Tear Down These Walls (8 page)

Crossing her arms, Teagan says, “Wait, now I’m Miss Murphy? Why are you
being like this?” This side of him was not her favorite.

“Because,” Trent says, pulling his hands away. “You are a student.
There’s a boundary line that we should not cross.”

“Did I say I wanted to mount you in the back of your truck? No. I have
simply been enjoying your witty personality and nice conversation. There is
nothing wrong with that.”

With a deep exhale and a shake of his head, Trent says, “No, I have been
too relaxed.  This is not me.”

“Obviously it is you,” Teagan retorts. “You’re not a pod person.”

The corner of Trent’s mouth twitches, and then it’s gone. “Miss Murphy,
let’s just eat lunch, and then we can be on our way.”

“Ouch,” Teagan whispers. “Fine. Whatever you want.” Trent nods, while
Teagan rolls her eyes and looks out the window.

“So, did you enjoy lunch?” Trent inquires quietly,
turning to face Teagan as he turns his truck off.

“Until you clammed up, yes,” Teagan smiles. “I liked the
real you.”

“This is the real me.”

“Captain stick up your ass?” Teagan asks. “I doubt it.”

Trent raises his eyebrows. “You are quite frank aren’t
you?”

“Yeah,” Teagan says, crimson spreading across her
cheeks. She exhales loudly and shakes her head. “This is ridiculous.  You
were fine.  Trent, it’s not like you were totally out of line.”

“Saying you had nice breasts!” He exclaims, throwing his
hands up in the air.  “Yeah, that is
extremely
out of line.”

“Not between two people who are having a fun, sarcastic
conversation. I would have slapped you if it was out of hand.”

He shakes his head. “No, I need to be professional with
you.”

“You’re not my body guard,” Teagan groans. Her
frustration with him and the whole “professional” nonsense is apparent.

“I’m going to be your teacher,” Trent replies. He almost
reaches out his hand to touch her, but he pulls his hands back to the wheel and
grips the leather. “There has to be a line.”

“Then I won’t take your classes, I will take someone
else’s,” Teagan sighs. She doesn’t look back at him.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Trent asks, “How are you going
to afford that?”

“I don’t know,” Teagan answers, finally looking at him.
His concern for her is washed over his face, and she immediately feels a pit in
her stomach. He knows she doesn’t have the money, and so does she. “I will
think of something. They have to have free classes somewhere.”

“Those classes are useless,” Trent snaps. “I insist you
come to my class.”

She crosses her arms. Her face is getting red. It’s not
cool that he is acting like this. “Are you going to behave like this? Because I
will take classes from another instructor.”

With a heavy exhale, Trent mumbles, “You are pushy.”

“With things that matter, yeah, yeah I am,” Teagan
shoots him a glare.

“Things that matter?” Trent scoffs, putting his own
hands across his chest. “Why would I matter?”

Teagan hesitates. “I don’t know, but I can definitely
say that I like the other you way more.”

“I need to keep it professional.”

“Well, I guess we are at an impasse,” Teagan says
matter-of-factly. She can’t let him see that he is having an effect on her. She
needs to get out of his truck and on with her day. One more minute with him,
acting like this, and she may explode.“Thank you for saving me.  I do
appreciate it.” She grabs the door handle and turns to exit.

“So what!?” Trent yells, grabbing her shoulder to keep
her from getting out of the truck.  “What do you mean, ‘Thanks for saving
me’? We aren’t done having this conversation. You aren’t going to take the
classes now?”

Teagan pulls her hand off of the small silver handle and
shakes her head. “No, I don’t want to take classes from someone who changes on
the drop of a dime. I like the other you. The other you I can respect.”

“You want me to make inappropriate comments about you
while I’m teaching you how not get strangled?” Trent asks. He raises his
eyebrows at her, waiting for her response; a smirk turns up the corners of his
mouth.

“No, outside of class,” Teagan replies, smiling. “I
don’t think we should limit our friendship to only classes. You saved me from
what could have possibly been a tragic situation. I think that calls for at
least a round of drinks or something.”

“I don’t fraternize with students outside of class,”
Trent states again. His thick eyebrows knit tightly across his forehead as he
turns back to face outside the windshield. Teagan rests her head on the glass
of her window; she knows she needs to say something, but she needs to make sure
it doesn’t sound as bitchy as she’s feeling.

She turns back to him and catches him looking at her.
Curtly nodding, Teagan replies, “You did say that.  Well, I will think
about the classes.”

