“See you all in your final year. Have a great examination ahead.”
When Dr. Leke Edunjobi rounded up his last class for that semester, his eyes roamed through the lecture theatre attached to his office, involuntarily searching for one particular face. When he found her, his heart gave a little leap and he chastised himself for letting it happen. She was in one of the seats in the middle of the classroom. Like all the other students in his lecture theatre that moment, Charis Omolola was also in the middle of bants and laughs with her friend.
She was probably discussing plans for her summer break with them, or stubbornly maintaining that she had been right in their little class argument earlier. Being the lecturer teaching written literature meant that naturally, Leke enjoyed a sound mind and a little contrasting opinion every now and then.
He could still remember the first time it happened. It was his first class with the third-year students of literature department. He was a new PhD holder in his early thirties, and the youngest lecturer of the faculty. He had told his students that as a matter of personal opinion, he believed Wole Soyinka to be one of the best playwrights ever. He had not finished that particular opinion when a hand went up in the air. It was Charis. He could still remember her frown and the tilt of her lips, which he would come to associate with her stubborn streak. She said he was wrong and that she believed James Ene Henshaw, Ola Rotimi, and Tess Onwueme were better playwrights than the Nobel Laureate winner he obviously held in high regards. Of course, he did not share her sentiment. What started as a valid criticism of his choice fanned out into a bigger argument than he was expecting. Soon, the whole class had focused on the student and lecturer that were now having a go at each other, abandoning the lesson for the day.
Although he rarely let their subsequent disagreements break out into full blown war of words, he never stopped her from airing her points, and he never hesitated to antagonize her to his heart’s content. They had developed a comfortable routine, and it was intoxicating to him. Soon enough, he found himself thinking about the girl at odd hours. Her smile whenever she won their arguments, her scowl whenever she lost, her perfume whenever she came to bug him about something in his office, and her curves whenever she wore those tight dresses that never ceased to excite him.
Lost in his thoughts as he cleared his teaching desk, he raised his head subconsciously again, and his gaze met hers. She was looking right at him. When she smiled, he felt something other than his heart leaping.
The class was emptying out and some of her own clique were leaving, but she remained on her seat. Pretending to be busier than he was, he packed his desk and turned around. His office was attached to the lecture hall. It was a spacious enclosure with two high windows, that was initially meant to be a store room of some sorts, but was converted into an office for him when he resumed duties as the new written literature lecturer. Inside his office, he dropped the books in his arms on the table. One of the books — Time Changes Yesterday, caught his attention. He picked it up and began to flip through the pages. He was smiling at some of the exchanges between the teenagers in the book that he didn’t hear her come in behind him.
“That book must be more interesting than my perfume.”
He jolted, dropping the book in the process. He left the book on the floor before turning around to look at the girl standing mischievously at the door to his office.
“Perfume?” He asked.
She nodded, taking slow steps towards him. “Yes. You once told me you could always tell when I’m near because of my perfume. You didn’t seem to know this time.”
“So you assumed the book is more interesting than you are?”
She smiled but did not say anything. She stopped in front of him, bent to pick the book, and stood up to look at the title. “Time changes yesterday.” She read it out.
He folded his arms and rested his haunches on his desk. “You know it?”
She continued flipping through the book. “Yes. I read it sometime in secondary school. It was my favourite Nigerian romance until I stumbled upon Purple Hibiscus.”
“Purple Hibiscus?” He snorted. “That was more of drama than romance. The only hint of romance was the friendship between Kambili and Fr Amadi.”
She turned away from him and began fiddling with something by the flower vase close to his desk. “You don’t think it was romance? The obvious affection between them?”
“All I know is that it is a forbidden trope.”
She cast him a sultry look over her shoulder. “Isn’t that what makes it more exciting? The prohibition.”
He swallowed hardly, suddenly starting to find himself hot. “You like forbidden romance?”
She stopped fiddling with the flowers and took a seat on the visitors’ couch in his office. “I know we spent this semester dealing with post-colonial literature, and a lot of them barely had romance nor forbidden tropes, but I enjoy a little bit of rule breaking every now and then.”
