Mr Malloy: A BWWM Teacher-Student Romance (4 page)

"I can't let you do it." She said at last. "It’s too big a risk for you. There is no sense at all in both of us losing our futures over a fake marriage."

"It
is
worth the risk." Jason insisted. "Not just because you're going to be a brilliant lawyer who changes the world, but because you are a kind and innocent girl who deserves better. My job as a teacher is to get you your degree and set you on the right path for the future. If a sham marriage is part of that deal, then I'll take it. Amara, you have come too far to let it fall apart now. I can help you. Let me help you." He looked at her imploringly, and it tugged at her heart, but she was anchored down by reality.

Amara appreciated his kindness and friendship, but the thought of putting him in danger made her feel like she was betraying all he had done for her. She believed that he wanted to help her for noble reasons, but she didn't feel that she could allow him to commit a federal crime for her sake.

"Professor, I am so touched that you would do this for me," Amara told him softly and sincerely, "but I can't let you marry me. It’s a crime."

He stood up and started pacing back and forth through his office once more, jamming his hands down into his pockets. "The crime is letting a woman with the potential to become a superior lawyer fall through the cracks!" Jason retorted bitterly.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her sharply. "Amara, I have seen fellow classmates who did worse on every exam than me, go on to do far greater things than I can ever hope to achieve here, myself. Your situation is a chance for me to do something major and important. I know that you're going to go on to make this world a better, fairer place. You future is so valuable and you want me to let it be thrown aside because it's risky?

If we can't take risks when the things we value are threatened, then we don't really value them at all. Amara, I will do this for you, but it is for me too. I am a grown man, I am a dedicated teacher and if you will have me, then this will be my choice."

He walked back over to her and knelt down in front of her as he had a few minutes earlier, looking up at her with the same earnest expression. "So, let me ask you, Amara Botha, my brightest student and daily inspiration, will you please marry me?"

Chapter3

There they were. Amara wasn't quite sure how he had convinced her to do it, but somehow, Jason Malloy led her down the aisle. She supposed it was the look in his eyes when he had asked her to marry him. He had looked at her with such intensity and his sincere belief in the cause. It was also the thought of the people she would not help if she didn’t become a lawyer.

In addition to that, it was the prospect of a life spent doing dishes and then going to bed with a man she didn't love.

It was her passion for the future she yearned for, along with the contempt for the future her father would force upon her if she returned to her country and married the man he had chosen for her. On top of all of that, it was the persistent and genuine urging of a true friend who wouldn't let her down.

All of that made her agree to this marriage. And now, here she was, standing in a clerk’s office, wearing a white summer dress that held itself close to her generous feminine curves and long athletic legs. She wore a pair of golden ballet pumps and golden leaves in her hair that Casey had threaded in after Amara had asked her to be a witness for the ceremony.

With them was Jason's old school friend Max, who genuinely believed that a friend he hadn't seen in a while had fallen in love with a student and decided to marry her. Casey too, was under the impression that Amara's relationship with the professor had flourished in their private sessions together, and she'd half-teased her about being slightly jealous and wishing she had had the courage to go to the sessions herself.

Amara and Jason had decided it was safer if nobody knew their true intentions. After their discussion in Jason's office that day, it had been agreed that Amara would mention her visa to nobody and that she and Jason would begin to publicly act enamored with one another, in the hope that people would believe they were truly in love. They knew they had to cover all of their bases.

It wasn't so hard to believe, really. After all, Amara was nineteen and Jason was only twenty-seven. They were both highly academic and nobody who was looking could have failed to  notice the amount of time they had spent together talking about the law and confiding in each other.

Even Amara's difficulty in making friends was now playing in their favor, when nobody who knew the girl could rightly say whether or not she had won the heart of the attractive young professor. The only thing that anyone knew about Amara was that she was the first to raise her hand in class, and when she did, Jason's eyes would light up.

Amara didn't know whether to be touched by the effort Jason had gone to in order to make this little ceremony just perfect, or to simply be duly impressed with his dedication to the ruse. As she slipped the wedding band he had chosen onto his finger and allowed him to slide one onto hers, her hands trembled.

She tried her best to still them, though she was unsuccessful. Jason, however, seemed calm to her and he covered both her hands with his to stop them shaking, and he fixed her with a warm and steady gaze which made her feel safe.