“Teagan, you need to do this,” Trent strongly
emphasizes, reaching his hand out to touch her arm. Her skin got warm under his
touch, and she wasn’t sure, but she thinks she feels him squeeze a bit.

“I will think about it. Thanks for saving me, and I hope
you have a nice day.” She opens the door and gets out.  When she shuts it,
Teagan feels somewhat disappointed. But she knows enough not to turn back. She
knows if she looks him in the eyes again, he may convince her to change her
mind.

 “Teagan!  Wait!”  She turns around.
Trent comes up to her. He pulls something out of his pocket. “Here these are
all my numbers: home, cell, and work.  If you change your mind, please
call me.”

“I didn’t think you fraternized with students.” She puts
her left hand on her hip while gripping the card in between her first two
fingers on her right hand. Raising her eyebrows a bit, she smirks knowingly.

“I really want you to come to these classes,” Trent
replies, folding his arms again across his chest. He squints in the sunlight,
and she notices that dimple again as he almost smiles.

“So, you give me your numbers? I thought you weren’t
going to give me your number because I told you I would put it under love
muffin,” Teagan notes, trying not to smile.

Trent pauses. “Are you really going to put them under
that name?”

She grins broadly, “Maybe.”

“Will it get you to my classes?” Trent asks,
exasperated.

“Yes,” Teagan retorts, smiling even wider.

“Then love muffin it is,” he groans.

Giggling, Teagan claps her hands.  “Score!”

“Oh geez,” Trent exhales, rolling his eyes.

Teagan playfully punches him in the shoulder. “You
secretly love it, don’t lie.”

“Why can’t it be something better than that?” Trent
inquires in annoyance.

“Like what, sex kitten?” Teagan quips. Trent glares at her.
“Hot piece of ass?” She continues. He raises his eyebrows. Finally, she says,
“How about my super hero?”

Trent grins, “I can deal with that.”

“A specific super hero?” Teagan asks with excitement.
She has to stop herself from clapping her hands.

“Hands down, Batman,” Trent replies.

“Ooooo, good choice,” she giggles. “So, Batman it is.”

Laughing, he says, “You are seriously putting it under
that?”

“Sure, I think sex kitten was better, but Batman will
work.”

“I think I actually like that,” Trent declares with a
smirk.

“Okay, I will do this, if I can have a picture,” Teagan
proposes.

His eyebrows rise, and he says, “You are bargaining?”

“I have a picture of every person in my phone for their
ID. I can’t have one blank entry.”

“Why would you need a picture of me?” Trent asks, trying
not to smile.

She shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know. It’s what I
do.”

“Fine, whatever,” Trent groans.

Teagan takes her phone out and holds it up. “Say cheese.
And take off those sunglasses.”

“No, that is stupid,” Trent puts his hands up.

“Then smile,” Teagan sighs dramatically.

“I don’t smile for pictures.”

“Oh my god,” Teagan exclaims. “Just stand there and look
stoic then!” Trent laughs while he slides his shades to rest atop his hair, and
Teagan takes the picture. “Ha! Got it.”

Shaking his head, Trent says, “Good job, tricky, but
good job.”

Teagan bows, “Thank you, thank you, I do what I can.”

“So,” he starts, crossing his arms and repositioning his
sunglasses, “Are you coming to the classes?”

“Yeah,” Teagan laughs. “I will bring Victoria. She will
enjoy watching you.”

“Oh geez, that is not why you are coming.”

With a grin, Teagan replies, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t
be so good looking. If you were ugly then maybe people wouldn’t gawk.”

“Gawk?” Trent sounds shocked.  “Do you gawk?”

She eyes him up and then raises an eyebrow. “Maybe.”

Trent shakes his head, “You….”

“What?” The sunshine is warm on her back. She notices a
trace of sweat beading up on his forehead, but it surely isn’t warm enough for that
outside. Unless, she wonders, he is sweating because of her.

He looks back up at her. “You get me to say the
stupidest shit.”

“See, this is the real you,” Teagan says. “I knew it!”

“Just don’t tell anyone at class,” Trent sighs, and
Teagan knows she has won this battle. “I need to keep it professional there.”

“So, at class you are captain stick up the ass, but
outside of class you can make inappropriate comments about me?” She crosses her
arms, and she squints at him as if he is under interrogation.

“Who says I am going to see you outside of class?”

Throwing her hands up, Teagan yells, “Are we on this
again?”

A smirk creeps across Trent’s face. “I don’t fraternize
with students outside of class.”

“See when you say fraternize, are you talking about
being friends or raunchy sex?”

