I, Ben Johnson.
Just an ordinary university teacher, nothing special.
I shuttle through every corner of the campus day after day, and my life is as calm as still water.
However, Blake said something extremely unusual and unexpected to me.
At that moment, when I heard those words, the air seemed to freeze, time seemed to stand still. I stared in astonishment, my mouth slightly open, but I couldn't utter a single word.
In front of me, he looked at me, who seemed silly and panicked, without laughing or looking confused. He just looked at me quietly with the same expression as a few minutes ago.
"What, what did you just say?"
My voice stammered.
It wasn't hot, but somehow sweat broke out on my forehead. I wiped it away discreetly and repeated the words like a parrot.
"What, what did you just say?"
Maybe he thought my pitiful and panicky look was pathetic.
Blake slightly lowered his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, bit his lip, clenched his fists tightly, and took a step forward.
In the small room, the sunlight streamed through the window and formed patches of light on the floor. I was sitting on the chair, and the distance between me and Blake, who was standing in front of me, was less than one meter.
The blurred light seemed to bring us closer, and I felt a little uneasy.
I unconsciously kicked the floor, making the chair move backward. In the quiet room, the rusty wheels made a harsh sound.
"Mr. Ben, I like you."
His gentle low voice drowned out the harsh sound just now. I thought it was a beautiful and loud voice.
I thought that if he said this to most girls, they would surely blush and nod. Maybe it would even become a legend in the school.
But - unfortunately, the emotion towards the same sex has never sprouted in my heart. I respect and understand the existence of every kind of emotion, but in my personal experience, I have never experienced attraction or love towards the same sex.
"No, it's not that, I'm glad about your feelings, but... I"
"Teacher, please don't answer me now.
Please think about it a little bit, even just a little. If you reject me later, I will accept it."
My answer was interrupted by him without hesitation.
I don't like to drag things like this out, but seeing Blake's serious expression, I couldn't say anything.
"Um? Ah, um, no, but"
"It's not a pleasant thing to be confessed by a boy, I know I will be rejected. But, please consider it just a little bit, okay?"
He took another step forward, forcing me to look straight into his eyes.
For some reason, his eyes looked gentle and powerful.
"Why? If it's Blake, you should be very popular with girls, right? Aren't there any girls of the same age that you like? "
When I asked this question, Blake's eyes flickered slightly.
"I've never been interested in women since before."
Seeing Blake smile self-deprecatingly, I involuntarily covered my forehead with one hand and lowered my head.
I'm sorry, I asked a superfluous question. Well, so it is. Um, I was wrong just now."
It was really terrible of me to ask such a question in this situation.
This is not a joke or a tease, he is facing this matter so seriously.
It doesn't seem to be a momentary impulse either.
And this is not a place with few women, nor a closed space, and the ratio of men to women is nearly half.
"Anyway, can you give me some time? I need to calm down and think it over carefully."
Yes, first of all, I must calm down, otherwise I can't think properly. At this moment, my mind is in a mess, and various thoughts are intertwined, making me feel at a loss.
"Ah, this, that, um"
Seeing me stammering, Blake tilted his head slightly, but he seemed to quickly understand what I wanted to say and smiled slightly.
"If you can respond to me. Please date me."
Blake's gentle smile even made my heart skip a beat for a moment, even though I'm a man. Seeing him lower his head shyly, I couldn't help but be fascinated again.
If the person standing in front of me was a girl, this gentle and shy look would be simply irresistible to even a god.
"That's really direct."
"Huh?"
Hearing my low murmur, Blake tilted his head curiously.
"Nothing."
There is no doubt that if it was a girl, she would definitely be charmed by him. Few girls wouldn't fall for him when being gazed at by his so devoted and direct eyes.
But I want to reiterate again that
I have never had a romantic feeling towards the same sex in my life. Although I think it is indeed very pleasant for two men to get along, and the relationship is simpler compared to that between a man and a woman.
But I have never thought about living or even being in a relationship with another man.
"Even so!"
I have no prejudice against same-sex love. Even if it wasn't Blake but a female student standing in front of me, I would say the same thing.
But this threshold is still too high!
It's almost like an encounter with the unknown. Once I face it directly, I really don't know how to deal with it. After all, I have never encountered such a sudden situation in my life.
"Mr. Ben. I'm sorry for causing you trouble. But, I want to convey my feelings... Ben Johnson, I have always liked you."
Life is really full of unknowns, and you never know whether an accident or a surprise will come first.
His too direct feelings made my mind unable to keep up.
After all, the sweet and sour youth has been forgotten by me in the waves of time.
Since I started working as a teacher, this is the first time I have received a confession of love from a student.
And the other party is a male student twelve years younger than me!
In such a
spring of my thirty-two years old.