Rey Meyer High School, Southport, New Jersey.....
Light traffic made for an easy trip as a brown four-door rectangular sedan pulled into the teacher's parking lot of Rey Meyer High School. Savannah Harlowe was blissfully chattering about her plans for the evening due to her father allowing her to visit with her best friend and her family for the first time in a long time. His overprotective nature made for impossible odds on occasion whenever she wanted to venture out into the world but of course, she knew there was good reason for it. She'd been his only child and he had already lost her mother due to a tragic set of circumstances. Victor Harlowe carefully put the car into park and brought it to a full-on stop before reluctantly agreeing to his hopeful daughter's request about the visit unsure of what the night would bring.
"Well...if Mr. and Mrs. Runnels say it's alright," he said adjusting his glasses. "I suppose I could let you sleep over...you are getting to be older and...so forth."
Savannah seemed ecstatic launching herself over the seat and hugging her father tightly.
"Thanks, Daddy!" she said happily. "You're the best!"
Victor smiled briefly enjoying the warm fuzzy feeling he always got when his daughter had showered him with affection.
"Yes, well I suppose I am," he replied once more adjusting his glasses. "Now come on off you go to class, wouldn't want you to be late."
Savannah smiled and kissed her father on the cheek before climbing out of the car, bookbag in tow. She caught sight of her best friend Skylar who had been shuffling toward the front door after being dropped off by her mother.
Victor climbed out of the car and had barely closed it when Mrs. Runnels approached him about the sleepover arrangement and the hopes that he'd allow it this time around as he'd been less prone to permitting such things.
"Victor," said Mrs. Runnels with a smile as she quickly parked her car and approached him. "It's good to see you this morning, has Savannah told you about the girls' plans for the evening?"
"How do you do, Valerie...and yes she's told me," replied Victor making casual conversation despite his awkwardness at having to do it. "I've given my daughter permission to stay the night at your place...I suppose it's high time I let her have a bit of fun."
Mrs. Runnels, who was a lovely blue-eyed blonde much like her young daughter Skylar smiled. She seemed a nice sort and they always had good rapport when it came to the girls and their seemingly unwavering friendship. Even better she was married and he had no obligation to adhere to unwanted romantic attachment from her like he would if she'd been a single mother.
They often exchanged pleasantries when she dropped her daughter off at school or his apartment when the girls wanted to see each other or he'd been stuck with babysitting. Her husband was an odd sort of fellow, but polite and just as socially awkward as he'd been most of the time. They had very little in common due to him being a Yank and Victor something of a Brit, but they were polite enough to one another and there was no suspicion of jealousy on the part of Mr. Runnels as he'd been well-informed that Victor had no interest in any sort of romantic attachment with anyone following the untimely death of his wife.
"Oh good, the girls will be pleased," said Mrs. Runnels.
"Right you are," replied Victor. "I suppose I should be getting inside...class and all that."
Mrs. Runnels nodded and treated him to a warm smile before her departure. As her brown old model station wagon drove away, Victor made his way inside the building composed and ready to begin his day.
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Hours Later...
Victor's Classroom, Rey Meyer High School, Southport, New Jersey.....
The hours had passed in something of a blink for Victor Harlowe as he sat behind his oak wood desk looking over the stacks of assignments the students left behind for him to grade. He sipped from a dark brown mug that he usually favored taking his coffee in as the time ticked on by. He had not been alone for long while the students were out enjoying their long-awaited lunch hour as a colleague decided to pop in for an informal visit as he continued his work.
"Working hard Victor?" said the voice of none other than Miss Freedman as she entered the classroom closing the large wooden glass-framed door behind her.
Victor looked up from his desk visibly annoyed by the intrusion and that he knew exactly what had been on her mind.
"I am quite busy at the moment Charlotte," he replied in a dry tone. "What is it that you want?"
"Nothing...I just came to see how you were," she replied.
Victor sighed finding it even more of an annoyance that she was hinting that she wanted to see him for affection purposes. He had not liked the idea of her lingering about especially when his daughter would be coming into his classroom at any moment.
"Charlotte..." he began his face showing just how much he disliked her spur-of-the-moment arrival.
"I know...I...should keep my distance but...I was thinking about you lately and it's been so long." she attempted only for Victor to rise from his seat and toss the parchment he'd been holding onto his desk.
"Charlotte you will not do this, not here...and not now," he said with a stern tone.
"It's just that...well...it's been so long," she replied. "I just wanted to know how you were doing."
"As you can see I am quite busy but I'm alive," he replied meeting her gaze.
Charlotte treated him to a half smile as they stared at each other for several moments before Victor reached up touching her cheek for a few seconds before moving away from her as she reached for him. She had not known it but he sensed a student coming toward the door and he made his way back to his seat. Charlotte took notice of the student after the fact and quickly recovered bowing out gracefully as the student attempted to get Victor's attention.
"Ah Miss Davers," he said reverting to his usual Professor tone. "What can I do for you this evening?"
The student, Cordelia Davers was quite fond of Victor in the sense that he'd been her favorite teacher and she had something of a crush on him which he outright ignored. Charlotte wasn't too pleased about it and often brought it up to him, but he dismissed it as a "childish fantasy".
He had no interest in anyone aside from his wife as it was.
Charlotte took her leave of them not wishing to get into another tizzy with young Cordelia about her advances on a teacher least of all about Victor Harlowe as she stepped out into the corridor, not in the least pleased about being interrupted. She had something of the utmost importance to tell Victor and was already having a difficult time deciding if she should.
As she walked, Charlotte placed an unsure hand on her belly before disappearing toward her classroom resolving to give it one more try before she decided to keep her newfound secret to herself.
When the time came, she had just hoped that Victor would be more understanding.