judy’s number.

“Judy, it’s Em. I’m so sorry. I know, so quick. Look, I was thinking of driving over to see you today anyway. No, no, I understand. No, I get it. Let me know when the funeral is though, Diana and I will be there. How’s your dad doing? Please, if there’s anything I can do… Not a problem, I’m onto it. Take care, hon. Yeah. Bye.”

Mac had been to the bathroom himself and came and sat next to me on the bed.

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s upset but glad it was over so quickly. Her dad’s a mess. The funeral’s probably going to be Friday. She asked me to let Dylan know.”

“It’s Halloween. I hope my mum and dad are with her mum showing her how the spirits like to party.”

“I like that thought.”

After calling Dylan and checking in with Diana, I came out to the kitchen in my robe to find Mac cooking pancakes.

“I’m sorry if waking up with me was not what you planned this morning,” I said as I poured a cup of coffee.