She forced a smile through the rest of her vows, despite her worry, which only faltered for a moment when it was time for the groom to kiss the bride and her professor leaned forward to kiss her for the first time.

For a split second, she drew in her breath as nerves steeled throughout her body, but they had to be convincing, and so she gave it her very best effort. Perhaps it was the gratitude for what he had done for her, or the watching eyes of Casey and Max, but Amara returned his kiss with genuine tenderness, in such a way that it made their witnesses say “awe,” in unison.

And then, as quickly as the idea had come to them and been rushed forward, the ceremony was over and the hand in Amara's hand was no longer that of just her professor, but of her husband, too.

It was only when all the vows were exchanged and the couple was announced legally wed that Jason was truly hit with the reality of what he had just done. This girl, who had simply been a student in need, was now his wife. The reality of the matter was that the wedding was the easy part.

Amara looked beautiful with the white cotton of her dress against her dark skin and her hair lifted up in that lovely way which exposed her slender neck. Jason reasoned that any man would be proud to have her on his arm, but the fact remained that there had never been anything romantic between them, and now they had to convince the world that they were newlyweds in love, and that was going to prove to be the challenging part of the task.

"So why is this wedding on the down-low?" Max teased him as the four young people walked towards the restaurant near the clerk's office for their simple reception.

"It's the teacher-student controversy,” Jason lied, although he wasn't entirely sure that in and of itself wasn't another cause for concern. "We thought it was best not to advertise that the staff are marrying the students."

Max laughed. "Well, I won't say anything. She's a beautiful girl. She seems very smart, too. She's definitely your type. I'm really happy for you. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Max." Jason said with a smile.

Casey too, had her questions for Amara. The student and her teacher had prepared for such inquisitions and had agreed on their answers beforehand, so Amara knew what to say to her classmate.

"That happened so fast, Amara! You two seem good together, so I'm really happy for you, but why the hurry? Are you pregnant?" she asked with a wink and a giggle.

"No, I'm not pregnant. Actually, there are two reasons we rushed it." Amara told her. "First, we were worried about what the university regulations were. We thought that if we were married it would be much harder for them to forbid the relationship or come after Jason. We both felt it was heading that way, anyway. I mean, when you know, you know, right? Aside from that, though, I'm a traditional girl and I'm really tied to my cultural beliefs. I wanted to be married before... you know."

Casey flushed slightly and laughed, holding up her hand to show that no explanation was needed. "Say no more."

The four had a pleasant lunch, if somewhat uncomfortable for Jason and Amara who knew the true reason for their new nuptials. After the food was eaten and Casey and Max had gone home, it was left to Jason and Amara to return to Jason's home.

Her professor held out a hand to her. It was partly for show, but also to comfort the girl whose life had taken an unexpected turn that day. It was ironic, in a way, that Jason had offered her a marriage to save her from a marriage, but there was so much more at stake with Amara's education on the line.

The whole thing was very symbolic. It was Amara's freedom that was truly on the line and her right to follow her mind and her heart and be who she was meant to be. She took his hand and they walked together past campus and then towards Jason's old house.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked her kindly. "It's been kind of a crazy day."

"I think so." Amara smiled wearily, but he saw that there was worry in her eyes. She looked at him and shook her head. "I can't believe we did this. I'm so sorry for dragging you into this, Jason."

Jason
, thought Amara. It had taken Amara some practice to begin to call her professor by his first name in the few days they'd had to prepare before the ceremony, but he seemed like a Jason to her now. This man must have been a friend to do what he'd just done for her.

"I'm sorry you were forced to do something so drastic in order to have what is rightfully yours." Jason replied. "It's going to be alright, you know. We can do this. This is my place." He waved his hand and indicated the house before them.

Amara looked up to find they had arrived at Jason's home. It was really close to campus, and it was a beautiful old home. Jason had purchased this old Victorian house and remodeled it as much as he was allowed to, according to city standards, and as much as he could without changing the integrity of the style and build of the original structure. She looked up at the big two-story home and found herself in awe.

There was a wide porch that wrapped around three sides of the house. There were big bay windows and a big old oak front door with a large oval window made of beveled inlaid crystal. On the front porch, was a ginger colored cat, lying on the wooden porch swing. There was a wide grassy yard filled with flowerbeds and a long row of thick trees. And in one place in the yard, was a small fountain that bubbled softly into a little koi fish pond.

