As a first semester senior, 22-year-old Maggie needed a few extra bucks to support her weekend entertainment. She'd seen a flier advertising the university's need for tutors in all subjects, so she'd sent her application to the advising office and had been accepted as a tutor. She typically tutored sophomores and juniors in upper-level political science classes, helping them study for tests and editing their mediocre papers. It was dull work, and at $6.50 an hour, the pay wasn't much. But it kept her partying on the weekends so she didn't complain.
Especially after she met Aaron.
One day, a few weeks after the fall term had begun, Maggie had been in the advising office posting her new hours on the tutor billboard. As she turned to leave, the door opened before she could grab the handle. One look at the person on the other side made her stop dead, her breath caught in her throat. He was taller than her, and that was saying something, because at 5'11, Maggie was one of the taller girls on campus. Lean and muscular, the sleeves of his university Lacrosse sweatshirt rolled perfectly around chiseled biceps, he was a vision of dynamic perfection. His tussled dirty blonde hair was cut short, barely touching his ears, and sticking up all over his head as if he'd just rolled out of bed. But most striking were his eyes: a brilliant and electric blue, surrounded by long, delicate eyelashes which contrasted wonderfully with his otherwise-masculine appearance.
He'd bumped into her before he'd realized she was there. She hadn't even noticed taking a step back, but she had been very aware of his arm shooting out and wrapping around her shoulders to prevent her from falling. Once he was sure she was steady, he burst out in a string of apologies. "Oh man, I am so sorry!" he said swiftly, looking her up and down as if to survey for damage. "Are you okay?"
"It... it's fine," Maggie responded automatically, realizing she had been staring and lowering her eyes quickly. "It's no big deal."
"Okay," he said uncertainly, withdrawing his arm and offering a small crooked smile that made Maggie catch her breath again. Stepping to the side, the young man looked up at the board where Maggie had just been standing. "Is this where all the tutors post their hours?" he asked, his eyes skimming the neat row of papers. "They told us at Freshman orientation that we could come here to find out about free tutoring."
Collecting herself, Maggie nodded. "Yeah, all of the ones signed up through the advising office, anyways," she said in what she hoped was a casual voice. "They post their phone numbers and emails so you can get a hold of them. What subject do you need help in?"
"Physics," he replied, stepping closer to the board. "I thought I was good at math, but apparently not the way this guy teaches it." He looked over at her. "Are you a tutor?"
"Political science and English," she answered, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "I'm pretty useless when it comes to math. But Vanessa is a physics major," she said, pointing to a flier which showed the hours, phone number, and picture of a pretty Hispanic girl. "She's famous for getting people through impossible tests. Try giving her a call."
"Thanks, I will!" he responded, pulling a pen from his pocket and scribbling Vanessa's number on his hand. Looking at her, he said, "I'm Aaron, by the way."
"Maggie," she replied, giving a small smile that she hoped was charismatic. "If you're ever in need of a political science tutor, let me know!"
"Sure thing," he said, giving another crooked grin. "See you around."
Maggie left the office with butterflies in her stomach and something like jealousy on her mind.
Lucky Vanessa
, she thought, surprised by how sullen she suddenly was. For tutors to fraternize with the people they were tutoring wasn't really against any rules, but it was definitely looked down upon and always ended up being a topic of hot gossip. Maggie needed this job and wasn't about to risk it, especially on some Freshman kid. But Aaron was definitely one of the sexiest guys she'd seen in a long time. Possibly ever.
As the months passed, Maggie saw Aaron on a weekly basis as he arrived at the library for his tutoring sessions. Seeing him always made her stomach flutter, but she was quick to look away before she could make eye contact with those blue eyes. When they did come so close that she was unable to pretend she didn't see him, she always gave a wide smile and asked how he was. The conversations were short, but they always left her feeling lighthearted. She found it hard to concentrate on politics and bad grammar knowing he was nearby, completing complicated equations with Vanessa. Even no-strings attached sex had lost its appeal; once in constant need of sexual release, Maggie was now having a hard time getting off with her usual casual partners. Alone in her studio apartment at night, she would think of him as she climbed into bed, her fingers slowly finding their way beneath her lacy panties. Her imagination would run wild with images of his chiseled arms on either side of her face, his muscled chest above her, his body pressed against her, moving inside of her...
The fall term ended and Maggie's final semester began. Though she was taking fewer credit hours now, her workload remained the same, if not more. Her life became classes, weekly essays, and none of the partying that her tutoring was meant to fund. However, when the homework was finished for the day and she was finally rolling into bed in the early hours of the morning, she always found time to think of Aaron.
Following a late tutoring session one night, Maggie was cleaning up her papers in the slowly-emptying library when she heard someone call her name. When she looked up, there stood Aaron. "Hey, do you have a minute?" he asked, his hands in the front pocket of his sweatshirt.