Trent bursts out laughing and bends over. He takes in a
deep breath and then laughs again. “It usually means both.”

“Well then, I will be your friend. No raunchy sex
though,” Teagan declares. “I will text you harassing sexual messages.”

“Oh, you think so, huh?” Trent shifts on his feet.

Teagan smiles, “Yes.”

Shaking his head, Trent says, “Am I supposed to respond
to them? Who says I even text?”

“Who doesn’t text?”

“Me,” Trent replies.

“What!?  Seriously?” Teagan gasps.

He shakes his head. “Not really, no one texts me.
Everyone calls.”

“Well then, I will try to control myself,” Teagan says.

“Teagan, honestly, this is weird. I don’t talk to my
students,” Trent states seriously. “We do need to keep it somewhat
professional.”

“I am not a professional kind of person,” Teagan assures
him. “But I understand.”

Trent nods, “I will say this, I did enjoy your company
today.”

“I am glad. I did want to show my appreciation. I can’t afford
much, but I am glad that I could at least take you out to lunch.”

“I am just glad that I was there last night,” Trent
exhales.

Teagan nods, “Yeah, I don’t know what I would have
done.”

“Well, you will have a better chance after the classes.”

She playfully punches him in the arm. “You are going to
teach me how to kick ass.”

Taking her hand, Trent moves her fingers. “This is how
you should make a fist when you punch.  Then you should swing like this
and always throw it like you are continuing through the person.” He moves her
hand and arm forward.

“Sweet!” Teagan exclaims. She puts her hands into proper
fists and bounces between her two feet like a prize fighter.

“Hey, hey, Rocky. At ease. I’m not going to teach you
how to get into a fist fight,” Trent says. “It’s a defense class.”

“That’s no fun,” Teagan mumbles, dropping her hands.

“I will teach you to use what you have,” Trent states.
“That is the best.”

Teagan cocks her hip to the side and says, “So, my witty
personality, good looks and nice rack will save my life?”

Bursting out laughing, Trent replies, “No, that is not
what I am talking about.”

With a shrug, Teagan says, “Well, that’s what I have.”

“You have more than that,” Trent sighs. “You will learn
that in class.”

“Okay.”

Trent lifts his wrist up and looks at his watch. “I have
to get back to work. I have stuff I need to finish.”

“Oh, of course,” Teagan replies. “Thanks for
everything.”

“Not a problem. Thanks for lunch.”

Smiling, Teagan says, “My pleasure.” She steps up to him
and goes on her tip toes. Teagan gives him a soft kiss on the cheek and
whispers, “Thank you for saving me.” 

“I am glad that I could,” Trent murmurs back.

Teagan steps back and says, “All right Batman, I will
see you Monday.” She puts her hands in her back pockets.

“Sounds good,” Trent replies.

“Bye.” 

“Bye.”

Teagan turns around and walks to her car. She shakes her
head because she can’t wipe the splitting grin off of her face. After she gets
in the car, she turns and looks at the building. Trent is standing there with his
arms crossed. Teagan waves, and he waves back. She smiles even more and starts
her car. As she pulls away, her phone rings. She puts it on speaker phone.
“Hello?”

“Are you okay!?!” Victoria yells. “I haven’t heard from
you!”

“The better question is are
you
okay? You were
pretty drunk last night.”

She hears a groan, “Ugh, I feel like I was hit by a
train, a big train, but I am more worried about you.”

“I am fine. Just finished having lunch,” Teagan states
happily.

“Oh, and you didn’t invite me!?”

“Can you even eat?” Teagan laughs.

There is a pause and then, “Probably not.”

“Didn’t think so,” Teagan snorts. “Anyway it was a
private lunch.”

“Private lunch…..like a date?
Please
, tell me it
was a
date
!”

She shakes her head. “No, a thank you lunch.”

“A thank you lunch….?” Victoria mumbles. “WAIT! 
With who?”

“The guy who saved me last night,” Teagan grins.

“You knew who he was?”

“No, he gave me his leather jacket after the attack. I
found his business card in the pocket. So, I returned his coat and bought him
lunch.”

With a sly tone, Victoria asks, “Is he cute?”

“Cute, no,” Teagan replies as she turns out of the
parking lot and onto the tree-lined road.

“No? That’s a bummer.”

“I didn’t finish. He’s not cute; he’s gorgeous.”

“SERIOUSLY!?” Victoria exclaims.

“Mmmhmmmm, but you are going to be able to make that
judgment call yourself. You are going to self-defense classes with me on Monday
nights. He is teaching it. Ten classes.”