--------- answers the boy's question, explaining it so that he understands.
"You understand?" he asks.
"Yes, but..." the boy points out a line and proclaims his confusion about it. -------- explains further.
"I love that accent... His hands look dry today but not as pink.... still there are those green veins -- correction: the infamous green veins."
"Thank you, Professor ---------."
"Oh, you're certainly welcome." The boy is out of his chair and bowing his thanks to Professor --------. The boy swings his backpack over his shoulder and strolls out of the room.
----------- smiles in what looks like embarrassment at the door. Suddenly the smile fades and ---------- looks at Marina. "Now, what's your question?" The happiness had not left his face but his eyes were expressionless yet beautiful. Those fish bowl eyes you can swim in... so electric blue. They glowed a little.
"Oh, I had three questions... or four. I don't remember." Marina scrounges through her backpack knowing that she is keeping him waiting. Finding her papers adn very conscious of her movements, she moves the paper slowly.
* * *
He answered her questions. Marina gets up to leave.
"Wait. Um..."
"Yes?"
"Come back here. Sit down."
Obediently, Marina does so. Looking across the desk at her. Can he ask her? It would be wrong. He shouldn't. The rest of him fights this thought.
He stutters, "Ah... um. Marina, I must talk-talk to you about your g-g-grades. I see-see you've taken this class be...fore." Silence for a moment. "Best-best you shut the um door. Please." Marina gets up and closes the door softly. She moves so softly. Why is such a pretty girl so shy?
"Marina, your grades are actually quite um... good. However, ... I also see a gradual de-de-decline in the percentages of your um tests. Are you studying?"
Marina shows her guilt. Her eyes usually possess some kind of expression. "I do study, but..." She scratches her head and squints her eyes uncomfortably, shrinking into her seat and continues, "probably not as much as I should."
She looks at him hopelessly. -------- says, "This is a problem." He gets up from the desk and then stops. He folds his arms and places a hand on his chin. "I think... well, listen." He moves around the desk. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Uh, no." She looks up at him. Her head turns, following his movement to the right and then level. He sits next to her, looking down at his feet or is he looking at her feet.
He suddently looks up before she can distinguish whose feet he was, in fact, looking at. He looks her dead in the eyes. Those expressionless blue eyes. Marina is suddenly swimming. After an enjoyable second, she straightens up in the chair. "Why is it a problem?"
"it is a problem because... " Silence. "I lost my train of thought." He confesses looking away and propping his elbow on the chair and his chin on his wrist.
"Hm... " he makes thinking noises.
"I um... " He closes his mouth before he is about to say something. This lasts for a minute. Then, they sit there. Marina stares at him. He will say something soon, won't he? What is he getting at? I don't understand what the problem is. Marina is starting to get frustrated.
---------- suddenly turns to Marina's face, the side of his chin still resting on his hand. "I guess it's not really a problem." He smiles.
Marina can't help smiling. "Okay." She squints her eyes in that shy smile. Then, she feels something pressing against her lips and grazing her neck. She opens her eyes slowly, cautiously. Perhaps it was her vivid imagination. Her eyes open to a scene dominated by --------- 's face in hers. His lips are soft