When the Night Falls

Dull: lacking interest or excitement.

JASMINE

I waited for him to say something. The look in his eyes made my skin hot, and I felt a strange electricity in the air.

“If you and Thea aren’t ready in an hour, you’ll both be late.”

I looked at my phone and saw it was 6 a.m.

“But it’s too early.”

“School starts at eight forty-five, and it takes forty-five minutes to get there.” We stayed where we were, neither of us moving.

“I need to get ready,” I told him.

He gave me a look, scanning me from head to toe before leaving the room.

I rushed into my bathroom. After brushing my teeth and splashing some water on my face, I went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

The weird thing was that Theodore was staying here. He’d intended to leave after Thea’s school admission process had been completed, but no… He’d decided to live where his daughter was.

Iris had been surprised, but she hadn’t let on. She kept her facial expressions completely neutral.

After I was done in the kitchen, I took a bath and put on my white blouse and black pants. I tucked in the blouse and did my makeup before walking into Thea’s room to wake her up.

“You’re up, baby?” I said in astonishment, seeing that Thea was already brushing her teeth.

I pulled her uniform out and laid it on the bed.

“Yes! I’m so excited about school that I barely slept last night.”

I chuckled—remembering how I’d also barely slept last night, but for very different reasons.

Then I remembered shouting Theodore’s name, and I felt myself getting pink. Had he heard me?

“Come on, take a shower and be quick so we have time for breakfast.”

After she showered, dried off and put on her uniform, which was a school shirt with a skirt and matching blazer. She even had a color-coordinated sweater and vest for winter.

I braided her hair, giving her two pigtails.

“Don’t mess with your hair—I want to take a picture of you,” I said. I grabbed my phone and took pictures as she smiled and made goofy faces.

“You look so pretty.” I kissed her cheek, and then we walked to the dining room hand in hand.

Theodore was already seated. He looked at Thea first before shifting his gaze to me.

“Good morning, Papa.” Thea hugged him, and he hugged her back, patting her head.

I took a few more pictures.

As we ate, I hoped Sherry or Mick would come in so they could take pictures of me with Thea. I couldn’t ask her dad. He’d glared at me for taking the ones I’d taken earlier.

When I glanced over at him, I saw him watching me. He didn’t look away when I noticed. Instead, he fixed me with a firm stare.

“Here are the car keys. I expect you both to behave and not do anything stupid. Don’t think I won’t know…I know everything,” he warned, handing me a set of keys.

“Mr. Jefferson, will you please take pictures of me and Thea?”

He nodded and I handed him my phone.

Thea stood beside me with her bag, while I smiled for the camera. I was having a good hair day, for a change, and I was pretty happy with how I looked.

We hit pose after pose, which irritated Theodore for sure, but at least he didn’t complain. Once he hit the limits of his patience, he shoved my phone back into my hand.

I had packed our lunch boxes the night before, so I went to the kitchen to grab them and to get myself a glass of water.

Opening the cupboard, I groaned. All the cups were on the tall shelves, the ones I couldn’t reach. I stood on my tiptoes and reached for the cup.

My fingers brushed against the cool glass, but I couldn’t actually grip them. Shit.

I had only been in the kitchen for a minute when I sensed Theodore coming up behind me. My body went rigid, my breath became uneven, and my hands started shaking. He leaned in directly behind me, so much that I could feel his heat against me.

Then he reached up and pulled the glass off the shelf. As he did so, his body pressed against mine and I had to bite back a gasp.

I expected him to hand the glass to me, and then leave so I could think again. But instead, he stayed in this position, the glass hovering just out of my reach.

“I trust you with Thea. I’m not sending anyone else on my staff with you because of that. Don’t do anything stupid without asking my permission,” he whispered as I felt his crotch brushing against my ass. Even from the slight contact, I could tell he was massive.

That feels good. How was he not feeling this and stopping?

“Am I clear?” We were so close that I could feel the rumbling of his voice in my body.

I nodded my head. For a moment, he pressed into me harder— a reminder that I hadn’t spoken.

“Words.”

I feared that I would moan because of the feeling. He doesn’t see you like that. He doesn’t see you like that. I tried to recite.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

For a moment, he didn’t move. I could feel his breath in my ear.

Just when I wanted to turn around and see what was wrong, he dropped the glass into my waiting hand and stepped away from me.

After quickly gulping some water, I followed him out to the waiting car.

“Careful and text me when you reach the school,” he said as he helped Thea with her seat belt.

“Okay.”

Our conversations had turned less formal as the days passed. There was this tension between the two of us, and I couldn’t help but think about how good I felt when his body touched mine.

I wondered briefly why he hadn’t pulled away sooner. Could it be that he heard what I groaned in my sleep and now he was doing some sort of sick test?

God, I hoped not.

Mick and Sherry were standing outside, talking with other staff members. Thea waved at them, and they waved back. I turned on the radio and started humming along to Lana Del Rey.

“I don’t know this song, but it sounds good,” Thea said.

I chuckled as she concentrated on the lyrics.

We reached the school campus and, if I was being honest, I felt like I was the newly transferred student here. I was nervous and excited for Thea.

“There are so many kids, Flower.” Thea held my hand as we looked at the students, who were walking toward their classes.

We started walking toward the administration block, where I needed to register my attendance with the biometric check-in. Theodore had already given me my schedule and all the details about my class.

I smiled at the secretary seated at the front desk.

“Thea, why don’t you go to your classroom and meet your new friends?” she said.

I’d met Jezzy a few times in the past couple of weeks, when I’d had to visit the school to get my paperwork squared away.

Thea looked at me in alarm.

“Jezzy, is it okay if I walk her to class?”

Jezzy looked unsure because I had a class of my own to teach. I wouldn’t be teaching Thea’s class until the next hour.

“It’s okay, but only this time. Your students are waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Jezzy.” I smiled before pulling Thea out into the hallway.

“Okay, baby. Do well and make friends.” I kissed Thea’s head, and she walked into her classroom as all the kids looked up at her.

Every seat was occupied except for one next to a gloomy-looking kid who was staring straight ahead at the board.

Thea walked over and took the empty seat beside the boy, who didn’t glance at her, even when she politely said hello to him. Her shoulders slumped when he ignored her.

Her eyes met mine, and I shrugged and gestured to the other kids in the class. Plenty of other new friends to be made. She smiled, nodding her head, and I went to meet my first-grade class.