15

Mariah's POV

The air was cooler than usual, the kind of morning breeze that makes you wanna stay in bed andpress snooze three times just to feel somebody's warmth again.

But today, i didn't need the snooze button. Kamala was still here.

Her hand resting low on my stomach, her breath warm  against my shoulder. I stayed still for a second letting myself soak in the stillness, the comfort, the way our bodies fit like they belonged here—together.

I turned a little, just enough to see her. Her hair was a mess, and her lips were parted slightly in sleep. She looked so... soft like this. Like this version of her I never get to see on campus.

Safe. Mine.

I ran my fingers lightly along her arm, and she stirred, eyes fluttering open.

"Mmm," she hummed, her voice still hoarse with sleep. "You're staring."

I smiled. "You drool in your sleep."

She laughed, eyes finally opening all the way. "Liar."

"Okay. You almost drool."

Kamala leaned in and kissed me slow—like she had nowhere to be, like she wasn't my professor, like she didn't have a thousand reasons to stay away from me but didn't care about a single one.

"Do you have class today?" She murmured against my lips.

"Nope. Do you?"

"I canceled my office hours," she whispered. "For you."

My stomach flipped. "Kamala..."

She pulled away just enough to look at me. "What?"

"You know that's dangerous."

"I know," she said, brushing my cheek. "But I'm done pretending you don't matter anymore."

That did something to me. Something deep.

I kissed her again, harder this time. She shifted her weight, rolling on top of me, and just like that, we weren't talking anymore—we were moving, breathing, tangled in sheets and each other.

"Come on, baby," she said getting off of me and heading to the bathroom. "Take a shower with me."

I've never gotten up so fast in my entire life.

I smiled, and followed her to the bathroom. She turned the shower on, and turned to me.

I took a step forward, and she took a step back, until her back hit the wall.

"What are you doing?" She asked. I smiled, and pressed my body against hers, pinning her against the wall. I ran my hand along her stomach, and slid it lower, until i felt her wetness.

"Are you wet for me already?" I asked. Teasing her entrance with my fingers.

"Yes," she breathed, her voice raspy and low. "Good," I smiled and stepped away.

She pouted, and reached out, grabbing my arm. "Where are you going?"

"Shower," I said simply, and stepped under the hot water. She followed behind me, and wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her breasts against my back.

"You know what? Im gonna save up all of this pressure for you later tonight." She said stepping back.

I chuckled and kissed her cheek.

After about twenty minutes, we finally get out of the shower. I wrap myself in a towel and then I give Kamala her towel.

As Kamala wraps herself in the towel, I can't help but stare. She looks so good, her curly hair that has water dripping from it, her side profile, and god her lips.

"What?" She asked, smiling a little.

"Nothing. You just look so sexy." I say, smiling hard.

"Thank you, mama," she said, and kissed me on my forehead. "You look sexy too."

I'm falling so hard for this woman, I don't think I'll ever get up. And to be honest, I don't want to. ______________

Later, we were on the floor, tangled in a throw blanket, wasting fruit and watching some documentary neither of us were paying attention to.

Kamala handed me a strawberry. "So... my sister asked about you."

I paused. "Wait, your sister knows?"

"She knows I'm seeing someone. She doesn't know the details."

"Does she know I'm your student?"

"She doesn't know that either."

I raised an eyebrow. "Kamala."

"I'm being careful. But I'm also not hiding you."

That made my chest tighten in a good way.

"You're serious about this?" I asked.

She looked at me like I just told her the sky was purple.

"I've been serious, Mariah. Even when I was scared. Even when I acted like I wasn't."

She leaned in again, forehead resting against mine.

"I want all of it. You. The chaos. The complications. The late nights and the early mornings. I want all of it."

I didn't say anything right away. Just let the words settle around us like warmth.

Then I whispered. "Okay."

She smiled, then reached behind her.

"Oh," she said, suddenly shy. "Before I forget..." She pulled out a small box—plain, black, square.My heart skipped.

Inside was a tiny gold chain with a pendant: a tiny engraved M.

"For my desk drawer," she said. "So I always have a piece of you with me."

I nearly teared up. I'd never gotten something like that from anyone before.

"I love it," I said. "I love you."

She kissed me once more.

"I'm yours."