He chuckled silently, looking at her with wonder. “You are something else, you know that, don’t you?”
“Dr. Edunjobi, can I ask you something?”
“As if my no would deter you.”
She gave him a wide grin. “I’m glad you finally know that.”
“Charis, what would you like to know?”
She suddenly seemed shy and wouldn’t look at his face. She began to wrangle her hands on her laps, drawing his gaze to the exposed creamy thigh, thanks to her short skirt. He loosened his tie a bit, thankful he had already folded the arms of his blue shirt. The office was getting hotter for him.
He cleared his throat and prompted her again. “You know you can ask me anything.”
She nodded, stood up from the couch and began to walk around his office slowly. “Give me a few seconds. I’m just trying to think of a way to form the question in my head.”
“Take your time.” He began to adjust his bulging crotch when her back was turned for a few seconds.
Her back was still turned when she spoke, “Have you ever liked a student?”
He felt another jolt but he willed his pulse to slow down. Maybe she was leading somewhere else and not where his excited junior member was thinking. “Of course.” He faked a dry laugh. “I like you guys. Well, some of you. The rest of you can be very…trying.”
She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. “No! That wasn’t what I meant.”
“What did you mean then?”
She looked him right in the eyes. “I’m just going to cut to the chase. Dr. Edunjobi, I like you. I mean in the attraction sense of the word. I think you’re smart, you’re funny, and you share my love for books and weird fantasies. You are so handsome, sometimes I wonder if you’re real. And lately… lately…”
He was shell shocked, but he needed her to finish her declaration. “Lately what, Charis?”
“Lately, I’ve been thinking of you in the more than like sense. I have imagined what it would feel like to kiss you. What it would feel like to have your hands roam my body, and what it would feel like to…”
“Make love to you.” He completed quietly, but she appeared to have heard him when she smiled at him shyly.
He began to approach her. “It is forbidden, you know that, right?”
One of her mischievous smiles graced her lips again. The plump full lips he wished he could taste in that instant. “I love a little bit of prohibited romance, remember?”
He got to her, initially unsure of what to do to her, he stood there staring into her face, but when she began to trail her hands over his exposed arms, he lost his remaining fragile restraint.
Without another word, Dr. Edunjobi led her over to the couch in his office, pulling her into his arms. Their lips met in a hungry kiss, their bodies pressed together. Charis moaned softly as Dr. Edunjobi’s hands explored her body, his touch igniting a fire within her.
As they kissed, Dr. Edunjobi reached down and lifted Charis’s skirt, his hand sliding up her thigh. She gasped as his fingers brushed against her panties, sending waves of pleasure through her body. She fiddled with his belt buckle and finally released it. She unzipped his trousers and her eyes widened when she saw what she had just freed.
Dr. Edunjobi pulled back for a moment, his eyes dark with desire. “Charis, are you sure you want this?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Charis nodded, her eyes locked on his. “Yes, Dr. Edunjobi. I want you.”
With that, Dr. Edunjobi laid her flat on the couch, laying her on her back and positioning himself between her legs. Their bodies pressed together, and Charis moaned softly as he entered her, his movements slow and deliberate.
As they made love on the couch, time seemed to stand still. Charis lost herself in the sensation of Dr. Edunjobi’s body against hers, the feel of his hands on her skin. And as they reached their climax together, Charis knew that she would never forget this moment.
Afterwards, they lay in each other’s arms, their bodies still entwined. “We did not lock the door, did we?,” Dr. Edunjobi asked, his voice breathy and relaxed at the same time.
“No.” Charis replied, her voice filled with the laughter threatening to burst out of her.
The two lovers lay there for a few minutes after, savouring the last moments of their short escapade together, knowing they would soon have to return to reality.
Let me wink at you all. Not what you expected huh? Do have a great weekend ahead guys. Don’t forget to like, comment, and share please. Thank you.
Love,
Bea.
