Filed to story: Shhh Professor! Please Don’t Tell! Novel Free
Traffic became denser. The ride became more bumpy as our driver sped up and slowed down with more frequency. It felt a little bit like being on a horse that sometimes wanted to stop to eat grass.
I was looking out the window, gazing up at a tall yellowish building made of stone when the jeep slowed suddenly and I felt something press against my leg.
It was Ellie. She’d slid farther along on the seat, and her knee has jostled against mine. The warmth of her skin against mine sent shivers of electricity through me.
“Sorry,” Ellie said, blushing slightly and scooting her body away from mine.
She’d let herself get that close to me, though. It hadn’t been that jarring of a stop. Was that a good sign that she was comfortable sitting close to me? Or had she even done it on purpose?
My heart lifted as I continued to look out the window. The trip was just beginning. It would be filled with little moments like these. That would be enough for me.
We spent our first night in Cairo, at a hotel that looked as though it must be an abandoned building until we reached the seventh floor, where there was a hotel with blue walls and yellow tiles on the floor.
I lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the students talking in the lobby of the hotel. Every once in a while, I could hear Ellie laugh. I wanted to get up and join in, but I thought I might ruin their fun. It made me feel old to be lying there, preparing for sleep, while they were out there going into debt on their rest. Reckless investments of their time; it would probably be more than worth it. What was a little lost sleep when you were making memories?
I finally drifted off to sleep, and dreamed that I was wandering through a palace, following the sound of Ellie laughing from room to room. But I never found her.
In the morning, we were to go to the pyramids. Every seemed electrified with excitement, and even the few who were grumpy from lack of sleep were soon cured with one or two cups of coffee. We drove out to the pyramids. It was hot. Egypt has a distinctive smell: thousands of years of history baking in the sun. We stepped out of the cars, putting on sunglasses and gazing in awe at the towering structures in front of us. Even though they were still in the distance, we could see how colossal they were.
I watched Annie take a video of Ellie in front of the sweeping view of the pyramids.
“I’m here!” Ellie said to the camera. “We’re about to go inside. I hear that some people have passed out in there from the heat or claustrophobia, but I’m worried I might pass out from happiness.”
She did a little dance as she said it. Something like a tap dance. My heart melted, and I turned away before someone caught me staring at her with a sappy smile on my face.
We paid for our tickets and walked out to the pyramids. The sun beat down on us. Sand shifted under our feet. I could understand why Ellie loved Egypt so much. I felt an awe, a reverence, that seemed to seep into my bones. This place had influenced the entire world and was still standing for us to see.
The pyramids were hot inside. The air was thick with a decay-like smell that I recognized as mold, but some of the students joked was the smell of mummies inside the walls.
“Really,” tutted Professor Spaulding from in front of me. “Even as a joke. You’re history majors, you know better than that.”
I smirked and glanced behind me to see if Ellie had heard the remark. She had, and we exchanged a silent laugh.
I walked near the end of our line. Ellie was in the back. I guessed that was because she wanted to take her time looking at everything without feeling rushed by a swarm of joking peers at her heels.
I was in the back because I wanted to be near Ellie.
The tunnels were lit inside. I hadn’t been expecting that. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. Indiana Jones never got a night light.
But it was incredible in there, and the lights allowed us to see everything clearly. Including each other’s faces. I was glad I got to see the way Ellie was staring at everything in rapture.
We climbed stairs and shuffled our way down stone passageways. I began to feel light-headed from the warmth and the close air. I think the excitement might also have had something to do with it my blood was rushing.
As we reached one of the staircases, our movement slowed to allow for a congestion of foot traffic ahead of us. Ellie slowly began to ascend the staircase, her eyes on the walls instead of on her feet.
I was watching her, thinking about how beautiful her mouth was, when she suddenly stumbled, not placing her foot fully on the step ahead of her as she’d intended to. Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Sorry,” she said, breathless, as if she’d inconvenienced me by allowing me to hold her hand. She gripped my fingers tightly, her other hand on her forehead. “I’m a little light-headed.”
“The air in here is close,” I said. “I’m also a little light-headed.”
She gazed up at me, still holding my hand, her lips curved upwards into a small, sweet smile.
“I’m so happy,” she whispered, as if it was a secret just between us.
Then I saw her glance behind me and let go of my hand suddenly. I turned. Professor Spaulding had turned around and was watching us.
“She slipped,” I said, smiling at him. “She’s lightheaded.”
Professor Spaulding nodded. “Try drinking water, Ellie,” he said. He looked intently at her. “Watch your step.”
E
gypt was absolute heaven.
I got to see places that I’d been staring at pictures of all my life. I felt I was breathing in history. Sometimes, I would touch the stones of the historical sites we visited, as if I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just a dream unless I felt it with my hands.
We traveled from monument to monument, staying in various hotels. Having Annie with me made it fun and comfortable. Having Jackson nearby made it thrilling.
Almost too thrilling. I felt overwhelmed by how happy I was. I didn’t know what to do with it. I would catch him looking at me while I was staring at something I really liked, and I knew he loved me. I wanted to acknowledge it. I had a weird impulse to thank him for loving me. Not because I didn’t think I deserved it but because I was grateful for it. I was grateful for the way he looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. I was grateful that he was happy that I was happy. I’d never seen anyone look at someone the way he looked at me.
At the end of the trip, we stayed at a resort in Hurghada for a couple of days. It was the relaxing vacation time at the end of our many hours of hiking and studying ancient artifacts. Personally, I preferred the ancient artifacts, but the resort was very nice, and my peers were thrilled by it. We spent the first day in Hurghada wandering around the gift shops along the pier. Some of us took brief rides on a camel. We took a boat tour out on the water and spotted a group of dolphins.
It was a glittering, colorful, exquisite day. Professor Spaulding stayed at the hotel, and I felt more freedom to talk to Jackson. When Professor Spaulding was with us, I hadn’t even felt free to look at him.
Jackson and I found our way to each other while out on the water. We stood on the side of the boat and stared out across the waves. We talked about everything we’d seen in Egypt, and then we started to talk about our lives back home. What they had been. What we wanted them to be. Neither of us brought up the subject of romance. It was as if a secret understanding was between us that neither of us was seeing anyone else.
For now, I thought, looking out across the waves. They were a breathtaking aquamarine, bedazzled in flecks of golden sunlight. He’s sure to find someone else to love soon. Someone he actually can love. He’ll forget all about me as soon as I stop showing up in his classroom every day.
I glanced at Jackson, thinking he was looking out over the water, as I had been. He wasn’t. He was looking at me. His eyes were shining. My heart ached.
“Ellie,” he whispered.
“I know,” I whispered back.
He glanced over his shoulder. No one was on the deck behind us. We were tucked along a quiet side of the ship and couldn’t be seen from the upper deck.
My heart was pounding. I needed to tell him not to touch me tell him that if anyone saw us, he could get into a lot of trouble. I needed to tell him what Professor Spaulding had told me.
But there he was, and the nearness of his body was sending ripples of neon sparks through me. I just wanted him to kiss me. I couldn’t think about anything else. I was literally holding my breath. My lips tingled.