He opened the white picket fence gate and they walked up the sidewalk toward the porch, and then up the stairs to the door. The professor let go of her hand to unlock the door, and when they went inside,  the first thing that Amara saw were her own suitcases, which had been sent over the day before, sitting in the foyer.

"I've cleared some room for you in my closet and dresser," Jason told her. "But I thought you'd like to arrange things in your own way. I can show you where everything is."

"Thank you, Jason, you have been so wonderful." She sighed gratefully and gave him a smile.  Then she looked down and she saw the ginger cat had followed them in from the porch. She watched him as he threaded his way through her possessions, sniffing and inspecting everything.

She knelt down to pick him up. "Who is this little guy?" she asked.

Jason looked over his shoulder and chuckled. "That's Felix." He told her. "Our cat."

The word ‘our’ stopped her short and jolted Amara somewhat, but she knew that she had to get used to speaking as though she were in a relationship with this man. After all, she was moving in with him now. This cat was her cat too, for all intents and purposes, and she was glad for it, because she needed something to cuddle to give her peace and strength for the days ahead. The immigration agents would descend upon them soon and Jason and Amara had so little time to perfect their ruse.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" Jason offered her.

"No, I'm alright, thank you." Amara said quietly. "I'm so tired."

"Me too." Jason agreed. "I set up the bed for you. I'll just sleep on the couch." He said turning away from her.

"The couch?" Amara repeated in surprise, reaching to stop him. "Don't you think we should... you know... be in the same room? I'm paranoid we're being watched and we need to get used to being closer to each other, if we're going to fool anyone."

Jason looked at her with those kind eyes of his and nodded in acquiescence. He had such a non-threatening demeanor that Amara had been unafraid to suggest they share a bed. Everything about him was gentleness towards people and a passion for what was right. She couldn't believe he would ever hurt her. He led her upstairs to the bedroom and showed her where everything was kept. She got changed into her nightgown while he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

He seemed surprised to see her in her nightgown when he returned to the bedroom with himself in his pajamas. He cleared his throat a little and blushed, before pulling back one corner of the covers and tentatively sliding in beneath them. Amara followed his lead and all of a sudden, she was lying in bed beside her university professor, somehow as his wife. They lay there awkwardly, side by side for a while, until Jason shifted his weight so that he was lying on his side, and then Amara did the same.

They lay side by side, like corpses, until Jason tried to break the awkwardness by reaching out to hold her hand. Amara squeezed it with gratitude for his kindness and then slowly inched across the space between them to rest her head on his chest. His body was warm and strong against her cheek. She'd learned that he was a climber and liked to run. That explained why his chest was so firm against her hand.

She thought that they would just fall straight to sleep, but as they laid there together in the dark, her head on his chest, her world entwined with his, she looked up at him in the dim light of night that sifted in from the streetlights somewhere outside.

"Jason," she said his name softly. "You have sacrificed so much for me. I don't think I could ever thank you enough. I don't know if you really realize how profound this gift of freedom and education that you have given to me truly is. I would be lost without your help, and not just lost for now, or lost for a while to come. I would be lost for the rest of my whole life. Your selflessness has saved my whole life." She shook her head, looking into his light eyes, hoping that the meaning of her words was getting across to him.

Her eyes began to fill with tears at the realization of what he had done for her, and she felt a lump rising in her own throat.

"What is the value of a life saved? What is the gift worth that you have so generously given me without any hesitation on your part? You have saved me from a lifetime of misery and loneliness, of regret and bitterness, Jason. You have given me a future wide open and filled with hope and opportunity. You've handed me the whole world and you did it all out of the kindest heart I have ever had the honor and privilege to know.

I can never repay you for what you have given me, but I do want you to know that I fully comprehend the enormity of what you have done, and I will be immeasurably grateful for it for the rest of my life." She squeezed his fingers while a single tear, and then another, rolled down her cheek, glistening softly in the dark.

Jason reached up and wiped it away, whispering back to her, "I was glad to do anything I could to help a woman with as much determination and heart as you have. It was my honor to help you, and it isn't anything you need to be grateful for. I couldn't stand the thought of you being forced to go back and marry someone you don't want or even like, and lose your opportunity at a life – a real life – doing what you are so talented at, and what you love. I want you to be able to reach for your dreams and exceed them. I had to give you a chance. You've come so far! I just couldn't let you go back."