He pays attention to my lectures. The man genuinely wants to learn about business analytics.
Most of my students pay attention about half the time, distracted by their phones and their personal lives. I've lost count of how often I've needed to confiscate phones and tell students to be quiet.
But Nick never makes a sound unless he's asking a relevant question.
Seeing him behave like a dedicated student makes me so damn hot for him. Every evening, I sneak away to his apartment and beg him to make me scream all night long. He does, every time. But we also talk and laugh and cook together. I haven't enjoyed this kind of relationship with a man…ever.
By the end of week two, we know more about each other's pasts and families than I know about math. I haven't dated much before this, and none of those guys cared about my life. They wanted to prattle on and on about their jobs or sports or some other boring thing. They never wanted to hear about me. Math is too dull.
Nick genuinely thinks it's fascinating.
We're lying in his bed one evening after another round of fantastic sex, when he asks me, "What is pi?"
"It's the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Didn't you learn that in school?"
"No, I learned pi is three point one four one five nine. And I learned I needed to memorize that so I'd pass my maths test."
"Pi is an irrational number, which means it has no end. It goes on and on without repeating itself."
"Bugger me. Glad I didn't need to memorize all that in school or I'd still be writing my answer."
"Talking about the number pi makes me want actual pie, the banana cream variety."
Nick kisses my shoulder. "There's a bakery down the street. Maybe I could get you some banana cream pie."
"Oh no, you are not leaving this bed until I'm finished with you."
The next evening when I arrive at his apartment, he has a banana cream pie in the fridge.
Nick loves to make me breakfast, often serving it to me in bed, but he waits until a few days later to offer me a particular kind of morning meal. I've just woken up in my favorite way—with Nick kissing my neck and caressing my cheek—when he suggests something different.
"How about a full English breakfast?"
"What's in one of those?"
"More food than five blokes could eat, but you can just sample the offerings." Though he's been seated on the bed's edge, leaning over me, now he straightens and pats my hip. "Your full English will include bacon, bangers, fried tomatoes, beans, and toast."
"Bangers?"
"Sausages."
"Oh. Sounds good, but I should probably avoid beans. Don't want to be flatulent while I'm teaching a class."
"If you insist, though you're ruining my full English."
Sitting up, I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him. "I'll make it up to you later."
"You'd better." He cups my bottom with both hands. "How about pancakes instead of beans?"
"Mm, yum. Dating you will make me gain twenty pounds, but I'll be one very happy woman."
"Don't care if you gain weight." He nibbles on my earlobe. "But I'll give you a good workout tonight."
Oh yes, Nick Hunter always does that. I've developed more stamina since I got involved with him.
He bows his head and clears his throat. "Would it be too strange for me to give you a key to my flat?"
"No, not at all." I didn't even hesitate to say that. Maybe I should feel weird about it since we're keeping our relationship under wraps, but I feel nothing but good.